If Music Be The Food Of Love, Play On: The Music Thread: What Are You Listening To?

[lizkat]

Beethoven for me this afternoon, his Fourth Symphony. It tends to get short shrift in performances but it's wonderful, was written during a summer and fall: cheerful, sunny, hints of sadness. Elegant construction. All the woodwinds get to shine at one point or another. My recording is from a old box set, Szell / Cleveland.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Dire Straits.

Several songs, starting with Sultans of Swing.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms.

 

[Thomas Veil]

* Sigh. *

I got up this morning and read a little news, and of course Covid was a part of it.

For weeks now we've been talking about how it's getting worse and how many people are going to die before it gets better, and how we need to not have large family celebrations together.

Mostly I deal with it, but I made the mistake of playing a few Christmas carols. On came Linda Ronstadt singing a slow, soulful version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".

Lord, did that make me teary-eyed and depressed.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
Next year all
Our troubles will be out of sight​

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Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yule-tide gay
From now on
Our troubles will be miles away​

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Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more​

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Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now​

​

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more​

​

Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.​

​

It's a good thing the beginning of the end is in sight. In the days of Covid, that song is ****ing depressing. ​

 

[lizkat]

I have fished out this performance of "This Christmastide" (Jessye's Carol) for a few years now. US Army Band featuring Master Sergeant Leigh Ann Hinton. It's not quite the same as when Jessye Norman sang this classic written for her by Donald Fraser, but a beautiful performance here nonetheless. Your US tax dollars at work, December 2016.

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[Clix Pix]

So far this holiday season I have yet to play any Christmas music.....just haven't really been in the mood for it. Maybe closer to the time, such as the day before Christmas Eve or something I'll decide it's time.

 

[SuperMatt]

Watching Otello’s final aria “niun mi tema” on Stingray Classica channel(Pluto TV)... odd staging has him cutting his own throat but then singing for another minute or two... how does that work?

 

[Thomas Veil]

Well, people are advised to sing from their diaphragm...

(Reminds me of that old Steve Martin bit, where upon hearing that advice offered to a woman, he got this horrified look on his face and said, "That'd take years and years to learn!!")

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I have fished out this performance of "This Christmastide" (Jessye's Carol) for a few years now. US Army Band featuring Master Sergeant Leigh Ann Hinton. It's not quite the same as when Jessye Norman sang this classic written for her by Donald Fraser, but a beautiful performance here nonetheless. Your US tax dollars at work, December 2016.

​

So far this holiday season I have yet to play any Christmas music.....just haven't really been in the mood for it. Maybe closer to the time, such as the day before Christmas Eve or something I'll decide it's time.

Partly because it is a Covid lock-down world, and, as a consequence, instead of traveling to stay for a while over Christmas, for, we will not be seeing each other this Christmas, partly because tomorrow is the anniversary of my mother's death, and thus, today, I attended church, read a reading, and my mother was mentioned, - my brother attended by webcam - and partly, because - thinking ofmy other - he told me that he had spent much of yesterday listening to Christmas music - my brother phoned me this evening for a chat.

One of his recommendations is George Michael's (from his Wham! days) Last Christmas, especially some of the cover versions.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Nuages - Django Reinhardt.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Ordinary World - Duran Duran

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The soundtrack from the movie Frida (music by Eliot Goldenthal).

Some years ago, not quite a decade ago - I had the privilege of visiting an art exhibition - a stunning exhibition - of the works of Frida Kahlo (the exhibition also included some of the works of her husband Diego Rivera); haunting, brilliant, unforgettable.

 

[lizkat]

Gettin' away from it all the day before the solstice with a bunch of Dave Matthews Band tracks.

 

[lizkat]

Really gettin' away from it all now... to France. Patrick Bruel's album Lequel de Nous. Here is "Tout change si vite."

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[lizkat]

The season of light slowly returning.. George Winston / Windham Hill, the December album​

YouTube link to the full studio album

 

[Huntn]

I love a broad spectrum of classical music, but spend most of my time these days listening to Classical Rock as they call it. Off the top of my head, I’d zero in on: Mozart- Eine kleine Nachtmusik

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[Scepticalscribe]

For me, just now, a little Baroque classical music this afternoon, on this particular day seems to be in order: I am listening to Albinoni, (from Albinoni's Adagios) Oboe Concerto in D Minor.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Some (more) Baroque this Christmas afternoon:

J. S. Bach: Concerto in A Minor for 4 Harpsichords.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Jordi Savall: Hespèrion XXI, La Capella Reial De Catalunya, Tembembe Ensamble Continuo - Bailar Cantando (Fiesta Mestizia En El Peru)_Codex Trujillo_Ca. 1780.

 

[lizkat]

For me, just now, a little Baroque classical music this afternoon, on this particular day seems to be in order: I am listening to Albinoni, (from Albinoni's Adagios) Oboe Concerto in D Minor.

I love these concerti too! I have them performed by Anthony Camden (John Giorgiadis / London Virtuosi)
EDIT: oops... not Thomas Camden, Anthony Camden!

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