Music to Play Very Loudly - Part 2!

Here's part 2 of my playlist of songs to play loudly (part one can be found here). This time it's all about blasting classical music so you feel surrounded by the music, and hear how every instrument or voice meshes together perfectly, plus all of the crescendos and diminuendos and all those little details you just don't notice when you play it quietly! I really do encourage you to try listening to the pieces - you never know, you might find something you like!

Classical


Tristan Und Isolde - Isolde's Liebestod - Richard Wagner

The epic build up to when you finally finally finally hear the resolution of the Tristan chord, then he takes it all back again - I can't explain it adequately, so I will let Stephen Fry do it for me:

plus, it's fun to watch two men getting all worked up about Wagner!






Song for Athene - John Tavener

This never fails to send shivers up my spine - especially at the climax of the piece (around 4:20 onwards). Unfortunately I couldn't find my favourite version of this piece - this one is a little dull - so if you can get your hands on it, the version by The Sixteen on the album Ikon is in my opinion the definitive one.

I just looked up the story of this song, and it turns out it was composed in memory of a teenager who was killed in an accident - from now on it will move me even more than it already did.


The Lark Ascending - Ralph Vaughan Williams

It is so hard to choose just one Vaughan Williams piece, but of course it has to be The Lark Ascending. I adore british pastoral music because it reminds me of, well, the british countryside! Rolling hills, green fields, hawthorn hedges and drystone walls... Lovely. I am terribly picky about how this should sound - every violin virtuoso worth their salt has recorded a version of this, but I really don't like them. The reason this piece works is because all the instruments come together to make the sound, not because some famous violinist is making the orchestra wait around while they draw out every note. This is my favourite version, by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

oh, and if you want to hear what a lark ascending really sounds like, click here.


Lux Aurumque - Eric Whitacre

When you turn this up, you really do get the impression of being surrounded by golden light - gorgeous!



Peter Grimes - Four Sea Interludes - Dawn - Benjamin Britten

When I listen to this, I really get the feeling of movement and the potential power and danger of the sea.  It really sets the tone for the rest of opera, this feeling of anticipation and something slightly ominous in the background.



Dido and Aeneas - Overture and When I am Laid in Earth - Henry Purcell

I love the whole opera, but especially these two tracks - I couldn't possibly choose between them!
First, the overture: once again, I am incredibly picky about how this must sound - the most important thing is that it isn't too slow after the initial stately introduction! Obviously there are so many different versions of it - not just the interpretations, but the instruments used can be completely different. I personally like the ones which are performed on baroque instruments, and they need to have adequate bass.

This aria, When I am Laid in Earth, is probably Purcell's most famous piece, and it's not hard to see why - it is genius! Dido's part seems to be continuously descending, as the ground bass unrelentingly grinds on, leading her to her inevitable death - such a great composer!