Liszt is often considered a better pianist than composer and much of his work required more virtuosity than the music warranted. This piece requires little apart from a strong octave technique at the climax. The lack of histrionic grandiosity in his work is a good sign of it's musical worth. This is one of his finest pieces.

It is inspired by Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin.

Whilst Alfred Brendel neither looks like nor me nor plays like me, my son has just wandered in and told me he looks like he's doing an impression of me! I frequently leave the bench at the climaxes.

My last selection for today is Mussorgsky's Night on the Bare Mountain. This piece has been a favourite of mine since my early teens when I got passionately into Russian music.

This is the popular Rimsky-Korsakov arrangement of the piece, made a few years after Mussorgsky's death. R-K is one of the world's most accomplished orchestrators.



I wish you all a pleasant Sunday and a fruitful week ahead.

Thanks Richard for another wonderful program. I'm more than halfway finished listening. Will hear the rest later. I must be off to work, however. I'll check in later after I get a little practice in tonight!

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Excellent choices dudes!!

My choice toady is this one by Liberace, I could say chopin, but it isnt anymore.

Feel free to repost in PC, and if they whine or whinge, just ask "Er, who above everybody else in the history of playing the piano for money has made as much dosh as liberace did?"

The answer is Liberace by a long stretch.... the public loved him.

Afternoon all, talking of playing slowly! My mum and dad called yesterday, and had fetched me a metronome, so I thought I'd give it a go. Playing songs like Lady G etc went fine, no probs, probabily because I've already played these along to a beat on the keyboard.

But then, I tried Rob Dougan's clubbed to death, and this wasn't as easy. I had to go REALLY slow to beable to keep in time. Then Met 2, oh dear, now I realise how all over the place I am with it, so forget learning M4 at the mo, back to the drawing board with M2.

I'm gonna attempt Gnossienne 7 with it, really really really slowly, so fingers crossed, this time I might be "in time" lol,

laters

PS Cheers for the Sunday postings Richard

The metronome can be a very humbling experience Wayne. I noticed an I hate the metronome thread on this forum. Apparently someone has some rather strong feelings about!

The Gymnopedie is already petty slow. However, I expect I'll be using the metronome to give me a reality check. I doubt I'll have much time practicing today, however. I must be off to work. Still in that busy period.

Have a great day everyone!

good stuffs.

I like this lately. I actually like a recording with violin and harpsichord I have on some collection I have the best, but on the 'Tube, this was a great one, too.

Greetings everyone. I'm again getting quite irregular at RST Anyway, warm thanks to Richard for his mesmerizing Sunday classical postings! I just finished listening to them yesterday.
Rossy, Liberace's experiment with Chopin's Nocturne sounds good, but isn't it a bit jazzy!
AimeeO, I loved the piano-flute version of Bach's prelude 1 very much! The flute added an extra beauty to this beautiful piece.

Congratulations and good luck with your metronome, Wayne

I'm almost done with learning and memorizing Gnossienne 3. But the hardest part still remains: to extract the mood of the piece correctly

Let's have some amusement to relax between 'serious' practices for serious thread's recital

wow everyone is away practicing to hard!!
seriously folks, where are you all?

Practicing! LOL

In fact I've only been listening to Gym #3, both the piano and tutorial. No time for much else between coughing!

This has to be named telepathy. I was wondering the same when I saw the thread into the second page.

Becca, I hope you feel better soon.


Some music from baroque period, this time by Jan Dismas Zelanka, a Czech composer contemporary of Bach. He wrote a large repertoire that especially paid attention to sacred music. Bach felt a huge respect for Zelenka, as his works were deeply elaborated since the viewpoint of harmony.

Here we can listen to his splendid Miserere in C minor:

Richard, I know I’m late, but I also wanted to thank you for your last Sunday posts.

Sorry I've not been able to post. I am not going to be able to post until after I get through this extremely busy time at work AND at home! I hope to have a few things to share this weekend.

Back to work for me!

I can't remember if I posted this before, but it's probably the only opera piece I've ever heard that I love...

Hello all BeccaBb, that reminded me of my all time favourite!!!!

Thank you Wayne, Griffin, Rupak and Recaredo for the acknowledgement.

Love the Zelenka, Recaredo, very moving.

When I was living in England I had five large supermarkets within a three mile drive. Here in Ireland I have a similar choice. One is 9 miles south but it's only good for basics. Another is twelve miles north but the selection is not great for a weekly shop. There's a large mall 25 miles away (further north), including two supermarkets, a stationers and a cinema but it's too far for a regular shopping experience and Dublin's less than an hour away from there.

Our best spot is a new Tesco Extra only 18 miles away where I can get double cream and continental meats, cheeses and butter. Smashing! Better still, it's east so I avoid any north south traffic - not that there's much of that here - but I can still get caught behind a tractor now and again.

Here in Ireland this song has taken on a new meaning.

I've got my halloween costume sorted! Blonde wig, shell suit, and big cigar.......lol

Thats one that will get you killed in public wayne!! I would avoid it.

I heard something today....

President Obama was filmed giving a speech behind some bullet proof glass.

This shows just how racist the USA still is.

Just because Obama is a black man doesnt mean he is going to start shooting folk?


Two blondes run into a bar shouting "37 days" "Yippee 37 days" "wow, 37 days"
The bartender says "whats 37 days?"
One of the Blondes says " we just done a jigsaw and it said three to four years on the box, but we did it in 37 days"

Ohhhhh nooooooo...within this short time RST have been thrown away to page 2 twice! RST is really getting "serious" Anyway, others may not have time to listen but I've got some time and mood to post some ICM today, so I'll follow my instinct At least this will pull up RST to page 1

My first posting is a Sitar-Sarangi duet by two great maestros: Ustad Vilayat Khan (Sitar) and Ustad Munir Khan (Sarangi) on raga Bilaskhani Todi:



Let's have some light classical music on Flute by Pandit Ronu Majumdar, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia and his son Rakesh Chaurasia along with Santoor by Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya:



Since recently we've gone through a themed recital on Philip Glass so I thought the following one with Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar would be interesting. It's from their famous album "Passages":



I think this much is enough for today, since everybody seems so busy. Enjoy!

Hello - lo - lo - lo!

Is there anybody there - ere - ere - ere?
___________________________

Another Alsation composer gets today off to an exciting start.

This is a live performance of Herold's Zampa Overture - about his his only remaining claim to fame. His piano music comprises a few sonatas that are barely considered worth mentioning.

Gerald Finzi could be better known. He's a twentieth century composer who is very lyrical and writes well for meditative moods.

This Nocturne isn't as well known as his 'cello or clarinet concertos but exudes that nostalgia for which his music is prized.



I offer this to all those for whom, to use Lennon's phraseology, life is happening while they're busy planning something else.

In my blessèd ignorance I thought countertenors would talk with a really high pitched voice.

Nay. Andreas scholl has a perfectly normal speaking voice and a fine baritone. His countertenor is done using falsetto.

My falsetto allows me to sing my top four notes with a different colour. It does not extend my range.

When I first listened to Alfred Deller I felt glad that I had a normal voice. After hearing Andreas Scholl sing with a normal baritone I wish I was able to sing like this.

This piece, Albeniz' Asturias, is the basis of the first 'real' piece in Frederick Noad's classic book 'Solo Guitar Playing'.

I keep an old spanish guitar by the sofa and use it when the ads come on at those rare times that I watch commercial TV. I try to restrict my viewing to the BBC. My party piece is the prelude from Bach's 'Cello sonata in the Second Volume of Noad's work.

Listening to Ana I feel I play 'at' guitar.

I was in a quandary as to how to finish this week's selection.

I knew Mozart would do the job but I couldn't decide between the finale of the Prague or the whole thing.

I finally decided to let YOU be the judge!

Those busy practising can settle for the finale:



And those with more time on their hands can join me in the whole symphony:



Have a very good week, until next week.

Good morning Richard! Thanks for the fine pickings! (I will listen to all soon as the house is awake.. wouldn't want to give them a rude awakening quite yet.. hehe)

You have a very good week too!

Absolutely brilliant postings Richard and Rupak!! It was a treat for me to listen to. Richard, I opted for the finale of the Mozart for now. I will treat myself to the entire symphony this evening after I get some more work done on my publication.

Rupak, I loved the pieces you shared yesterday. I will listen to the longer one this evening as well. I found the Shankar/Glass selection most intriguing. Beautiful sounds!

An update on me, if you are curious. I'm on a tight deadline for completing our annual publication at work. It's always very stressful, of course since I'm the editor. I've just finished approving the final designs, and everything is coming together very nicely. I still have a few days to edit and polish before sending it off to the printer. I'm looking forward to getting back to my other keyboard so I can resume working on Gymnopedie I. .

Before I get back to work, I need to give another huge appreciation to Richard for taking on the Sunday classical postings and giving me the time I need to get my piano practice done during this very stressful time at work.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Afternoon all, just taking a quick break from the jobs that need doing in the garden, will listen to your posts a bit later Richard, thnx

Hope your publication goes well Griffin

See you all soon Back to the hedge trimming.........

Good morning everyone! I'm starting to make some real progress with the work project. Finally, I can take a little time to share some music. Today, I'm in the mood for some blues.

Here is John Lee Hooker with "Blues Before Sunrise."

I just love this performance of "Blues Boys Tune" by B.B. King!