Samuel Barber (1910-1981): Souvenirs (Orchestra Version)

[@normanschwartz3077]

As happened with so many of the bright young men who went to Paris to study with Boulanger, there is a drop or two here of the acrid taste of Prokofiev added to natural American sweetness of Barber. Overshadowed in his lifetime by his contemporary Bernstein, chances are that Barber’s music with his great melodic gift will outlive that of his contemporaries.

[@jimstokes6742]

I love his dissonances in the waltz, otherwise it would be mainly another pretty waltz with no backbone. Another composer who approaches this notion a bit is Malcolm Arnold.

[@alexkije]

The dissonance keeps intelligent minds listening rather than the predicable J. Strauss waltzes. If you want to hear a very smart satire on Johann Strauss, listen the title music to BOYS FROM BRAZIL composed by Elmer Bernstein. He takes a ho hum J. Strauss & changes it to more like Richard Strauss composed it. Witty as heck, by golly.

[@alexkije]

The flamboyant peacocks like Bernstein are more remembered because of better publicity. Barber is a quiet man in contrast. Both are talented. I love the dissonance in this concert waltz gem.

[@Twentythousandlps]

Barber went to Philadelphia to study, and not with Boulanger.

[@davesmith6815]

Barber must be considered as top 3 American composers. Love love love all his stuff. Thanks for sharing this.

[@LendallPitts]

With Milton Babbitt and Elliott Carter.

[@jimstokes6742]

Yes! Divinely dissonant waltz reminiscent of Prokofiev's melodies. I would love to see this performed.

[@jimstokes6742]

The opening waltz is to die for with the woodwinds dissonance followed by melodic strings. It don't git no better. :) Many thanks to our room host Mr Walkingbass.

[@MrWalkingbass]

You are welcome! :)

[@jimstokes6742]

The 1st movement waltz has been running through my mind since I heard it a week ago. Such a great obsession. I long to compose concert waltzes. Alas, they may forever remain playing in the concert hall of my mind. I only compose on a computer app. The only use I use of a physical portable Yamaha keyboard is to occasionally verify the notes before I fetch them on the app. It were not for the app, my music would never have been realized. I try to keep sheet music of my final versions, but sometimes forget. The nightmare would be in the flashdrive on which the music is stored would be erased or the app goes away. I've found nobody to help me compose. But then I do get it done. However, I've composed some light music with musical stage in mind. The more whimsical and upbeat the melody and tempo, the more fun it is.

[@Glinkaism1]

@@jimstokes6742 Give em hell, Mr. JS! HAH!

[@easyaspi1177]

@@jimstokes6742 Sounds like you are doing what you should be doing. It does kinda burn that the music mafia in charge does not allow for creativity. Like a friend said, she got tired of tooting the same accompaniment measures over and over when the clarinets (or strings) had the melody. HA!

[@heterosectional]

WOWSER! This a great piece of music. Thanks for providing, Mr. Walking Bass.

[@normanschwartz3077]

With his great gift for melody will be played for many years when the other moldy figs are long forgotten.

[@jimstokes6742]

I sure hope great music like this endures, too, Norman!

[@Glinkaism1]

This music will outlive the hip hop, jungle bunnies, dopers and boozers music. Too bad we high minded symphonic music fans are a niche bunch of music lovers. Meanwhile, the sheeples music dominates. Alas!

[@easyaspi1177]

Indeed, moldy figs like Mozart's prissy tunes. And boisterous Beethoven.

[@andrewpetersen5272]

@@Glinkaism1 Alas, a bigot in our midst.

[@sandracidmast7629]

Good music lasts forever. Cheap music has a brief life. In my opinion.

[@Glinkaism1]

This is drop dead lovely bittersweet music with just the right touch of dissonance for we musical thinkers. Thus, it avoids being just more pretty wussy predictable music like J. Strauss that grandma likes. hahaha. THANKS FOR POSTING!

[@easyaspi1177]

My sentiments, too, RW.

[@jimstokes6742]

This is so well done. I love this ork version. And am hearing all the mix now on headphones!!!. Missed some on my other speaker sound system. Throws me off because my other systems covered it all up or lost in the mix somehow. Headphones are THEE way to hear classical music. I seem to recall a previous performance by the St. Louis Symphony. Hearing this on headphones for full range. Love the dissonance. And the woodwinds! The dissonance keeps it from being just a pretty waltz at the start and gives it some balls, some substance!!!

[@easyaspi1177]

groovy!

[@Kiarinadia]

All those specificities you hear on head phone are not perceive the same way in the real hall so...what is the true hearing ?

[@alexkije]

@@Kiarinadia Speakers suck. The music quality is degraded by the highly irregular resonances of the speaker cabinet. Do yourself a favor and look up the ACTUAL frequency response curve of any loudspeaker in a cabinet. Never linear. Even in a concert hall, you have speakers in cabinets to colour the sound. Headphones give a linear true sound because they are tiny speakers by themselves. Neither will you get the right sound of the entire orchestra if you a musician in the orchestra. You may be playing the same notes and over for several bars, Thus, use your common sense.

[@Kiarinadia]

@@alexkije thanks you for your lesson on my "lack of common sens". I know the difference between the sound on stage and the one outside that "globe". The discussion is about listening from a stereo with headphone or not (like me) and also recordings coming from the stage (and not from the hall) where micros choose what group of instruments to enhance for ex.

[@vladislovkyzinski3430]

Thanks! I've been searching for this for a long time. I shall visit your site quite often for this lovely romantic gem! Cheers!

[@vladislovkyzinski3430]

I wish he'd done more ballets like this! But classical composition and then performance is difficult, unless you have the pizzazz of a Len Bernstein.

[@MrWalkingbass]

***** Thank u so much! Enjoy!

[@vladislovkyzinski3430]

Hi There, Mr Walk. Sam was a great talent but he didn't have the showmanship of a superstar. But he was blessed with good connections that helped him.

[@jimstokes6742]

Yes. Like the lovely waltz and other typical ballet styled music with added dissonance to keep us "on our toes," so to speak.

[@Glinkaism1]

@@jimstokes6742 Glad you noticed it. too. :) Adds an elegance for high minded musical minded people.

[@easyaspi1177]

Lovely concert waltz open! T'would be nice to see the ballet perfomed.

[@jimstokes6742]

This is divinely dissonant! Would very much like to see it performed.

[@deanhitchkens8606]

WOW! I like the dissonace and elegance. Lovely that concert waltzes can ad dissonace to what would be ye olde J. Strauss ho hum de dumb predictable traditional walzes,

[@jimstokes6742]

Just found this! Although there are a great many piano versions of this, I like the orchestral arrangement the best. Thanks for sharing.

[@jimstokes6742]

Never noticed the dissonance at 3:05 with the woodwinds in other recordings. This must mean something in ballet when its staged. Of course, Barber does a lot with dissonance in other parts of the score as well. This conductor tackles those harmonies so very well.

[@heterosectional]

Indeed!

[@sandracidmast7629]

Wonderfull!

[@pakitinfig]

Reminds me of Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales in the use of dissonance.

[@kuang-licheng402]

nice

[@tescheurich]

17:58 This is too deliciously, elegantly naughty to be allowed.

[@Glinkaism1]

Love that dissonance to otherwise just pretty bland waltzy music.

[@jimstokes6742]

love his dissonance! what if j straus had added dissonance to his rather staid predictable melodies.

[@Tramlijn14]

It would be nice to know which orchestra/conductor is playing....

[@MrWalkingbass]

It's Marin Aslop with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. :)

[@Kiarinadia]

+MrWalkingbass A woman conductor :-) Thanks for sharing I know only the piano and 2 pianos versions. Graceful instrumentation...but lacking contrast, still prefer the piano version...

[@jimstokes6742]

and very well done!

[@jimstokes6742]

Thanks.

[@jimstokes6742]

I'll take this ork version, hands down!