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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!)

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 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.

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 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.

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.

That's funny Best 😄

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.

The Kapustin is not for me at all. I found it quite unpleasant to listen to.

Wasn’t keen on the Kapustin either.

I did like today's lute piece. It seems I'm more of a pop girl (clear line of descent from the lute piece) than a jazz girl (the Kapustin).

The Frog Galliard: Dowland.

I think this is very enjoyable. It's calming and soothing and definitely one to listen to when you are feeling frazzled, as Clemency says. Vive la Renaissance :)

I Lie: David Lang.

An interesting piece of music today, this modern folksong. It's very atmospheric. I really like the singing in unison. It's sung very well. I've liked this more after repeated listenings, but I don't think it will become a favourite by the end of the month.

Catching up:
The Britten was not for me. I don't often love folk music in it's purest forms TBH, although I do usually love folk melodies woven into more orchestra pieces so now sure what's going on in my head there.
Vaughan Williams I know well and loved. Poetic and dramatic all at once. I think he's one of my favourite composers. He's so good at capturing different moods and writes such beautiful melodies.
Kapustin There were so much going on here I went straight back for another listen. I can't say yet that I love it, but I can already feel I'll be going back again. I think it's going to be a weird grower like the Zemlinsky last month.
Dowland left me cold I'm afraid.
Lang was eerie and haunting. My issue with this one was that it was the most ill-fitting piece for a summer morning, and so I couldn't really get on with it. I think it would be a very different story on a stormy October night, so I'm going to make a mental note to go back to it.

Frog Galliard cute, like it.
Lang I do like this but agree it’s odd on such a lovely day.

Violin Sonata in A Major 4th mvt: Franck.

I'm familiar with this piece from hearing it often. I really like it. It's bright and optimistic, passionate and powerful. It's a very enjoyable listen.

Der Fischerknabe: Liszt.

This is lovely. Gorgeous* *introduction on the piano and I enjoyed the singing. Very gentle and dreamy. This one could grow on you in time.

The Franck I loved. Gorgeous melodies. I will listen to the rest of the work.
The Liszt was perfectly pleasant but not memorable.

Today's piece is Carl Friedrich Abel - 27 Pieces for Viola da gamba: Prelude
This is lovely - cool and calming. It's nice to hear a more historical instrument.