S2.E94 Spanish Jollity with Ravel, Tchaikovsky's February, a Mahler Love Song - and the ultimate piece for tragic love in Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture.

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Welcome back to Perfect Pitch with Nick Healy Hutchinson and his fresh approach to the world of classical music. Whether you're an expert or a beginner, old or young, Perfect Pitch has something for everyone.

SPEAKER_00 0:23

One of the joys of music of any kind is that it creates stories, either of our own in our imagination, or quite deliberately on behalf of the composer. Today's collection does a little of both. The art of transcribing orchestral pieces to piano has a long history, and it can have very dramatic results because of all instruments. The piano is perhaps the most versatile in painting the broadest range of colours. Franz Liszt was perhaps a standout expert at this point. But the other way round, from piano to full orchestration, requires a skill and knowledge which only a handful of composers have pulled off with any notable success. This is just a personal opinion, of course, and you may well have your own favourite. But in my book, Maurice Ravel is the champion in this field. In the past, we've listened to part of his transcription of Mazorski's pictures at an exhibition. It may surprise you to know that there are actually about thirty transcriptions by others, but it's still Ravel's, which is the most often performed. Ravel did not leave a huge output of work, even if he was the most popular French composer in the second decade of the last century. He'd been a good pianist, but not good enough to forge a career out of it. But it did mean that he was able to write for the piano and then deploy his extraordinary skills of orchestration after transcribing some of his own work. In 1905, he'd written a group of five pieces of piano called Mihuir and orchestrated two of them, one of which we're going to listen to now. Alborada del Grace the Ozo, recently translated as Morning Song of the Jester, is a superb example of Real's ability to step into the world of Spain. His mother, although French, had been brought up in Madrid. This and subsequent friendships meant that Spanish blood was all but coursing through his veins. The jest is a slightly melancholic song, it sandwiched between two dances. The Orchestra National de la Radio de Fusion Forsyth is conducted by Leopold Stakovsky who, as it happens, reckoned that his own transcription of resources of pictures of an exhibition was better than Ravel's. Anyway, here is Ravel's transcription of his Alberada, a lovely rhythm that's a rich and colourful orchestration with a blatantly Spanish character. Because it does get better every single time. The rhythm is so exciting, and I love the way it returns, at first just a hint of it, and then full blast. And Reverse Commander, the Orchestra Scope, is really first rate. If you listen to the last episode, you'll know that this is the 150th anniversary of Tchaikovsky seasons and how I'm going to be popping in each month through the year. February, titled Carnival, is a jolly two and a half minutes to herald the end of winter. Done with good intentions, no doubt. But apart from the attempt to refer to Shrove time, perhaps a little previous in that aspiration. Vladimir Ashkenazi is at the keyboard. Having said that, I can't resist sharing my favourite Gustav Mahler song, which we have heard once before, but I make no apology for repeating it, especially as this version captures the sentiment so perfectly. And Sophie von Otter is accompanied by the Elbe Philharmonie conducted by John Elliott Gardner in these four short verses. And I'll give you the translation. If you love for youth, oh do not love me. Love the springtime that is young each year. If you love for welfare, Oh do not love me. Love the mermaid, she has many limbic parts. If you love for love, oh yes, love me. Love me for ever and I will love you for evermore. It's the first two lines of the last verse. Liebst du Umlieber, O Yah Mich Lieber von Otter almost lets out a swoon on the words. This is a truly heart melting version of one of Mahler's Urukut leader, Leapst du Unschonite. That of Shakespeare's two Starcross lovers, Romeo and Juliet. As told in Tchaikovsky's fantasy overture, the same name. In my humble opinion, it's perhaps the best constructed overture in the whole classical music repertoire. Just in case you don't know. And perhaps who knows, even if you do. I'll just give you the briefest outline so that you can listen out for how the story unfolds in the music. Then a dramatic intervention portraying the rivalry and fighting between the two houses of Montague's and capital, even interspersed with the occasional cymbal crash to reflect crossing swords. And then the introduction of the perfectly exquisite love theme to coincide with the balcony scene. Judith represented by a flute. Romeo by a horn. Once more interrupted by tensions between the two houses before returning with far greater passion to convey what is the unmistakable consummation of their love. It is one of the greatness. Again it's interrupted by bitter rivalry. Before Tippany and Cellos anticipate the tragic ending, which is compounded by an almost celestial appearance of the harp, bringing peace up to Romeo and Juliet before the brass leave you in no doubt that one of the great theatrical tragedies has come to its end. What a fabulous, a fabulous piece this is. Its construction is perfect, with storytelling at its very best. Claudio Bardo conducts the learning philomanical colour.

SPEAKER_01 39:27

That's it for this week. Nick will be back again soon. Please rate and comment on any of the previous episodes, and if you like what you hear, take a moment to press the follow button, as it helps to spread the word.