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

8 Concert Etudes: Kapustin.

This jazzy étude is a lively, fun piece. It's probably the most fun étude for piano in the repertory :) Short and snappy, I like it.

That's funny Best 😄

Thanks to this thread I managed to get the Pedantle the other day (If you never have, don’t, hours of your life will disappear) but the answer was ‘Fugue’ so I had a bit of the musical vocabulary I’ve learned here to play with.

The Lark Ascending Easy to see why this piece is so popular - (The Nation’s favourite apparently) the rising and falling, the folk tunes, so evocative of the English countryside. I can just see the lark in the sky above the rolling hills. Beautiful.

I knew bits of it but don’t think I’ve ever listened to the whole thing before and what I had in my mind as The Lark Ascending turns out to be something else entirely - I’ll figure it what it is one day.

Mi Teresita - like most waltzes, it reminds me of the tinkly tune that plays when you open a musical jewellery box.

The Salley Gardens - one of the tunes I carol off-key in the shower.

The Lark Ascending - I expected to recognise this as I certainly know the name, but I didn't. It certainly elevated my morning routine to have this playing. It is beautiful.

The Lark Ascending: Vaughan Williams.

As I listen to this, I wonder how I never heard it before. It is simply sublime. It really is a piece that 'dreams itself along'.
I love the pure melodic line of the violin. It really is the lark swooping and rising over rolling verdant hills. I think the classical form of the solo part against the backdrop of folksong in the orchestral accompaniment is very appealing; I find it very moving. It really is beautiful.

Another quick catch up
Abendlied - Schumann I love this - so wistful. I found it very moving in the context of his story.

Mozart was a bit bored by this.

Wagner unexpectedly, I really liked this. It reminded me a bit of last weeks Spartacus . Made me think of crashing waves and rolling seas. Wonderful.

Strauss - Morgen! Another tender, wistful piece. Beautiful. What treats this week.

Mi Teresita Another very pretty piece.

Britten -Down In The Salley Gardens I liked this one too , great arrangement - loved the richness of the voices.

Work has calmed down a bit so I hope to start listening daily again.

The Salley Gardens: Britten.

I love this air and play it often. I had no idea that Britten set it to music and that he had such an interest in folk music. I really liked the singing of the elizabethan singers too and the piano accompaniment.

(Autocorrect stopping me from capitalising elizabethan!)

I loved Mi Teresita too. Straight onto the favourites list :)

Mi Teresita by Teresa Carreno
Light, pretty, and very charming. Just the right accompaniment for coffee in the garden when your child has woken you ridiculously early despite being old enough to know better.

I found the Mozart and the Wagner both a bit bland TBH. The Strauss was gorgeous, and no one does Strauss like Jessye. Her version of the Vier Letze Lieder is sublime.

I listened to the Jessye Norman version of both theWagner and the Strauss. It was the Wagner that pulled me in - it was rather intrigued and think I might explore further.

Morgen! Op 27 no. 4: Strauss.

This is lovely. Very tender and romantic. The violin and voice sound beautiful together against a background of muted strings. The music expresses the poem perfectly. I'll listen to this again and look up Strauss' Four Last Songs as I remember I liked them before.

Tristan and Isolde Concert Version: Wagner.

This piece is big, bold and beautiful.
I think it's wonderful.
The first part is quite restrained, then it builds up to a very impressive climax before drawing back to a wistful conclusion. Very lovely indeed.

Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola 1st Movement: Mozart.

I really enjoyed this piece today. I'm always happy to see the viola get some airtime. It's an unusual pairing (violin and viola) but it works well as Mozart has an excellent understanding of both instruments. Perlman and Zukerman are a joy to listen to as well.

The Schumann was lovely.

Great to hear everyone's reactions as usual :)

Shankar/ Menuhin - didn't like this one. I thought when the percussion first came in hard and fast that it was going to turn into more of a banger, but it died away, and the call and response structure got on my wick a bit by the end.

Schumann - What a lovely, tranquil, soothing melody. I went off-piste with this one and chose an oboe version.

Abendlied: Schumann

This is beautiful; a little gem of a piece.
Originally written for piano, it sounds lovely too on violin and cello.
Moving words from Clemency on the life of Schumann. He really did write from the heart.

Caught up rather too hastily to do the pieces justice. Glinka - not normally my sort of thing but the joyful speed appealed to me. The Ribers was fine, fairly generic folk. I do like some folk but it's more likely to be Irish - right now I'm a bit obsessed with Port na bPuca (the Fairy's Lament) as I recently visited the place where it was composed.

Spartacus - I'm slightly too young for the Onedin Line but I've heard the music and I'm glad to be able to put a name to the piece. It wears its heart on its sleeve and sometimes that's what you want.

Raga Piloo - interesting to listen to something a bit different and have your horizons expanded.

I really enjoyed the Ribers no 8 and will also seek out more.

Khatchaturian - Spartacus aka The Onedin Line of early 70s Sunday night telly, beautiful though it is, unfortunately brings back memories of being very small, of weekly Sunday night baths and having my hair tightly wrapped into rags.

Bored by the Tippett but hugely enjoying the Glinka. Very Jolly.

Just catching up and really enjoying the Satie.
I don’t have the excuse of half term as my youngest is 24 and about to leave home!

Apologies, I've got behind due to half-term. Will aim to catch up with you all soon.

Raga Piloo: Shankar, Menuhin.

This is something new for the playlist! Very interesting indeed. I enjoyed it. I wondered to what extent this was composed as a piece and if there was a degree of improvisation as they played it. It sounds to me that the first part of the piece might have some improvisation, but it's hard to say as it's note-perfect.

An excellent collaboration of two musical maestros. I would listen to more of this.