Sunday Classics

The young Gustav MahlerStartFinishConcertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, cond. Philips, recorded September 1962StartFinishNew York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, cond. CBS/Sony, recorded Oct.

Daniel Sutin as Tonio the clown in Austin, 2012

Schoenberg, seen in a 1910 self-portrait(Yes, he was also a painter)by KenOr we could call this installment of Great Moments in Music History: "The Day Arnold Schoenberg's career as a Hollywood film composer began and ended."As I mentioned last week, I've been reading the second part of Arthur Rubinstein's autobiography, My Many Years.

"Many pianists perform at their concerts music which they do not understand or particularly like, only because these pieces are much in demand and recommended to them by their managers. . . .

GILBERT and SULLIVAN: The Mikado: Act II: Song, Yum-Yum, "The sun whose rays are all ablaze"In the film Topsy-Turvy (of which I might say I'm not a big fan), Shirley Henderson fake-rehearses, then fake-sings, Yum-Yum's Act II spoken dialogue and song, "The sun whose rays."

APOLOGIES FOR THE LATE POSTING: I really wanted to do something more with this post, and I just wasn't getting it done. Finally I decided to go with what I had more or less ready, reserving the right to return to the subject.MONDAY NIGHT UPDATE: With time to reflect, I've revamped the post to include vocal texts. After all, if I'm inviting you to listen, really listen, to the various performances, and I am, I am, the texts could help, and even raise questions like: For which recordings are the printed texts most and least necessary? -- Ken

GILBERT and SULLIVAN: The Mikado (1885): OvertureGILBERT and SULLIVAN: The Yeomen of the Guard (1888): OvertureAcademy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, cond. Philips, recorded February 1992by KenIf you haven't been around Sunday Classics much, you may not be aware that I take my Gilbert and Sullivan right seriously.

The Duke of Plaza-Toro and suite make their entrance in the Yale Gilbert and Sullivan Society's 2011 Gondoliers.

Pittsburgh Savoyards

"Reverenza!": Mistress Quickly approaches Falstaff in the Garter Inn.