Classical Quiz

not Albeniz. I don't think the Germans ended his career.

cheers

Nigel

Then it must be Enrique Granados, whose piano compositions are also probably heard more often in guitar transcriptions than in the original piano versions. He died when the ship he was on was torpedoed by a German submarine

Cheers,

John Schmidt
"90% of everything is crud" - Theodore Sturgeon

Your go.

cheers

Nigel

A composer, being somewhat superstitious and also aware that both Beethoven and Schubert died shortly after composing their ninth symphonies, refused to call the work following his eighth symphony, a symphony in all but name, his ninth symphony. Who is the composer, and what is the work?

Cheers,

John Schmidt
"90% of everything is crud" - Theodore Sturgeon

Mahlers The Song of the earth ?

Franz

Correct, Franz. Your question.

Cheers,

John Schmidt
"90% of everything is crud" - Theodore Sturgeon

Schubert uses an uncommon instrumetal setup in his trout quintett. Here is the question: What instruments is it written for and who else composed a quintett for identical instuments before him?

Franz

[This message was edited by Franz K on MONDAY 16 April 2001 at 15:57.]

almost Omer

Yes there os a double bass in schuberts trout quintett.

As far I know Boccherini wrote a string quintett for two violins a viola and two celli with the identical instrumentation schubert used in his famous c major string quintett. I am not aware of that Boccherini also wrote a pinaoquintett with a doulbe bass.

The composer I was asking for was also famous as a violin virtuoso similar to paganini and he also wrote a Faust opera.

Franz

yes, its Luis Spohr

Your turn Jonathan,

Franz

Look's like we need a hint here, Omer.

Cheers,

John Schmidt
"90% of everything is crud" - Theodore Sturgeon

I know Napoleon died in 1821, and Beethoven was very enamoured of him until he had himself declared Emperor. So was it the Eroica Symphony? (Funeral March-2nd mvt.)

This great, underappreciated Russian pianist (he was actually born in Odessa-same as my grandfather) played his last concert in Carnegie Hall in 1951. While performing the Grieg Concerto, with Ormandy conducting, he collapsed at the keyboard of a fatal cerebral hemorrhage. Name this great pianist.

BTW, I have a recording of him playing the Liszt b minor, and it's FANTASTIC!!!

The pianist was Simon Berere.

(OK, I admit I cheated, I have looked up google with "russian pianist-death 1951"- and he was listed).
So far I have not heard of him-it was weigh before my time). Are there more recordings available with him?

Cheers

Franz

Franz K-You're a good googler. That's the right answer. Why don't you also use google to look up "Simon Barere-recordings"? I don't know if the Remington recording (made by Barere's son) of the Liszt b minor is available on CD. I have an old vinyl copy, but there is other stuff available. A Chopin f minor fantasie and f minor ballade, a Liszt Petrarch Sonata no.104, a Beethoven Opus 110, and some more Liszt, Rachmaninoff and Chopin. He was a tremendous artist, hardly known any more (except by us old guys).

We need a question here. Franz, I think you have the honours

Cheers,

John Schmidt
"90% of everything is crud" - Theodore Sturgeon

I have been out of touch with my computer for some days.
Here is my question:

Who was the composer who similarly to LvB became completely deaf at the height of his composing power?

Franz

Smetana?

Right, it was Smetana. He was 50 when he noticed a hearing loss and was tortured by a buzzing and tingling in his ears. Within a few months he lost his hearing completely. He was still able to compose afterwards, for example his pain ridden second string quartet before he succumbed to a mental disorder and lost all contact with reality.
He died in a mental-home shortly after.
I am not sure, but I would guess that his suffering was due to tertiary neurosyphilis.

Your turn Todd

Cheers Franz

What student of Bartok's put the finishing touches on the master's Viola Concerto and last Piano Concerto?

'Twas Mr. Serly. Your turn, Jonathan.

[This message was edited by Todd Arola on THURSDAY 03 May 2001 at 19:35.]

Your question. I may have to post a question if you don't . . . . .

my first participation to the quiz. Am I right?

French violinist Ginette Neveu said during the interval of another violinist's concert, "His technique and style are quite different from mine, but in his playing I recognise an unquestionable qualtiy of perfection."

Whose concert was it?

The violinist, after his final appearance with Erica Morini in Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, confided to her: "Erica, we are the last! Only with you do I want to play the double concerto."

Milstein?