Classical Music is for Everyone: Chopin

Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin had a couple of things going for himself:

1) Polish.
2) Sweet name.
3) Genius.
4) Married to brilliant French writer.
5) Polish.

I didn't rock out to Chopin's music much when I was younger. Maybe it's because I didn't have patience, or didn't know how to "listen." I just wasn't ready, I guess, to chill out to Chopin's wickedly expressive piano tunes. Now I am.

Here is my take on Chopin. Bear in mind, I may not know what I am talking about. Dude appreciated silence. Was a composer who recognized the gravity of bringing sound into the world. Back then, I'm sure, a lot of people just sort of spewed forth a constant stream of sounds: thoughts, opinions, phrases, nonsense, jargon, opinion, feelings. Well, that's fine. But just like now I'll wager that most of it was pretty worthless.

Chopin was like this in his music: Watch out. Be Careful. Should I play this note? This phrase? Is it authentic / real / relevant? Tentatively, unbridled passion. Introspective emotion.

This Russian here nails it. She is Yulianna Avdeeva, winner of this year's Chopin competition. She's playing Chopin's E minor piano concerto. Well. Very.

Dmitri Shostakovich: Part-time Fireman

Dmitri Shostakovich is my number one Russian. He is, in my opinion, a Russian of unquestionably supreme quality. His genius was as fecund as his face heavily bespectacled. Here is his grill adorning Time Magazine, 20 July 1942, encased unconventionally in a brass fireman's helmet. Generally, Shostakovich went helmetless. I understand the earnest desire to protect that precious peanut. Brass helmet might be a little excessive, though. The helmet has something to do with Russians not relaxing in comfort while the German army tries to burn their country to ash.

I'm not goofing when call DS my number one Russian. If I had a ranked list of Russians tucked away in a secret notebook somewhere he'd be number one. I'm not writing this only because I couldn't find a picture of Rimsky-Korsakov in a cowboy outfit or Sergei Eisenstein wearing ninja pajamas.

Classical Music for Everyone: Beethoven's Sixth Symphony

Beethoven -- Symphony No. 6 in F major -- 1808 --

Beethoven looks like he's ready to shoot laser beams out of his eyes in this picture. He wants to set the world on fire with romance and passion. Not the kind of romance and passion between lovers. We're talking about Romance and Passion. We're talking about fraternity, liberty, and human freedom. Ideals with a capital I. Big ones. There's a lot of love in Beethoven's music. He loved the world, and believed mankind could perfect it.

Unfortunately for Beethoven, most people are complete idiots. He was often disappointed. He was appalled by the conduct of his friends, his enemies, the clergy, the aristocracy, and humanity in general. As the years passed Beethoven turned into a bit of a grouch: cranky, angry, cantankerous, ornery, vindictive, and mean. Then his lost his hearing and he got really mad.

You can see Beethoven's anger in the score above. Its almost as if he were trying to punish the paper for its inability to express whatever Beethoven heard perfectly in his head. Whatever paper he used to write his sixth symphony though, must have been pretty sweet, because Beethoven's Sixth is about as perfect as it gets.

Like a lot of angry perfectionists, Beethoven's mind found a happy place in nature. The sixth symphony is Beethoven walking through a wood on a fine spring morning. Maybe his laser beam eyes relaxed a little bit that morning and he simply enjoyed being alive for a while. Just a man strolling through a wood. That's how I hear this symphony.

Watch out for the thunderstorm in the fourth movement.

(The iTunes link at the top of the post will take you the London Symphony Orchestra's Complete Beethoven Symphonies. All nine Beethoven Symphonies for $9.99)

Classical Music for Everyone

Baby Einstein made a zillion dollars convincing people that classical music can turn babies into geniuses. I don't know about that. Maybe listing to Mozart will make you as smart as Mozart. I wouldn't wish Mozart's life on anyone, though. He was one unhappy dude.

The idea that art is desirable and worthwhile because it does something, in this case, because it makes babies smarter, seems a little silly to me. Its like buying a Picasso to match your drapes. Music is important because it moves us; it makes us feel more connected, emotionally and spiritually. Classical music is an important part of any well-balanced diet of cultural goodies. For babies, adults, plants, everybody.

I think a lot of people feel a little disconnected from classical music. They don't have a context to evaluate what is good or bad, what is worth knowing, etc. So I have decided to start a new series: Classical Music for Everyone. I have decided to start this series precisely because I am not an expert. I am a lover of classical music, an enjoyer. As my mother would say, I have just enough knowledge of classical music to be dangerous.

I'll start with Beethoven.