For this blog assignment, I am going to write about something foreign to me and maybe you as well, not so much the music itself (although it is new to my ears) but the way I am listening to it, Internet radio, yea its nothing new, but I’ve never before though of it as a channel for concentrated listening of Classical music.
Inspired by hearing the Alexander String Quartet play Claude Debussy last semester, I was searching for upcoming performances where I stumbled upon this link . It is one of many installations of The New York Philharmonic’s Broadcast/ Podcasts. In particular, this is a remembrance of 100 years since (1842-1912) Massenet’s and Debussy’s 150th Birthday. Of course, I can’t leave out the fact that it is narrated by the golden voice of Alec Baldwin. Before getting into the technicalities of the content itself, I’m going to talk about the experience of listening via Internet Radio. It has its advantages and disadvantages. The major advantage being that its free and rather high quality (depending on your speakers of course). Also, I can easily jot down times of nuances I liked. I can instantly re-listen to it or pause it to write out a comment. That being said, I can also research relevant information such as the similarity in motive I heard early on in Debussy’s “Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone” to the opening of Wagner’s “Siegfried Idyll.” There are of course downsides, I miss out on the night on the town, and most of all that FULL, true sound of a live orchestra for which there is no substitute.
As far as the actual content of the program goes, the advantage of internet broadcasts are that they tend to be a bit more diverse than traditional live programs. Indeed there are diverse musical programs but you will never hear something that physically spans time live. For instance, the program opens with Massenet’s “Scenes pittoresques,” with a recording from 1919. Even though the recording is rather high fidelity, you can hear the age in the recording, its kind of like being transported back a century.
Being new to Claude Debussy, I found that “Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone,” the first of his on the program kind of embodies his work (as far I know). The themes comes and go, and through out this particular piece, there is no real one motive for the entire work. To me, it kind of seems to be more of a fantasia than anything else. Even though there is a saxophone present, the orchestra’s presence is what is really makes defines the sections of the entirety. The rising and falling is similar to a Saxophone solo, belting out the full-toned lower notes going up a scale to higher with out so much support.
The “Martyrdom of St. Sebastian” seems to be right out of movie score sounding somewhere in-between a requiem and fantasia. This piece struck me as having the most structure though with an overall melancholy feel (with a sense of redemption at parts). There seems to be struggle for dominance throughout between woodwinds and strings. As for the vocal parts, being that they are in French, I would normally be at a loss for understanding even with an English translation, but since I have the luxury of pausing the program, catching up, and being able to follow along with more understanding than I would otherwise.
These two pieces were the most striking of Debussy’s works. Even though I really enjoyed “Image pour Orchestra,” it seemed to go back and forth between intense and mellow sections which, in conjunction of its length, made me feel as if there was a loss of totality, continuity and the direction that I felt in his other works.
My experience of listening to the internet broadcast of these works was one that I will probably partake in again. The obvious downfalls is that the program isn’t laid out before hand, and you miss out on the live music experience, but, the benefits outweigh those. Being able to pause and catch your breath, or do research, especially amongst some of the more challenging pieces such as the aforementioned one, “Image pour Orchestra,” is a modern day luxury only this experience can provide.