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 am disgracefully behind, having not listened daily since 5 April. I have been doing a catch up over the past few days which is decidedly not ideal. I think I will have to go back to listen again to some. That said, the only one of the pieces since 5 April (apart from today's) that got the hairs standing up on the back of my neck was the first part of Wagner's Tannhauser. I do like a bit of Wagner despite all the obvious problems (and despite knowing very little about his music generally). I also really liked the Mussorgsky (he was one of the composers I remember my parents playing when I was little and I think I remember this piece), Ellis Island and I did like both the cello and sung versions of the Vivaldi. I didn't like Andreas Scholl's voice on Music for a While but really liked a Barbara Hendricks version I found on Amazon Music. Oddly, I quite liked his voice on How Sweet The Moonlight, and enjoyed that one generally.

Re: today's, Beethoven is my absolute favourite, although I tend to prefer the minor movements of the big symphonies/sonatas, and obviously this, like virtually everything else he wrote, is a work of genius. This movement makes me happy, it's so joyous and celebratory (and yes, does also get the hairs standing up).

I also like the fact that, like all good classical music, it has about 17 false endings.

I think that Beethoven was a bit of a joker, Welshwabbit he did it deliberately to keep the audience on their toes.

I enjoyed the Sibelius today, I'm not using the Spotify list so it was the orchestral version I heard.

Sibelius, liked the orchestral version especially the woodwind parts. It is very sad as the title implies though it does have jolly bits.
The spotify piano version was very plodding - but maybe I should have listened to the whole thing.

It did plod along at the start, Best, but picked up and went into a gallop soon afterwards 😄

It just put me in mind of being in class at school and hearing the piano learners practicing out in the hall.

Little catch-up. I thought the Pook was very clever - unmistakably modern, but you can absolutely tell it's evoking the Renaissance, without being too cringey.

Beethoven gets a thumbs up, although it's my least favourite movement from the symphony. The third movement has my heart, and I do like the little whisper we get of it about halfway through the fourth. The flute and bassoon melodies after one of the false endings are really playful. And it also reminds me of Howard's End, which I love.

The Sibelius is lush - both dramatic and delicate all at once. One for my playlist, definitely.

24 Caprices, Op. 1: No. 5 in A Minor: Paginini.

This piece is amazing in terms of its technical brilliance and I can appreciate how it paved the way for later composers to write for the violin as a virtuosic instrument. It's not a piece that I particularly enjoy listening to, however. I'm getting flashbacks to the studies that I used to practise, particularly the long chromatic runs at the start shudders 😅

Really liked the Sibelius, even if my brain kept trying to picture a Strictly waltz set to it.

I thought ‘oh yes I know this’ as it started but reading the notes I realised it’s the Rachmaninov I know (and prefer - I had a quick listen and confirmed this, spoiler alert for July haha).

This really did show the range of sounds the violin can make - sorry that’s a philistine’s way of putting it but can’t think of a better way to say what I mean! And as such it definitely illustrates my issue with the violin - parts were lovely but there were bits that just sounded bloody awful to my ears! Definitely the importance of the musician/ version too - first one I found was someone or other in concert and it wasn’t particularly enjoyable. Then I found a video of a performance by Clara-Jumi Kang which was much better, she was quite engrossing to watch too.

Totally agree Fuzzy on the Paganini. I can hear how incredibly technically difficult this piece must be to play, but it leaves me cold.

24 Preludes, Op. 11, No. 13 in G-Flat Major: Scriabin.

This is a lovely, quiet, unassuming piece of music. Tranquil and expressive.

The Paganini isn't for me either, all that scraping away at the strings.

Lay a Garland: Robert Pearsall

I think this is an utterly gorgeous piece of music. Choral perfection! It really sounds like music from the Renaissance. Exquisitely haunting and one for the favourites list.
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Paganini - started ok but I began to feel it was a showing off exercise rather a pleasurable experience for the listener. The dog didn’t like it at all.
Scriabin, well nice enough as background music.

String Quartet no. 14, 'Quamby': Peter Sculthorpe.

I thought this was weird and wonderful. It's dark and menacing and the didgeridoo really lends to creating that atmosphere. It's a piece that I could imagine being used as part of a film score. Very interesting.

Loved the Pearsall. Haven't listened to the Sculthorpe yet, but intrigued by Fuzzy's reference to the didgeridoo!

Violin Concerto in E Minor, Third Movement: Mendelssohn.

We opened this month's selection of pieces with the first movement of Tchaikovsky's brilliant piano concerto in B-flat Minor and we are closing it with this stunning excerpt from the violin concerto in E Minor by Mendelssohn. Two epic works.

I love all three movements of this concerto. Sparks fly when I listen to the third one. Outstanding.

Favourites for the month. There are many as usual, as it's so hard to narrow it down. In chronological order; Tchaikovsky, Górecki, Milhaud, Meredith Monk, Vivaldi, Tailleferre, Purcell, Jocelyn Pook, Sibelius, Pearsall, Mendelssohn.

Onwards to May 😃

The Scriabin and the Pearsall were unremarkable for me. The Sculthorpe I wasn't looking forward to from the description but it definitely worked better in practice than on paper, and was very atmospheric.

The Mendelssohn Violin Concerto is a great end to the month. I'm much less familiar with this movement than the first, but it's great to be reminded of how fresh it sounds for its time.

April's highlights for me were Brahms, Milhaud, Monk, Vivaldi and Sibelius.

Children's Corner L.113:1. Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum: Debussy.

This piece has some nice moments in it. I think I hear some stepwise movement in the melody which might refer to the Steps of Mount Parnassus, perhaps?

The notes left me feeling sorry for Debussy's wife and how unhappy she was following his affair. I'm not feeling as well-disposed towards him as Clemency is. I think it's going to colour my view of his music!

Scriabin Sounds like a very interesting character. This was pleasant and soothing to listen to.

Lay a Garland - de Pearsall Beautiful

Sculthorpe - ooh this was interesting and dark. I’m not sure it would make the regular playlist but I liked it.

Mendelssohn Fabulous - I like the violin when it sounds like this.

As an aside, I listened again to the Monk Ellis Island which I really didn’t like the first time, and enjoyed it so much more. It’s weird how dependent it can be on your mood/ the day.

Yes, Alias, and it also takes time for it to grow on you.

Mother of God Here I Stand: John Taverner.

I think this is beautiful; it's peaceful, calm, restorative.

The first performance of this piece sounds amazing, in the context of an all-night vigil between 10pm and 6am.

Sculthorpe - I liked this too, really interesting and textural.

Mendelssohn - Love this, so pretty and much better as a violin piece than the Paganini of the other day,

Debussy I liked this a lot at the start but disliked the ending.

Taverner Beautiful.