From a young age, Honegger was fascinated by the steam locomotive of the port of Le Havre, where he was born. He is reported to have said," I have always loved locomotives passionately. For me, they are living beings whom I love as others love women and horses...I have translated into music the visual impressions made by the locomotive and the physical sensation of it: the quiet breathing machine in repose, its effort in starting, then gradual increase in speed leading from the lyrical to the absorbing spectacle of a train hurling itself through the night at a speed of 120 km an hour " and he wrote his autobiography Je sui compositeur "...In Pacific 231 was on the trail of a very abstract and quite ideal concept, by giving the impression of a mathematical acceleration of rhythm, while it movement itself slowed." He was born in the French port Le Havre. The figure "231" refers to the number of axles on the wheels ( two wheels per axle) of the locomotive and "Pacific" probably refers to the American railway route called the Missouri-Pacific. The puff and huff and the excitement of the gathering train rhythm was excellently captured by the HKPO performance under the able baton of its guest conductor Ainãrs Rubikis from Latvia, the 27-year-old winner of the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in Bamberg, Bavaria in February 2010, a slim and forceful conductor who would jab his fingers to the relevant section of the orchestra with such force to start playing that you can feel its trembles across the whole expanse of space separating him from where I was sitting on the balcony.
The next piece of the evening was the piece I thought I would be listening first: Haydn's joyful Symphony 103 in E Flat, the "Drum Roll" which marks the start of the work, his second last, which he wrote for the 1795 London opera season, following his second successful tour to England where he earned more than he had ever done over all the previous years put altogether. It has a very long, slow, dark beginning in Adagio, played by the bass instruments, which changed into something much gayer by the violins with its two themes in Allegro con spirito in sonata rondo form before returning to its sombre beginning . It has a second movement in Andante piu tosto allegretto with two themes based on Croatian folk songs one in C minor and the other in C major with a violin solo passage which Haydn specially wrote for the famous violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti, just gone to England as a result of the French Revolution. The third movement in menuet in E flat majo,r gave prominence to a playful clarinet trio. The finale in Allegro with just one theme in 5 notes, also taken from a folk song, and which begins with a horn call, is supposed to describe an English hunt.
The final piece, Dvorak's Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70, was commissioned by the London Philharmonic Society (which also commissioned Beethoven's Ninth) following his successful tour there in March 1884 and was written in four months between end of 1884 and the spring of 1885. Some say that its polyphony may have been influenced by Brahm's No. 3 which premiered in December 1883. Encouraged by Smetana, it involved the introduction some Czech folk themes. It is sometimes called "The Tragic" because he sub-titled its third movement "From the Sad Years" perhaps referring to his mother's death.Its first movement in Allegro maestoso, began darkly with an ominous theme and struggled with a more lyric theme but ends equally darkly. The second, Poco Adagio, with three themes, the first by the woodwind, the second by the strings and the third introduced by the horn ends quite softly and tenderly, contains Slavonic pastoral folk elements, The third, a Scherzo in vivace and poco meno mosso, is a cross between a furiant and a polka dance, alternating between various themes, some yearning, some heroic, some gay, some quiet and wistful until it dazzles to a conclusion. The last Finale in Allegro has a militant marching rhythm but also with lyrical parts, is another struggle between moods of joy, anger, sorrow and ultimately ends in an ecstasy of sadness.
Rubikis got an enthusiastic reception, which I think he fully deserves. The music was still lingering in my mind upon my MTR journey home. Unlike Trpceski, he did not throw the flowers to the audience but gave them to one of the lady violinists. Definitely a conductor to watch in the future.
You had a wonderful music listening night ~ You always know how to use your leisure time ... Good Night ~~
回覆刪除[版主回覆09/19/2011 09:51:57]I know life is short. I try not to waste it. Hope you had pleasant dreams.
Good morning, my dear old friend! ...1.)當初我上網的目的, 不是為了交朋友, 也不是為了藝術交流... 其中一個網友( 引導我上網的 )就應該知道所言不虛...! ...2.)後來在網上結識了你, 及其他網友, 是我三生有幸, 多謝你們一直對我的支持和關懷!!! ≧◇≦ m(_ _)m ...3.) 我從來沒有寫日記或 photo journal 的習慣, 因此我也不再寫散文或日記式的網誌...! ...4.)後來, 我想完成 以前失去的 創作小說: く<亞辛尼亞>>和く<綺雲夢‧绮園>>...所以繼續寫下去... ...5.)讓我先完成 <<亞辛尼亞>>這小說, 我會再作打算... ...6.) 我未必會寫 <<綺雲夢>>, 因為我不想再提昔日的感情事... ...7.) 在<<亞辛尼亞>>第十五回 , " 一點燭光 " 的結尾, 我已公佈 第十六回 大约在 十二月尾推出, 敬請原諒!!! ...8.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6i1icAfjQw&feature=related
回覆刪除[版主回覆09/19/2011 09:52:56]In the meantime, keep your creative fire burning in other areas! Good luck!