Classical Favourites.

[elderpiano]

A Prokofiev wonder stroke, masterpiece From Romeo & Juliet.


No composer in my opinion, has ever captured the essence of a sort of warped hatred that human beings seem to be capable of than Prokofiev in his. depiction of the feud between the Montague's and the Capulets.

In Shakespeare's play, the bard never really touches on the reasons why these two families hate one another so much and a bit like the motiveless evil in Iago in Othello. We are just left wondering. Prokofiev's account is simply spellbinding.

 

[Ella Beck]

^^^ Oh thanks, elderpiano - I just love this Prokofiev piece.

Thanks also for this lovely thread, which I anticipate will bring hours of pleasure!

Here's my own contribution - my favourite classical music is baroque music (or earlier) and I have known this one since I used to play it, not very well, in the York Schools Strings (Junior) Orchestra!

Henry Purcell, March from Abdelazer:

 

[Taggart]

A real belter - Orfe's O Fortuna

 

[Taggart]

Another belter - Handel's Zadok The Priest

 

[Ella Beck]

Brahms' Hungarian Dances - here's number 1.

 

[Ella Beck]

Lully's Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs
- c'est magnifique!

 

[elderpiano]

My absolute favourite version.

.

 

[Ella Beck]

I love the Four Seasons!

Here's another of my favourites, Rodrigo's Guitar Concerto.

 

[Ella Beck]

Here's one that I've known from a child - we had it on a 78, and I used to dance to it, though not quite like this!

 

[Ella Beck]

Mozart, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - my favourite as a child. We often played the LP.

 

[elderpiano]

 

[elderpiano]

 

[Ella Beck]

Here's another song from my family's collection of 78s. I used to love this as a child - now it has a faded poignant charm.

(Benjamin Gigli sings Cottrau's Santa Lucia.)

 

[Ella Beck]

Often played on Children's Favourites, the BBC radio programme of the 1950s and 1960s, The Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg.

 

[Ella Beck]

Venus the bringer of Peace from Holst's Planet Suite -

 

[Fretless]

Formative piece for me in my elementary school years.

I used to sit on my dad's lap and listen to our LP of this.

 

[Ella Beck]

Ubiquitous, but still a favourite - Beethoven's Fur Elise (here with orchestration):

 

[Ella Beck]

Who can help loving the 'can-can' from Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld - regularly played on Children's Favourites on the radio, and also as a short clip on the BBC in the 1950s.

 

[Ella Beck]

Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries - who can resist?

 

[Ella Beck]

I remember as a teenager really loving this one - Chinese Dance, from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Wuite.