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'm used to hearing this aria played often on the radio. I didn't know the meaning behind it, so I appreciated the notes today. I enjoyed listening to this. Clemency is right. When opera gets it right, it really hits all the right notes for emotional impact.

I’m familiar with this too - I’m used to hearing the Pavarotti version so went off into a little rabbit hole of different tenors but concluded he was the best.

Listening to opera is not for me, although I have enjoyed going to the ENO a few times.
My January favourites were all new to me: Byrd, Glass, Katz-Chermin especially. But mostly I’m loving the whole experience and sharing it with all of you.

I hope you are on the mend MsNorth

Thank you @IsFuzzyBeagMise. Having a good day so far!

Good to hear that @MsNorth.

I enjoyed this. I also went down a rabbit hole of different tenors, I found a Roberto Alagna version which I loved, but really I don’t know what I’m looking/ listening for nor had I heard of any of them apart from Pavarotti.

I would like to go to the opera one day.

I’ve only been twice AliasGrace - Welsh National Opera in both cases, DH dragged me along the first time and I adored it. Covid got in the way of going more often but It was so unexpectedly wonderful.

@BestIsWest what did you see?

The first one was Cavalliera Rusticana /Pagliacci and the second was Tosca. I actually cried during Tosca! @AliasGrape go if you get a chance.

@BestIsWest I definitely will

I really enjoyed this - I do like some opera but tenor is my least favourite voice as a rule. What a tune though.

this is new to me, as is most opera. It's lovely. Pavarotti's top note here is a thing of beauty.

Fanny Mendelssohn; String Quartet in E flat major, 1st mvt

I really enjoyed listening to this; I thought it was beautiful, expressive, balanced. I love chamber music and the string quartet is the perfect form.
I never heard of Fanny mentioned in history books, just Felix. Like Clara Schumann, recognition only came in relatively recent times.

The notes today were good, how sad that she had to hide her talents or have them dismissed because she was a women (and with what depressing regularity that story repeats across so many different fields). The piece itself didn’t do much for me though.

Didn’t do much for me either but yes, how depressing that we see so much of this over the history of just about everything.

I've fallen a bit behind again, work is crazy at the moment!

Echorus I quite liked this one, stripped back and strings seems to work for me. I actually found it quite relaxing.

Che gelida manina I wasn't keen on this but don't generally like opera. I probably sound like a total philistine but I wonder if it would make a difference if I could understand what they were singing.

Adagio ma non troppo I really liked this one. I definitely have a preference for strings!

‘Il cavalier di Spagna’ – ‘A Spanish Knight’* from La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Ancina* by Francesca Caccini (c. 1587–1641)

I really liked this one, a very medieval sound to my ear, and a nice lively song to start the day. Yet another example of a female composer where little of their music remains. Listening to this I'd like to hear what else she composed.

I really like this too. What a refreshing change. It's fun, bright and lively.

I enjoyed today’s piece too, agree it was bright and light and made me smile.

I enjoyed listening to and reading about, this one. I’m now listening to the rest of the opera but that has just confirmed that I don’t really like ‘operatic’ voices. Love the instrumental parts though.

Todays is just great, I didn’t want it to end and have listened about 6 times. So cheering. I can imagine courtly dancing. Love it.

Agreed, today's was very cheering.

I loved yesterday's bit of Fanny. Light and lyrical. I enjoyed listening to the whole quartet.

Today's piece was interesting and fun. It was refreshing to have something with early instruments. Reminded me a little in mood of Purcell's Curtain Tune, which I love.

Fantaisie Negre; Florence Price

I think this is excellent, it's superb. It's a powerful piece of music. I really like the interweaving of the spiritual in the music. It's masterfully done.

The album from which this is taken on Spotify looks interesting and worth checking out.