Discovery Music | CBW 30

3. Symphony in G major, op. 11 no. 1 by Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges

This week includes only works by composers I’ve never heard of before, and we’re starting it with Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, an 18th century mixed-race, out of wedlock classical composer from the French colony of Guadalupe who was the conductor of the symphony orchestra in Paris.… Read more

rite-of-spring

A fest of claviers and pagan rituals | CBW22

3. French Suite no. 5 in G major, BWV 816 by Johann Sebastian Bach

This is the fifth French suite written by Bach for harpsichord in the 1720s’. Their purpose was for teaching, being practice pieces which have some complexity without being over demanding at the same time. This is most likely the reason why they were never published by Bach, keeping them for his private use as they weren’t particularly intricate or meaningful enough to present them at court.… Read more

Bach, Bartók, Takemitsu, Frahm | CBW13

Honourable mention: “Ambre” by Nils Frahm

This week’s honourable mention can absolutely replace a sleeping pill, and I’m saying this in the best possible way.

IDAGIO  for: Luke Howard (piano)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7kfH_yBjy0
“Ambre” by Nils Frahm

3. “In the month of March” by Tōru Takemitsu

In third place we have a song by Tōru Takemitsu, one of the most important Japanese composers and the first one fully recognized in the west.… Read more

More Strings | CBW12

Honourable mention: “Zefiro torna e di soavi accenti” by Claudio Monteverdi

We start the week with a comical work, a madrigal by Claudio Monteverdi set after a poem by Ottavio Rinuccini, an Italian 16th century poet considered to be the first opera librettist. In this sonnet we hear a plea to Zephyrus, the bringer of spring in Greek mythology, to come and enliven the air, the branches, the mountains and valleys, everything around our hero who goes back and forth between singing and crying, being tormented by love .… Read more

Yehudi Menuhin

World of Bach and a flute | CBW07

The honourable mention of the week goes to “Consolations S. 172”, a set of six solo piano works by Franz Liszt, out of which I particularly like the first four ones. They are so serene that you are immediately transposed into the realm of dreams and because their rhythm is extremely slow, you need to be in the right mood, in search of peace and tranquillity, in order to fully enjoy them.

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Max Bruch

Beethoven wins it, but Bruch steals the heart | CBW01

We start the year with some big names (Bach, Beethoven) and some unknown ones for me at least, since I’m not exactly a big connoisseur in this domain.


At number 4, we have a new find for me: “O virtus sapientiae” by Hildegard of Bingen. I have to admit I’d never heard of this name before and it turns out this was a very intelligent and notable lady of the 12th century (a nun, a composer, a scientist and many other things – more details can be found in the book).… Read more