When I first heard Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante defunte, I wasn’t the biggest fan. This was several years ago. I just listened to it yesterday. Oh my God, is it stunning.
Here’s a great work - Cantus Arcticus, by Einojuhani Rautavaara, whose works I have posted before. He’s one of my favourites. This is a work for taped birdsong and orchestra. Listen to it. It’s good.
I’m not really sure if anyone really reads these posts. Regardless, I feel somewhat obliged to present music to y’all. Here’s the fifth movement, “Nunc dimittis”, of Rachmaninoff’s setting of the All-Night Vigil. I heard this two months ago - it was a haunting experience, to be sure. Rachmaninoff requested, in fact, that this be sung at his funeral.
My life has been positively full of music lately. Thank God - it’s a magical thing, really. I saw these guys on Tuesday. The name of the group is Alash, and they are a Tuvan group specializing in throat singing. Here’s a song by one of them, Bady-Dorzhu’s Bayam. It’s great stuff.
This I saw today - Debussy’s Hommage à S. Pickwick, Esq. P.P.M.P.C, from Book 2 of his Préludes. An amazing ending to an amazing week. Aimard’s favourite prelude was probably this one, and it really showed in the way he played it - it was quite enjoyable.
Here’s the second one - Nielsen’s Symphony no. 5. I saw this Saturday. I’ve never traditionally been a huge fan of Nielsen, yet I enjoyed this work quite a bit. The concert featured also Prokofiev’s Symphony no. 5, which I would post except I think I already posted it. Have a listen.
I haven’t posted in a while, and I’ve seen three classical concerts in the past three days. What a tremendous weekend. Therefore, I think I’ll post three works instead of the just one. Here’s the first one, Szymanowski’s Mazurka no. 10 from his set of twenty mazurkas, Op. 50 (not to be confused with his Op. 62, a pair of mazurkas). I saw this on Friday, somewhat surprised that the performer had even heard of Szymanowski, but he pulled it off really well.
Lately I have been listening to a lot of percussion works. This is an example - it’s Okho, by Xenakis, for three djembes. Have a listen - you won’t regret it.
Here’s Messiaen improvising on the organ. It’s rocking my world.
Those of you who know me in real life may know that if I ever have a wedding, this is what I’d like played at it. For the rest of you, I just told you that, so now you know too. It’s a work called Volumina, by György Ligeti, and it is positively diabolical. Have a listen.
