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.

Cantique de Jean Racine: Fauré.

This is lovely and soothing; harmonious voices and sympathetic strings and woodwind.
Perfect for a peaceful Sunday morning.

I agree, Fuzzy, - the Fauré was an ideal Sunday morning listen. I also liked the Fanny Mendelssohn piece, and reading a bit about the background helped me appreciate it more.

Chaconne in G Major: Falconieri.

I absolutely love this Chaconne. It's fun, lively, cheerful and uplifting. It's brilliant from the start, but the moment towards the end when there is a crescendo and all the percussion joins in is my favourite part. The piece has an infectious quality (in a good way) and leaves me wanting to hear more and play along :)

Loved the Falconieri. Sounds astonishingly contemporary for something that is centuries old.

Lyric Pieces Book V, Op. 54 'Notturno': Grieg.

I have to admit when I saw another solo piano piece on the list, I thought 'What another one?!', but after listening to it, it's lovely. Grieg seems to have written many of these and it represents what he is best known for. His Piano Concerto in A Minor and The Holberg Suite for strings are very much worth listening to as is the Peer Gynt Suite, which is very well known.

Back to this piece. It's romantic, charming and wistful and Grieg's novel approach to harmony makes it sound fresh and interesting.

I have got very behind again, but have been catching up - and what a lovely run of pieces! My favourite, and one of my favourites of the year so far, was the Shostakovich - just absolutely beautiful, like moonlight on water. I've listened to it several times already. I also really liked the Fanny Mendelssohn, the Faure choral piece and the Falconieri Chaconne. But no duds in there at all from 10 - 16 May!

Ive given up pretending I’m ever going to listen daily now - well not unless my toddler ever decides to go back to daily naps anyway. Today is a nap day at least so …

Schumann This was very nice, evoked no great emotional response but was pleasant to listen to.

Mendelssohn This was lovely, a favourite. Like Fuzzy the words that came to mind were wistful and yearning, it may be what was in the notes but I think it’s there in the music too. I like to close my mind and see what images come up as I listen and this was a young ballerina painstakingly practicing her steps and faltering at first but gradually improving until there’s a bit of triumphant section where she’s performing them beautifully in front of an audience, but then it goes sad again when she looks into the crowd and whoever it is she was hoping to see isn’t there, then it’s back to rehearsals for the next show. Make of that what you will 😂

Faure I read the title as critique rather than cantique and couldn’t understand why I was having such a hard time finding the piece. Love the choral pieces and this is no exception, agree with Clemency’s description of ‘otherwordly beauty’.

Falconieri This was jolly! Agree it’s amazing how modern it sounds. Is this baroque? I thought as it started ‘oh yes I like the baroque stuff’ and then wondered if I’d actually learned something after all!

Grieg Another gorgeous piano solo. No film playing in my head this time, a few fleeting images of forests and snow but I guess that’s because of the Norway connection!

What a great run of pieces!

I broadly agree with all of you. The Mendelssohn-Hensel was my favourite over the last few days. It's been a joy to discover her this year.

The Faure I am familiar with and it's perfectly pleasant.

I didn't expect to like the Falconieri after the first few strummed (lute???) chords, but then the violins came along with that ridiculously cheerful melody and changed my mind. A proper banger.

the Grieg was very pretty, and just when I thought he might be going too Big Piano for my taste he pulled it back to the lovely first phrase.

Das Lied von der Erde:V 'Der Trunkene im Frühling': Mahler.

'The Drunkard in Spring'. Quite! This is challenging to listen to, as it does sound like the ranting of an intoxicated person; shouty, untuneful and maudlin. I've listened to it a few times, but it's not growing on me much. I might have a listen to the other songs out of curiosity when my ears recover after this one :)

I rather liked the orchestration on today's piece, but wasn't sure about the dude shouting over the top.

Symphony in C Minor: IV Allegro Maestoso: Alice Mary Smith.

It feels like a return to sanity listening to today's piece :)

I'm sorry to say that I never heard of Alice Mary Smith until today. Her music is excellent. I listened to the fourth movement as listed, but I have gone back to the first movement and it is really good. It's classical but has a strong Romantic feel to it and she has given the violas a good look in :) I wonder how often her music gets played these days, because it should be.

What a sad time Mahler had. But cab only agree with what Fuzzy and TheTurnofTheScrew said about this piece. The music sounded lovely but that shouty singing man did absolutely nothing for me.

I like the sound of Alice Mary Smith and I enjoyed this piece too.

I know! I think my ears are still recovering :)

Scherzo No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 14: Clara Schumann.

This is the fourth solo piano piece on the list this month and it's another excellent one. Each piece so far has its own character. There is one more to come which is also really good.

I think this is very masterful. It sounds to me like the first section is written like a concerto. There's a lot going on. It's dramatic and turbulent, very passionate and feisty. There is a contrast in the middle section where it is peaceful and calm, very elegant. It's like an oasis in the storm. Then the mood changes and it reverts back to the first part, disquiet creeps in and the turbulence comes back but not for long as the piece concludes quickly and without fuss.

Didn't love the Mahler. The Alice Mary Smith pieces sounded very Last Night of the Prom to me - that's neither praise or criticism. The Schumann - that quiet little bit in the middle caught my attention. Glad to see women championed.

Another big catch up from me.

Schumann Piano Quintet - pleasant and enjoyable. I think this will be a grower.

Fanny Mendelssohn - lovely, soft and mellow, made me think of a meandering stream.

Faure - Beautiful but drifted into the background

Falconieri - really cheerful and lively. Liked this a lot. It reminded me of the Caccini we had earlier in the year which I became a bit of obsessed with. Love a bit of Baroque.

Grieg. This was ok, a bit boring. I usually like Grieg but am I getting pianoed out?

Not mad about the Mahler.

Alice Mary Smith. I like this. Will listen again. Agree about Last Night of the Proms.

Pagliacci/Act One 'Vesti la Giubba': Leoncavallo.

I think this excellent. Really good singing, high drama indeed. I always think it's so much better when you know the context and the words when listening to opera. I imagine this must be wonderful to see as a live performance.

I also liked the double basses trailing off at the close of the aria. Very atmospheric.

I have seen Pagliacci live. It was the first proper opera I saw live, together with Cavalleria Rusticana (they are usually performed together) and yes, it was wonderful (Welsh National Opera about five years ago).

I have a soft spot for this anyway as it is a favourite of DH (he used to have a tape of Pavarotti arias with it on and it was always on in the car back in the day when cars had cassette players). That and The Gypsy Kings.

'Au Gré des Ondes' V: Hommage à Bach: Henri Dutilleux.

I really like this piece. Definitely an hommage to Bach, but pared back with a lightness of touch and great clarity.

Hi everyone. I saw this book on Kindle Deals today and thought I would join the thread.

Starting from a couple of days ago...

Clara Schumann - Scherzo no. 2 in C minor - I wasn't a fan of this piece, but I do admire this composer. She was a child prodigy and the most famous concert pianist of her time with an international career over 60 years. She was also Robert Schumann's wife. As it turns out, both were huge Bach fans and in fact wrote in their marriage diary that they spent the first two weeks of their marriage studying the fugues in Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier

Leoncavallo - Vesti la Giubba - Emotional aria, although musically not very interesting until its well-known end.

Dutilleux - Homage à Bach - I'm a big fan of J S Bach and while I found this a cute little melody, it had none of the amazing counterpoint and the firm sense of direction that one finds in every Bach piece, from his shortest melody on The Little Book of Anna Magdalena Bach to his grand masterpieces such as St Matthew Passion. I don't blame Dutilleux in the sense that he couldn't be expected to even approach Bach's genius, but he could have at least attempted a melody on the left hand rather than just chords.

Amy Beach - Romance for violin and piano, op 23 - This didn't rock my world but I found the composer's story interesting. Perhaps she could have been a Clara Schumann if allowed to live her music.

Welcome to the thread CoteDAzur!

Romance for Violin and Piano Op. 23: Amy Beach.

I like this a lot and I think it could grow on me the more I listen to it. The main theme is lovely and there's a gorgeous ending. It's a good stand-alone piece for violin and piano. I would be interested in hearing other works by Beach. What a difficult time she had too with a repressive parent and husband.

Welcome, Cote. I'm thoroughly enjoying the book and the experience of a daily listen.

Another catch up.

Schuman I didn’t love this but I think it could possibly grow on me. I liked the contrasts.

Leoncavallo Pavarotti for me again today. Appreciated the context given in the notes which helped me to get a handle on the piece. Won’t be making my favourites list but you can’t argue with that voice.

Dutilleix Still too much of a musical dunce to say how successful the homage was, I don’t know Bach himself well enough yet to be able to discern his influence. I found the piece a bit boring honestly.

Beach I really enjoyed this. Gosh she must have felt so stifled being ‘not allowed’ to perform or take lessons. I felt like I could hear some of that yearning in the piece but could just be influenced by the notes!

Still listening daily, but need a catch-up on posting.

Alice Mary Smith I thought was meh. Couldn't remember a thing about it 10minutes after listening.

Clara Schumann was great. Bold and powerful without ever becoming overblown

Leoncavallo wasn't my thing, but agree any excuse to hear Pavarotti is worth it.

The Dutilleux I liked very much indeed. It may not have the intricate complexity of Bach, but I enjoyed the calm simplicity. There's an orchestral version on youtube which IMO adds some colour.

The Beach is right up my street. I love chamber music from this era. The melody is beautiful. One for the playlist, definitely.

Piano Concerto no. 5 in E flat major op. 73 "Emperor" 1: Allegro - Beethoven

Shamefully I was bored. The Classical period is definitely my least favourite generally. The sections with just the orchestra and no piano were particular low points. I think the Ravel piano concerto earlier this year offered far more by way of interest in the orchestral sections.