Week 59 

Welcome to Week 59 of The Works! This week's podcast episode has been recorded, but is unlistenable because I'm traveling and attempted it with bad equipment. I will re-record it and then post it when I am able.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores and other helpful information. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 59.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 20 - score
     recommended recordings: Curzon with English Chamber Orchestra/Britten; Uchidawith English Chamber Orchestra/Tate

Edvard Grieg
Lyric Pieces:
     Book 5 (Op.  54) - score
     Book 6 (Op.  57) - score
     Book 7 (Op.  62) - score
      recommended recordings: Gieseking; Austbo; Katsaris; Gilels; Andsnes

Wolfgang Rihm
Kein Firmament - score preview
Gesungene Zeit - program notes and score preview

The Beatles
Beatles For Sale (1964 UK album)
Help! (1965 UK album)
Rubber Soul (1965 UK album)
Selected non-album songs from 1964-65: I Feel Fine; She's A Woman; Yes It Is; I'm Down; Day Tripper; We Can Work It Out

Week 58: Tours de Force 

Welcome to Week 58 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores and other helpful information. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 58.

Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet No. 10 “Harp” - score
     recommended recordings: Juilliard Quartet; Guarneri Quartet

Antonin Dvorak
Serenade for Strings Op. 22 - score
     recommended recordings: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields/Marriner; Vienna Philharmonic/Chung

Ralph Shapey
String Quartet No. 6 - score - program notes
      recommended recording: Lexington Quartet, from the Radical Traditionalism compilation

Wolfgang Rihm
String Quartet No. 3, Im Innersten - program notes and score preview

Louis Armstrong
Selected singles from 1930-1956, primarily from the complete RCA Victor

Week 57: Song Form and Hand Crossing 

Welcome to Week 57 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores, opera libretto and synopsis, and other helpful information. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 57.

Hector Berlioz
Les Troyens - score - libretto and synopsis
     recommended audio recording: Covent Garden conducted by Davis with Vickers, Veasey, Lindholm
     video recommendation: Met conducted by Levine with Troyanos, Norman, Domingo

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 19 - score
     recommended recordings: Perahia with English Chamber Orchestra; Bilson with English Baroque/Gardiner

Franz Liszt
Piano Sonata in B minor - score
      recommended recordings: Arrau; Brendel; Richter

Olivier Messiaen
Des Canyons aux Etoiles
      recommended recordings: Loriod with Ensemble Ars Nova/Constant; Hardink with Utah Symphony/Fischer

Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven (or his Hot Five; or his Orchestra)
Selected 78 rpm singles from 1927-28

Week 56: How Many Overtures Does It Take...? 

Welcome to Week 56 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores, opera libretto and synopsis, and other helpful information. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 56.

Ludwig van Beethoven
Fidelio - score - libretto and synopsis
     recommended recording: conducted by Klemperer
     video recommendation: conducted by Haitink

Domenico Scarlatti
Keyboard Sonatas: K. 24, 426, 427, 158, 159, 46, 30, 120, 213, 140, 224, 87, 219 - scores
     recommended recordings: Kipnis; Parmentier

Franz Peter Schubert
Fantasie in C Major, “Wanderer” (D760) - score
     recommended recording: Pollini

Gerald Finzi
Clarinet Concerto - score (this work is NOT public domain in most countries)
      recommended recording: Plane/Northern Sinfonia

Malcolm Arnold
English Dances, Set 1 (1950) and Set 2 (1951)

The Beatles
Please Please Me (1963 UK album)
With the Beatles (1963 UK album)
A Hard Day's Night (1964 UK album)
Selected non-album songs from 1963: From Me to You; Thank You Girl; She Loves You; I'll Get You; I Want to Hold Your Hand; This Boy

Week 55: Hip-Hop Rap-Up 

Welcome to Week 55 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode.

Bonus playlists mentioned in the podcast: Hip-hop 1979-1992; Hip-hop 1993-2000

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores, song texts and translations. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 55.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 18 - score
     recommended recordings: Goode with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; Andsnes with Norwegian  Chamber Orchestra

Ludwig van Beethoven
Leonore Overture No. 1 - score
Leonore Overture No. 2 - score
Leonore Overture No. 3 - score
Fidelio Overture - score (this is the page for the whole opera)
     recommended recordings: Berlin Philharmonic/Karajan; Cleveland Orchestra/Szell; Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Masur

Franz Peter Schubert
Selected Lieder:
     Der Wanderer, D. 489 - score - text and translation
     Ganymed, D. 544 - score - text and translation
     An die Musik, D. 547 - score - text and translation
     Auf der Donau, D. 553 - score - text and translation
     Liebhaber in allen Gestalten, D. 558 - score - text and translation
     Der Strom, D. 565 - score - text and translation
     Gruppe aus dem Tartarus, D. 583 - score - text and translation
     Blondel zu Marien, D. 626 - score - text and translation
     Der Wanderer, D. 649 - score - text and translation
     Abendbilder, D. 650 - score - text and translation
     Nachtstuck, D. 672 - score - text and translation
     Fruhlingsglaube, D. 686 - score - text and translation
     Die Vogel, D. 691 - score - text and translation
     Des Frauleins Liebeslauschen, D. 698 - score - text and translation
     Im Walde, D. 708 - score - text and translation
     Lob der Tranen, D. 711 - score - text and translation
     Versunken, D. 715 - score - text and translation
     Geheimes, D. 719 - score - text and translation
(various recordings are recommended)

Hans Werner Henze
Symphony No. 7
     recommended recordings: City of Birmingham Symphony/Rattle

Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (or Hot Seven)
Selected 78 rpm singles from 1926-27

Week 54: Gavottes Are Backwards 

Welcome to Week 54 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores, opera libretto and synopsis, and other helpful information. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 54.

Modest Mussorgsky
Boris Godunov - score - synopsis
     recommended audio recording: Vaneev/Kirov Opera/Gergiev
     video recommendation: Lloyd/Kirov Opera/Gergiev

Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 44 - score
Symphony No. 45 - score
     recommended recordings: Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/Bruggen; English Concert/Pinnock; Radio Zagreb Symphony/Janigro

Johannes Brahms
Piano Sonata No. 3 - score
      recommended recordings: Hough; Grimaud

Ralph Vaughan Williams
On Wenlock Edge - score (not public domain in EU countries) - text
      recommended recordings: Partridge/Music Group of London; Ainsley/Nash Ensemble
Serenade to Music - score (not public domain in most countries) - text
      recommended recordings: conducted by Boult; Best

Queen Latifah
All Hail the Queen

De La Soul
3 Feet High and Rising

Week 53: Year 1 Review 

Welcome to Week 53 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores where available. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 53.

Johann Sebastian Bach
Orchestral Suites Nos. 3 and 4 - score (3) - score (4)
     recommended recordings: Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/Marriner; Academy of Ancient Music/Hogwood; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra/Koopman

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 17 - score
     recommended recordings: Bilson (fortepiano) with English Baroque/Gardiner; Anda with Camerata Salzburg

John Philip Sousa
Selected Marches - see playlist for the specific marches.
Most scores are available on Sousa's IMSLP page, and there are many free recordings there as well.

Hans Werner Henze
Symphony No. 6

A Tribe Called Quest
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
The Low End Theory

Week 52: Suites and Symphonies 

Welcome to Week 52 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores, opera libretto and synopsis, and other helpful information. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 52.

Giuseppe Verdi
Aida - score - libretto & synopsis
     recommended audio recording: conducted by Solti
     video recommendation: Metropolitan Opera/Levine

Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 30 - score
     recommended recordings: Philharmonia Hungarica/Dorati; Camerata Rhenania/Gmur
Symphony No. 31 - score
     recommended recordings: Orchestra of St. Luke's/Mackerras; Concentus Musicus Wien/Harnoncourt
Symphony No. 43 - score
     recommended recordings: Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra/Weil; English Concert/Pinnock

Johannes Brahms
Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1 - score
      recommended recordings: Biret; Richter

Hans Werner Henze
Symphony No. 4
      recommended recording: Berlin Philharmonic/Henze

Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill

Arrested Development
3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of…

Week 51: Miles Davis Wrap-Up 

Welcome to Week 51 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores and other helpful information. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 51.

Johann Sebastian Bach
Orchestral Suites Nos. 1 and 2 - score (1) - score (2)
     recommended recordings: English Concert/Pinnock; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/Marriner; English Baroque Soloists/Gardiner

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 16 - score
     recommended recordings: Barenboim with Berlin Philharmonic; Uchida with English Chamber Orchestra/Tate

Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade - score
      recommended recordings: Royal Philharmonic/Beecham; Concertgebouw/Kondrashin; many others!

Hans Werner Henze
El Cimarron - program notes - score (preview version)

Ice-T
O.G. Original Gangster

Dr. Dre
The Chronic

Week 50: More Cowbell 

Welcome to Week 50 of The Works! Start with this week's podcast episode.

The pieces for this week are listed below, along with links to scores and other helpful information. Here is the Spotify playlist for Week 50.

Johann Sebastian Bach
Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 537 - score
Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C major, BWV 564 - score
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 - score
Fantasia in C minor, BWV 1121 - score
     recommended recordings: Weinberger; Hurford; Koopman; Biggs; Goode; Montero (bonus)

Johannes Brahms
Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 2 - score
     recommended recordings: Vogt; Ax
Bonus: Scherzo, Op. 4 - score

Peter Maxwell Davies
Vesalii Icones
      recommended recording: Fires of London

Max Steiner
King Kong (film score, 1933)

Miles Davis
Get Up With It