CORY'S CYBERCOUCH CLASSIC CONCERTS

CORY’S CYBERCOUCH CLASSIC CONCERTS

INTRODUCTION

The idea for this book came to me during the darkest hours of the Coronavirus Pandemic, when we were forced to stay at home. I have just completed my book “Cultural Fireworks in 1820-1939” on European culture in this twelfty (120 years), encompassing the eras of romanticism, naturalism/realism, modernism, and including a large number of links to 5000 significant books of the twelfty, 1250 authors, artists, films, composers, premieres, salons, etc.

But something was missing – links to the most significant musical works of this twelfty. With my book you could read all the significant books and plays, visit the important museums and admire the masterpieces, but my book had virtually no links to the most significant musical works composed in this twelfty, performed at that time or later. Since my credo is to make the best books, arts, music, available for free, the only side missing from this triangle was music.

Since I couldn’t go to concerts and operas and couldn’t travel, I watched exclusively all the operas, concerts and songs on YouTube and discovered a treasure – the best performances of the best musical compositions was available for free, even with captions for operas, operettas, musical films, etc. Although in many cases one could not watch the entire film, symphony or opera, one could hear the most popular arias and songs of the works and grasp their essence.

I started sharing on Facebook, emails, etc. exceptional performances I have seen – operas, symphonies, concertos, orchestral and chamber music, songs, etc. But I thought it would be “Mission Impossible” to encompass all the important compositions of this twelfty. And then suddenly I remembered that I had already done it in my play “An Unforgettable Cultural Celebration”, which was part of my book on culture, on the 1900 Stern’s reveillon in Paris.

When I wrote my play, I “lived” the artistic program that I designed as if I were present in Ernesta Stern’s salon. So, what could be more appropriate than to reconstruct this concert for all my readers with the YouTube equivalent of the program’s music? Of course, such a concert only took place in my head, in my play, but it could have happened, as Stern is a real salonnière, she probably held a reveillon on the eve of 1900 where all the elites were invited.

I have therefore included in my new book almost the entire program, the works that have been cited, the protagonists, the musicians, the artists, even the authors whose books have inspired musical works that were composed subsequently: Caruso, Puccini, Verdi, Grieg, Ibsen, Zola, Ravel, Casals, Saint-Saens, Debussy, Mahler, Richard Strauss, W.S. Gilbert, Sarasate, Falla, Albeniz, Tolstoy, Bruch, Halevy, Sousa, Rubinstein, Toscanini, Guilbert, Rostand, Wilde, etc.

But there was still a problem, the reveillon concert only lasted a few hours and did not include everything that had been composed during this twelfty. Furthermore, my book on the European culture also encompassed the 40 years 1900-1939 after the reveillon, during which many important musical pieces were composed and all musical films were created; it did not include jazz, European folk music, etc. So I expanded the program to encompass everything.

And from 1 Concert of a few hours I Created in my book 120 Concerts of 3 hours each with all the Categories of music that were Composed in this twelfty in European languages’ Culture, mainly in Europe & America. Why 120? As the era of this book is the twelfty of 120 years 1820-1939, so 120 Corresponds with it. Why 3 hours Concerts each? As this was the duration of Concerts at that time, & in my Collection it amounts to 360 hours, or 1 hour a day.

The raison d’être of this C/Concerts’ Collection is free availability on Cyberspace, watching the Concerts at home sitting on a Comfortable Couch, without traveling for live Concerts which were not available during the Containment periods of the Coronavirus. But this book also gives a solution to all those millions who cannot afford to go to Concerts because of their exorbitant prices, or because they are played far from home, or because of health constraints.

My Credo is Contribute to Community, Continuity/Sustainability, Culture accessible to all. I believe in the Aristotelian golden middle way, the optimal middle between two extremes, communism and neo liberalism, equality and meritocracy, nothing excessive. So, high quality culture and music must be offered for free to everyone, at least in Cyberspace, free like on YouTube, Wikipedia, Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, like in my eBooks, in this book...

What is better than watching Brecht/Weill’s Threepenny Opera for 3 penny instead of $300? Watch Toscanini, Bernstein, Mehta conduct the best orchestras for free on YouTube? Listen to the immortal performances of Caruso, Pavarotti, Callas, or their contemporary counterparts’ or watch the Bolshoi ballet, sitting on your couch, without spending a fortune to travel to La Scala, Garnier, Royal Opera, the MET? Culture accessible to all as on Wikipedia!

A major risk is that because it would be offered for free, this collection will not be valued enough, because “Expensive Is Cheap and Cheap Is Expensive”. If you pay hundred dollars for an opera, it must be first-rate, everybody can meet you in the foyer, Puttin’ on the Ritz, drinking pink champagne, talking about the blazing premiere. This book is not for you! It is for those who love opera rather than being seen at the opera gala and leaving en sourdine…

Another risk is the gigantic scope of this book. 1200 Compositions seems like a lot. Who has time to watch 120 Concerts? But it is written in such a way that you can watch the Category and performance you like the most, watch one concert every week, not all the works in every concert, only the ones you like the most. Although I advise to watch these concerts, at your own pace but all, because it gives you an entity, a harmony, a Cohesive Comprehensiveness!

An important side benefit is that you save huge setup time. Imagine all the trouble that you have to go to if you want to go to a concert in New York and you live in the suburbs. You have to travel in traffic jams, find a car park, pay an exorbitant price, sitting in Row 24 on a jump seat with an obstructed view, you are hungry, tired, after a day’s work. Compared to the CyberCouch Concert that you watch on Sunday at leisure, for free, the best performances!

I’ve seen it all – premieres, the Cream of the Crop, in New York, London, Paris, Berlin and Israel. And I saw it also during the Corona pandemic at home on YouTube. The best is a mixture according to your preferences, time and wallet. This book gives an alternative that is particularly suitable for Culture-loving people in those times of huge inequality. Instead of watching reality TV shows and soap operas, watch one of this book’s Concerts once a week.

I called this book “Cory’s CyberCouch Classic Concerts”, because it offers a modern approach, based on enjoying Comfortably at home for free a uniquely Chosen Collection of Classic Concerts music of all categories, available in Cyberspace on YouTube, a new aspect of CyberCulture, but not for games, blogs or chats, a kind of homely CyberCafé. And why Cory’s? Because even if I try to be objective, this Collection reflects my personal Choices, as they are based on my tastes.

I hope they are not elitist and meet the taste of most Cultural people around the world, who are interested in this twelfty, which is the most Creative. And if my book Contributes to easing the tensions of life, in these times of pandemic, war, crime & inequality, by finding a quality Classic alternative to reality programs accessible to all, I have achieved my goal of Carrying out a Renaissance of a Parisian salon in your salon, in your life!

(As a sample of these concerts, I enclose concert no. 9 (from 120), 3 hours of pure delight).

Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Grande Tarantelle, 1864. Nadia Weintraub, pianist, with Ra’anana symphony orchestra, conducted by Sivan Elbo. 8 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7B9x-Tf45Y

Camille Saint-Saens, Introduction et rondo capriccioso en la mineur, 1867, premiere with Sarasate violin. A 1945 performance with Jascha Heifetz violin. 9 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR6CGXneIuI

Modest Mussorgsky, Night on bald mountain, 1867. Claudio Abado conducting Berliner philharmoniker. 14 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu1no7hOlSs

Paul Dukas, L’apprenti sorcier, Poeme symphonique, 1897. Orchestre philharmonique de radio France. 12 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNaNDXyXRFo

Frederick Delius, In a summer garden, 1908. Frankfurt radio symphony, conducted by Andrew Davis. 17 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7mGeMFfueI

Ralph Vaughan Williams, English folk songs suite, 1923. Alexander Shelley conducting Nurnberger Symphoniker. 7 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSVDF5IbN-g

Charles Ives, The unanswered question, 1935. Frankfurt radio symphony, conducted by Andres Orozco-Estrada. 6 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBiL0VEttZw

Paul Hindemith, Trauermusik, 1936. Paavo Jarvi conducts Frankfurt radio symphony orchestra, viola Antoine Tamestit. 9 m. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZB7dCLJ6cM

Samuel Barber, Adagio for strings, 1938, Vienna philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. 9 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAoLJ8GbA4Y

Samuel Barber, Essay for Orchestra op. 12, World premiere performance NBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, Broadcast live on 5th November, 1938, NBC Studio 8H, New York photo (front cover of Cory’s Concerts) – The NBC Symphony Orchestra and Arturo Toscanini receiving the applause at Radio City on 5 March 1938 at the conclusion of the broadcast. 7 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZTmYi2vSXw

Arnold Schoenberg, Kammersymphonie op. 9, 1907. Sinfonieorchester des Sudwestfunks, conducted by Erich Leinsdorf. 7 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oarPobOc-js

Aaron Copland, El Salon Mexico, 1937. Aaron Copland conducts New York philharmonic. 13 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj-98yBfEI0

Joaquin Turina, Danzas Fantasticas, 1919. Orquesta sinfonica de Castilla y Leon, directed by Jesus Lopez Cobos. 16 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLzU3-YvzPc

Alexander Scriabin, The Poem of Ecstasy, 1908. Philharmonia orchestra, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. 21 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAnVrdQ3qFk

Jean Sibelius, Valse Triste, 1904. Vladimir Ashkenazi, conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. 7 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNuNRJF_Da8

Jean Sibelius, Finlandia, choral version, 1900. BBC Symphony orchestra and chorus, conducted by Sakari Oramo. 8 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE0RbPsC9uE

Bedrich Smetana, Vltava, the Moldau, from Ma Vlast, Gimnazija Kranj Symphony Orchestra, conductor Nejc Becan. 15 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6kqu2mk-Kw

https://www.businessethicscory.com/CORYSCYBERCOUCHCLASSICC... - The link to my whole book