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Music Monday: Songs of Our Lives Meme
16: One of your favorite classical songs
Songs? Surely they mean "classical pieces"?
And dude, I don't listen to classical.
It's kind of weird, in retrospect, because I went to the state art and music camp, where I was an art major, for several years, and I was exposed to a lot of music performed by my fellow campers, some of the best young musicians in the state of Maryland. But none of it seems to have stuck.
On the other hand, in college, I used to listen to movie scores, especially by John Williams ("Star Wars" and many others), for hours.
Maybe you all have some pieces to recommend that I try?
an assortment for you to explore
This is almost all instrumental because that's where my knowledge lies (former violist, played classical guitar at one point).
"Russian Sailors Dance" from The Red Poppy by Glière [Youtube]. This is super-dramatic and brooding.
"Rhosymedre" by Vaughan Williams [Youtube] for the gentler, quieter side; based on a Welsh hymn.
Von Suppé's "Light Cavalry Overture" [Youtube]. A lively military-ish piece. It will always be special to me because of the story my dad told me about it--he related to me that in school he thought classical music was "for sissies" (his phrase, sorry!) and then one day the music teacher played this piece for the class and my dad fell instantly in love and became a classical music fan yea, even unto this day; my sister and I grew up with him taking us to the ballet once a year or so.
Grieg's Holberg Suite: "Praeludium" [Youtube]: fast and furious.
Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings"[Youtube]: Tender, exquisite, demands utter precision in pitch for the harmonies to work. (I know this because our high school orchestra played it and we...uh...fell short. Perfect pitch is a curse, what can I say. XD)
Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 2" [Youtube]. Brooding, with moments of surprising lyrical grace. I like the story [Wikipedia] behind this one, which is that Rachmaninoff had been depressed and composing this piece was the capstone of his recovery.
"Recuerdos de la Alhambra" [Youtube]. A classical guitar piece that, as far as I can tell, every classical guitar student gets walloped over the head with at some point because it forces you to master tremolo. :)
Poulenc's "Novelette No. 3" [Youtube]. A mysterious and soaring piano piece. My hands are not large enough to play it properly (I was assigned it when I took piano at the Houston Music Institute).
Bizet's L'Arlésienne No. 1" [Youtube]. Bizet's opera Carmen is probably much better known but I'm fond of this.
Ravel's "Boléro" [Youtube]: what you can do with the same melody over and over again, orchestrated different ways, structured as one inexorable crescendo.
Aaron Copland's "Hoedown" [Youtube]. I love Copland's quintessentially American sound--this is not the best-known of his works but it's one of my favorites.
Reinecke's "Flute Concerto Op. 283" [Youtube]. Dramatic, romantic, bold. I think the score calls for like six French horns or something.
Villa-Lobos' "Concerto for Harmonica and Orchestra" [Youtube]. More on the atonal end, I whipped this out and clubbed my HS music teacher into admitting that the harmonica IS TOO a valid musical instrument. (I taught myself harmonica.) Bonfiglio's technique is amazing.
Maute's "Les Barricades" for three alto recorders [Youtube]. I saw this performed live by Wood 'N' Flutes, who moved among the aisles of the performance hall to reflect the story of separation and alienation told by the music. It was stunning.
Okay, I'll stop there!
Re: an assortment for you to explore
Thank you so much! I will let you know which I liked best once I have had a chance to listen to them.