January 26, 2024 • 8 mins
A cool and funky wedding anniversary present - a 15 minute classic from the most famous composer alive, Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks is stylish, sophisticated and hugely enjoyable!
Listening time 23 mins (podcast 8', music 15')
Music here, played by the Ensemble InterContemporain conducted by Pierre Boulez, on Youtube, Spotify, and (links to the 1st movement) on Amazon and Apple Music.
If you like to watch people playing, this video is also good.
You can buy a hi quality download at Presto Music for a few quid.
What do you think? Tell me with a comment at www.cacophonyonline.com! I'd love to hear from you!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi, I'm Steve Thomas, this is Cacophony. Let's dive into some great music, and the only
(00:12):
piece I can think of, named after a house.
We tend to think of composers, if we think of them at all, as visionary artistic geniuses
hidden away in a garret or even a composing shed somewhere, waiting for the muses to appear.
But the reality is they need money like everyone else.
(00:32):
In the music world, the music business has relied on patrons with deep pockets since
the beginning, until relatively recently most usually the church or your local prince or
king.
Some composers have been very good at the money as well as the music, generally helped
by being visionary artistic geniuses of course.
(00:53):
Igor Stravinsky decided to re-orchestrate some of his most famous pieces, just as they
about to come out of copyright and royalties would dry up. And in later life he began conducting
his own works. Asked by an interviewer whether the composer as conductor bought special unique
insights to a performance, Stravinsky said he wasn't sure about that, but he did know that it
(01:15):
got him a second fee, and that conductors were very well paid. So in this episode, as well as
enjoying some fun and funky Stravinsky, we're going to give a little nod of gratitude to wealthy
benefactors who have managed to call out the creative muse with the help of rural cash.
Today's piece is the concerto Dumbarton Oaks, the only piece I can think of named after a house.
(01:40):
More accurately, it's the country estate on the edge of Washington DC, and in the 1930s,
it was home to Robert Woods Bliss and his wife and step-sister Mildred Barnes Bliss.
Robert was a career diplomat. Mildred was independently wealthy. I suspect it was her
(02:02):
money not his that bought the estate. That was thanks to her father's drug company
and the success of one pill in particular. Do we have an example here, indirectly,
of a laxative, unblocking an artist's creativity?
In 1938, Mildred and Robert celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Well done, them!
(02:25):
and Mildred commissioned Stravinsky, perhaps the world's biggest name composer at the time,
to write a concerto as her anniversary gift. She wanted something along the lines of Johann
Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg concertos from 200 years earlier.
Groundbreaking, virtuosic, hugely enjoyable, and now famous pieces for small groups of several
(02:50):
solo instruments. Saying that makes me realise it's quite the thing to ask.
Stravinsky was clearly the person to go to.
Dunbarton Oaks hasn't become as well known as the bark or some of Stravinsky's other
pieces, but I think he delivers on Mildred Bliss' brief. The concerto is small and beautifully
formed. Written for three violins, three violas, two celli and two basses. And then bassoon,
(03:17):
clarinet, flute and two horns. 15 players in all. The parts are often independent and
virtuosic. It's a terrific piece to play, featuring all the clarity, concentration and
precision that Stravinsky always requires, but also with moments where players can get
really musically expressive. It's fun, and all done in under 15 intense minutes.
(03:41):
In the first movement Stravinsky gives us fast moving passages that pass from strings
to wind back. It's sparkling and dancing, and yes, a bit like modern day Bach maybe.
(04:14):
It's written initially in quite a relaxed tempo, but Stravinsky's always messing with that,
disrupting it so you can never relax. He also likes to throw in tiny pauses for the whole ensemble
that make it really clear if you're not all in the same place. Tricky.
There's a section in the middle that sounds almost jazzy, and it ends with the chorale
(04:36):
that looks back to more church-like Bach.
The second slower movement is another quirky dance.
It's got a kind of shy feeling to it, as the instruments pass snatches of tune between each other
it's a bit like musical peekaboo.
It also feels like we might be out in nature.
There are sort of bird calls and later an extended very birdlike passage for the flute.
(05:01):
And the movement ends with the chorale again, but with different instruments and an entirely different feel.
If we were in the country in the second movement, in the finale I think we might be motoring.
Stravinsky gives another nod to Bach here, with bits of fugue players coming in in turn with the
same material. And there's a lovely almost sensual middle section, but on the whole this movement
(05:26):
just keeps powering on. Building to an almost exultant and definitely celebratory climax.
Happy anniversary Robert and Mildred, and thanks for the cash.
Here's the Concerto in E, Dumbarton Oaks, 8th May, 1938.
(06:01):
Like many pieces of complex music, this gets better every time I hear it.
I've listened to it a lot recently, because I was playing it last week and needed to get
it embedded in my head.
Sometimes the music, the rhythms are too hard for me to read and count, so you just have
to know how it goes.
So I really recommend listening to this more than once.
(06:23):
Occasionally, pieces take a while to reveal themselves, and this might be one of them.
So let's have a listen.
Click on the links in the show notes for a recording, and then please tell me what you
think.
Leave a comment at cacophonyonline.com or a simple voice message.
I really want to hear from you.
(06:43):
In an episode where we've been talking about benefactors, it seems appropriate to make
a particular appeal.
Cacophony costs money to make and I need to eat, so any financial support is welcome
if you're able.
There's a link to my page at ko-fi.com where you can make a one-off or regular contribution.
But all of the arts world needs support, particularly at the moment when government austerity and
(07:07):
rising costs across society means many charities are switching from giving with life-enriching
grants to basic life support and helping people just to get by.
Just this week one big council in the UK, Suffolk, has cut its arts funding to zero.
And this is going to impact not just people's enjoyment, but also people's employment.
(07:30):
We don't all have money to support all these things, so we need to put pressure on our
governments, our MPs and councillors, to let them know we want our arts protected for
all to enjoy.
Please consider writing to them, or delivering angry messages on social media.
And of course, make the most of opportunities to enjoy great music.
recordings, support artists, go and see a concert near you.
(07:55):
If you like great music and occasionally ranty podcasts, perhaps you know others who would
too. Who are they? Please share a coffee with them. Come back for more next time, and thanks
for listening.
[ Silence ]
Hi, I'm Steve Thomas, this is Cacophony. Let's dive into some great music, and the only
(00:12):
piece I can think of, named after a house.
We tend to think of composers, if we think of them at all, as visionary artistic geniuses
hidden away in a garret or even a composing shed somewhere, waiting for the muses to appear.
But the reality is they need money like everyone else.
(00:32):
In the music world, the music business has relied on patrons with deep pockets since
the beginning, until relatively recently most usually the church or your local prince or
king.
Some composers have been very good at the money as well as the music, generally helped
by being visionary artistic geniuses of course.
(00:53):
Igor Stravinsky decided to re-orchestrate some of his most famous pieces, just as they
about to come out of copyright and royalties would dry up. And in later life he began conducting
his own works. Asked by an interviewer whether the composer as conductor bought special unique
insights to a performance, Stravinsky said he wasn't sure about that, but he did know that it
(01:15):
got him a second fee, and that conductors were very well paid. So in this episode, as well as
enjoying some fun and funky Stravinsky, we're going to give a little nod of gratitude to wealthy
benefactors who have managed to call out the creative muse with the help of rural cash.
Today's piece is the concerto Dumbarton Oaks, the only piece I can think of named after a house.
(01:40):
More accurately, it's the country estate on the edge of Washington DC, and in the 1930s,
it was home to Robert Woods Bliss and his wife and step-sister Mildred Barnes Bliss.
Robert was a career diplomat. Mildred was independently wealthy. I suspect it was her
(02:02):
money not his that bought the estate. That was thanks to her father's drug company
and the success of one pill in particular. Do we have an example here, indirectly,
of a laxative, unblocking an artist's creativity?
In 1938, Mildred and Robert celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Well done, them!
(02:25):
and Mildred commissioned Stravinsky, perhaps the world's biggest name composer at the time,
to write a concerto as her anniversary gift. She wanted something along the lines of Johann
Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg concertos from 200 years earlier.
Groundbreaking, virtuosic, hugely enjoyable, and now famous pieces for small groups of several
(02:50):
solo instruments. Saying that makes me realise it's quite the thing to ask.
Stravinsky was clearly the person to go to.
Dunbarton Oaks hasn't become as well known as the bark or some of Stravinsky's other
pieces, but I think he delivers on Mildred Bliss' brief. The concerto is small and beautifully
formed. Written for three violins, three violas, two celli and two basses. And then bassoon,
(03:17):
clarinet, flute and two horns. 15 players in all. The parts are often independent and
virtuosic. It's a terrific piece to play, featuring all the clarity, concentration and
precision that Stravinsky always requires, but also with moments where players can get
really musically expressive. It's fun, and all done in under 15 intense minutes.
(03:41):
In the first movement Stravinsky gives us fast moving passages that pass from strings
to wind back. It's sparkling and dancing, and yes, a bit like modern day Bach maybe.
(04:14):
It's written initially in quite a relaxed tempo, but Stravinsky's always messing with that,
disrupting it so you can never relax. He also likes to throw in tiny pauses for the whole ensemble
that make it really clear if you're not all in the same place. Tricky.
There's a section in the middle that sounds almost jazzy, and it ends with the chorale
(04:36):
that looks back to more church-like Bach.
The second slower movement is another quirky dance.
It's got a kind of shy feeling to it, as the instruments pass snatches of tune between each other
it's a bit like musical peekaboo.
It also feels like we might be out in nature.
There are sort of bird calls and later an extended very birdlike passage for the flute.
(05:01):
And the movement ends with the chorale again, but with different instruments and an entirely different feel.
If we were in the country in the second movement, in the finale I think we might be motoring.
Stravinsky gives another nod to Bach here, with bits of fugue players coming in in turn with the
same material. And there's a lovely almost sensual middle section, but on the whole this movement
(05:26):
just keeps powering on. Building to an almost exultant and definitely celebratory climax.
Happy anniversary Robert and Mildred, and thanks for the cash.
Here's the Concerto in E, Dumbarton Oaks, 8th May, 1938.
(06:01):
Like many pieces of complex music, this gets better every time I hear it.
I've listened to it a lot recently, because I was playing it last week and needed to get
it embedded in my head.
Sometimes the music, the rhythms are too hard for me to read and count, so you just have
to know how it goes.
So I really recommend listening to this more than once.
(06:23):
Occasionally, pieces take a while to reveal themselves, and this might be one of them.
So let's have a listen.
Click on the links in the show notes for a recording, and then please tell me what you
think.
Leave a comment at cacophonyonline.com or a simple voice message.
I really want to hear from you.
(06:43):
In an episode where we've been talking about benefactors, it seems appropriate to make
a particular appeal.
Cacophony costs money to make and I need to eat, so any financial support is welcome
if you're able.
There's a link to my page at ko-fi.com where you can make a one-off or regular contribution.
But all of the arts world needs support, particularly at the moment when government austerity and
(07:07):
rising costs across society means many charities are switching from giving with life-enriching
grants to basic life support and helping people just to get by.
Just this week one big council in the UK, Suffolk, has cut its arts funding to zero.
And this is going to impact not just people's enjoyment, but also people's employment.
(07:30):
We don't all have money to support all these things, so we need to put pressure on our
governments, our MPs and councillors, to let them know we want our arts protected for
all to enjoy.
Please consider writing to them, or delivering angry messages on social media.
And of course, make the most of opportunities to enjoy great music.
recordings, support artists, go and see a concert near you.
(07:55):
If you like great music and occasionally ranty podcasts, perhaps you know others who would
too. Who are they? Please share a coffee with them. Come back for more next time, and thanks
for listening.
[ Silence ]
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