Roots and Influences:
D - classical/piano:
This was really the point at which I was just starting to explore music on my own aside from what my parents had in their collection. I don't remember how exactly I came about it (perhaps my grandmother, as I inherited her collection later on), but I acquired/received a 10-CD compilation of the various periods of classical music with a famous short work apiece from dozens of different composers. I also started to take piano lessons when I was 11, and consequently I found myself drawn especially to classical works that heavily featured the piano. To this day I still find it far easier for me to listen to classical (often concertos and such) that is primarily driven by individual instruments like piano or violin leading an ensemble than more balanced orchestral compositions.
Ludwig van Beethoven - "Piano Sonata No. 14 in C#m, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight" I. Adagio Sostenuto"For some reason children often enjoy this piece, and I was no different - it was a major part of what me interested in learning piano. Our car had caught on fire while my mother and I were in it, and fortunately escaping this harrowing circumstance, the insurance payment left enough over to decide it was finally time to purchase a quality keyboard to learn on. Back to the "Moonlight Sonata", students of my teacher would learn the simplified version transposed to Em. This would not do for me - it didn't sound right that way, so I had to seek out the sheet music for the C#m original. I had this crazy idea that the secret to finding the Loch Ness Monster was to bring a grand piano onto a boat there, play it at midnight, and Nessie would surface. Still unconfirmed whether this would work or not. I've included the Glenn Gould recording of the "Moonlight Sonata" since I've enjoyed some of his other interpretations of various composers (particularly Bach), though I don't really know which ones I was listening to the most at the time. On the final listen through I'm starting to feel the tempo might be a bit too hurried, contra my comments in another thread recently that it isn't normally an issue for me about songs, but it isn't a deal breaker anyway. I also had this bizarre idea that I should pick up each compilation that included the "Moonlight Sonata", so I wound up with half a dozen or more Beethoven "best of"s this way.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - "Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550: I. Molto allego"You've gotta love the naming conventions of classical works. Cataloguing and finding them on Rate Your Music is a continual nightmare. Especially when I had a binge a few years ago where I was listening to almost nothing except classical for a few months in a row. Anyway, this was a standout composition for me on that 10-CD compilation. I enjoyed the upbeat yet a bit melancholic violin-driven feel of it. I don't think the original recording I had of this is available on streaming, but the Le concert de la Loge orchestra version with Julien Chauvin as principal violinist has a bit more energy and dimension than many recordings of it, so it's a splendid showcase for it. There is also a bit of an oboe highlight, which is another instrument I've always found intriguing. Classical works with a full orchestra are just about the hardest genre of music to listen to in the car, since the dynamic range is so vast, requiring constant riding of the volume knob. This one isn't so bad, with a range of dynamics, but not to the extremes of other works.
Claude Debussy - "Clair de lune (Movement III of Suite bergamasque)"Another quite famous piece, this was my grandmother's favorite, and she would play it on CD when I was visiting, and I came to really cherish it. Again, I have no idea now which pianist I originally heard play this, but I've enjoyed some of Angela Hewitt's other interpretions, so this one fits nicefully. I relish the delicacy of the impressionistic style, with cascading and flowing streams and clusters of notes. I don't think I ever quite finished learning to play it myself, but probably should.
Tracks #11-#13:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0T4IGrbCzG3ZV4128ZKOl5https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLISicXPLSax9twb8XnAQzmWSaoESqHpUcLudwig van Beethoven - "Piano Sonata No. 14 in C#m, Op. 27 No. 2 "Moonlight" I. Adagio Sostenuto"
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - "Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550: I. Molto allego"
Claude Debussy - "Clair de lune (Movement III of Suite bergamasque)"
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