Classical Corner: Chopin's Études, Op. 25

We continue where we left off last time, and now delve into Frédéric Chopin's second set of twelve études.

*****

The 'Aeolian Harp' Étude is one of the most popular ones of the set, getting its nickname from the harp-like arpeggios throughout pretty much the entire piece.

'Aeolian Harp' Étude, Op. 25, No. 1 (Pianist: Idil Biret)

From a technical perspective, the piece is great for working on proper wrist movement to reach across large intervals, and for playing melodies with just the pinky finger.  The constant broken chords give the piece a very flowing nature, and if it had not been given the 'harp' moniker, I'd probably be thinking of images of water.  On top of the flowing 'harp' notes is a really simple and pretty melody, and as a whole the piece has kind of an arc structure, building up to a climax before settling down again at the end.

*****

The 'Wrong Note' Étude is not one of Chopin's more popular pieces (if I was choosing these excerpts by popularity, I would have chosen the 'Butterfly Étude' (Op. 25, No. 9)), but I include the clip of it here just because it's interesting and a fun listen.

'Wrong Note' Étude, Op. 25, No. 5 (Pianist: Murray Perahia)

This étude is wonderfully written to make it sound like the pianist is playing the wrong notes - and yet all those wrong notes sound awesome.  In the middle section of a piece comes a nice melody (without the wrong note theme - keep in mind that this nickname and all the nicknames for these études were not officially given to these pieces by Chopin himself).  Then finally, the original theme comes back giving this piece a nice little A-B-A format.  While not as complex as some of Chopin's other études, this one is interesting in its own way and probably even one of my favorites.

*****

I would call the 'Winter Wind' Étude the masterpiece of this set, combining Liszt-ian technical elements with Chopin's masterful ability to make piano music exciting and passionate.  Don't be fooled by the very slow and quiet opening - this is just the calm before the huge storm of notes that barrage you for the rest of the piece.

'Winter Wind' Étude, Op. 25, No. 11 (Pianist: Grigory Sokolov)

The nickname 'Winter Wind' is immediately obvious once you listen to the piece, and I would assume that this kind of imagery was in Chopin's mind while creating this piece.  Just as is the case in Chopin's famous 'Fantaisie-Impromptu,' none of the notes really make sense when you play the piece slowly - and yet when everything is put together in full speed the end product works perfectly and is indescribably awesome.  Grigory Sokolov's performance in particular brings out all the fire (or should I say ice?) that Chopin intended the piece to have, all while maintaining musical clarity.

*****

Étude, Op. 25, No. 12 is sometimes nicknamed the 'Ocean' Étude, and I can see why - just like the 'Aeolian Harp' Étude, this piece is dominated by continuous runs of arpeggios.  In this case though, instead of calm arpeggios we have violent ones - so in my opinion the name 'Ocean' is not quite descriptive enough.  Maybe something more like 'Sea Storm,' or something that means basically the same thing but sounds a little sexier.

Étude, Op. 25, No. 12 (Pianist: Georges Cziffra)

A popular trend while playing this piece is to start a little on the quieter side and build up to a loud climax.  Usually this practice would make sense, as it would give the piece development.  However, in my opinion, this kind of interpretation kind of misses the point of the piece.  Chopin's directions say to start loud and end very very loud.  Georges Cziffra is well-known for his tendency to have completely different interpretations of pieces from everyone else - we can call this the Glenn Gould Club - and in this case he might even be in the minority by playing most of the piece loud.  Some of Cziffra's interpretations are a bit weird to me but this one is right on the money.  This is not to say that his interpretation is the only correct one.  The writing makes this piece great either way, and it's a great way for Chopin to conclude his étude collection (I like to consider Op. 10 and Op. 25 as "Chopin's Études" while thinking of the 'Trois nouvelles études' set as a separate entity).

*****

My next four favorite in the set:

• Étude, Op. 25, No. 2 - Sounds like mice scurrying, just like Étude, Op. 10, No. 2
• Étude, Op. 25, No. 6 - Very difficult étude with the right hand playing two notes simultaneously for much of the piece
• Étude, Op. 25, No. 7 - Sometimes nicknamed the 'Cello' Étude for its lyricism in the left hand
• 'Butterfly' Étude, Op. 25, No. 9 - Quick, light, and jolly melody

Just as was the case with the previous set of études, I can recommend every piece in the set, and would also suggest listening to the entire series from beginning to end, or even both sets of études back to back.

Classical Corner: Chopin's Études, Op. 10

Frédéric Chopin's études are so consistently masterful that I will need to devote this edition of Classical Corner to his first set of twelve études (Opus 10), and make another post for his second set of twelve (Opus 25).  In the most literal sense, an étude (which is French for 'study') is a piece intended as an exercise, to help the musician develop some kind of technique.  It is then no surprise that many of Chopin's études are very difficult to play.  However, while some other composers may have sacrificed musicality in order to emphasize technique (resulting in a somewhat boring end product), Chopin actually uses the difficult techniques to increase the musicality of his pieces.  Many of these pieces have become very popular in the piano repertoire, and have even taken on well-known nicknames despite the fact that Chopin did not himself nickname his music.  This is just a testament to how well the music speaks to the listener - that the composer did not need to tell people what it should sound like, yet listeners were able to understand.

The wavier the hair, the better the music

For purposes of shortening this entry, I will focus on four representative examples of great pieces from this set of 'Douze grandes études.'  Every single piece in the opus is great, though, and all of them are really different.  In other words, the entire set of études is worth a listen after you hear these four.

*****

First, let's dispel the notion that all the études are really fast, technical, blurs of notes.  Many of them are indeed very fast, but Op. 10, No. 3 shows that there are other technical skills to be learned other than playing fast.

Étude, Op. 10, No. 3 (Pianist: Sviatoslav Richter)

In this case, the emphasis is on musicality - on phrasing a melody that is played primarily with the pinky of the right hand.  The middle portion has an increased passion and has some moderately technical passages, but once again, the focus is on shaping the melody.  In a way, this skill is required in even the most basic of pieces, but Chopin's piece emphasizes the skill enough to warrant the title of 'étude.'  Additionally, this piece comes after two études that emphasize speed and dexterity in the right hand, so for the pianist playing all the études in order, this piece welcomes a nice contrast (and of course a bit of rest).

*****

Op. 10, No. 4 is probably my favorite of the set, and one reason for this is the diverse set of interpretations.  Some pianists prefer a steadier pace, while others - like Vladimir Horowitz - instead opt for a more chaotic interpretation.

Étude, Op. 10, No. 4 (Pianist: Vladimir Horowitz)

This étude exercises dexterity in both hands, with fast runs being traded between both hands.  Thus, the piece is difficult to execute well because both hands need to play with an equal speed, dynamic, and articulation.  Speaking of dynamics, the way this piece builds up and down is amazing - and it is because of both the writing and the performance.  Immediately, images of a thunderstorm come to mind when listening to this piece.

Every time someone plays this piece, a thunderstorm starts somewhere else

*****

The 'Black Key' Étude (Op. 10, No. 5) is one of the most popular of Chopin's études from both a listener's and a piano player's perspective.  For the listener, it's a great piece that is quick but not violent - in fact, it can be quite delicate, depending on the performer.  For the pianist, it's typically among the first Chopin études one learns, perhaps because it sounds a lot more difficult than it really is.  Sadly, this makes the piece all the more popular to play poorly, and more often than not, a non-professional will blaze through the piece very loud and without much musicality.

'Black Key' Étude, Op. 10, No. 5 (Pianist: Maurizio Pollini)

Fortunately for Maurizio Pollini, he has a reputation for very delicate playing and it works perfectly in this piece.  Now you ask - why is this piece nicknamed the 'Black Key' Étude?  As you might guess, it has to do with most of the notes being played on the black keys of the piano.  In fact, every single note on the right hand except for one is on a black key (and I sometimes wonder why Chopin decided to add that single white key).  I think this is the reason the étude is rather easy despite its high speed.  The black keys are raised up and have nice gaps between them.  This means you never accidentally hit the wrong note.  Additionally, you don't need to move your hand into the awkward configurations that's sometimes found in the other études (for example, Op. 10, No. 2).  Actually, I don't think you need to ever cross your fingers under each other on the right hand.  Anyway, this means the focus can be on velocity, which is exactly what the piece exercises.

The white keys are made of lava!

*****

Also among Chopin's most famous études is the 'Revolutionary' Étude (Op. 10, No. 12).  What a perfect nickname (again, one not ascribed by Chopin himself).  This piece is incredibly difficult to play nicely, and I myself am guilty of using too much pedal to make the piece easier but much worse-sounding.

'Revolutionary' Étude, Op. 10, No. 12 (Pianist: Vladimir Ashkenazy)

The fast, sweeping runs are now in the left hand, with the right hand playing a very powerful melody.  This is another piece that has so many different interpretations.  I personally prefer the cleaner, more traditional ones, which barely use the pedal and don't overdo the rubato (which is changing the tempo to convey emotion).  Well, I do like rubato towards the end, but not throughout the whole piece.  Since the runs are in the left hand, the melody (on the right hand) is easier to follow, and so one can basically sing along.  This makes the piece more memorable - hence its popularity.

I bet this tune was on their iPods at the time

I should note, though, that singable melodies are not required of music - I believe music is a multilayered medium, and that in the case of Chopin's Études, the music is largely used to paint images and convey emotions.  There is much value to those tunes that you can hum while you're walking, but I'd easily prefer a piece of music you can lose yourself in.  Of course, this is just a personal opinion - and it's reflected in my preference of romantic-era music over classical-era music.

*****

Of the remaining eight études in the set, some other ones I really like are:

• Op. 10, No. 1 - a grand introduction with huge, sweeping arpeggios
• Op. 10, No. 2 - a melody that sounds like scurrying mice, played using only the last three fingers of the right hand
• Op. 10, No. 8 - a light, fast tune that evokes images of birds fluttering
• Op. 10, No. 9 - an articulated, longing melody over a flowing bass

While some of the études are better than others, I can wholeheartedly recommend every single one of Chopin's études (in this set, in Op. 25, and from the "Trois nouvelles études").  In addition, note that each étude is its own piece, but this set as well as the Op. 25 set sound especially great when all played in order, like a music album.  A particularly great transition is in between the delicate ending of Op. 10, No. 3 to the sudden power of Op. 10, No. 4.  The whole product is not as unified as a multi-movement piece like a symphony or a sonata, but it somehow sounds cohesive.

*****

Stay tuned for the Chopin Études, Op. 25 edition of Classical Corner, which will likely but not necessarily be the next entry in this series.

Classical Corner: Holst's "The Planets"

Gustav Holst's symphonic suite "The Planets" was written between 1914 and 1916 and is today one of the most popular pieces of 20th-century "classical" music as well as British music.  Its blend of unique styles are undoubtedly strong influences to modern composers like John Williams.  Out of the suite's seven movements, the most famous ones are the opening march "Mars, the Bringer of War" and the energetic "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity."  Give the "Jupiter" movement a listen and you might recognize some of the melodies.

Click to play: "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" from "The Planets" - Gustav Holst

The movement opens with tons of "open" (i.e. tonally ambiguous) chords in the strings with the brass playing the main part.  Already we can note the huge similarity to much of John Williams's music.  From here, the piece basically has three melodic themes: the bouncy melody in duple-meter, the heavy and more deliberate melody in triple-meter, and the slow and emotional melody at the middle of the piece.  After the slow middle portion (which is my favorite part of the movement) comes a developed version of the intro, first melodic theme, second melodic theme, and a coda.  So this movement does conform to the A-B-A format of a classical sonata and has a good overall balance despite its more contemporary harmonies.  The "Jupiter" movement is the fourth out of seven movements in the suite.  Each movement is named for the Roman god corresponding to each non-Earth planet and are ordered in terms of distance from Earth.  Thus, the suite is performed as follows:

1. "Mars, the Bringer of War" - a majestic march in 5/4 time
2. "Venus, the Bringer of Peace" - a slow, dreamlike atmosphere
3. "Mercury, the Winged Messenger" - light melodies that run and fly
4. "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" - grand melodies
5. "Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age" - slow but tense
6. "Uranus, the Magician" - devilish and mischievous
7. "Neptune, the Mystic" - another dreamlike atmosphere in 5/4 time

With a throne in the clouds and a half-naked lady slave,

it's not hard to see why Jupiter is the "Bringer of Jollity"

Some have noted a kind of antisymmetry in the movements that's pretty neat.  From Wikipedia: "Critic David Hurwitz offers an alternative explanation for the piece's structure: that "Jupiter" is the centrepoint of the suite and that the movements on either side are in mirror images. Thus "Mars" involves motion and "Neptune" is static; "Venus" is sublime while "Uranus" is vulgar, and "Mercury" is light and scherzando while "Saturn" is heavy and plodding. This hypothesis is lent credence by the fact that the two outer movements, "Mars" and "Neptune", are both written in rather unusual quintuple meter."

The suite was composed before the discovery of Pluto in 1930, and Holst fans across the world rejoiced when it was demoted to a dwarf planet, as this meant that "The Planets" was once again complete.  Listening to the whole suite, it's almost as if I'm watching a movie, and the music is evoking images.  It's easy to see then, why many film score composers have music that is heavily influenced by Holst's work. For example, right off the bat we drew comparisons between "Jupiter" and John Williams's music.  "Mars" in particular also seems like a huge influence for him.  "Saturn" immediately brings Bernard Herrman of classic film fame into mind.  "Venus" and "Neptune" are reminiscent of some aspects of works by Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer, and Danny Elfman.  Meanwhile, "Mercury" and "Uranus" seem to fit perfectly in a Warner Bros. cartoon.

You never really were part of the family, Pluto

"The Planets" is one of my favorite classical works because it creates so many great atmospheres and images while always keeping the music moving and flowing.  The instrumentation is great - just like, say, John Williams's music, many of the grand melodies are brass-heavy, which is more atmospheric and powerful than the more classical choice of using dozens of violins instead.  In addition to the typical symphonic instruments, there is great use of the harp, mallet instruments like the celesta, glockenspiel, and xylophone, and perhaps most famously a woman's choir in the final movement.  The choir is located in a separate room from the orchestra and the entire suite actually ends in a makeshift fadeout as the door separating the choir from the orchestra is slowly shut.  I can't think of any other pieces of classical music that fade out, and it's entirely appropriate for the end of "The Planets" as we reach the edge of the solar system.  Since then, a lot of modern musicians have I guess "followed suit," though in modern music I feel that fadeouts are often used as a cop out when the writer doesn't know how to properly end a song.  This is why I'll consider the ending of "The Planets" the fadeout of all fadeouts.

If you liked "Jupiter," go ahead and give the rest of the suite a listen.  Each movement can be listened to individually as its own piece, but the suite also works great in its entirety (about 50 minutes), and perhaps it's because of the elegant anti-symmetric structure mentioned above.

Classical Corner: Schubert's "Trout" Quintet

Now that the Tour de France is over I don't have much to write about until December when many of the year's best movies will come out (I would have written a review of Inception but by now it's well overdue).  I'm working on resuming my write-ups for my Top 100 movies of all time list but am feeling a little uninspired as far as that goes.  So here's a new idea for a blog series: Classical Corner.  It won't be anything too snobby or pretentious, just a little bit of classical music from trusty old YouTube, along with some of my thoughts about the piece at hand.

*****

Today's piece is the 4th movement of Franz Schubert's "Trout" Quintet (formally called Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667).  This movement is a theme and variations on a song called "The Trout" previously written by Schubert - hence the piece's nickname.

Click to play: "Trout" Quintet, 4th mvt. - Franz Schubert

The movement begins with a very simple tune (i.e. the theme) played by the violin before developing into five (arguably six) variations.  The first three are fairly straightforward, seeing the melody flow from the piano (Var. I) to the viola (Var. II) to the cello and bass (Var. III), with an accompaniment that flows like water and progressively increases in presence.  Var. IV is where things start to switch up a bit, with percussive and stormy chords in the minor key that settle into a calm kind of aftermath.  Var. V has some beautiful cello melody and interesting modulations, and we finally get to see Schubert really developing the melody.  The final segment is labeled "Allegretto" as opposed to "Var. VI," and features the melody passed back and forth between the violin and cello in playful fashion.

Artist's rendition of the exact trout that inspired this piece

This movement is probably the most famous of the quintet and the easiest to follow, but the rest of the quintet is also excellent and features some great development that contrasts with the theme and variation format used in this movement.  In my opinion, the "Trout" Quintet is one of the greatest pieces of music out there, and this comes from someone who is not overly crazy about either chamber music or Schubert.  I particularly like the unorthodox instrumentation of the quintet.  Whereas a typical piano quintet uses basically a string quartet plus a piano (i.e. two violins, a viola, a cello, and a piano), this work replaces the second violin with a bass.  This unique instrumentation has a great sonority and allows for a little more compositional freedom in my opinion, and I find it surprising that this instrumentation never really became more popular.

Franz Schubert and his immense hair - an indication of his immense genius

Most obviously, the bass can reach those notes lower than the cello's range.  While a piano can also hit these notes, the bass has a nicer timbre and definitely a better blend with the group at that low range, as in my opinion the piano sometime sounds alien when playing those low notes along with a string quartet.  Accordingly, because the piano does not need to be hitting those low notes, Schubert uses it in the upper register for most of the quintet, where it has a very clear tone that blends extremely well with the group.  Sadly for the bassist, they are largely reserved to the accompaniment role that is typically played by the cello (but it's a bass - what can you expect).  But this results in a much greater melodic freedom in the cello part, which is awesome because the cello sounds really beautiful in its upper register.

Overall the quintet is characterized by a "full" sound (which I am very much a sucker for) and an immense melodic clarity among all five instruments.  If you liked the above clip, definitely check out the rest of the piece (it's five movements total), and stay tuned for the next installment of Classical Corner!

Album Picks, 2000-2009

Here are what I might consider twenty of my favorite music albums from this past decade, with more of a lean towards metal than the average list. In alphabetical order (and limiting one album per artist to add a little more variety):

*****

808s & Heartbreak - Kanye West

Who says you can't make beautiful music using auto-tune and a drum machine? Kanye uses these devices not as a cop-out but as paintbrushes for the minimalist vocal, instrumental, and emotional ambiences that pervade 808s & Heartbreak. Taken out of context in the form of radio singles, the album has the appearance of just another one of those auto-pop collections. But as an album, once you let the eerie opening track "Say You Will" set the tone, all the subsequent hits take on much more complex characters.

Ágætis byrjun - Sigur Rós

Sigur WHOA. Ágætis byrjun is one of the few modern albums that gives me the same feeling that great classical music does, where you forget about everything else going on around you, while you sit frozen, letting the music osmose into your unworthy veins. An incredible tonal depth encapsulates beautiful melodies and drives the music right to you and right through you, leaving you transparent, hypnotized, and helpless.

Alive or Just Breathing - Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage is one of the flag-bearers of the latest wave in metal, and their classic Alive or Just Breathing uses a perfect combination of beauty and brutality to bring an almost unequaled level of hardcore without sacrificing any elegance. Percussive but intelligible guitar-work and a crystal clear production highlight an album that has no weak points, tons of characters, and is easy to follow, headbang to, and enjoy.

Arular - M.I.A.

If the new style of hip-hop prizes beat-making over lyrical content, then let M.I.A. be seated on the new style of hip-hop throne. Mixing '80s electro beats with international elements, Arular brings back raw energy to a genre that had been taming down since its heyday, largely eschewing lyrics with real meaning in the traditional sense in favor of word that just sound good. The result is grooves as addicting as "Paper Planes" (which is great but musically unlike her other songs).

Back to Black - Amy Winehouse

Back to Black brings us back to Motown with its bold neo-soul grooves. The album is just about as crazy as Amy Winehouse's personality, and her gritty yet soulful vocals add an indescribable dimension of personality. The radio hit "Rehab" opens the album, and when taken out of the 2000s Top 40 context and placed into the Motown revival one is much more enjoyable. An album with this much flair is rarely seen and is a relief to hear during this current obsession with the depersonalizer that is auto-tune.

The Black Halo - Kamelot

Kamelot's masterful The Black Halo shows the maturation of their style that draws primarily on the notoriously superficial power metal genre and develops it into a complex, addictive collision of numerous influences. Instead of singing meaninglessly about victory and dragons, Kamelot continues a Faust-like tale from their previous Epica. With multi-layered, symphonic instrumentals, and even catchy melodies, The Black Halo is as triumphant as everything all those other power metal bands sing about.

Blackwater Park - Opeth

As I've previously written, Blackwater Park is my favorite album of the decade. A monumental work, perfect in writing and in execution, and a slap in the face for those who think metal is a one-dimensional genre. Drawing influence from so many styles and in turn influencing countless numbers of bands later on in the decade, this album is Opeth at its very best. See more of my thoughts on this masterpiece here.

The Blueprint - Jay-Z

Undeniably a landmark in hip-hop, The Blueprint is a fiery opus, filled with rhymes and beats rivaled only by Kanye West's equally influential The College Dropout. In a time where rap had gone soft, enter Jay-Z and Kanye West (who was one of Jay-Z's producers before pursuing his own solo career), who mix sample-heavy beats filled with so much hip and so much hop that you wonder where all the hip-hop-ness had gone and has gone since then.

Deadringer - RJD2

Hip-hop DJ RJD2, like the influential DJ Shadow, has a gift for mixing unrelated samples to create really exciting beats and grooves. His best album is his debut, Deadringer, which so brilliantly fuses constantly evolving electronic beats with flowing hip-hop and R&B vocals, while layering the music with audio samples with a head-scratching amount of smoothness and clarity. The album is strong from beginning to end, from its dance hits to its soulful pieces.

Discovery - Daft Punk

Discovery has all of the pluses without the minuses - the driving melodies of house music without the redundancy, and the eclecticism of an Aphex Twin album without the indigestion. The album's pop-driven sound is supported with funky beats that blow all those plain old house beats out of the water with its relentless dynamic. Discovery never eases down its energy, and its sends you on an adventure, on cruise control on the Autobahn, weaving through traffic.

Funeral - Arcade Fire

Funeral is one of those albums that you find only once a generation - so musically diverse, yet from beginning to end imaginative and epic. Without ever feeling weird, losing focus, or being vainglorious, Arcade Fire pushes the limits of indie rock with its broad spectrum of instrumentations and emotions. Each of the memorable tracks flaunts its own personality, but like a jigsaw puzzle of a Picasso painting, they still feel unified in a spunky way.

Hopes and Fears - Keane

Hopes and Fears is an underrated gem often unfairly labeled as a Coldplay imitation. Instead it's a collection of tunes better than anything Coldplay's ever made, united by a flowing piano rock style, yet made interesting by Tom Chaplin's vocals, which through a radiant falsetto convey emotions all over the spectrum - from Hope to Fear. All of the songs are catchy and memorable - perfect for the radio or a sing-along. But far more importantly, they are melodious, purifying, and lovely.

Illinois - Sufjan Stevens

While I'm not in general a fan of the whole singer-songwriter deal (ahem Bob Dylan), I cannot deny that Illinois is one of the most brilliant albums of our time. The album is composed of 22 unique tracks that effectively accompany their uniquely descriptive titles. The music ranges from chilling to strange, but is always elegant and straightforward, smartly avoiding corruption and the addition of distraction through overproduction.

Is This It - The Strokes

A guilty pleasure - straight up enjoyment without any gimmicks. Is This It's strength is the consistent quality of its gritty yet charming songs, replete with driving rhythms and chic melodies. Using a sound quality that is somehow both scratchy and clean at the same time, The Strokes revive '70s and garage sounds while never drifting away from their poppy indie rock identity. It's hard to believe that this is the band's debut album, because it might as well have been their Greatest Hits record.

The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem

A rapper unlike any other, Eminem's sarcastic, humorous content and dynamic delivery make his music without compare from a pure entertainment standpoint. His greatest album, The Marshall Mathers LP, is personal and self-conscious, repeatedly making references to how listeners mistakenly take his messages seriously. Featuring relatively simple but catchy loops, the focus is clearly on the lyrics, which are at times hilarious, at times disturbing, and at times both.

Mezmerize - System of a Down

While Toxicity is the more "interesting" album, I'm more of a fan of Mezmerize, in which System of a Down create a significantly more melodic album while retaining their trademark sound. The band is known primarily for their quirky, percussive tunes, and understandably so - but their style is perfect for the melodies here because of the musical and lyrical humor contained throughout. Like listening to your friends talk after a dose of helium from a balloon, Mezmerize is tons of fun in a weird way.

Probot - Probot

Ex-Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl ventures on this ambitious project in heavy metal. Every track is sung by a different metal vocal legend, with Grohl single-handedly creating instrumentations in the style of the singer's band. The result is impressive and more accessible than a lot of the original work - it's clear that the combination of Grohl's knowledge of these bands and his ability to write mainstream music is at work here in this diverse and exciting album.

Sea Change - Beck

Listening to Sea Change, I wonder: what kind of breakup can lead a man to create this work of art - this sea of poetic angst trapped in a jewel case? For 52 minutes, Beck spills his soul, cleansing himself of his anguish, referring to his recent breakup in just about every track in the album. Painfully beautiful melodies swim on a flowing river of electric and acoustic backdrops, hitting the crests and the troughs of the waves at the right moments, and never becoming boring or unoriginal.

Wages of Sin - Arch Enemy

While as of late Arch Enemy's music hasn't had the percussiveness and musical complexity that's so characteristic of the pinnacle of today's heavy metal, they still know how to rock it out, and when it comes to pure guitar riff-making, Arch Enemy still reigns supreme. The queen of badass Angela Gossow's unique and versatile vocals sets the band apart from other acts of the same genre, and Wages of Sin showcases Michael Amott's most melodic and memorable riffs since Heartwork with his previous group, Carcass.

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots - The Flaming Lips

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is as psychedelic as its title suggests, yet beyond these captivating instrumental and electronic textures, The Flaming Lips manage to add melodies that are enchanting and chillingly beautiful. The music and lyrics are about as pensive, meditative, and provocative as they are complex and captivating. It's a shame that in this new millennium, with its plethora of indie and alternative rock, people hardly even attempt to make progressive music like this anymore.

*****

The Next 20

• Boys and Girls in America - The Hold Steady
• The College Dropout - Kanye West
• Felt Mountain - Goldfrapp
• Follow the Reaper - Children of Bodom
• Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
• FutureSex/LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake
• Ghost Reveries - Opeth
• Kala - M.I.A.
• Kish Kash - Basement Jaxx
• Leviathan - Mastodon
• The Moon & Antarctica - Modest Mouse
• Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
• Oceanic - Isis
• Oracular Spectacular - MGMT
• Permission to Land - The Darkness
• Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
• Since I Left You - The Avalanches
• Toxicity - System of a Down
• Veni Vidi Vicious - The Hives
• Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys

A Tribute to My Favorite Album of the Decade

Blackwater Park

Opeth (2001)

*****

*****

Looking at some lists of the "best music albums of the decade," I noticed some consensus top choices ("Kid A" and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" to name a few). I won't deny that these albums are musically innovative, but honestly the only "top album" that really grabs me is Arcade Fire's "Funeral." In choosing my top album of the decade, I will break from the mold a bit and choose an album from an oft-neglected genre - heavy metal.

Opeth is typically classified as "progressive death metal," a term which already looks like a handful but doesn't even begin to describe the type of music that they make. Mikael Akerfeldt's songwriting transcends all of the guidelines and stereotypes of metal, and can be enjoyed by both heavy metal fans, who will see the music as novel, and non-metal fans, who will find the music surprisingly accessible.

The defining characteristic of the band's music is the ability to weave together all different types of expressions and styles so seamlessly. One moment, you may be hearing raging screams over percussive distortion guitar riffs. Then comes a solemn piece on the piano or acoustic guitar, and then a jazzy segment with clean vocals. Yet as eclectic as each piece of Opeth's music is, all of it feels so natural and makes so much sense, and this is what sets Blackwater Park apart from the decade's other musical innovations.

Blackwater Park, for Opeth, is a starting point for what would eventually be a decade of consistently great music characterized by their trademark sound and songwriting style, and perhaps more importantly, production of the highest quality. However, in my opinion Blackwater Park is still their magnum opus - as an album it is the most cohesive of all their works, and its influence on their music and on many other bands is undeniable.

As is the case with all of Opeth's albums, Blackwater Park is meant to be listened to all the way through as one "song." Accordingly, the album is not really divided into "songs" as much as "movements," in the style of long-form classical music. With an average track length of about 8 1/2 minutes, each song contains musical themes that carefully develop and evolve into or are shoved aside by new ones - though once in a while you may hear a brief reprise and think, "whoa, we heard this 7 minutes ago... how did we get all the way back here?!" with an expression of amazed surprise.

But the musical complexity of the album isn't the only thing that makes it so great. Over the course of 67 minutes, the band creates an immersive musical atmosphere that approaches the greatness of my all-time favorite album, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. There is not a single bad moment to be found in either work, and each one brings a new experience upon every re-listen.

Typically, I listen to music (a wide variety of genres, might I add) while doing something else, like using my computer, studying, or walking somewhere. But there are some albums that I find worthwhile to just sit down, relax, close my eyes, and absorb - and Blackwater Park is one of a select few.

At this point, I encourage you to do exactly this: pop in the album, get rid of distractions, and absorb and appreciate this masterpiece. (Well, at the very least pop in the album...) Below is an extremely detailed listening guide for the album, which may be useful to skim if you're deciding whether or not to invest your next hour listening to some Opeth, but is intended more as a supplementary read while or after listening to the album, to deepen your appreciation. Yes, the guide is incredibly lengthy, but it just only scratches the surface of all the substance in this masterpiece.

*****

Opeth's Blackwater Park

Jason's extremely detailed listening guide

Blackwater Park opens with the fading in of a barely audible, eerie and dissonant noise, before coming in with a bang (0:28). The beginning of "The Leper Affinity" contains the hardest, loudest, and fastest music of the entire album. The opening riffs are sure to please any metal fan, and for those not used to this type of music, rest assured that these brutal opening passages are actually leading to something beautiful. By the end of the album, you will not even notice how "metal" much of the album really is! Already the music is getting pretty technical. Did you notice the triplet-duplet polyrhythms between the guitars and vocals in the first riff (0:43) and the fact that the music changes from 3/4 to 6/8 meter at (0:56)? Hopefully you didn't before I pointed it out, because the subtlety that Opeth is able to incorporate into their musical complexity is impressive. The transition at (2:12) is great. From a melodic death metal tone that sets the tone of the track, we go into a segment with a more thrash-influenced style (think Metallica) that is perfect for headbanging. After some development, we get a recapitulation of the same riff at (3:14) with a more slurred articulation (again a subtle detail), which is the perfect setup for the slow, melodic segment at (4:05). The solo guitars here sound like they're really singing - crying even. (4:46) is the first part of the album that would make someone familiar with Opeth but not with the album go, "oh hey, this is an Opeth album." Acoustic guitars, clean singing - the balance and contrast this has with the heavier portions of the album is what makes the album shine. And here, the high production quality of the album, which is marked by an uncharacteristic amount of clarity for a metal album, is at its most obvious. The way that this somewhat jazzy/funky portion gradually builds back up to the original theme from (5:38) to (6:53) is masterful and has some great rhythms. The music eventually calms down into a pretty piano segment (8:52) that is just filled with longing. Thinking about this track as a whole, it follows a classical sonata form (A-B-A-coda), which is interesting in that A) it doesn't follow the verse-refrain format that is too popular in music today, and B) it develops a "B" section (the slow part) that is so different from the "A" section, yet each transition flows so naturally. This track alone is already a masterpiece, but we're only getting started, because the piano solo segues right into the second track.

"Bleak" is a beautiful track that stands out in an already great album, and its greatness need not be explained, though I will proceed anyway to note some details. The themes in the first three minutes of the song are based on the exotic-sounding Arabic and Hungarian scales, and right away the great consonance between the acoustic and electric guitars is amazing and is a testament to the album's production quality. The expressive quality of the growling vocals always intrigues me - it is completely devoid of the anger that runs rampant in death metal vocals, and Mikael Akerfeldt does an excellent job conveying the emotions found in the lyrics. The cadence at (2:39) is awesome - even though it's on an acoustic guitar, it's possible the most jarring moment in the album so far. At (3:08) is a super-technical lick that leads to the second main chunk of the song, which has an incredibly catchy clean vocal part. This is sung over a guitar riff whose notes could easily be the instrumental for a hard rock song, but here is played and produced with such a legato quality that for a rhythm guitar part, it is incredibly lyrical. The passages at (4:26) to (5:59) are pretty straight up - the bass part in particular is quite cool. For some reason Eric Clapton comes to mind. The band makes a smart decision at (5:16) to hold the pause for longer than a full four counts. We expect them to come back in, but they trick us and don't come in until a beat or two later. At (6:00) begins the development of a great multilayered atmosphere, though it is still easy for a listener to follow. Then, of course, at (7:21) comes back that cool part again from a while ago - though for some reason I feel like it has a more powerful quality to it this time around, especially once the vocals transition back into death metal growling. As the track is wrapping up, the drum part goes into double at (8:43), which is pretty sweet, before the track ends with what sounds kind of like an electric guitar dying.

"Harvest" is some nice easy listening after two long, complex tracks. It is done the entire way through with soft, clean vocals over an acoustic guitar backing. The two vocal parts sound pretty much perfect together, whether they are singing in octaves, in harmony, or in unison. Interestingly, the drummer sounds like he's using brushes here, which brings a nice contrast to the harder drumming found previously. Obviously it's a huge deviation from heavy metal standards. The music seems pretty straight up this time, but the key signatures are going all over the place! The song opens in E minor before going into C minor for the first main vocal part ("Stay with me awhile") and then into A minor for the next ("Into the orchard") before standing on B minor ("Wilted scenes for us"). The chord progressions don't really make any sense to me, but Opeth makes it work. At (3:13) is... wait for it... another key change! This time into D minor. The guitar solo here isn't too melodic, but is very emotional. Not much else to say... just relax and enjoy this one.

After a track that is simpler and closer to a regular song, we dive right back into all-out Opeth mode with "The Drapery Falls", whose opening lead guitar riff reminds me a little of King Crimson's epic track "In the Court of the Crimson King." The bass part under this riff is excellent too - it dances around the fretboard with a little bit of a groove to it and while the fits with the music around it, it also has a personality of its own. This intro is one of those moments where you can really "lose yourself to the music" as Eminem would put it, and it leads perfectly to the next section that starts at (1:46). This passage is noticeably bare compared to the musical multilayering of much of the album and is reminiscent of the "B" section of "The Leper Affinity," especially in the vocal effects and absence of a drum part. After some crazy acoustic guitar chords, in comes the drums and some passionate singing at (2:47). The first time around, this phrase dies back down into bareness, but the second time it segues into a long crescendo, eventually leading to an intense passage with the first death metal vocals (5:06) that we've heard in over ten minutes. This is some great songwriting here! If the album had a "plot curve," this could be the peak right here. At (5:35), the band puts aside melody and just grinds out some huge power chords, leading to an insane dissonant vamp at (5:50) in 5/16 time that after a while transcends even trying to make sense but somehow leads flawlessly right into the next section at (6:09). The rhythm becomes a little more clear now - it's 5/8 (or 10/16), with the beats grouped 3-3-2-2 (like the Mission Impossible theme), and a couple of measures of different lengths tossed in every now and then. Finally we go back to a straight 6/8 at (6:49), which is what we've been accustomed to for much of the album. Still, the intensity is not at all waning. The riff here is vamped for a while, but at (7:19) it goes into double time, but with the beats grouped 3-3-2-2-2 instead of a straight up 3-3-3-3 or 2-2-2-2-2-2. For some reason, this reminds me a little bit of Green Day. The big shocker comes at (7:47) when all of the instruments suddenly drop out. But don't let this brief acoustic guitar / vocal duet fool you, because it alternates rapidly with some really heavy stuff, complete with double bass drum pedaling action. Eventually, the original theme of the track makes its reprise at (8:41), which by now should be no surprise, as the band has largely been following an A-B-A sonata form for most of the tracks. As the double bass drum beats become more prominent, the music fades into nothingness, which is the ideal ending considering the track to follow.

"Dirge for November" is probably the track in the album that focuses most on using music to create a pure mood rather than a mood concealed within a melody. Unlike the other tracks, you can't really sing along to the tunes in this track, and if you tried to, you're missing the point. The beginning of the track is very obviously bare, and the tempo is very rubato, which is an art that is largely disappearing and often misinterpreted when actually performed. The suspension and resolution at (0:08) and the dissonance at (0:18) are simply astounding. This passage can be thought of as a kind of introduction to the rest of the track, starting at (0:45), which is more cohesive. The name of the game from this point on is "4," because that seems to be the number of times each riff is repeated. But it's clear here that Opeth is aiming for a slow, deliberate development of the mood - a constantly shifting atmosphere would be disorienting. The beginning of the instrumental passage is the closest we really come to a melody, and features the electric guitar playing with such a muted sound that it almost resembles the sound of a nylon-strung classical guitar. At (1:43) is the sudden entrance of the distorted guitars, which play a variation of the previous riff. By the time the vocals reenter at (3:27), the themes have become almost hypnotic. This trance-like death metal is sustained until (5:45), when the music dies down to a clean guitar riff that is not at all melodic but contains some beautiful chords and sweeping arpeggios. Out of all the great tracks on the album, this might be the least "memorable" for its lack of melody - but that doesn't diminish the track's greatness. Just kick back and absorb the music, the mood, the ambience.

After the fading out of the guitar in "Dirge for November" comes the fading in of a ominous repeated, dissonant, broken chord on the acoustic guitar in "The Funeral Portrait", which is followed by a thrashy section at (0:30) which makes you remember that, yes, this is an album that you can rock out to when the time is right. Not much commentary is needed here - most of the track is straight up and easy to enjoy. The short interlude at (3:53) seems to be kind of jazz fusion influenced, with the acoustic guitar and drums having a little back-and-forth conversation. The track then gradually becomes more atmospheric and less rhythmic, starting with (4:07), which still has hints of thrash with the tight rhythms on the bass drum, and eventually leading to (4:28), which has a foggy feel despite the near blues-iness of the guitar solo and the jazzy drum beats at (4:43). And of course, what long Opeth track would be complete without a recapitulation of the first theme (5:28)? The coda section starting at (6:33) is really interesting because its chord progressions seem to be heavily influenced by classical music theory. This is especially evident in the iv-iib-V7 chord progression at (6:37), which is hardly ever used in music nowadays. At (6:48)... three-part vocal harmony mixed in with counterpoint... Bach would be proud! The change into double time at (7:16) should by now not come as a surprise. We get a little bit of double lead guitar action as the track fades out to...

"Patterns in the Ivy", which at a mere 1:52 in duration is clearly meant as an interlude between two beastly tracks. Just relax and enjoy the beautiful contemporary harmonies of this acoustic guitar / piano duet.

Finally we arrive at the big ending - the title track of the album, "Blackwater Park", which might be the least technically complex track in the album - centering almost entirely on the D Hungarian scale - but it is still pure awesome. It starts with a march-like feel that at times (1:25 in particular) reminds me of the opening riffs of Metallica's classic "For Whom the Bell Tolls". The opening sections are definitely influenced by 80's and 90's metal (Pantera comes into mind), and even though a true metalhead will never get sick of the key of E, Opeth switches things up here by going into drop D tuning, which I tend to associate with lots of oomph and slower, steady beats. When the heavy guitars suddenly drop out in (2:41), we're left with a beautiful clean guitar riff that will be vamped over and over again while various other parts interact with it - very much in the progressive rock style - like the electric guitar part at (3:44) that has a vocal quality to it (though the vamped riff is replaced briefly by an acoustic guitar at this point). This is the last track of the album, and you can probably guess that this serene section is preparation for an epic ending. Indeed, the music fades back in at (5:10) and is even heavier than it was at the beginning of the track. The use of the kill switch at (6:37) and at various points later adds some rhythmic flavor and gives Opeth even more bonus points. The riff at (8:07) is a reprise of the clean guitar riff vamped in the previous section, and obviously has a completely different feel this time, played in octaves on a distorted guitar - so grand, orgasmic even. Once again, the riff is vamped, but this time there is more development going on, with the rhythms going into double time at (8:51). The passage starting at (9:14) marks a kind of final climax of the album before the brief, disorienting "pause" at (9:37) and denouement at (9:48). As the track and album wind down, layers of sustained electric guitar notes pile on top of each other starting at (10:56), much like the end of "Master of Puppets", until (11:19). Here you may be expecting the album to end with a grandiose, shredding away of the strings, which is understandable because a lot of bands like to rock out like this before they end their show. It will probably be surprising, then, to hear the album end with a single, staccato, power chord, followed by the gradual fading out of an acoustic guitar over the course of a minute. And so we are reminded of the famous ending lines of T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men" - "This is the way the world ends / This is the way the world ends / This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper."

*****

For the lyrics to Blackwater Park, click here.

Great Piano Pieces

Here's something for you if you're in the mood for some good classical music. I could go on and on about great classical music, but I thought it would be best to limit this list to piano pieces that are short in length (~5 minutes or less), as I figured it would be a bit of a stretch to expect someone to listen to a one hour long symphony that I'd recommend (of which there are many!).

Anyway, I should point out that my classical music tastes, especially when it comes to piano music, lie almost entirely in 19th and 20th century music. Also note that some of the most well-known classical music pieces (e.g. Für Elise, Bach's Minuet in G, etc.) are not included, in favor of pieces that are famous among classical music fans but not necessarily the layman (and this is largely because they are more technically challenging, and so you don't have every piano-playing kid on the block playing these all the time - also because the melodies are a little less singable).

Thus, this list is definitely not representative of the classical music genre as a whole. The following list is in roughly chronological order, is limited to one work per composer, and represents some of my favorite music!

*****

Frédéric Chopin

Étude Op. 10, No. 4 in C# minor

Chopin is arguably the most prolific composer of truly great piano music, and his two sets of études, Opus 10 and 25, are not only 24 great short pieces, but also two "albums" that can each be played from beginning to end as a single unit. While études were traditionally meant to primarily be exercises to work on improving technique, Chopin took them to another level, composing études that not only worked on developing specific technical skills, but also were musically brilliant. These pieces were not all just strings of sixteenth notes played as fast as you can, but ranged anywhere from playing quick melodies using only the last three fingers of your right hand (Op. 10, No. 2) to obtaining perfect phrasing of a slow, sorrowful melody on the left hand (Op. 25, No. 7).

This short piece, from a technical standpoint, helps a pianist develop skills primarily in playing quick notes melodically over broad ranges of dynamics and articulation, and on both hands. But it is also a musical masterpiece, bringing up imagery of rain that picks up into a torrent, building up into a passionate, thunderous climax.

If you liked this, try Chopin: Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20

*****

Franz Liszt

Rigoletto Paraphrase

Franz Liszt was one of the most virtuosic pianists of his day, and loved to compose pieces for himself, to show off a little bit at his concerts. His technically difficult touches are far from gratuitous, however, and in many cases enhance his composition by adding musical layers to his music. His show pieces, like the famous Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, along with many of his études, are one case - where we can see that perhaps he might just be wanting to show off as much as possible (which is not to say the music is bad!). But many of his other pieces are more subdued, including this gem.

In this piece, Liszt takes some famous melodies from Giuseppe Verdi's opera Rigoletto and puts them together into a medley that is both virtuosic and emotional. By listening to it, you can almost picture what is going on in the opera. It is in pieces like this where I come to appreciate Liszt's true genius - pieces that are difficult not for difficulty's sake, but for music's.

If you liked this, try Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor

*****

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Prelude Op. 23, No. 5 in G minor

Rachmaninoff was yet another composer who, as a pianist, "specialized' mostly in composing music that involved the piano in some way. His 2nd and 3rd piano concertos ("concerto" meaning a pianist is featured with an orchestra playing in the background) are two of my favorite works of all time, and his shorter piano works are great, too. Rachmaninoff's pieces - most of which are challenging - are almost uniformly filled with passion while having hints of influence from his Russian heritage.

This prelude is probably his second most famous, after his Prelude in C# minor (Op. 3, No. 2), which you have probably heard, even if you don't recognize it by name. The aforementioned prelude is filled with a gloom that builds into rage, and it's easy to see why it's so respected. But I include this prelude in my list instead particularly because of the way Vladimir Horowitz plays it, which I believe is the way it was meant to be played. It starts off like a light march before building up in force. Then after a passionate, melodic interlude, the original tune reappears with a newly-found fire. Nowadays it's almost painful to hear "ordinary people" playing this piece (the only other piece I can think of for which this is the case is the famous first movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata)!

If you liked this, try Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 2 in Bb minor, Op. 36

*****

Alexander Scriabin

Étude Op. 42, No. 5 in A minor

Scriabin, who claimed to be able to see sounds (he famously ascribed a color to each note on the chromatic scale - well after all, the word "chromatic" has the root "chrom-" meaning "color"), had the interesting ability to pile a seemingly random jumble of notes together and create beautiful music with it. This piece comes before his later compositional period of complete atonality, but you can still see a transformation in progress between a romantic and atonal style.

This étude is for the most part an emotional melody played over an atmosphere of notes on the left hand (which are very difficult to play). Slow the piece down and it sounds like the composer had no idea what he was doing. But when all the parts are put together, we have a work filled with all kinds of longing (sorrowful longing, passionate longing, etc.). The first segment is more atmospheric than melodic, but the second segment features one of the most beautiful melodies I have ever heard. And then Scriabin builds on these two themes to create a fiery climax - one of angry desperation.

If you liked this, try Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 5, Op. 53

*****

Maurice Ravel

Gaspard de la Nuit, 1st mvt. "Ondine"

Ravel, one of the famous French musical impressionists, is most well known for his orchestral piece "Bolero," but his piano music is really where you find him at his best. His work, like Debussy's, is made more to create images rather than to represent emotions (like Beethoven) or tell stories (like Schumann). "Gaspard de la Nuit" - often called the most difficult piece in the standard piano repertoire - is a perfect example of this kind of imagery. I'm not sure how valid it is to call it the single most difficult piece in the standard repertoire, but regardless, it is an excellent piece of music. The piece is divided into three movements, or perhaps we can call them "images:" "Ondine" - a seductive water fairy, "Le Gibet" - the tolling of bells during a lynching, and "Scarbo" - a little goblin up to some antics.

My favorite movement is the first, which is kept driving by a constant string of notes and chords that flow like a river. The river flows high and low on the keyboard, and through it all plays a serene melody that builds up and settles down at the perfect times. About halfway through the piece comes a build up that leads into two of the most awesome measures of music ever written.

If you liked this, try Ravel: "Jeux d'eau"

*****

Vladimir Horowitz

"The Stars and Stripes Forever" Transcription

Vladimir Horowitz is my favorite pianist, period. His playing has an unrivaled romanticism to it, and while it is sometimes criticized as excessive, I have basically loved everything I have heard from him. Horowitz was famous not only for his playing, but also for his writing, which was almost entirely derived from melodies of famous pieces, but were also still original. His transcription of the famous "The Stars and Stripes Forever," an American favorite from John Philip Sousa, was for a long time Horowitz's signature piece. This piece, along with his rewriting of Liszt's famous Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 are incredibly difficult, so if you can play either of them, I have tons of respect for you!

After Horowitz's technical brilliance, the second most impressive thing about this piece is the way in which Horowitz gets a piece that was originally written for a band to sound like it was actually meant to be written for a piano. Some of the playing evokes band instruments - most notably the "piccolo part" - but for the most part, the transcription uses a ton of octaves and large chords using the entire keyboard to turn Sousa's cheerful march (which is in itself a great piece) into something fiery and downright crazy. At several points, it sounds like Horowitz has three hands! At others, he plays chords that are so far apart on the keyboard that we'd need a video of him to fully appreciate how fast and accurate his hands really are. Either way, this piece is brilliant both technically and musically - and it is tons of fun to listen to!

If you liked this, try Horowitz: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (Liszt)

*****

This post has run much, much, much longer than I anticipated, but it has been fun. Hopefully you enjoy these short but great pieces!