by Ben Hogwood. Image by Studio Harcourt – RMN, used courtesy of Wikipedia
On this day in 1908, the composer Olivier Messiaen was born…which gives Arcana the perfect excuse to post a performance of his remarkable seasonal composition for organ, La Nativité du Seigneur (The Nativity of the Lord or The Birth of the Saviour), completed in 1935.
To quote from my live encounter with the piece in 2019, “Nothing is ever done by halves with this particular French composer, and his response came in the form of a massive, nine-movement organ suite lasting just over an hour. For Messiaen, contemplation is achieved through massive added-note chords, complex rhythms and large structures. Each section in this 1935 work responds to images from the birth of Jesus, and it is one of the composer’s first works to use birdsong melodies and rhythms from India and Ancient Greece.”
You can enjoy the work in concert below, given by Richard McVeigh from York Minster – with the accompaniment of a score showing the organist’s markings:
Published post no.2,744 – Wednesday 10 December 2025
by Ben Hogwood. Image by Charles Reutlinger, used courtesy of Wikipedia
On this day in 1877, the first performance took place of Tchaikovsky’sVariationsonaRococoThemeOp.33.
Composed for solo cello and orchestra, the piece had a chequered history. The German cellist William Fitzenhagen, who gave the premiere in Moscow under the baton of Nikolai Rubinstein, made unsanctioned cuts and amendments to Tchaikovsky’s original, meaning the composer’s intended structure and phrasing went awry.
Here is the original version, with cellist Johannes Moser and Case Scaglione conducting the Orchestre national d’Île-de-France:
by Ben Hogwood Photo of Mani in 2009 by Katherine Barton, edited by Gaz Davidson. Used courtesy of Wikipedia
Yesterday we learned the sad news of the unexpected death of Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield. Mani was best known as bassist for Stone Roses, where he was a founding member, and Primal Scream, who he joined in 1996. An obituary can be found on the BBC website, but I wanted to acknowledge his contribution to some of the late 1980s and 1990s most notable albums.
One of the first musical sounds you can hear on the Stone Roses debut is the lumbering bass line with which Mani introduces I Wanna Be Adored, one the band’s calling cards:
Meanwhile Fools Gold steps up the tempo, with a funkier but equally brilliant contribution from the bassist:
Many people see the second Stone Roses album as a drop in quality…but when you hear the bass groove driving the superb Begging You those opinions are called into question!
For Primal Scream, you can watch Mani driving one of the band’s excellent mid-90s cuts, If They Move, Kill ‘Em, on live footage from Later…with Jools Holland:
Meanwhile here is one of his final contributions to Primal Scream, driving the energetic Can’t Go Back:
by Ben Hogwood. Image by Charles Reutlinger, used courtesy of Wikipedia
On this day 150 years ago, the first performance took place of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no.3 in D major, his Op.29, took place with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nikolai Rubinstein. The work carries the unofficial nickname Polish, on account of the Polonaise composed for its fifth and final movement.
The Third is almost certainly the least performed of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies, yet it is increasingly winning a place in the hearts of the composer’s fans. Listen below and you will see why, for the piece has an abundance of melodic charm and character:
Published post no.2,724 – Wednesday 19 November 2025
published by Ben Hogwood. Photo of Hindemith in 1923 courtesy of the Hindemith-Institut als Rechteinhaber / Wikipedia
Two days ago we marked 90 years since the world premiere of Paul Hindemith‘s three-movement concerto for viola and orchestra, Der Schwanendreher (The Swan Turner). Now Arcana mark 130 years to the day since the birth of the composer himself. Back in 2013 I penned an appreciation of his music for the blog I was running – and would like to recycle it here:
“Hindemith’s absence from the concert hall is frequently baffling, because only a small proportion of his works fulfil the dull, academic caricature that insists on following him around. It is true that there are some pieces that are dry and more difficult to get on with, but doesn’t every composer have their weaker moments? For each of those there is one that sparkles with wit, invention and originality.
With this in mind, I wanted to share why Hindemith is one of my favourite composers, to explore on the surface some new recordings and to suggest some works it would be good to know better.
Hindemith’s orchestral output, for starters, is full of colourful scores. The most played of these tend to be the symphony constructed from his opera Mathis der Maler, the ballet Nobilissima Visione, the Symphonic Metamorphoses on themes of Weber and the Konzertmusik for strings and brass.
Three of these can be heard together on a fine disc from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins, released on Hyperion. The strings and brass shine on the latter piece, whose bold writing really blows away the cobwebs. In Brabbins’ hands the Mathis der Maler Symphony is shown off as the masterpiece it is, with broad melodies that often have a softer centre, as well as powerful orchestral tuttis that have an enchanted air, thanks to Hindemith’s frequently inventive orchestration. Finally the Symphonic Metamorphoses on themes of Weber are great fun, energetic and witty.
Nobilissima Visione is my personal Hindemith choice. In the suite it has a March and Pastorale of silvery beauty, and a noble Passacaglia that builds to a powerful and blazing conclusion. This is quintessential Hindemith, with a theme that moves in directions often contrary to the listener’s expectations while somehow making complete sense.
By way of contrast I would recommend the Piano Concerto, The Four Temperaments, a theme and four variations for piano and strings that finds Hindemith at his most mischievous but also has revealing and intimate asides. It bursts with melodic content, and its combination of humour and poignancy would make it an ideal concert piece. While that is sadly not likely to happen soon there are a number of good recordings – one of which was recently released by ECM, with Anna Gourari and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana conducted by Markus Poschner
Hindemith wrote for such colourful characters as Benny Goodman and Dennis Brain. His Concerto for clarinet and orchestra is a charming piece with a beautifully written solo part, while the Horn Concerto, a challenging work technically, is also extremely rewarding.
Hindemith wrote a lot of music, which is possibly part of the problem in getting it recognised though he showed what an extraordinarily resourceful composer he was by writing sonatas for tuba, trombone and cor anglais among others. My first encounter with him was through three short but surprisingly baleful pieces for cello and piano, the Three Easy Pieces – the first of which was a Grade 3 piece.
Finally another aspect of Hindemith’s output that should be noted is his vocal music, and there is an excellent disc from the Hänssler label of his Mass and Six Chansons. The Mass in particular is a substantial piece, difficult to sing but rewarding to listen to in a recording as open as this.
I would urge you, then, to discover the music of a composer whose greatness has often been lauded in the same breath as Stravinsky, Schoenberg and Bartók, but whose music no longer enjoys anything like their profile. I wager you won’t be disappointed!
Arcana.fm 