Some additional music for the day, courtesy of Hugh Laurie, a neighbour of ours in north west London. Hat tip to The Fifth Column blog for drawing it to my attention.
I’m a fan of the TV Show, House. That said, Hugh Laurie is my favorite character on that show. I ran across this video on America Blog and just had to share it with you guys.
Who knew?
The Passacaglia from Violin Concerto no. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich, performed here by Hilary Hahn:
Hilary Hahn has long been one of my favourite violinists, since she came to my attention with her recording of Bernstein’s “Serenade” for violin and string orchestra. Hers is a very pristine, clean style of playing, but it never lapses into mere dry technical mastery of her instrument.
If anything, her somewhat reserved and understated style serves to add greater profundity to much of the music that she plays – no more so than in the case of this Shostakovich violin concerto, where she draws out the full impact of the composer’s spine-tingling, chilling, yearning melody in the Passacaglia.
“Last Spring” (Våren) from Two Elegiac Pieces, by Grieg:
The original solo piano version is also well worth hearing.
Thinking of a very dear friend of mine in hospital at the moment, who would most certainly approve of this musical selection.
You can’t go wrong with a bit of The Divine Comedy.
“The Fairy Garden” from Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel (1910), performed here by the Scott Brothers duo in the original piano duet arrangement:
I had not previously encountered this duo, but the Scott Brothers’ official biography on their website states:
International Piano Magazine said of ‘Duets for Piano’ “I doubt whether Debussy’s Petite Suite or Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye have ever sounded more beguiling on disc.”
I am also new to this particular arrangement of “Ma Mère L’oye”, having heard it for the first time as an encore to yesterday’s BBC Prom concert, performed by acclaimed pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the conductor Philippe Jordan taking the other hot seat.
The piece has many of the hallmarks that characterise so much of Ravel’s writing for piano – beautiful melodies; clean, sparse and somewhat melancholy chords; and a wonderful sparkling sound that always conjures in my mind an image of crystal clear water in a bubbling brook.
And above is the orchestral version, performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Charles Munch.
Yet another example of why Maurice Ravel remains the most gifted orchestrator ever to have lived.
Semi-Partisan Politics 