Snooch’s Silly Symphony

Respighi: Roman Festivals first page (Ricordi, 1929)

This week, I’m sticking with the Italy theme with Ottorino Respighi’s Roman Festivals.

Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture first page (Breitkopf & Härtel, 1900)

This week, I considered trying a tie-in to real life, searching for a piece that would be appropriate for my anniversary week. Nothing about weddings or anniversaries sprang to mind, and I couldn’t find any suitable pieces in my library relating to the moon. So, I decided, instead to continue the Italian theme from last week, with Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture, a piece which I’m not even sure I’d ever heard of before this year.

Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien first page (Musgiz, 1961)

This past summer, as I was vacationing in New Hampshire with my parents, we had occasion to play a number of board games and card games. My dad puts me in charge of selecting music to listen to.

Strauss: Tod und Verklärung first page (Aibl, 1891)

So, back when Strauss’ big 150th anniversary was happening back in June of this year, I got myself several recordings of many of his symphonic works, with an eye to using them at some point this year. Enter, then, Tod und Verklärung, the large tone poem, dedicated to the composer’s friend Friedrich Rosch.

Ravel: Pavane for a Dead Princes first page (Demets, 1910)

Once again, I’m digging deeply, not just to a piece with which I had no previous strong familiarity, but to one I had not heard of before I started listening to the recordings from the 2013 Boston Symphony Orchestra Tanglewood season. I’ve been considering visiting this piece for a few months now, but have been dissuaded by the duration. At only six minutes, I have felt like I should channel my energies to a longer piece. However, last week’s Debussy outing was coupled with the opening of the school year, and I did not get to listen as much as I’d have preferred, so this week a six minute piece is perfect for me.

Debussy: Nocturnes first page (Fromont, 1900)

Up this week, a piece featured on my listening list back in either Music History II or Music Theory IV (most likely the latter). I wouldn’t have been able to state any of the themes before today, so it obviously didn’t stick with me to well over the last decade. A few times in the last week or so my wife has asked if I’ve done any Debussy for the Snooch’s Silly Symphonies. I told her that I had done Images and La Mer, but thought today, why not add to the list. And so, I will be focusing on this piece which, as I listen now, gives me many familiar themes, which will be fun to revisit.

Dvořák: The Noon Witch cover (Simrock, 1896)

This is one of those pieces that shows up on the radio frequently, but I have kept toward the back of my listening ears. As such, I’m sure there will be familiar phrases throughout. Throughout the SSS years, I’ve developed a strong appreciation for Dvořák’s work.

Tchaikovsky-Marche Slave cover (Rahter)

This week, I’ll have a bit of a study of Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave or “Serbo-Russo March”, with which I have no previous familiarity, in name, and I’m curious if I will recognize any themes, it being Tchaikovsky after all.

Webern-Im Sommerwind cover image (Carl Fischer, 1962)

Well, here’s a piece that I hadn’t even heard of until a few months ago when I stumbled upon a New York Philharmonic performance of it courtesy of InstantEncore. I’ve since learned that it was composed in 1904 and didn’t receive its premiere until 1962, by the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy.

Stravinsky: Rite of Spring cover image (Muzyka, 1965)

This past week as I listened to some archived Tanglewood broadcasts on the Boston Symphony website, I came to the realization that I did not own a recording of Stravinksy’s Le Sacre du printemps, a bit of a surprising oversight given the breadth of scope that my media collection has taken on in recent years. And so I decided at that point to regain familiarity with this piece, taking a deeper dive, so to speak.