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Music to Die for

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MUSIC to die for There will doubtless be some who will, after perusing the track listing, object to the title of this compilation as being in somewhat poor...

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MUSIC to die for

There will doubtless be some who will, after perusing the track listing, object to the title of this compilation as being in somewhat poor taste. But if you read these words, you've already made the decision of satisfying your curiosity as to the meaning behind the title. Of course, there will be those that purchase this disc solely on the basis of the heading, the meaning indicating a collection one simply cannot do without. An explanation:

It has often been stated that music, indeed more so than other artforms, is known to trigger memory. Surely everyone has heard a familiar piece of music - even a melodic fragment - and been mentally transported to earlier days. Perhaps the wistful thought of an early romance or heartbreak, the memory of an old friend, or the lost simplicity of youth - a peculiar arrangement of notes or a poignant lyric can instantly take us there. In addition, music itself can act as an agent of transport, memorializing a particular person, place, thing, feeling or mood by its programmatic nature or ability to arouse the listener's imagination. Some of the greatest works of music move us because their authors were inspired by the power of artistic creation. This compilation proves that some of the most profound music has dealt with the often-taboo but never-neglected subject of death.

This disc gathers together examples of profound spiritual utterances in Western music - sacred and secular - traveling back to Vienna of the late 18th century up to New York of the late 20th. The excerpted Requiem masses heard here memorialize, reflect upon, and embrace death - and life - in a way that only music can. Other pieces touch us by their sublimity and timelessness, perhaps reaching us through their utilization in one of the undeniable art forms of today, that of film. Casablanca would be unthinkable without the mournfully nostalgic "As Time Goes By," and the scenes from Oliver Stone's Vietnam tragedy, Platoon, would lose their tremendous impact without the high straining strings of Samuel Barber's Adagio, included here. The greatest music transcends the time in which it was conceived and the situations for which it was designed. Music to Die For is an anthology of music that takes us to another place, a collection of musical gems without which life would be seriously deficient, if only for the joy, the beauty and the celebration of life these works embrace.

Carl Orff (1895-1982)

"O fortuna" from Carmina Burana

Prejudiced listeners have often found fault with music of the 20th-century, citing a lack of emotional connection and directness of expression found in music of earlier eras. But the fame of modern composer Carl Orff rests on this stirring, primaeval work for chorus and orchestra. One of the most popular pieces of the century, its cinematic nature has rendered it ideal for the visions of film directors; Carmina has been used in a dozen or more movies, most notably 1981's Excalibur. Its savagery alternates with great melodic immediacy and a spiritual, other-worldly quality.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

"Dies Irae" from Requiem

No less intense is the "Dies Irae" from Verdi's mammoth Requiem. Giuseppe Verdi was one of the leading opera composers of the 19th century as well as one of the most performed composers today. This work was given its first performance a year after the death of Alessandro Manzoni, the Italian novelist whose literary gifts moved the composer to pay homage. Critics lambasted Verdi for making the sequence of the Latin Requiem mass, typically solemn and reverential, too operatic. Indeed, solemnity is somewhat absent from the piece, instead infused with fiery, dramatic music. It is no less moving, no less spiritual, because of it. The lyrics to this haunting piece refer to the fear of Judgement Day:

Day of wrath

That day will loosen an age in an ember

Wojciech Kilar (b. 1932)

"Brides" from Bram Stoker's Dracula

The medium of film has blessed us with numerous musical gems. Many of these works stand alone, distinct from the films which they were designed to accompany. Kilar had been active as a film composer for decades in his native Poland when director Francis Ford Coppola recruited him for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Stoker's story of the praeternatural vampire terrorizing England features Kilar's haunting music in this 1992 film adaptation. The sinister score expertly evokes horror and death.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

First movement from Piano Sonata No. 14

"Moonlight"

The famous subtitle of this sonata was not of the composer's invention. Others had visions of the play of moonlight on the waters of Switzerland's idyllic Lake Lucerne. The somber, rocking arpeggios that underscore the first movement accompany a melody that startles with its simplicity. The deep melodic poetry has given a truly timeless quality to this, one of the most recognized piano pieces in history, penned by one of its most famous composers.

Philip Glass (b. 1937)

Second movement from Violin Concerto

Through his ensemble works of the 1960s and his theatre and film works of later decades, Philip Glass has emerged as one of America's leading composers. Most often associated with an unofficial school of composition called "minimalism," Glass' music is marked by frequent repetition and subtle shifting of accent and texture. The second movement of his moving Violin Concerto features an unchanging ostinato - a repetitive bass line - of great simplicity, over which the solo violin intones a transparent, almost sacred melody. The resulting layers of sound are rich with haunting dissonances.

Samuel Barber (1910-1981)

Adagio for Strings

Perhaps the most famous film usage of this stirring work was in Oliver Stone's Platoon. Barber's poignant music underscores much of this tragic movie that deals with the brutality of war and the fate of an army platoon in ravaged Vietnam. The Adagio has ever since become a constant choice for memorials, tributes and inspirational performances. A note for the curious: the Adagio was actually one movement of a four-movement string quartet (1936), seldom played today. The string orchestra arrangement for which the work is now known was made at the instigation of legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini.

Gabriel Faur� (1845-1924)

"Sanctus" from Requiem

The Requiem of composer Gabriel Faure is celebrated not only as the Frenchman's most performed work, but also as one of the most performed choral works in history. In his setting of the Catholic liturgy, Faure conveys a calm sense of peace with the utmost economy of expression. The "Sanctus" is a self-contained gem of other-worldly beauty giving hope to the dying:

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts

Heaven and earth are full of your glory

Hosanna in the highest

Richard Wagner (1813-1901)

"Siegfried's Death and Funeral March"

from Siegfried

Wagner left an enormous footprint on the history of music and his theories on opera and the total integration of theatrical and musical elements have been praised, damned and debated since the German burst into the world of opera. His massive tetrology of operas, Der Ring des Nibelungen, calls for hitherto unencountered numbers of instruments and voices, perhaps even taxing the endurance of the operagoer. However, few can accuse Wagner of writing music lacking in poetic and dramatic beauty, as evidenced by this somber music, which more than sets the scene for one of the most famous deaths in opera history.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

"Lacrymosa" from Requiem

Celebrated as one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time, Mozart tragically spent much of his life in debilitating obscurity, leading to his untimely death at the age of 36. Placed squarely within the rational, well-defined Classical era of the arts (also "The Age of Reason"), Mozart in his later masterpieces probed unexplored emotional areas where his progressive musical ideas blossomed into an art of unequalled expression. Amadeus, Peter Shaffer's play and movie adaptation, captures the creative passion and discipline of the artist as his health dramatically deteriorated. Mozart didn't live to finish his Requiem, leaving its completion to a student and future scholars. The haunting Lacrymosa concludes on a crescendo "Amen," likely the last notes Mozart wrote. One of music's greatest composers died penniless, and was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave somewhere in Vienna.

Tearful that day on which

Mankind will rise up from an ember

A defendant to be judged

Henryk Gor�cki (b. 1933)

"Lento e largo" - Tranquilissimo

from Symphony No. 3

"Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"

Polish composer Henryk Gorecki experienced a stylistic about-face in the 1970s, moving from the harsh, grating dissonances of his ultra-modern early works to the contemplative lyricism of today. Often linked to new mysticism, a compositional movement that emphasizes harmonic simplicity and the contemplation of God that characterized music of the Middle Ages, Gorecki's Symphony No. 3, is marked by a devotional stillness. It is one of the best-known symphonies of the second half of the 20th century and has brought the composer worldwide fame. The shimmering chords of this second movement sound both somber and hopeful. The lyrics are based on a message found etched in a Gestapo prison cell in 1944. The 18-year old Helena Wanda Blazusiakowna had carved these words:

No, Mother, do not weep,

Most chaste Queen of Heaven

Help me always.

Hail Mary.

John Rutter (b. 1945)

"Pie Jesu" from Requiem

Composed in 1985, the Requiem of English composer John Rutter has become well established in the choral repertoire, sung by choirs the world over. Rutter has successfully carried on the rich, English choral tradition, infusing it with novel ideas and relevance. The sublime Pie Jesu is a personal prayer to Christ. The composer dedicated the work to the memory of his father, who had passed away the previous year. The natural, melodic succinctness with which Rutter works acts to transport the listener to an altogether higher spiritual plane.

Merciful Jesus, grant them peace

Disc 1

Carmina Burana - O Fortuna

(more info)

Performed by: Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Composed by: Carl Orff
Conducted by: Stephen Gunzenhauser
Produced by: Canavan, Dolores

O Fortuna - 2:36

Requiem

(more info)

Performed by: Hungarian State Opera Orchestra
Composed by: Giuseppe Verdi
Conducted by: Pier Giorgio Morandi
Produced by: Canavan, Dolores

Dies Irae - 2:20

Bram Stoker's Dracula

(more info)

Performed by: Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Composed by: Wojciech Kilar
Conducted by: Antoni Wit
Produced by: Canavan, Dolores

Brides - 4:21

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, "Moonlight": I. Adagio sostenuto

(more info)

Composed by: Ludwig van Beethoven
Jeno Jando, piano
Produced by: Canavan, Dolores

I. Adagio sostenuto - 5:15

Violin concerto

(more info)

Performed by: Ulster Orchestra
Composed by: Philip Glass
Conducted by: Takuo Yuasa
Adele Anthony, violin
Produced by: Canavan, Dolores

Second Movement - 8:31

Adagio for Strings

(more info)

Performed by: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Composed by: Samuel Barber
Conducted by: Marin Alsop
Produced by: Canavan, Dolores

Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 - 7:38

Requiem

(more info)

Performed by: Oxford Camerata
Composed by: Gabriel Faure
Conducted by: Jeremy Summerly
Produced by: Canavan, Dolores

Sanctus - 3:21

Gotterdammerung: Siegfried's Death and Funeral March

(more info)

Performed by: Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Composed by: Richard Wagner
Conducted by: Uwe Mund
Produced by: Canavan, Dolores

Siegried - Siegfried's Death and Funeral March: The Ring - 6:32

Requiem

(more info)

Performed by: Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
Composed by: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conducted by: Zdenek Kosler
Produced by: Canavan, Dolores

Lacrimosa dies illa fra Requiem - 3:20

Symphony of Sorrowful Songs - Traquillisimo

(more info)

Performed by: Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Composed by: Henryk Gorecki
Conducted by: Antoni Wit
Zofia Kilanowicz, soprano
Produced by: Canavan, Dolores

Symphony of Sorrowful Songs - Traquillisimo - 5:49

Requiem

(more info)

Performed by: City of London Sinfonia
Composed by: John Rutter
Conducted by: Tim Brown
Nicholas Rimmer, organ
Produced by: Canavan, Dolores

Pie Jesu - 3:31

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Composer(s):
Barber, Samuel; Beethoven, Ludwig van; Faure, Gabriel; Glass, Philip; Gorecki, Henryk; Kilar, Wojciech; Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus; Orff, Carl; Rutter, John; Verdi, Giuseppe; Wagner, Richard

Conductor(s):
Alsop, Marin; Brown, Tim; Gunzenhauser, Stephen; Kosler, Zdenek; Morandi, Pier Giorgio; Mund, Uwe; Summerly, Jeremy; Wit, Antoni; Yuasa, Takuo

Orchestra(s):
City of London Sinfonia; Hungarian State Opera Orchestra; Oxford Camerata; Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra; Royal Scottish National Orchestra; Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra; Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; Ulster Orchestra

Artist(s):
Anthony, Adele; Jando, Jeno; Kilanowicz, Zofia; Rimmer, Nicholas

Label: Naxos Classics
UPC: 747313241125
Item Number: 8557411
Release Date: Oct 1, 2003

Music to Die for

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