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

[MamaNewtNewt]

This thread is for the 50 bookers (or in fact anyone else who wants to join in!) who are reading Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Everyday by Clemency Burton-Hill.

The author has selected one piece of music for each day in the year, and includes a brief overview of the piece and the composer to provide some context. There's a playlist on Spotify and we can share links to each piece of music for those without access to Spotify.

I think most of us are planning on (roughly) sticking to the daily setup but feel free to read / listen ahead although the discussions are likely to stay around the music for the current date.

Thanks to @TheTurn0fTheScrew for bringing this book to our attention on the thread. Really looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts.

I don't know how to comment on today's really- I listened to a couple of versions on YouTube, I just thought it was opera sounding like what I think of opera sounding like - good but not really for me. I know this isn't strictly true as there are certain pieces that I love, but I'm not sure this was one of them

In all the clips I saw, there was a woman taking the male part of Octavian which was interesting. Not sure if that's the standard convention for this particular opera?

The Spotify version is written for orchestra, so it's not accurate. It's the trio that Clemency has written about in the notes, as Turn0fTheScrew has rightly pointed out.
I like both versions. Strauss is a composer who wears his heart on his sleeve. Big sweeping themes, highly-charged, emotional outpourings. His four last songs are lovely. I must look them up again.

Agreed, AliasGrape. I don't this will go on my favourites list :)

@AliasGrape

I don't know how to comment on today's really- I listened to a couple of versions on YouTube, I just thought it was opera sounding like what I think of opera sounding like - good but not really for me. I know this isn't strictly true as there are certain pieces that I love, but I'm not sure this was one of them

In all the clips I saw, there was a woman taking the male part of Octavian which was interesting. Not sure if that's the standard convention for this particular opera?

Alias, yes, Octavian's always sung by a woman, a mezzo-soprano. It's sometimes called a 'trouser role' There's a convention of this in lots of operas and Strauss's opera was deliberately echoing Mozart's 'The Marriage of Figaro', which also has a young male character - Cherubino - in love with an older woman...also played/sung by a female. On one level it's a homage to Mozart, who was Strauss's great hero.

Ok, quite enjoyed to start with but got a bit bored and admit I zoned out before the end.

Me too!! I felt the same. Got bored by the end!! I will look up the voice version tomorrow on YouTube 😃

I had to listen in a bit of a glut again yesterday but I very much liked all those from 26 - 29 January. I thought the first part of the Rosenkavalier trio was absolutely beautiful, although it didn't sustain that peak throughout.

I loved today's Faure. Right up my street. I really like violin and piano together. I don't know very much Faure apart from his Requiem and this made me think I should listen to more.

I will have to listen again later to the Fauré as it wasn’t doing it for me this morning.

Fauré's Requiem is one of my favourite pieces.
I liked the sonata. It has some lovely moments.

I heard this same sonata played on the radio while ago :) also heard a piece by Duruflé :)

I wasn't keen on the Faure today, although I love some of his other pieces (Pavane, Apres Un Reve, Siciliene). It didn't grab me melodically, and unlike CBH I did think it became overblown in parts. It just felt too busy.

I didn't mind todays but I did find the way it started at full pelt a bit odd.

I really liked today's, I agree with IsFuzzyBeagMise there really were some lovely moments that seemed to stand out. I said about some of the earlier pieces that I didn't enjoy the violin so much, but I liked it here with the piano.

Philip Glass; Echorus

I absolutely love this. I enjoy the reworking of the chaconne; it's very clever. It works well to reproduce the echo effect. I think it's beautiful. I don't feel too much by way of serenity and peace when I listen to it. I feel excitement and exhilaration.

I've been thinking of my favourites for January. It's difficult, because I liked so many of them with no real dislikes in this selection. I narrowed it down to eight pieces, the ones that I felt were a bit special.

In chronological order, I chose Hildegard von Bingen, Verdi, Duruflé, Puccini, Lauridsen, Shostakovich, Hahn and Glass.

Onwards to February!

Also liked todays! I could listen to more like this. Definitely enjoying the strings pieces.

My favourites were Von Bingen, Poulenc, Puccini, Lauridsen, Shostakovich and Hahn and the Glass. With honourable mention to Steve Reich which moved me in odd ways.

Echorus is lovely. Calming without being bland or saccharine, and going in interesting directions.

Of this month's selections there were twelve that I'd listen to again regularly. Ten of those were new to me, and it's been great to have my listening refreshed and challenged. The Beethoven was a standout, with Glass and Mendelssohn probably my next favourite of the dozen.

I love this and see I will have a day of listening to lots more Glass. Thank you so much @MamaNewtNewt for this thread. It has really been a great daily activity while I’m at home.

(Soyabean)

My favourites were Von Bingen, Poulenc, Lauridsen and Hahn. Also probably the Shostakovich.

Listening again to the Messaien really moved me, maybe more than the first listen, perhaps because the story has stayed in my mind and sort of gathered momentum! And I was quite rude about the Mendelssohn first time round and found I liked it much better listening again.

The Kapsberger lute piece has made it onto our Friday playlist for cooking dinner to!

On to today’s piece - Echorus - I feel a bit lukewarm about it and once again like I’m missing something. As other pieces have shown though, it often takes me a few tries so perhaps it will grow on me.

Today's one won me over, slightly to my surprise, as i overall I prefer the pieces featuring the human voice. The Hahn piece was the surprise winner for me.

Overall, this has brightened up my January.

I think in order the Kapsberger, the von Bingen, the Reich and the Glass were my favourites too. I'm just listening to the Kapsberger again, it has that hairs on the back of the neck effect.

Hello my January favourites were:Bach, Hidegard of Bingen, Poulenc, Meldelsshon, Fuare

We have made it to February!

Che gelida mania - Puccini
It was okay. I think I would like it more seeing it on stage. On the Spotify playlist I was able to read the words as it went along (in Italian) but because I couldn’t understand it anyway - it was better to just listen!