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

Well done to your son Welshwabbit on passing his exam!

Piano Trio no. 1 in D Minor (Andante):Mendelssohn

This was a joy to listen to. It is simply perfect from start to finish.
I liked the string quintet by Schubert earlier in the month, but this piano trio is superb. I think the combination of violin, cello and piano works so well.

Lovely Bach yesterday. I wasn't so keen on the Monteverdi today.

My son passed his grade 2 piano yesterday. He squeaked through a bit, but it was his first exam so I am very proud of him!

Loved today's - very joyful

I agree with you on the Prelude TheTurn. I feel the same about it.
I think my dream job would be to play in a group like 'L'Arpeggiata'.

The Wienawski I found impressive - sounds ridiculously difficult - but I didn't really connect with it.

The Cello prelude I know well as it pops up a lot on TV/ads etc, but amazingly I don't think the over exposure has dimmed it. It sounds so clean and calm. While it's unmistakably Bach I think there's something timeless about it, and it would fit in well on a playlist with more contemporary stuff like the Glass Echorus chosen in January.

The Monteverdi is not my cup of tea. I think I have a bit of a blind spot for renaissance stuff.

Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti: Monteverdi

I think this is fabulous. I really like music from this era. I love the interplay between the voice and various instruments. It's a very simple but effective arrangement; very easy to listen to. The recorder in this piece is beautiful. It's definitely one to come back to and I think I'll listen to more from this album. I'm marking some pieces to review as my favourites at the end of the month :)

Clemency writes so well and I so want to take Bach’s cello suites to heart like she urges but I listened to today’s piece and felt precisely nothing. I even listened to the entire suite to see if it would mean more as a whole.

It just does absolutely nothing for me. Sorry Clemency (and I guess sorry Bach too).

I liked the story of their rediscovery. I listened to the Yo Yo Ma version - I really only knew of him due to the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon soundtrack.

Cello Suite no. 1 in G Major (Prelude): J.S. Bach

This is a very well-known piece for solo cello. These suites are the gold standard among professional cellists (and amateurs too!) They have been transcribed for other instruments, including the viola, which has the same strings as the cello, but an octave higher. I play this piece often and I enjoy it. It is calm and serene. Good practice on string crossings :)

I enjoyed today’s Polonaise - it was light and frothy and I liked daydreaming about wearing a lovely frock and doing the dance at some grand ball or other.

Said daydream was wildly historically inaccurate, I have no idea what the Polonaise dance involved and the costume I was wearing was kind of regency inspired so too early, but no harm done!

I wasn't emotionally drawn in by today's Polonaise. I liked the Nocturne yesterday. Quite liked the Schubert. I need to listen to the Handel again as it was a bit long to take in.

I am still completely obsessed with the Zelenka Miserere and have been playing it every day. I don't really know why I like it so much.

Polonaise in D Major: Henryk Wieniawski

While admiring the brilliance of the playing, I'm not hugely taken with this. It's all style and no substance for me.

I thought the nocturne was pretty, but not especially memorable. I do agree that it sounds more modern that the composer's dates would suggest.

I enjoyed today's. I like nocturnes it seems - I loved the last one we had too

Nocturne in B Flat: John Field

I thought this was lovely; short and sweet, simple but beautiful. I recognise the piece. It is played often, but I assumed it was by Chopin.

Sending greetings to everyone on this thread on St. Patrick's Day ☘️

And you got married anyway, Turn?. You didn't have much choice about calling off the proceedings, Best.

Didn't care for today's or yesterday's. Just didn't connect.

Love those stories @TheTurn0fTheScrew and @BestIsWest

I didn’t love the last two days. Tomorrow is a new day and all that!

Hilarious stories Turn0fTheScrew and BestIsWest

Haha TheTurnOfTheScrew that’s a great story.

I had similar when DD was born and DH brought the wrong tape from the car. Instead of a carefully chosen list of favourite songs I ended up giving birth to Queen and ‘Don’t Stop MeNow’.

fun tale about today's piece, although about the scherzo (third movement) rather than the Adagio.

I thought it would be a pretty piece to walk into at our wedding (CD, not live quartet sadly) and have during the signing of the register. So we dropped it in at the register office a few days before, carefully labelled with our names, date and time of ceremony, and track number.

Just before the ceremony the registrar said that they'd been having some trouble with the CD player, but all was sorted now, saying "it's a strings piece, isn't it?" We assumed that they had our CD. But there had been a muddle-up, and we ended up getting married to the sound of a lite-classical medley of Neil Diamond's greatest hits .

Just catching up. I haven’t been too keen on anything this week although I did like the Handel yesterday. I agree that the French horn was great (though I wouldn’t have known it was a French horn).
I do like Bryn Terfel too who was singing on the version on the Spotify playlist.
I was left a bit bored by todays but was doing something else at the same time so zoned out. Might try to listen again later.

String Quintet in C Major (Adagio): Schubert

This is a longer piece than our usual offerings! It's excellent though, and worth while giving it time.

Schubert packed so much into his short life. I don't know his songs too well, but I think his chamber music is brilliant; it transmits such warmth to the listener.

Go Silently and Stealthily: Handel

This piece seems a bit mundane after the excitement and passion of La Tarantella, however it is pleasant to listen to. I recognise it. It must be popular.
I think reading the notes helped to appreciate this and to get the sense of it. The French horn is excellent in it.

someone hot and sultry

Has to be a Freudian slip there, Alias!

I enjoyed the Tarantella. It's really refreshing to be exposed to something that is quite different from my normal listening.