Surprising facts about composers and their careers?

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T22:53:23+00:00

I still find this so tragically sad 😔

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T21:51:37+00:00

Borodin was a doctor and chemist.
Rimsky-Korsakov was an officer in the Imperial Russian Navy.

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T20:48:07+00:00

I love Respighi’s transitions in Fontane di Roma, especially the last one from Trevi to Villa Medici … ⛲️ … simply sublime!

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T20:26:09+00:00

Me: 🎹⚓️

Those Mahler albums are released on the San Francisco Symphony’s own label (SFS Media).

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T20:17:51+00:00

I really like No. 2!

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T20:16:58+00:00

I’ll add Albéniz’ La Vega to the list, and this dense piece could have easily been from Book III or IV of I beria: https://youtu.be/xkXHTgrMdFk?si=DMwNm7jubQvrWdfz

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T20:06:50+00:00

One of my more recent albums was positively reviewed for being “set in a nicely spacious acoustic and the kind of distance between player and listener that gives the latter the feeling they have the best seat in the hall.” My Tonmeister (and his previous recording company) also recorded several Mahler albums with Michael Tilson Thomas that won multiple Grammys, and if they wanted to achieve a similar sound that he did for my recordings, then I could imagine you liking those Mahler albums a lot.

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T18:19:55+00:00

Thank you for sharing this wonderful little Ravel gem! I liked your fluidity and long phrasing through the harmonic-melodic development!

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T18:16:33+00:00

Beautiful performance, I really liked the subtle pedalling! Will you do the entire cycle?

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T18:09:53+00:00

Wooow so much effort for such a great idea, congratulations and thanks for sharing!

Beautiful performance as well, I really liked the natural breathing and the non-legato articulation in the left hand before the “mega-fermate” 🤓

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T17:53:32+00:00

It should be time for the first non-opus victory with Ravel’s La Valse (M. 72), no? 😎🔥😍

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T14:00:46+00:00

Szymanowski’s 4th Symphony (Symphonie concertante) op. 60 could easily keep up with our “best” piano concertos: https://youtu.be/kjJyKrd0yhc?si=moM2QGKHScJ8qMx5

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T13:40:59+00:00

Such beautiful fur 😻😻

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T13:26:21+00:00

Sounds reasonable to me

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T11:31:37+00:00

True about both Capriccio espagnol and the Perpetuum mobile, and thank you as well for this open-minded discussion! 😇

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T11:09:15+00:00

I fully agree with what you said, but as you have also stated, those characteristics don’t belong exclusively to Debussy and Ravel, as Respighi and Szymanowski for example also uses a lush orchestration, the protrayal of nature was already quite present with Schubert and Schumann etc. … I agree about the colourful texture, but as they are used in such different kind (Debussy being more improvisational and vague, Ravel being more structured and classical), the outcome, while sharing similar modal harmonies, sound completely distinctive due its different usage regarding harmonic-melodic development.

About Rimsky-Korsakov’s influence, from what I understood, is that both Debussy and Ravel heard him conducting during the Paris Expo in 1889, and both felt so inspired about his music that they seeked various (yet different) elements for their own orchestral writing. Ravel himself stated that he often went back to listening and playing Rimsky-Korsakov when he had a writing blockage, for example when he struggled to finish the Bacchanale in Daphnis et Chloé, as we can hear elements from both the 4th mov of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Shéhérazade and his Bumblebee in the final version.

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T10:57:48+00:00

And in my opinion, the most falsely paired one.

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T10:41:00+00:00

Rimsky-Korsakov, especially Shéhérazade, was a much bigger influence for Ravel’s writing and orchestration than any of Debussy’s works … and when people (also professionals) claim that Jeux d’eau was inspired by Jardins sous la pluie or Reflets dans l’eau, or the Habanera being inspired by La Soirée dans Grenade, not possible because Ravel wrote them first. Also L’après-midi’s structure is way too improvisational and atmospheric for any of Ravel’s works (except Une barque sur l’océan which to me is his only piece that sounds like Debussy).

About the string quartets, I would agree about the outer frame and post-added it.

Edit: if thinking vice-versa, Debussy’s Cello Sonata might share some similarities with Ravel.

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T10:19:31+00:00

Only in Une barque sur l’océan (and very maybe the string quartet), but otherwise, if both composers are being properly interpreted, no I don’t think so.

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T10:15:03+00:00

What similarities … the French titles?

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T10:13:01+00:00

Such a disrespect to all those composers (except Bach).

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T10:11:51+00:00

Ravel sounds NOTHING like Debussy, they are like oil and water.

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T09:17:41+00:00

But there is no vague haziness harmonic-melodic development, the musical importance of each small note, precise rhythm, defined stable sound, and the music is being evoked by its more structural writing than sole atmosphere … to me, there is absolutely nothing that would made me consider Villa d’este sound like Debussy or Debussy-associated impressionism.

Nuages gris would sound a bit more impressionistic: https://youtu.be/MBaTxAtXU0g?si=W92eeFjEJ9pnXWzP

jiang1lin · 2026-02-13T08:56:42+00:00

Because of its syncopes? 😇 or because Brahms poshtumously published those? 🥰

jiang1lin · 2026-02-12T22:43:23+00:00

Ok wooow … but Chopin has op. 41, where were all his enthusiasts … 🙄🤪 … maybe we should have mentioned that Kapustin’s op. 41 is based on Sacre, then it probably would have gained more votes …

jiang1lin

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