Larissa, The Mistress of Large Music

Hello music lovers. I'm Larissa. Your Mistress of Large Music. Large music is classical music for full symphony orchestra. Most of us listen small, to country bands, rock bands, or rappers. We only hear large music in movie soundtracks, or way, way in the background, in elevators or Barnes and Noble Bookstores. In elevators and bookstores, the music is not music. It is wallpaper, hardly noticed at all. And that is why I sit here. I sit here to tell you Classical music, and classical orchestral music in particular, is probably the most interesting and diverse music you are ever likely to hear. Many people have not paid attention to Classical music, through no fault of their own. They have simply not thought much about it. My video series can help with that. https://www.charlesrolandberry.com/listen-large

Classical music is rarely featured on Paramount Plus or Amazon Prime or Netflix. We are more likely to see zombies. My video series will give you some of the best orchestral works from 1720 to 2022. I include familiar names, like Mozart and Beethoven, and less well-known composers like, Janacek, Bela Bartok, Paul Creston, Cyril Scott and Silvestre Reveultas.

One of the most important things to remember is this: Play the music LOUD. Act like you are sitting in a concert hall with 66 to 80 musicians on stage. You would never ask them all to be as quiet as possible. You want to be able to hear every note of the bassoon, and all the fast notes on the violas and cellos. I know you listen to rock loud, so listen to Classical LOUD. This is not wall-paper. This is the main event. Loud, like a hockey game.

For people who want something to hold in their hands, the complete text of my video scripts ia available as a book... https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/larissa-the-mistress-of-large-music-charles-roland-berry/1141266950

Make no mistake about it! Those of us under 40 who have not paid attention to Classical Music are missing out on major accomplishments of the human race, and missing out on a whole lot of joy. Tangible joy, more powerful than any Virtual Reality or video game. This is the REAL THING, ACTUAL REALITY, created by genius composers across a period of three hundred years. Why settle for quickie thrills, from less talented minds?

We can learn specific things, about specific composers, and see how they dealt with their own place and time. Johann Sebastian Bach's music might have been lost in the deep dumpster of music history, without the interest of composer Felix Mendelssohn in the 1800s. Bach lived in Germany all his life, supporting his many children as choirmaster, organist and composer in various churches, from 1700 to 1750, The great composer was almost entirely forgotten until the revival of interest in his works by Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn performed Bach choral works in beginning in 1849. Bach was not famous in his own time, certainly not an international superstar like George Frederick Handel. Mendelssohn's performance of the St. Matthew Passion, did much to popularize Bach.

The BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS are a collection of six works for orchestra, presented to the Margrave of Brandenburg in 1721, though most were probably composed earlier. Bach wrote this letter to His Royal Highness: “As I had the good fortune a few years ago to be heard by Your Royal Highness, at Your Highness's commands, and as I noticed then that Your Highness took some pleasure in the little talents which Heaven has given me for Music, and as in taking Leave of Your Royal Highness, Your Highness designed to honor me with the command to send Your Highness some pieces of my Composition: I have in accordance with Your Highness's most gracious orders taken the liberty of rendering my most humble duty to Your Royal Highness with the present Concertos...”

Blah-blah-blah. Clearly the royalty of the time needed to have their asses kissed, over and over. Even by great composers. We notice, 300 years later nobody at all cares about the Margrave of Brandenburg. While millions of people care about the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. On my first program we hear the opening movement of BRANDENBURG CONCERTO NO. 4...

Also in my first program, we learn about Hector Berlioz, and his SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE. Berlioz was born in 1803 and died in Paris in 1869. In 1825 he saw a production of Shakespeare, and fell madly, passionately, insanely in love with the lead actress, Harriet Simpson. Who, of course rejected him and made him miserable, and finally married Berlioz, to make him miserable for several years more years until their divorce. The SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE. is a fantasy nightmare, which Berlioz called Episodes in the Life of an Artist, being mostly an autobiography of his nightmare relationship with Miss Simpson. The work has five movements: Reveries and Passions, The Ball, Scene in the Fields, March to the Scaffold, and Witches Sabbath. The composer wrote detailed stories to go with each individual nightmare.

Over two hundred years later, the music holds up much better than the romance nightmare of Harriet Simpson. The music is exquisite and powerful, creating a vast drama within the orchestra. In this drama no words are needed. And no story is needed. The drama unfolds and moves forward without need for a written story, nor motion pictures from Hollywood. SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE. exists as its own unique work of musical art. Berlioz went on to compose many more famous works, and was the rock-star of his place and time. Russian princesses and wives of nobility had affairs with him. He was in demand across Europe as a conductor between 1843 and 1855, visiting London on four different tours.

In other video programs, we learn about Jan Sibelius, and his cigars. And Antonin Dvorak, and the summer he spent in Spillville, Iowa. He enjoyed Spillville much more than New York City.

Our series of programs is intended to introduce new listeners to Classical music, giving examples from the great masters of the past 300 years, as well as a few living composers who carry on the tradition of composing music for full symphony orchestra. I feel it is important to say: Classical concert music is distinctly different from film music and TV or video-game soundtracks. Those forms of music also use symphony orchestras, but those forms of music are created specifically to support the action of the visual story. That music is not made to stand alone, as an individual, engaging work of art. Some of the best film music, has been arranged into concert suites, collections of movie themes, but that is not at all the same as composing music specifically for concert performances.

As great as our film composers are, very few equal the artistic accomplishments of Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Dvorak. Composers writing specifically for concert performances, were not and are not distracted by the demands and dramatic intentions of Hollywood. Concert Pieces create their own story-line, often taking us into personal and spiritual places where film music cannot go. Film music cannot go there, because film music is not intended to go there.

Film music is like a cruise ship. Everyone on-board knows where the ship is going, and what they are likely to see. Concert music is more like intergalactic travel, going places no one has been to, places no one has seen before the composer launches the starship.

With a little experience in listening to large music, full orchestral music, listeners soon to appreciate the artistic accomplishment of great composers, past and present. Of course, the very best way to enjoy this music is to hear it LIVE, in a concert hall. But, that is not as easily available to all people as my little internet videos. And truthfully, my internet videos often have more variety than many live concert performances.... plus the added charm of my edits of old Sherlock Holmes movies.... retro Sci-fi, and erotic anime films!!

LISTEN LARGE. LISTEN LOUD!!