I know I'm surprising no one who has been following these Friday pieces that I've got some pretty wide-ranging tastes in music. I listen to classic rock, I listen to alternative music, some oddball stuff out of places like Canada and Germany, and even quite a lot of Japanese music.
But sometimes it's hard to beat the great pieces of classical music that, sadly, too many people have never been exposed to. This is a musical category - calling it a genre doesn't do it justice - that is so huge, so varied, and lasting for too long a stretch of history to neatly categorize - or to narrow down to only fire great pieces.
Regardless, I gave it my best shot. Here, in no particular order, are five great pieces of classical music to enliven your Friday.
George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue. There are so many versions of this great piece that it's hard to choose just one. Still, I'm inclined to point out that Heinlein's Law of Least Action favors the combination of beauty and talent, and Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili certainly meets Heinlein's standard. Her take on Gershwin's great score is a great listen, and the obvious joy she takes in performing just makes it all that much more fun.
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata. It's hard to top the world's greatest deaf German composer, so many and varied are his works. But the "Moonlight Sonata" is particularly vivid; you can almost see the moon and the stars as you listen to the deep tones of the thoughtful piano work. Unlike a lot of classical music, there are not a lot of moving parts; unlike a lot of classical music, it doesn't need to be complicated. It just is, and that's enough.
Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite. There's an investment of time required here, as this entire piece is a tad over an hour long (which, admittedly, isn't a patch on Wagner's 3-hour "Ring Cycle.) For the abridged version, one can listen to the rolling tones of "The Hall of the Mountain King," which many who have heard it recognize that piece, even if they have not heard the whole suite. I think the entire piece is worth the time.Giuseppe Verdi - Requiem. I'm going to break a rule-that-isn't and post two videos for this. Verdi's "Requiem" is the musical setting of the Catholic funeral mass, but you don't have to be Catholic (or dead) to appreciate the wide range of this piece. The entire piece is worth the hour-and-a-half time investment, and this performance by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony is especially good.But there is one movement, repeated a couple of times, that is particularly compelling, that being "Dies Irae" (Days of Wrath), and in this 2021 piece from the Met Orchestra lead by Yannick Nézet-Séguin is particularly good; Yannick really gets into this passionate piece of music.Classical music is great, and unlike pop, rock, country, and other kinds of music - with a few rare exceptions - one piece of classical music can make for an hour or more of listening. I grew up on classical music and opera, as my mother was a big fan of Mario Lanza and Enrico Caruso, and still have a deep appreciation for what has to be some of the greatest art mankind has produced.
As always, if you have suggestions of your own, the comments are yours!
