Janáček and the art of reaching a climax
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มิ.ย. 2018
- This week I look at one of my favourite pieces of classical music, Leoš Janáček's Sinfonietta.
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In particular I look at the idea of tension and release in music, and how Janacek manages to scale a seemingly impossible height to return to the already volcanic heights of the opening. It's quite a trip.
Extracts used from:
• Janácek - Sinfonietta ...
Mark Elder, Halle Orchestra
Gloria from Glagolitic Mass
• Leoš Janáček: Glagolit...
Chorus and Symphony Orchestra of Bayerischer Rundfunk
Mariss Jansons, conductor - เพลง
I live in the Czech Republic (where Janáček comes from) and the 1st movement of the Sinfonietta is a very well known piece of music here. I've been hearing it my whole life but only relatively recently I found out that there's a 5th movement also which reprises the same theme. When I heard it for the first time, it was completely unexpected and I had goosebumps and was moved to tears because the effect of the music is exactly the way you describe in this video. So powerful. And you made a great job here, thank you :)
the intensity of Scriabin's pieces I believe are unmatched. Scriabin Poem of Ecstasy has the best climax I've ever heard comparable to the erotic climax of Tristan. Also Messiaen's final movement to the quartet for the end of time is one of the most climatic yet softest endings I've ever heard, truly chilling.
I've been blessed to play this twice, once on trombone and once on euphonium. It's brassissimo.
Greetings from Czech Republic. So sad, that people here do not appreciate what Janáček did for our musical culture. He will always be in the shadow of Smetana and Dvořák.
I FELL IN LOVE with Janacek's Sinfonietta since the first time I listened to it.
I write rock/pop music, I find this channel to be thought provoking as a writer on the other side of the musical spectrum. Thank you for your work on youtube.
great to hear, thanks so much!
Without even a hint of shame for being this late to the party, I'll say that if you're inspired by Janáček and others similar to him you should definitely check out Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Knife-Edge" - after this video you might recognize what they based the piece on. ;)
So nice to see Jessye Norman. She is definitely one of the best American soprano opera singer of our time
This just made me want to listen to the Sinfonietta again--- one of my favourite pieces. And that piccolo/E flat clarinet duet leading up to the fanfare is so hair-raisingly tense! And yes, the Glagolitic Mass--- I heard it live once and was impressed.
Your videos are insanely good, entertaining and even for a pro composer very interesting and instructive!!! Keep on your good work! Greetings from Germany.
thank you!
The climax from the 2nd suite of Daphnis et Chloe! Its buildup is similar to other Ravel pieces i have heard such as Mother Goose Suite The Fairy Garden and Le Tombeau de Couperin Prelude. But the climax itself is out of this world
Love Janacek, love this piece.
It was my gateway drug to the rest of his incredible oeuvre. The operas, chamber music, piano music. My god. What a treasure trove.
janacek was a master of that rhapsodic style. i only really know him though his piano pieces, in the mists and on an overgrown path, but he's such an amazing composer! he can seem to jump around haphazardly between these glorious rhapsodic touches, leave you completely lost, and then leave you in a state of confusion, but in a way it's the confusion that is the conclusion. i dunno rly, but i do love a bit of janacek
Janáček!!!
Did you know tha he was 72 years old when he wrote Sinfonietta?
Yes!!! The piece has always been a favorite of mine! Amazing music! Your description is right on. I love his music. Just heard the overture to "The Cunning Little Vixen". Just floored me. He opens these sublime windows into the infinite heart of the universe and then closes them building to another epiphany.
Beautifully expressed David
Whenever I think of musical climaxes, I never fail to think of the end of Scriabin's Prometheus. Although some might disagree over whether it's the true climax of the piece in terms of form, it packs a brilliant punch - somehow simultaneously unexpected and inevitable.
This is so good. I'm not a musician, but I'm working with a composer for an animation and this has given me a ton of insight. (the graphics and writing is awesome too)
Thanks! I've been looking for some tips and tricks to improve my climaxes.
You memed well.
Why do I see you everywhere?
I have loved this piece since I first heard it in college in the late Cretaceous. Janacek was a master at building tension.
David 🅱️ruce
David 🅱️ass
🅱️ach der 🅱️oss!
The Sinfonietta is just intoxicating. Thank you for presenting. The spookiest climax and one you may enjoy covering is the Libera Me from Britten's War Requiem. The Marsch from Symphonic Variations by Hindemith is extremely energetic and satisfying. One of the grandest climaxes is the Finale of Dvorak's 7th (Guilini is my favourite interpretation).
Performed the Janacek fanfare with a brass ensemble for a chamber ensembles concert my school (Central Washington University) put on. Truly a rewarding experience, and just a fun piece of music to play! Loved your analysis of it, great channel. It's very helpful for guiding my own efforts at composing.
Janacek always reminds me of the artistic elaboration of TV news themes: full of trumpets, percussion, fanfares, rolls, and escalating-and-never-quite-fulfilled tension. The way that some composers just have a silent film vibe (through no fault of their own, but because of their legacy), with Janacek I'm always expecting someone to run on and say "AND THIS JUST IN!". That's one of the reasons the Glagolitic Mass works for me -- it's a rare case of "the good news" actually sounding _like news_ .
The moment I heard that Wagner I thought of the build up of the finale of Mahler 2. Mahler 2 demonstrates the most intense tension and release moment I know of to this day, completely explosive in the amount of power Mahler gets to after first mentioning the motifs he goes over in the fourth movement, Urlicht. Hearing it again with the entire chorus and orchestra as a gigantic build up jerks my emotions like nothing else.
Fantastically interesting as always!
thanks david!
@@DBruce were you thanking yourself or him?
The climax of Debussy's string quartet in the 3rd movement is absolutely awesome. The rest of the piece is also ripe for lots of analysis.
...and now I learnt where Emerson Lake & Palmer took their "Knife-Edge" piece from, in their first homonymous album. The same album also opens with a reinterpretation of Bartok's "Allegro Barbaro", so an album that can be an example of the continuity of the conversation among the music branches of classical, jazz and rock.
Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe - Holy cow, that piece. It has several climactic moments of different moods like the introduction in Part 2 with the haunting choir build-up or the famous build-ups in Part 3 (which starts the often performed 2nd Suite of this piece)... the danse generale at the very end is in itself a smorgasbord of tension and release with the intensity doing this stop-and-go style until the very end where the orchestra and choral lets out the A-chord of their lives before the timpani fires the final shot ending this awesome musical experience.
You are doing great work! Thank you so much!
suggestion : Great chopped climaxes in Mahler's symphonies!
Sepehr Karbassian My thoughts! Mahler does some similar things!
Mahler 5! (2nd and 5th movement)
Thanks for this one. Janacek has been one of my more recent discoveries. Glad to learn more.
I've just discovered your videos David-they're amazing. Thank you so much.
What an excellent channel! Interesting concepts and entertaining presentation! Can't wait to learn more from you Mr Bruce!
Terrific! every single video you create i get more fascinated, I can't wait to see the next. Thanks a lot Bruce, you really are doing a good to the musicians.
I've always loved this piece, but I never thought of it in this way -- and you've made me want to listen again, and try to compose. Thanks for the inspiration and the enlightening analysis!
GREAT ! Thank you so much ! I really enjoy your videos. I should hear more of Janacek's music. Thanks for reminding me of it.
What a great channel this is! Many thanks for this gem (among many)!
Just ecstatic you'd highlight Janáček, probably my #1 favorite composer of operas (yes, more so even than Wagner, never mind Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, etc.), his Sinfonietta also a work I love. Wish you'd do a whole hour on that masterpiece, or maybe one of the operas (Makropulous, Vixen, Jenufa, Katya, take your pick). That's a lot of time and energy to spend on a composer not everyone loves like we do, I know. But it'd be worth it IMO.
Really well made video. Loved and enjoyed every second of it
I can't believe how long it's been since I listened to the Sinfonietta. I have to fix that right away. So glad I stumbled upon this channel. It's fascinating to see things from a composer's point of view.
I love your channel, David. I get all tingly inside when a new video notification pops up on my iPad. (Seriously). Will be joining your Patreon after I recover from Christmas shopping.
I really like the way you edited this!
Great tips, David! Some of my favorite climaxes: Mahler's Symphony #2, Shostakovich's Symphony #11, Hanson's Elegy, Webern's Passacaglia, and of course many more. For full effect, you have to listen to the full work, but I always find myself rewinding to experience that ultimate release again and again. So powerful!
Awwsome channel!!! Thanks for your videos!!
David, I have to say thank you for taking the time to make these videos. Really helps an aspiring pseudo producer (can't call myself a composer yet).
Hey! Great video :) learning so much from your channel, and I'm really glad you share your passion this way. Really hope I get to hear this piece someday...
Great video as always. I`ve been studying classical music for years but this is the first time I`ve heard of this Leoš Janáček. Funny how there are so many great classical composers that are rarely featured in concert halls.
My favorite thing about Janacek is that he does not have a filter. He pours all his feelings into his music. He must have had a big heart.
Thank you for reminding me about one of my youthful favorites.
I see Janacek, i click
I love the way your editing style contrasts with your voice words and facial expression
Great video!
Brilliant breakdown
Please do Alexander Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy. That climax is even crazier in my opinion
Brilliant, this is officially my new favorite channel. I'd love to hear a breakdown of Philip Glass's Glassworks.
Thanks for passing along such an interesting, well-informed recommendation. My favorite 'build up' piece is Gorecki's Symphony number 3.
Thank you for sharing. I appreciate information such as chord progressions that define the composer’s methodology of composing. A lot of great suggestions for climax builders. I would add Strauss’s Til
If you could just casually do all the major classical music works out there, that'd be great. I'll be waiting patiently to watch every bit of your content.
Would love to hear your thoughts on La Valse, any of the Mahler symphonies, or how about Metropolis, by Daugherty, or Short Ride in a Fast Machine? Keep up the great work. Love your channel. xoxo
* edit: youve done La Valse kinda already sorry.
Excellent video about a piece that's been a favourite of mine for many many years! Would love to hear your opinions and thoughts on Bartok's The Miraculous Mandarin - a piece that gets the hairs standing on the back of my neck every time I hear it. Keep up the good work - great channel!
also by janaceck is his wind sextet (with added bass clarinet) called 'Mladi' which is very beautiful
Death and transfiguration has my favourite climax, nice video!
thanks for helping me reach climax dave bruce
I really enjoy the visuals of all those trumpeters standing in a line for the Fanfare!
I really enjoyed this!
I would've liked to hear longer excerpts but I appreciate that the TH-cam algorithm might not approve.
The most unfulfilled opening fanfare in the history of music: Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
One of my favorite pieces, specifically in terms of energy/tempo/pacing, is Saint-Saëns third symphony (the "Organ" one), especially the opening of the third movement, with the explosion of those strings, and the way they almost kind of wrench your attention. The last time we heard the timpani, they were underscoring an almost triumphant note in the first movement, but now they sound like war drums with the staccato strings over them.
Could you discuss Mahler and polyphony in one of your videos. I often listen to his symphonies (No. 6 quite a lot lately) and find a mysterious quality in the music. I know what he's doing but I don't know how. How could this all work? It's incredible and it's one of the main things that draws me back to him again and again.
Another piece I find interesting for setting expectations and building climaxes is Sibelius 2nd. In that one, I actually feel as if hearing the piece multiple times gives it a different dimension because you know prospectively where it is going. So in my experience of hearing it, there is this one section of the 3rd mvt. that when it returns the second time. The first time through it is the calm moment in the middle of the scherzo, but when it returns it unexpectedly starts to boil over and transition into the last mvt. But when I hear the first time I know what is eventually coming and so I feel a strange mixture of anticipation with relief that the moment of tension hasn't arrived yet. And that I get a similar feeling but magnified in the last movement with the transition from the first to the second theme, since I've heard it enough times to anticipate the way the harmonic tension ratchets up when that moment returns in the recap, just before the long looping ostinato in minor that continues until you almost can't stand it before breaking back into major. That whole symphony almost seems to be about foreshadowing.
Bela Bartok - Concerto for orchestra please!
Just listened to, so much that is familiar as people have used bits, but amazing piece
This was awesome! Here I am thinking how I can apply some of these concepts in my experimental electronic pieces.... hmmm
Crescendo-brakedown-crescendo is (I think) the second most common music structure to verse-chorus-verse - but you know that. It would be interesting to see how all these principles can be applied to synth music. I look forward to hearing that!
yes, like dubstep, lol. But there are many more ideas in this video than just build up - drop....
Indeed...
Very thankful to have played the first violin part to this in university symphony as a youth. I would likely have never explored this piece otherwise, and I don't think I would have had nearly the connection to it that I do now, from just listening to it. I still remember seeing it on the repertoire board before the first rehearsals and thinking "??? that doesn't look very interesting, who is this Janacek fellow with a mini-work". Boy was I in for an education.
Also--piccolo embouchure person! What an interesting lip shape, but it certainly works.
A couple of suggestions from my massive wishlist: could you talk about your own artsong on TH-cam, Bring Me Again, maybe in the context of artsong in general, or at Bruckner's Te Deum in C major; I want to know why it sounds so modern to me, compared to when in was written (it could all be in my head). Also, I don't understand how it is that Schönberg , Berg and Webern can sound so different from each other. Aren't they using the exact same and highly constricting methods of composing? It seems especially strange to me how much more hard Schönberg is to listen to for me
the Janacek Sinfonietta has been one of my favorites orchestral works for many decades now - and it has often made me reflect how some past composers (Bruckner excluded)have perhaps unfairly neglected the work of producing more pieces where the brass section could have played a more integral and even primary role - (and along that line, with all the romantic piano and violin concertos, where are all the romantic trumpet concertos?)
This piece really caught my attention when I was a teenager.
Great video! Informative, interesting and funny! I love how you tell the story through clips from other videos and movies. Have you ever had any copyright problems with that?
I love Janáček!
hi david! loving your videos so far. Maybe you can do something on spectralism? tristan murail, gerard grisey, kaija saariaho, steve lehman, etc.
Nice humblebrag with the Birtwistle name drop.
Am I the first to mention Ravel's Bolero? The Plateau at the end is always very satisfying.
My favourite as a teenager.
A video on Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony would be great!
The B minor prelude of Rachmaninoff. It builds for 2 or 3 pages with a whirlwind of suspended chords and finally ends up in C major of all chords? Brilliant piece.
Bruckner 8 - especially the finale- my personal favorite
Very thankful Petrushka is getting some much needed love
Janacek Sinfonietta - Brilliant (I've been playing trumpet for over 50 years so no big surprise)
In similar vein, but somehow different, the opening fanfare to Dukas' la Peri
I'd be very interested to know what you think of the harmony - mainly a seemingly haphazard succession of major chords bookended by a strikingly enigmatic chord that can be interpreted several ways.
Great video. Didn't know this piece but I'll be sure to check it out. The Tristan climax is all the more satisfying with the coitus interruptus (as Stephen Fry put it) at the end of the Liebesnacht Duet in Act 2. About 90 minutes (plus an intermission) before it's finally resolved.
It makes me wonder. How much does a composer think about performing practicalities? That duet in Tristan is outrageously long at about 40 minutes and is (from my pov) extreme in the virtuosity it demands and the lack of tuneful melodies to memorise. How does a singer build up to this level of stamina and sustained virtuosity? I was lucky enough to hear the premiere of Tcherniakov's and Barenboim's latest production in Berlin recently and those 40 minutes flew by in the glory of the music. But I was stunned at the physiological and musical capability of the singers. At the same time I was thinking: Wagner, what a prick!
I think Brahms first symphony is like that - the opening statement is so climactic that there’s no possibility of a convincing follow up or reexperiencing it the same on the return
This reminded me of Pink Floyd's Sisyphus from the album Ummagumma. It's a 4-part piece that does some of the structural things that you describe. Notably it starts with a bold "fanfare"-like opening and returns to it at the end of the 4th part (though distorted somewhat) unexpectedly, it's done very well.
I love your taste and your analyses. I haven't listened to Janáček since I was a child. Gonna educate myself now!
What are your thoughts on Eric Whitacre? Particularly his orchestral stuff. Deep Field is one of my favourite pieces.
I think a composer with great climaxes is Nikolai Medtner, he didn't write a whole for orchestra though, most of his works are for piano solo. I recommend checking out his Sonata Tragica, Opus 39 no 5
great recommendation
Would be interested to hear what you have to say on Poulenc's Gloria. I sang it with a choir a few years ago and was just so enamored with it at the time. The insane form, unusual music and extreme effort it took for an amateur choir to learn for a Christmas Concert.
For all you fellow North Americans, Tenor Tuba is the same thing as a Euphonium
No, please, no...
That's a really wrong affirmation!
No, it's a wagner tuba.
Kinda. For all intents and purposes, they are. Tenor tuba has rotory valves where as euphonium has piston valves. The tenor tuba and Wagner tuba are in the same family while the euphonium is in the saxhorn family.
Hi, I love your videos! They're really well made and I love the ideas they put across. I'm wondering if you've heard of Messiaens Rhythmic analysis of the Rite (specifically the finale and rhythmic diminution), and if it's worth a video? I was taught this analysis by Mark Bowden on a summer residency and thought it was very interesting. He said he was taught it at the RCM by a pupil of Messiaen I think, I don't know if you went there if you were taught by Birtwhistle?
Anyway, love the videos keep them going :D
Thanks! Yes that was George Benjamin at RCM, I remember his talking about it, how it was a very Messiaen-centred analysis that saw the Rite in light of his own preoccupations. I don't know Mark though so must have been a repeat lesson!
Hello Bruce, could you please cover the first movement of Bruckner's 4th? If you want to cover climaxes, the entire first movment is one giant rollercoaster. I'd recomend it :)
Excellent, Mr Bruce. I fell in love love with
Janacek 25 years ago. His best works are ecstatic. Check out Taras Bulba. I think Janacek was very condensed, but perhaps the great climaxes, after Wagner, were Tchaikovsky (Nutcracker), Debussy
(La Mer), Mahler (Symphony 5), Sibelius (Symphony 2), Stravinsky (The Firebird), Britten (Sinfonia Da Requiem), Messiaen (Turangalila Symphonie), Panufnik (Symphony 3, Sacred). Or Pink Floyd, Dark Side. Performance is also important, and I have Rafael Kubelik on Deutsche Gramaphon doing the Janacek and the Mahler 5.
You, sir, are a memelord :) Great video!
der elkonig is a peice that ive alway thought was very inteeresting.
What about Pulanc's "Concerto for two pianos and orchestra"? I had the privilege of playing it with my orchestra, but since I'm not a composer I feel like there is part of its beauty which is not completey accessible to me. The end of its first movement is just pure bliss
Thank you for inserting the chords and mentioning the modulations. Why don't you give a detailed analysis of this masterpiece, inserting all the chords,modulations and motives.This would be ground breaking. I like your approach to music . Most music analysis is back in the stone age. The golden rule is talk around the subject but never give important information so the audience remains ignorant. Why don't you be the first to change the system.