What music are you listening to?

I don't listen much to music, but when I do it is usually classical. For instance:


Dramatic enough to think about Indo-European migrations. ;)

I find Classic music is great to relax especially after the kind of day I had today. I often have it in the car stuck in traffic. Got great variations so it can be heard through out.
 
I don't listen much to music, but when I do it is usually classical. For instance:


Dramatic enough to think about Indo-European migrations. ;)

Very nice indeed. I like Mahler a lot, and Bernstein channels him the way Muti channels Verdi, I think.

Oh, and I'm all for drama, as long as it's not in my personal life! In this particular case, I do think Mahler was thinking about love, however. :)
 
The Handsome Family....Far From Any Road.

 
Thanks, Hope. I had never heard of the Handsome Family before. Off to Youtube to explore their music further.
 
Thanks, Hope. I had never heard of the Handsome Family before. Off to Youtube to explore their music further.
They`re new to me too Aberdeen, so I don`t know what their other stuff is like. I came across the soundtrack for the TV series True Detective [ it didn`t air here ..or if it did I missed it...] and this was one of the tracks from it I liked, along with this...

The Hat....The Angry River.

 
Kevin Ross-This Is My Wish



He's a credit not only to Motown but to the Berkeley School of Music, a really great school, only next to Julliard, in my opinion.
 
This you tube compilation was playing at a party...really great if you're in the mood for holiday music.

Crooners Sing Christmas, Bing, Frank, and Dean...Strange to think it took me so long to appreciate them...the older I get, the better they sound. The playlist and times are in the notes.

 
One of the highlights of the New York Holiday Season is the annual production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite as choreographed by George Balanchine. It's a more than 55 year old unbroken tradition. The gold and glitter of the theater, the sumptuous stage set and costuming, the orchestra, the wonderful dancers, and the presence of so many awestruck and excited children in the audience combine to create a really magical and unforgettable experience.

For those who prefer just the music, this is a lovely performance by the Osaka Philharmonic:

Youtube offers the entire, wonderful 1993 performance with Darci Kistler:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ5Se2ErinU

This is a short excerpt from the Bolshoi performance of one of the favorite sections, the duel of the Rat King and the Nutcracker Prince:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfFLjXszBiQ
 
I'm feeling morose. So I'm listening to pre-WW2 Cajun blues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzYKS7_mn3E

I have a few Gaspard's in my family somewhere.

I thought nobody would like this music; but I showed this song to several people and they were fascinated by it. It is gloomy and mysterious. Very little is known about this musician. His name was Alcide Gaspard and was blind. He died very young; about 8 years after this song was recorded.

Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Uncle_Gaspard
 
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This season there were twelve scheduled performances of Handel's Messiah in New York, and that's not counting the performances in the suburbs in the surrounding tri-state area. The performances of the New York Philharmonic and the Oratorio Society are probably the most highly regarded. I personally don't think it's ever been done better than when Leonard Bernstein conducted it. I've provided a link to the "Chorus" below. Quincy Jones did a "soul" arrangement which is very nice. That link is listed as well. Speaking of fun versions, there is a great one done by the Boston Gay Men's choir that uses visual aids for the lyrics, mainly, I think, so that the vocally challenged could participate. :) There are always some complaints because it does distract from the wonderful singing that is a hallmark of this group, but you have to have fun with the classics too! Anyway, another fun thing to do if you're in New York around this time of year, and you're a frustrated performer like some of us (ahem!) is to participate in one of the Messiah Sing Ins, of which there are dozens. The best, in my humble opinion, is the one put on by the National Chorale, when we are 3,000 strong.

Leonard Bernstein conducting the Chorus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpTRUKnOOPI&list=PLC8LrCe7up-m34tir9flBoq434yOK8Zi0&index=8

The Quincy Jones "soul" version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V51aTh2c0Q

Boston Gay Men's Chorus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRocpQOMpeU
 
That was just lovely, Hope. Lovely as music, and lovely as a dance. It's such a pity that "real" dancing has so gone out of style.

I know that Leonard Cohen is not everybody's cup of tea, and it's certainly a totally different genre, but i was listening to him the other day, and so the following song came to mind when I listened to this waltz. This particular clip is from when he was older, and his voice had already started to go, but as with Johnny Cash, it's almost more moving to me for that very reason, and plus, I love the visuals in this particular clip.

Leonard Cohen: Dance Me To The End of Love

 
and my fovourite from Adele
 
That was just lovely, Hope. Lovely as music, and lovely as a dance. It's such a pity that "real" dancing has so gone out of style.

I know that Leonard Cohen is not everybody's cup of tea, and it's certainly a totally different genre, but i was listening to him the other day, and so the following song came to mind when I listened to this waltz.

Actually Angela, whilst I wouldn`t say I was a big fan of Leonard Cohen, there are in fact quite a few of his songs I do like...he uses lyrics brilliantly. The video you posted didn`t play for me in my part of the world so I went to YouTube and found it there..which turned out to be a good thing..I heard a Cohen song a short time back and never caught the title... I found it whilst looking for your video! So that worked out well..:)

Aberdeen...of all the songs with red in the title..you had to post 99 Red Balloons..that song sticks in your head for days!..lol. I didn`t even listen to it once I saw what it was..and I`m still humming it..:grin:

Maleth Glad you liked Masquerade Suite. I have phases where I listen to Folk music for a while, then some 80s Pop then Classical..this month it`s classical. I have been listening to Lully lately [ one of my favourites..very regal..lol.] See what you think of this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy-yugPw_X8


Regards Adele and Skyfall, it and Rolling in the Deep are my two favourites from her..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw
 
@Maleth,
Any day is a day when I can listen to Adele...one of my favorites.
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@Hope,

I'm a HUGE Leonard Cohen fan, of both his performed and unperformed poems. I could post song after song that I find profoundly moving and meaningful, but at this time of year I tend to mostly listen to either classical or "holiday" music.

I was at a different kind of holiday celebration this week, a Hanukkah one, and it wasn't all just "Dreidle, Dreidle, Dreidle". :)

Prokofiev's "Overture" On Hebrew Themes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBaXeAHuVTg

Amit Peled playing Bloch's "Prayer". I really like this piece and I really like him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTso0wYH4f4

I defy anyone to keep their feet still while listening to this amusing Mazurka:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG2BHc0nU2E
 
December is also Dvorak month in New York.

Here is the Dvorak Cello Concerto with Yo Yo Ma and the New York Philharmonic. (He is a very emotional and expressive performer, by the way...and warm and engaging in real life as well...another stereotype bites the dust!:grin:)

 

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