I think I may have mentioned before that my Wife and I do not always coincide on our musical tastes, while she was swooning over Donny Osmond, I was freaking out to King Crimson, when we got married we found that the only record we had in common was a Shakatak album - Night Birds.
I did take her to a few orchestral concerts and gradually we have both broadened our tastes, indeed it was through going to concerts that we found the first peace that we both liked, and because of this connection Mozart's Clarinet Concerto has to be in my eight. As soon as I hear the opening bars I am immediately reminded of my wife, and that can't be bad.
I dare say that some will say that it's not his finest work, but I don't care - I like it. It is however the last concerto Mozart wrote, and one of the best. At the time it was written the clarinet was not as fully developed as it is now and this must have been one of the earliest virtuoso pieces for it, but what I like is the way the sound of the clarinet merges and then emerges from the sound of the string orchestra, oh yes and there are some cracking tunes as well,
Disk number four - Mozart Clarinet Concerto
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Friday, 17 June 2011
Disk Number Three
I love Rachmaninov, I know that that’s not a very trendy statement these days, and many of the musical literati will turn their noses up at Rachmaninov, he is accused of being overly sentimental, derivative and shallow. Well I say you can’t beat a good tune, and Rachmaninov had a melodic gift and an opulent lyricism second to none. On the way home from dropping a friend off at Paddington Station I was listening to Classic FM and heard the second movement of the second Piano Concerto, this is currently top of their “Hall of Fame” so it goes without saying that this is a very popular work. I am of the opinion that if something is popular there is a good reason, it’s often because it’s good.
I did think about including the second piano concerto, and the first and indeed the fourth, but I finally decided on the Paganini Rhapsody, or the “Rag Pag” Although the theme is Paganini’s the orchestration and lyricism is all Rachmaninov. The piece builds through a series of variations until getting to the final Polka section, it is all very lush and romantic, we even have a couple of statements of the ‘Dies Irae’ before ending quietly with a little self mocking flourish.
I can’t remember when I first came across this work, but I do remember sitting in Monk’s Hill junior school for Sunday after Sunday as CYPO rehearsed it prior to one of our Fairfield Halls concerts. The work we put in then means that whenever it comes up now, I know that I can play all the notes so I can concentrate fully on playing the music.
I just hope that the music police realise soon that Rachmaninov is one of the greats and that he is rehabilitated into our concert programmes, great music to listen too, and great fun to play
I did think about including the second piano concerto, and the first and indeed the fourth, but I finally decided on the Paganini Rhapsody, or the “Rag Pag” Although the theme is Paganini’s the orchestration and lyricism is all Rachmaninov. The piece builds through a series of variations until getting to the final Polka section, it is all very lush and romantic, we even have a couple of statements of the ‘Dies Irae’ before ending quietly with a little self mocking flourish.
I can’t remember when I first came across this work, but I do remember sitting in Monk’s Hill junior school for Sunday after Sunday as CYPO rehearsed it prior to one of our Fairfield Halls concerts. The work we put in then means that whenever it comes up now, I know that I can play all the notes so I can concentrate fully on playing the music.
I just hope that the music police realise soon that Rachmaninov is one of the greats and that he is rehabilitated into our concert programmes, great music to listen too, and great fun to play
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Disk numebr two
This one has to be in, I am sure that I am not the only one who think of this as the pinnacle of romantic music, a piece with every emotion laid bare, this really is a piece that leaves you emotionally drowned, as it covers every aspect to the human state.
in four movements with 1/ adagio; 2/Allegro moderato, and 3/ Maestoso in the key of C this is the great Saint-Saens Organ Symphony. I have played this with a number of orchestras, some better than others, lets be honest,,, some great and some rubbish - over the years. Since first playing this with the Croydon Youth Philharmonic (CYPO) to a recent performance with All Souls Orchestra at the Albert hall, it is always fresh, it is always exciting.
in four movements with 1/ adagio; 2/Allegro moderato, and 3/ Maestoso in the key of C this is the great Saint-Saens Organ Symphony. I have played this with a number of orchestras, some better than others, lets be honest,,, some great and some rubbish - over the years. Since first playing this with the Croydon Youth Philharmonic (CYPO) to a recent performance with All Souls Orchestra at the Albert hall, it is always fresh, it is always exciting.
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Disk number one
Holst suite in Eb, first this is simply a great piece of music, better still it is a wind band original. When I started playing this was one of very few original wind band pieces we played, and in my opinion the best. Yes the Vaughn William Folk Song Suite and the Holst second suite are very, very good, this is my favorite. I am sure that I am only partly influenced by the minor fact that it starts with a bass solo.
Not long after I started playing the Tuba my teacher very sensibly realised that I needed to be playing with other people, so git me into the Croydon Schools Wind Orchestra, as it was then known. I was not really a good enough player but at that time there very few pupils in Croydon learning the Tuba so I was in. At the end of my first term with the Band there was the Croydon Schools Music Festival, at the Fairfield Hall http://www.fairfield.co.uk/ This is a purpose built concert hall in central Croydon, which seats 2000 people, that night it was full. The first item was to be from the Band, I was sat on the back row on the Conductors left side, right at the edge of the platform, and yes that first item was the suite in Eb. So my first playing performance was to a hall full with an audience of 2,000, sat right at the front of the stage, and started with a solo!
Having got through that it is not surprising that pre performance nerves are not debilitating for me, sure I get nervous, but it just builds me up, anyway that's why the Holst First Suite has a very special place in my affections. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5nTxePv7kQ&feature=related
Not long after I started playing the Tuba my teacher very sensibly realised that I needed to be playing with other people, so git me into the Croydon Schools Wind Orchestra, as it was then known. I was not really a good enough player but at that time there very few pupils in Croydon learning the Tuba so I was in. At the end of my first term with the Band there was the Croydon Schools Music Festival, at the Fairfield Hall http://www.fairfield.co.uk/ This is a purpose built concert hall in central Croydon, which seats 2000 people, that night it was full. The first item was to be from the Band, I was sat on the back row on the Conductors left side, right at the edge of the platform, and yes that first item was the suite in Eb. So my first playing performance was to a hall full with an audience of 2,000, sat right at the front of the stage, and started with a solo!
Having got through that it is not surprising that pre performance nerves are not debilitating for me, sure I get nervous, but it just builds me up, anyway that's why the Holst First Suite has a very special place in my affections. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5nTxePv7kQ&feature=related
Monday, 13 June 2011
Desert Island Disks
If you are not familiar with Desert Island disks, it is a radio show where the interviewer invites a guest to select 8 pieces of music that they would take on a desert Island if they were to be marooned. Three books are also aloud, the Bible, the complete works of Shakespeare and one free choice, one luxury item is also allowed. This last must not be something that could be used as a survival tool or to communicate to seek rescue, so mobile phones and the like are out. Over the years I have often played Desert Island disks with friends, usually far too late and far too relaxed to make a lot of since. Over the last few weeks the BBC have been asking us, the great unwashed British public to suggest our Desert Island Disks, and on Saturday they broadcast a special programme with the top tracks.
It was quite interesting to listen to, http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnmr and note how English the selection was, this is the top eight
1. Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending
2. Sir Edward Elgar - Enigma Variations
3. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No 9 in D minor 'Choral'
4. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
6. Sir Edward Elgar - Cello Concerto in E Minor
7. George Frideric Handel - Messiah
8. Gustav Holst - The Planets
In my humble opinion it is only the Beethoven that does not have definite Englishness about it, this would not be my selection, although I do like all theses pieces (with the exception of the Queen which I have always found to be excessively pretentious and total nonsense)
Unless anything more interesting rears it’s head I intend to share my 8 disks over the next few days, they will be in no sort of order or preference just the order that I think of them, I am sure I will leave out some I should include and therefore include some that I will regret, but then that’s part of the fun, I would have chosen a different eight last year, and will choose a different eight next year.
It was quite interesting to listen to, http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnmr and note how English the selection was, this is the top eight
1. Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending
2. Sir Edward Elgar - Enigma Variations
3. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No 9 in D minor 'Choral'
4. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
6. Sir Edward Elgar - Cello Concerto in E Minor
7. George Frideric Handel - Messiah
8. Gustav Holst - The Planets
In my humble opinion it is only the Beethoven that does not have definite Englishness about it, this would not be my selection, although I do like all theses pieces (with the exception of the Queen which I have always found to be excessively pretentious and total nonsense)
Unless anything more interesting rears it’s head I intend to share my 8 disks over the next few days, they will be in no sort of order or preference just the order that I think of them, I am sure I will leave out some I should include and therefore include some that I will regret, but then that’s part of the fun, I would have chosen a different eight last year, and will choose a different eight next year.
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Canadian Grand Prix
I had planned a post about Desert Island Disks, but have just watched the Canadian Grand Prix. BBC report here http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9511066.stm
As something of a Jenson Button fan I have to say that I got very excited and enjoyed the race enourmously. For those pf us who follow F1 it was good to see a race with over taking, a few incidents, close racing with drivers realy trying. I have always liked Button's style, but today he exceeded even his fans expectations, I think at one time or another he held every position in the race. At one point he was 21st and carved through the field to win. At the end he was so much faster than anyone else that it almost looked suspicous. After the race Sebastian Vettle said how he lead every lap except the last bit of the last lap, sorry Seb but that's the bit that matters. Some will say that it was Vettle's error on the last lap that allowed Button to win, I would say that it was Button's speed and pressure that forced Vettle into the error.
I say well done Jenson, great race, great win.
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