Classical Piece of the Week: Vocalise

Missed the last one? Here's a link to Rêverie.

Vocalise, by Sergei Rachmaninoff

And on those days when the leaves are shifting hues, drifting away,

when the trees are left with only their stark limbs, battered with wind.

And on those days when the only rays, are seen through stretched clouds,

gray and soulless but with infinite amount of reason.

And on those days when you stare at the world,

and all you get is a woman in her coat, eyes cast down, stepping carefully.

And on those days when you put the sad records on,

a soft piano, a crying violin.

And on those days when life is dusty and ashen,

but then the music fills you and suddenly everything is so, so alive.

Classical Piece of the Week: Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20

Missed the last one? Here's a link to Polonaise from Eugene Onedin.

When you first start to devote yourself to an activity, whether it's violin or gymnastics or anything else for that matter, you naturally turn to the professionals. You watch them, listen to them, analyze them. And as you stare in awe at their pure talent, you wonder if you will ever be able to achieve that level of accomplishment. This week's piece, Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 by Pablo de Sarasate, is that accomplishment. Most pieces sound easier than they actually are. This piece sounds just as hard as it is. When played right, it can really make an audience imagine wonders. It will tear your heart apart, make it pound, and make it race with excitement.

Classical Piece of the Week: Valse Sentimentale

As she peers out the window, a cloud of fog swarms near her view, leaving the objects of her sight mere shadows. She turns herself around, back in the vision of her cozy room, and with her wrinkled fingers, she carefully picks out a disc from her classical collection. It has been a long time since this one has been played, she thought, as she gently blows off the dust that had settled on the disc. Valse Sentimentale by Ptyor IIyich Tchaikovsky, were the words engraved on the label. 

With great gentleness, she places the disc onto the phonograph, and positions the needle onto the former. And a few wobbly turns of the handle later, the disc starts to revive. First, with a sharp, raspy sound, until soothing strokes of a harp can be perceived through the haziness. Then, the slightly wavering, but oh so alluring melody of a violin drowns off all other sounds, and even the lighted candles in the room seem to be swaying to the beautiful valse. 

Classical Piece of the Week: Greensleeves (the 20th Piece!)

Side note: 20TH PIECE!! YAY!! Ok, now on to the important stuff...

I'll admit it, I didn't even think about what this week's Classical Piece would be until pretty recently. But I had just thought of one of those tunes that stays tied with my mind, and decided to go with the piece that features it. It's called Greensleeves, and it was composed during the Renaissance Era, which thus explains why the original composer remains unknown.

Technically, Greensleeves is an English Folk song, but if you've followed my CPW since the beginning, you would know that I tend to like different versions of the piece/song. There is one belief that claims that this song was composed by Henry VIII for his lover and future wife Anne Boleyn. Such beliefs are vastly improbable, but it's always great to have different perspectives. If you would like to know more about the story of this song, click here.

Classical Piece of the Week: Hungarian Dance No.7

Classical Piece of the Week is back! And dare I say better than ever, because you guys are in for a real treat this week. This morning I was fumbling around Youtube, trying to find a CPW. I already had a couple of pieces in mind, but once I re-listened to them, I realized I wasn't really that passionate about them. And then I happened to come across Hungarian Dance No.7 by Johannes Brahms, and I knew I had met my match.

This piece was originally composed for piano, but I find that the violin version gives out a crisp, more vibrant sound. Specifically Jascha Heiftz's version. This work of music is quite short, but I don't think it would be better any other way, because the shortness fits the mood of the music.

Igudesman and Joo: A Big Nightmare Music (a.k.a. The Best Concert Ever!)

Igudesman and Joo= Epic Swag

Saturday night, I went to the Igudesman and Joo: Big Nightmare Music concert. I went into the concert hall with a hint of excitement and a bit of a headache (which is pretty normal for me) and came out with a goofy, full-teeth grin and sparkling eyes (in a figurative sense...) that read: That. Was. The. Best. Concert. Ever.

Okay, a little backtrack: If you don't know who Igudesman and Joo are, feel free to click on this link. So basically they are two musicians, Aleskey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo, who play some fantastic music whilst adding a lot of awesome humor to their performances.

During the concert, Igudesman and Joo played with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. I thought that was fantastic because it just added another layer of sheer musicality and awesomeness. I do not remember the entire order of all their performances, but what I do remember from that night was this:

Classical Piece of the Week: Légende, op. 17

There are moments when you praise the Lord for inventing the violin. For inventing such a beautiful instrument that emits such a beautiful sound. The playing of Légende, op. 17 by Henryk Wieniawski is one of those moments.

Classical Piece of the Week: Ständchen (Serenade)

Funny how something as simple as the weather can suddenly make you inspired. This week started off beautiful, complete with sunny skies and temperatures topping up to 25° Celsius. Then, yesterday, out of the blues, it started to snow. The skies became a moody dark gray, and the ground was a mixture of mud and melted snow.

Here's to a seemingly long winter!

One cannot help but feel sad when such situation happens, and I was definitely not an exception. So after all my sulking and refusal to accept that summer, no fall, is basically over, I thought about this piece. Ständchen, by Franz Schubert.

Classical Piece of the Week: Igudesman & Joo

So this week's Classical Piece of the Week will be quite different, namely, I have not chosen a piece, instead, I have chosen a music group. This music group is called Igudesman and Joo, and includes Aleksey Igudesman, a violinist, and Hyung-ki Joo, a pianist. I discovered this group thanks to my Youth Orchestra, as we will be going to one of their concerts in November.

Classical Piece of the Week: Caprice No.13

Anybody who plays the violin must know about the great Niccolo Paganini. He and Lizst were the respective virtuosos on violin and piano of their time, and both brought great contributions to the world of music, both in performances and compositions.

Paganini has composed many violin pieces, and I think most of them are rather virtuosic in nature. Caprice No.13, might not be his most famous one, but since I'm learning it right now, I thought it'd be a great idea to introduce it to you guys. It's closer to an étude than an actual piece, but I think it's super fun to play, and to listen to.

Classical Piece of the Week: Polonaise Brillante in D Major

Woohoo, it's Friday!!! And you know when it's Friday, there's Classical Piece of the Week! ^-^

This week, I decided to go with Polonaise Brillante No.1 in D Major, Op.4 by Henryk Wieniawski. Wieniawski was a virtuoso violinist, but he was also a composer, writing some of the most important works in the violin repertoire. Now, I'm not sure if this Polonaise is counted as a very "important" work, but I do know that this piece is mind blowingly amazing. This is like the ultimate piece to showcase all of the different skills and techniques that can be found playing the violin. Spiccato, double stops, harmonics, large interval leaps... All of this and more are displayed, while still making the music very enjoyable to listen to.