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Classical (i.e., concert) music got some mud thrown at it today, undeservedly imo. So for my own enjoyment I'm gonna post works I like periodically, and maybe introduce someone to something new, or remind them of something long forgotten.
Written upon the death of King George V. Composed in half a day, and premiered the same day (starts at :21).
And because of what prompted this thread, one of my favorite Beethoven works. The story behind the dedication of this symphony only reinforces how absurd it is for a writer on the left to target his artistic contributions to the world.
Samuel Barber, best known for his Adagio for Strings (originally a movement in his string quartet), wrote some of the most beautiful music of the 20th century. Here's the 2d movement of his piano concerto:
Monteverdi is credited with reviving theatrical music in late Renaissance and the opera genre. A musical revolutionary for his time. And after listening to L'Orfeo, it's not hard to understand why--after four centuries--we still enjoy his music.
Arnold Schoenberg is best known for his 12 tone technique and the Second Viennese School, whose disciples developed postmodern (see atonal) methods of musical composition. But before all that, there was this:
BACH! Not dad, but son. Although dad was the "Bach," Carl was pretty talented too. Anyone who studied piano is no doubt familiar with his daunting (at least for a newbie) Solfeggietto (or Solfeggio). Here's the 1st mov of his Cello Concerto in Amin:
In honor of the New Yorker's recent addition to the growing "classical music" pile-on, here's one of my favorite recordings of another Samuel Barber piece, recorded in 1969:
If I keep going with this thread, J.S. Bach will make more than a few appearances. Honestly, difficult to know where to start with him, but this felt like an appropriate entry for a Thursday afternoon. From the magnificent Matthäuspassion, BWV 244.
