Throughout this blog I’ll build a repertoire of “Perfect Music” What else can you call these master works – by ‘the Greatest’?!
Beethoven’s Piano Concerto #5 in E flat major(“The Emperor”) op. 73 – second movement
piano-concerto-nr-5-in-e-flat-major-emperor-opus-73-06-anton-dikov
In Bach’s Arioso from Cantata 156Â – Â You’ve got heaven’s melody, grandeur and power. (Virgil Fox socks it to us)
Bach arioso from cantata no.156
Franz Liszt Trancendent Etudes Preludio
This little raucous, absurd (then beautiful!) piece reminds me of the scene where Depardieu plays the piano
Liszt trancendental etudes preludio
I love it. Wonder what the “critics” think?!
Sibelius – Karelia Suite opus 11 – Intermezzo
Sibelius karelia suite Intermezzo
Eric Satie (1866-1925) and G.I. Gurdjieff (1872-1949)
Satie was the archetypal poor, struggling artist. Eccentric? You bet. 84 identical handkerchiefs and 12 identical velvet suits! For 27 years he never let anyone in his home. He used to walk miles and miles over Paris every day. Some of his compositions he called “Furniture music”! (meant to be background)
Gurdjieff? Genuine “advanced soul” and “spiritual master” to some. Charlatan to others. A most charismatic man who led a full, colourful life. Both were involved in the cutting edge culture of their day, and both had contact with the “In Crowd” (*NOTE: this is Thomas de Hartmann playing, not Gurdjieff. Some people feel de Hartmann was the person close enough to Gurdjieff to play his compositions the way they were meant to be played)
Have a listen. Meditate, be hypnotised or fall asleep! (seriously – some beautiful moments)
Satie gymnopedies no. 1 lent-et-douloureux
trois-gymnopedies
Satie – one of the gnossiennes series
six gnossiennes
Satie – Reverie-du-pauvre
reverie-du-pauvre
Gurdjieff – holy affirming / holy denying / holy reconciling
holy affirming holy denying holy reconciling
Gurdjieff – Meditation
meditation
Gurdjieff – Rejoice Bellzebub
rejoice bellzebub
Update on just how eccentric Satie was! You only need to read the first paragraph of this article.
http://www.af.lu.se/~fogwall/article8.html
I read recently that Liszt has been a key inspiration to some of the heaviest heavy metal bands around! To portray ‘evil’, the devil and/or death itself seems to be the goal of a sub genre of heavy metal. To my ear – THIS is evil/death/devil done to perfection! Liszt can be ethereal, angelic and spiritual … or dredge up the spirit of dread. I mean if this isn’t the Devils’ theme song! Not surprisingly his life reflected this fascination with the seeming opposites of good and evil. **this is just the first few moments of a 16 minute plus piece ** *
PS – Totentanz:Dance of Death, also variously called Danse Macabre (French), Danza Macabra (Italian and Spanish) or Totentanz (German), is a late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one’s station in life, the dance of death unites all. La Danse Macabre consists of the personified death leading a row of dancing figures from all walks of life to the grave—typically with an emperor, king, pope, monk, youngster, beautiful girl, all skeletal. They were produced to remind people of how fragile their lives were and how vain the glories of earthly life were.[1] Its origins are postulated from illustrated sermon texts; the earliest artistic examples are in a cemetery in Paris from 1424.
Totentanz by Franz Liszt
And Again
Franz starts off a bit bombastic, but then lead us into some truly Trancendent piano. The “climax” particularly (* this piece is part of what launched me on my Classical Music quest *)
Sonetto-del-petrarca no. 104
Sonetto del petrarca no. 104
The following two selections (*edited from the same piece: Tchaikovsky’s Violin concerto in D, op. 35 / Allegro Moderato) show how a great composer can pull us to the edge of our seats. Waiting. Longing to hear when, where and how the elements of composition are going to “Climax” ( “Come Together” as the Beatles might say! ) And that’s just what it’s like. A tease …that proceeds… to fulfilment. (*even though I know it’s coming I still get goose bumps) Tchaikovsky has done it as masterfully as it could be done in his Violin concerto – (especially in the “Second Tease”.)
First Tease
Tchaikovsky violin concerto in D extract
Second Tease
Tchaikovsky violin concerto extract
Here is “Come Sweet Death” by J.S. Bach. (*performed by Frederick Swann – who was Virgil Fox’s main student/acolyte. Virgil Fox himself the only interpreter of Bach’s organ works I would choose to listen to! ; although he was a very controversial figure in the Organ world*)
Mr. J.S. Bach. Some say the Greatest of them all. As he neared death he composed this piece. To my ear it’s the sound of the Soul passing into the unknown Beyond. IF I had great bass speakers, and IF I knew when I was dying! … I’d love to hear this. PLEASE persevere through the early ‘morbidness’! – because The Soul’s lift-off is coming. (***Warning: If you don’t have great bass speakers you might be disappointed. I’ve never heard this on a proper sound system. It’s probably one of those pieces you’d have to hear in ‘person’. Be prepared to adjust volume!
Come Sweet Death
Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major KV 622 Adagio
This piece regularly appears in the top 10 or 20 of the best Classical.
Mozart clarinet concerto