Category Archives: Playlists

Playlist – celebrating Mother’s Day

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Today is Mothering Sunday in the UK – and here is a playlist celebrating mothers.

We begin with a touching suite for piano by Josef Suk. About Mother is dedicated not to his own mother but for his children about their mother, his wife Otilie Dvořák. Then we continue with a famous song from Suk’s father-in-law, Antonin Dvořák, Songs My Mother Taught Me.

Taking the theme a little loosely we move on to Ravel, and his delectable ballet Ma mère l’oye (Mother Goose) – evidence of the French composer’s beautiful writing for orchestra.

Finally something of an English rarity, Cecilia McDowall setting the Magnificat (the song of Mary, Mother of God) for chorus and orchestra. It is a striking piece with which to end.

I hope you enjoy!

This playlist is dedicated to the memory of my aunt, Angela – who passed away on Thursday. It is also posted in mind of her sister – my own mother Coralie (above), whose musical influence on my own life I celebrated on Arcana here.

Playlist – Bedřich Smetana (born 2 March 1824)

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by Ben Hogwood

This month we mark 200 years since the birth of Czech composer Bedřich Smetana in Litomyšl, east of Prague, on 2 March 1824.

Smetana is fondly regarded as the father of Czech music, his output spearheaded by the remarkable cycle of six symphonic poems Má vlast (My Country), containing vivid descriptions not just of the Czech countryside but also its architecture and history.

A new recording of the cycle has just been issued by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and their conductor Semyon Bychkov, on the Pentatone label, and it is included on the playlist below. However – as I hope you will find – there is a lot more to Smetana than this wonderful sequence alone.

The String Quartet no.1, subtitled From My Life, is a poignant tale of the composer’s life and subsequent deafness, unforgettably portrayed in the finale by the first violin. Also worth investigating in the composer’s chamber music output are the Second String Quartet and Piano Trio, while the inclusion of Richard III shows a depth of Smetana’s orchestral writing that is yet to be fully exploited in concert or on record. Make a note, too, of his contribution to Romantic piano music, in a series of attractive polkas.

Smetana’s contribution to opera is perhaps his principal legacy. Two works in particular stand out – The Bartered Bride, from 1866, and Dalibor, completed two years later. While very short excerpts from these are included in the playlist, I have included links to complete performances so that you can become acquainted with them.

Hopefully Smetana’s music will be celebrated in the concert hall as the year progresses, for it is generously melodic and passionate. The more you hear, the more rewarding it becomes!

Published post no.2,108 – Tuesday 5 March 2024

In appreciation – Seiji Ozawa

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by Ben Hogwood

Today we learned the sad news of the death of much-loved Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa at the age of 88.

Among many other achievements Ozawa was the longest serving music director in the history of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, who he led from 1973 until 1992.

There is a comprehensive biography of Ozawa on the Decca Classics website, nearest to the label he called ‘home’ – which was Philips Classics from the Universal family. Ozawa made some very fine recordings in his career, and Arcana have picked a cross-section of personal favourites in the playlist below. Perhaps appropriately, the music selection begins with the Requiem for String Orchestra by Ozawa’s compatriot and contemporary, Toru Takemitsu, and includes an instalment from his pioneering Mahler cycle with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Playlist – Josef Suk (born 4 January 1874)

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by Ben Hogwood

Today marks 150 years since the birth of Czech composer Josef Suk in Křečovice, south of Prague, on 4 January 1874.

Over the last 25 years or so, Suk, has enjoyed a mini-musical renaissance, thanks in part to the advocacy of conductors such as Libor Pešek and Sir Simon Rattle. Yet he remains a composer whose music still doesn’t get out that much.

Closer inspection reveals an innovative musical mind, proud of his Czech ancestry but taking in influences from the likes of Brahms as well as Dvořák, who, as well as being Suk’s teacher, became his father-in-law when he married daughter Otilie.

Suk wrote evocatively about nature and the seasons, but a good deal of his music was inspired by family connections, such as the piano suite About Mother, or Czech / Bohemian heritage and history, as in the large orchestral work Praga.

Hopefully 2024 will see more performances of Suk’s music, so that attached Tidal playlist will help set the scene. It introduces the orchestral works for which he is best known, but also some fine chamber and piano compositions. Get a flavour for the music for Suk below:

https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/a43b1560-a91d-48ed-8dd4-e0bb1393ba7e?layout=gridify

In appreciation – Maurice Bourgue

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Recently we learned of the passing of a maestro of the oboe, the French instrumentalist and conductor Maurice Bourgue.

Bourgue was not just a cultured oboist – he led a wind octet in his own name and was a respected conductor, too. This playlist celebrates his primary art, with works by Albinoni, Schumann, Elliott Carter, Saint-Saëns and Poulenc:

Published post no.2,010 – Wednesday 15 November 2023