Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Concert programs

Happy Birthday Bach!
Thanks for all of your amazing music...on a quite different note:
I recently read about a concert in Colorado with Bartok's Viola Concerto and Berlioz' Harold in Italy. What a hard to listen to program, and ALL viola to boot. It led to a discussion with a friend about the worst programs you could think of...write your suggestions in an email (john dot clare (at) yahoo dot com) or leave a comment on this post, I'd love to hear your suggestions!
Here goes a few awful suggestions:
Program "a"
Strauss Death and Transfiguration
Mussorgsky Songs and Dances of Death
Penderecki Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima
Schoenberg Survivor from Warsaw
(I appreciate all of these pieces but...)

Program "b"
Vaughan Williams Lark Ascending
Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 3 Pastorale
Beethoven Romance No. 1
Beethoven Symphony No. 6 Pastoral
(Can you imagine how long this concert would be, and SEEM?!)

Program "c"
Beethoven Wellington's Victory
Busoni Piano Concerto
Nanes Symphony No. 1 Atlantis-the sunken city
(ok, the Nanes is a cheap shot...)

Program "d"
Beethoven Hammerklavier Sonata (orch. Weingartner)
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 6 (arrangement of Violin Concerto)
Beethoven String Quartet Opus 135 (orch. Mitropoulos)
(great works in odd arrangements...)

I'm not picking on Beethoven, but you can see the infinite possibilities! Share yours in a comment or email (john dot clare (at) yahoo dot com). April Fool's day is not far away!!!

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