Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Everyday (Part 1)

Walking the Dog: Gershwin

I like this! It's a fun, quirky piece of music and a very pleasant interlude on our list of classical pieces.

Today's isn't for me - I'm not one for the big orchestral pieces, it seems.

Symphony no. 101 in D Major ('The Clock'), Second Movement, Andante: Haydn.

I already know this and I really like it. It's very charming and sedate, but it also has character. I love the outbursts in the minor key. Overall, it's very pleasant to listen to. Nice and easy after the tension and drama of the past two days.

The Copland reminded me of Also Sprach Zarathustra. Which is a compliment.

The Gorecki. Holy fuck. I've never heard anything like it.

@TheTurn0fTheScrew that made me laugh.

Two pieces I know from yesterday and today. The Gorecki is sublime, haunting, sombre, and still hopeful.

I hate the Copeland so much I am bringing a proverbial note from my mum asking me to be excused from Year of Wonder today.

Brahms ok, nice piano piece, background.

Gorecki oh wow, such a beautiful piece.

Fanfare for the Common Man

Being a seventies teenager I know this of course from watching Emerson, Lake and Palmer Live from the Montreal Olympic Stadium version on Top of The Pops in the summer of 1977.

I do love this, it’s magnificent and majestic and I am off to relive my teenage years by watching the ELP version.

Fanfare for the common man: Copland

I like this. It's big, bold and bright; full of hope and optimism.

Another mammoth catch up from me after a hectic couple of days and then a family wedding.

Delius - very enjoyable, I definitely understand those who said it felt like a tv theme but that didn’t stop me liking it!

Bach Beautiful

Tchaikovsky Felt epic - swooping and soaring. I think I like my pieces a little softer but this was still very wonderful. I think I need to revisit when not on a rushed catch up listen!

Beethoven - I thought this was lovely at the very start then got a bit frantic for my liking. This is probably more a reflection of my still hungover state than on Beethoven. I liked the calmer/ quieter sections very much.

Brahms - Lovely. Much more suited to my mood and general sorry state today. I liked its quiet reflectiveness.

Gorecki - Really arresting. Agree with IsFuzzy that it particularly resonates at the moment. I’d never heard of this composer and would like to hear more.

This was not the best run on pieces to have to catch up on altogether as they averaged at about 10 mins or so each, I was hoping for a couple of quickies 😂 They definitely merit a slightly less hurried appreciation so I will try to revisit over the next few days too.

I found the Brahms a bit meh, but really like the Gorecki piece from today.

Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, Lento: Górecki

This is an utterly beautiful piece of music that stopped me in my tracks today. Those opening bars are sublime and I love the reprise with the soprano later in the piece.
This music really resonates with what is happening in Ukraine these days and the composer's words in the notes

Didn't connect with either the Beethoven or the Brahms. I am clearly a Philistine. I'm just surprised there has been so much I've liked.

Loved the Brahms - tender, wistful, dream-like. I very much agree with CBH in that I don't get the sneeriness towards him. He might not have been the most progressive of composers, but I seem to connect emotionally to his stuff, which is what I'm after.

Intermezzo: Brahms

This is a quiet, sombre, thoughtful piece of music and I enjoyed listening to it this morning.

I really enjoyed listening to the Beethoven sonata, first movement. I agree with TheTurn's description of the music. It has the form and structure of a classical piece, but there is a lot of character here. The music is infused with warmth and brightness, which is very satisfying to listen to.
It was a lovely bright Spring day here too. A good day for drying :)

Don’t mind the Beethoven. Lively and pretty.

Today's piece is the allegro from Beethoven's Spring Sonata.

Clean and bright, but still smooth and lyrical; this was a lovely way to start the morning. It has a clear shape and melody, but still lots of interesting detail. The perfect accompaniment to watching the daffodils waft in the garden (bucolic view marred slightly by my laundry on the line but you can't have everything).

Unexpectedly loved the Tchaikovsky. Somehow not familiar to me at all.

Love the Tchaikovsky piano concerto, one of my all time favourites, and I haven't listened to it for a long time - what a treat.

I didn't love this. For some reason I find Big Piano stuff a bit-off putting, and actively disliked the introductory section with the octaves at the start. The more delicate part in the middle with the flute echoes I liked more, but then it got all busy again at the end of the development section. I watched a Lang Lang performance on Youtube, and despite not loving it he was utterly captivating.

Yes, I agree. This is a magnificent work, the whole length and breadth of it. The first movement alone has everything in it; it's majestic, dramatic, passionate, but also tender, romantic, playful, wistful. The opening bars are sublime.

I hadn't heard it in a long time and I enjoyed listening to it again. It's hard to believe that the virtuoso guy, Rubenstein, didn't like it when he heard it at first, but perhaps it was new and startling for it's time.

*want to learn

Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)

Probably the most familiar of all the pieces so far. We’ll all have seen the clips of couples running towards each other across the beach to the sound of this.
Lovely and majestic but also playful, makes me to learn to play the piano.