What was the last piece of music that inspired you?
Tell us about the piece you cannot stop thinking about!
You all know this feeling! You hear a piece of music, and suddenly a particular melodic line, a harmonic change, or the timbre of an instrument sends goosebumps all over your body!
Fo me, it was during a recording session with a vocalist performing a piece by Grieg I had never heard of!
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Not just one song, but for me it was Jesus Castro Balbi's all-Lauro album "Venezuelan Waltzes" from '91. A couple months back, I stumbled on it while looking for references. It's my favorite recording of Lauro's music I've found. He really brings out the dance elements and the fun and uses a wide variety of articulation and effects to bring out the different voices in the music like a conversation. I never really associated call and response with those waltzes, but he makes it very clear. It's really made me rethink how I approach not just Latin, but all the music I play.
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My heart always melts when I listen to any vihuela music, or the fantasias of Francesco da Milano. After watching Nigel North's lesson on Weiss' Tombeau, however, I could listen to him play that incredible piece over and over again.
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For me it is the Handel Chaconne in G Major performed by Ida Presti and Alexandre LaGoya
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I made a hole in an LP like this one in the picture below... I have no idea how many times I have listened to the side of Astor Piazzolla recording, always having goosebumps all over my body. 36 years later I still have the same sensation. The tracks are "Adios Nonino", "Fuga y Misterio", "Michelangelo" y "Otono Porteno".
Off-topic: Nowadays my time is a mess, but I miss you a lot, my tonebase mates!
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Moyses Lopes Happy to hear from you, Moyses! I wish I could be of help!
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Eric Phillips You're a gentleman, my friend! Thank you for your kind words. In fact, I'm just busy with family stuff, nothing to worry about. Best regards!
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For me Weiss's Chaconne by Maestro Göran Söllscher. This music haunts me and its heavy. Wish I could play music like this someday. There are also others like Chopin's Funeral March, Bach's Chaconne by Raphella Smits etc.
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Deepak I just listened to this chaconne this morning (by Petra Polackova)! I agree - haunting and very beautiful.
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Eric Phillips I was so taken with this piece when I first heard it that I decided I just had to get my hands on one those strange 11-string guitars that Goran plays. That turned out to be not so easy, and I wound up getting myself a lute instead. Since I do not have the type of lute needed for this chaconne, I’m no closer to being able to play it, but I’m still very fond of the piece. It is rather surprising that it is so appealing, because it is, as it turns out, the lute part alone of a duet written for lute and transverse flute. The part for flute is sadly lost, but it presumably would have been melodic in character. Nonetheless, the lute part works well on its own, and one doesn’t have the impression that something is missing. I wonder what Weiss would think?
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Deepak I found this to be heart wrenchingly beautiful. I am sure I had heard it before but I must be much more receptive now. I also listened to Eric's suggestion of Polackova, which was equally beautiful. I just downloaded the music and will add it to my (ever-expanding) list.
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The Stream composed in 1985 by Alexander Vlassenkov
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There are many... but one that really brought me to a new place was "A Closed World of Fine Feelings and Grand Design" by Graeme Koehne. I heard someone play the first section of it at one of our local Classical Guitar Society Parties, and I was just mesmerized! Interesting piece: it wasn't originally written for guitar (the first section, repeated at the end, was written for piano), it's not melodically or harmonically complex, it's tonal and definitely not New-Agey, but there's something about the way the melody progresses in wide intervals that's just hypnotic -- to me, anyway. It did help me come to a new level technically, too. And when I played it for my teacher's student recital on Zoom (I was the "advanced" student) the audience just loved it. All credit to the piece, not to me! It's one I plan to keep exploring over time, finding new things. And it's really fun to play, too!
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I am very taken with Berta Rojas' music. One of the many wonderful pieces that I enjoy listening to many times is her playing of Julia Florida. I have not as yet worked my way into this, but I feel I am moving more closely to having gathered the skills needed to make the attempt.
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Stephen Holland I love this version of it too. She plays exactly the same as in the recorded version. The MTV in the recorded version is very nice too.
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Stephen Holland I love Berta Rojas! In my book, she's the best interpreter of Barrios.
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Ok, I'm a big fan of this anime so it may have something to do with my perception. But this piece gives me the goosebumps each time I listen to it, cover by one of my favorite channel. https://www.youtube.com/c/GrissiniProject1
This piece is play at the end of the season where the survivors of a lifelong siege finally made it out of the walls and for the first time in their entire life to discover the sea. The euphoria was short lived as they realized across the vastness of that sea lies only more enemies. At 1:50 when the Cello and Violin chimes in is when a resolve was made to continue the hopeless fight. Ok too much commentary but absolutely beautiful piece.
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Really? Martin , THE piece! As in ONE? Ok, I'll try.
Let's see, the first piece of music that I was obsessed with was Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, or maybe Bach's Chaconne by John Williams, but then there is Beethoven's Op. 110 piano sonata...... Well, this isn't working.
Alright, I'm just going to throw something out there that I recently heard which really moved me. This is Rhiannon Giddens singing Wayfarring Stranger. In addition to her music's ethereal beauty I decided to chose this as a change of pace.
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Jack Stewart Wow, Jack, this really is beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing it.
BTW, did you know that Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night? Wouldn't you love to love her?
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Eric Phillips Huh?
Oh, I just Googled that line and see it is Fleetwood Mac. I rarely listen to lyrics so things are easily lost on. me.
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Jack Stewart Happy Jack wasn't tall but he was a man.
He lived in the sand at the Isle of Man
The kids would all sing, he would take the wrong key
But they rode on his head in a hurry on Quay
(Don't ask me what any of that means! But I'm sure you know WHO it is.)
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Eric Phillips Who?
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Eric Phillips I just watched an episode on NPR Newshour about Rhiannon Giddens. She was just announced as the new director of the Silk Roads Ensemble (started by Yo Yo Ma). If you can catch it, it was really fascinating. She is amazing.
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Jack Stewart zi watch PBS Newshour every night. Is it tonight’s episode?
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Eric Phillips yes- I hope I'm not too late
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Jack Stewart You're not too late at all, as I watch it every night. I really enjoyed the piece. How coincidental that you had been listening to her music and shared some here.
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