Year of wonder 2024

[Thebookdragon]

This thread is for anyone wanting to do a year of wonder or wants to dip in and out. Yesterday was:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0wNTNEZYoHg&list=PLVQnaCD0GZRgl8VfVIxZYzHRiFYXC5rvZ&index=1&pp=iAQB8AUB
Bach and Sanctus which I think means Holy. To me I loved this and listened to it after a very long walk around the coast near here and I felt it was like a proper renewal with waves crashing.

Today is Chopin

@Decklededge welcome back!! Yes I agree it’s lovely - I felt it was like a cascading waterfall. I thought of the word ethereal like @FuzzyCaoraDhubh posted - a surreal haunting prayer to the heavens and earth

Today’s piece* is beautiful and was an absolutely delightful discovery first time round - I had listened to the In Our Time episode about Hildegard von Bingen *previously and thought she sounded awesome, but not actually listened to any of the music. I’ve rectified that since!

The In Our Time episode is really good by the way, if anyone wants to learn more about her. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b047c312

Today’s piece was lovely, very haunting.

Here’s is todays piece https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CC26f1XBKjQ&list=PLVQnaCD0GZRgl8VfVIxZYzHRiFYXC5rvZ&index=4&pp=iAQB8AUB

bit of Beethoven. I listened to this whilst getting up and ready and it was lovely relaxing listen.

this felt like the sort of piece of music I would enjoy after a day of gardening in the summer. Tired and eyes closed and just fully relaxing into the music.

have a good day everyone!

@AliasGrape I’ve just downloaded that episode on my phone - thanks for that. Will have a listen. ❤️

Thanks for the link on BBC sounds about Hildegard of Bingen. It's facinating. Clemency Burton-Hill 'downplayed' Hildegard's achievements. I mean it sounds already amazing from the book. But after listening to the show, I'm even more impressed.

For the String Quartet, I found a recent recording by the Belcea Quartet You can scroll to individual movements. It's very beautiful and very romantic.

What a beautiful piece of music. It has a melancholy feel but there’s hope there too.
It’s complex and I think I need to listen to it a few times.

I agree with Drecklededge that this is a melancholic piece with a germ of hope contained within. It's really beautiful; a little gem. I'm listening to the other movements today to get to know the whole work.

Great idea. I’m going to do that too as I have time today.

Yes. I often 'view album' on Spotify if I like the piece.

I can’t really remember what impression I had of this piece the first time round, I hadn’t highlighted it as a favourite. But I felt quite blown away by it today actually, it’s so incredibly sad, yet beautiful. I’ve added it to my favourites playlist and am definitely going to listen again.

I listened to the other movements of the string quartet but they don’t appeal to me.

Today we are Eight voices by Lotti

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ9dXLmRlpo&list=PLVQnaCD0GZRgl8VfVIxZYzHRiFYXC5rvZ&index=5&pp=iAQB8AUB

Thanks for the link @Thebookdragon , I enjoyed singing along!
I love this piece of music. This kind of sacred choral music is my absolute number one favourite.

I really like this piece of choral music.

Someone has written a thesis on it

• wow ❤️

https://oro.open.ac.uk/48204/1/BBWThesis.pdf

Oh my giddy aunt I loved this morning. Have wonderful. Me listening with my mug of tea and waving my arms about. Never heard of these composers and I love this one a great deal. I’m not often in work on a Saturday (twice a year) and this has been just the thing to wake me up.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZHcGdFGCRM&list=PLVQnaCD0GZRgl8VfVIxZYzHRiFYXC5rvZ&index=6&pp=iAQB8AUB

My parents had an lp with this on one side and Mendelssohn's violin concerto on the other, so hearing it takes me back many years. I love the "thrum" of the strings in the background (I dont know the correct musical terminology) , it's like a heartbeat.

The Bruch is another I hadn’t particularly remembered from the first read/ listen but I loved it this time, wonderful.

And today’s Poulenc I did remember - a real favourite. I love this so much, it’s so French! Very poignant to think of this gorgeous piece being written in the year the German tanks rolled into Paris as Clemency points out - it’s so very pretty and conjures up such romantic images (I sort of see a black and white version of Paris in the rain, but lit with fairy lights and there’s a couple dancing!) - the contrast with the real world events is very striking.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9G7JVqxY_uc&list=PLVQnaCD0GZRgl8VfVIxZYzHRiFYXC5rvZ&index=7&pp=iAQB8AUB

A shame for me I didn’t really like this. I can see your point about the German tanks and this being sung on the stage on evening. I guess I’m not good at French either but it sounded a bit stop and start for me. I wanted to like it.

I did listen to that Podcast that you posted @AliasGrape such an inspiring woman and such a lot known as she wrote so many letters! I liked her medical textbooks being discussed and were still being used a few hundred years on!!

I love the Poulenc. I like the cello version but much prefer the original song. I like how the melody switches from the minor key to the major key as if the singer is trying to muster up hope of finding love again. I looked up the words as it helps me know the piece better (see below)

Re the Poulenc - I’m a huge fan of the cello version! That’s the one I find so romantic, I agree that the original song is lovely though and the sadness does come through more I think.

Enjoying the Corelli too.

I listened to the Requieum Mass by Giuseppe Verdi today but it's not really my cup of tea. So I went back for a catch up. The Bruch violin concerto is so beautiful, I don't know how I have missed it the first time round. I like both the first and second movements.

I love the Verdi and the story in the notes is so sad.
The Corelli is good but it sounds like an introduction to a piece. Need to hear more!
The pieces in January are beautiful.

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The story in Clemency’s notes for the Verdi piece has stayed with me since first reading 2 years ago. Feels trite to say ‘how moving’ or whatever but I can’t quite sum it up any better really - the horror of it and the beauty of the music.

I can’t really separate the piece from the story, it’s maybe not my usual thing but it’s definitely beautiful.