Believe it or not, having finally posted yesterday's item on this subject, what should come on Classic FM this evening but my all-time favourite piece of music, namely the second movement of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.
I have never tired of it. Its swirling rhythms wrap themselves around my soul. It ebbs and flows and pulsates with controlled passion. I just love it.
While I'm on the subject, perhaps I'll add the next two or three.
Second on my list has to be Bach's Double Violin Concerto, an incomparable piece of music for two soloists, as far as I'm concerned. I bought an LP in my teens with David and Igor Oistrach as soloists; their playing, a conversation, to-ing and fro-ing between father and son. The music is truly exquisite, each movement, a gem. (PS I still have the LP, which is a good job, as I had to check the spelling!)
Third on my list is the first movement of Brahm's First Piano Concerto. I heard this for the first time, in my teens, listening to the proms on the radio. I was completely bowled over, and in school the next day, having asked the man who played the piano for our music lessons about it, was amazed to watch him launch into the fantastic main tune. (In the piece, you have to wait an annoyingly long time for the full dramatic and powerfully percussive theme to enter.It's definitely worth the wait though!)
Lastly, tonight, I'll end with number four of my top classical pieces; Prokofiev's First Symphony, The Classical. It must be one of the happiest pieces of music in all the world, I think. Every movement is perfectly proportioned, beautiful, light, joyful, gorgeous. If you try it, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
No comments:
New comments are not allowed.