A little out of the beaten path this morning, Boross Lajos and his gypsy band playing for the Hungarian TV in the 1970s. If you party in a restaurant in Eastern Europe, you have a chance to end the evening like this. Very drunk, too, but also very happy.
And with this, I wish you all a great day!
We'll end the day in style with Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, magnificently played by Dmitry Shishkin.
(Teaser + long version)
I will make an afternoon ballet suggestion with Mayra Magri as the Winter Fairy in Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella. 👏👏👏
Last week, Opéra Garnier had a splendid decoration for the Grand Staircase on the occasion of the Anthony Roth Costanzo Gala.
While most of us can agree that it's the most beautiful opera house, did you know that it was commissioned by Napoleon himself?
Sometimes I feel like I only post according to the weather... This morning I let you know that it's raining in Vienna through Maria João Pires playing Schubert's Piano Sonata No. 13, D. 664 (2. Andante).
Have a beautiful week!
I will say goodnight with Rosalyn Tureck playing the andante from Bach's Italian Concerto, BWV 971. (1961)
As a side note, Glenn Gould once said that she was his only inspiration.
Once in a while I enjoy a Chinese cinematic story. I know it's not my usual type of post, but even grown-ups can enjoy fantasy.
It was a long week. I will end it with a special performance, Ivo Pogorelich playing Ondine, the first movement of Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit. (Tokyo, 1983)
Probably one of the best energising choices before a long day, Mari Samuelsen and Vivaldi’s Summer.
Have a great day!
I'm having some issues with uploading videos since I upgraded Amethyst and am trying things since it might have been just a huge file.
I will say goodbye today with a fun detour from my usual posts. Some of us live in countries where brass music is an important cultural component so I will present to you the Berlin Brass Quintet with
Irving Berlin's "Puttin' on the Ritz".
If you had a long week, like me, here's the antidote.
Bach's Concerto for 4 harpsichords BWV. 1065 (based on Vivaldi’s concert for 4 violins)
Martha Argerich, Evgeny Kissin, Mikhail Pletnev and James Levine
Claudio Arrau playing the 3rd movement from Beethoven's Appassionata. (1970)
He was known to play "as it is intended to be", without any personal touches. For example, Rachmaninov's modifications in the score of the 2nd Chopin Sonata, in his own words, made him mad.
And with this, I wish you all a beautiful Friday!
Vera Danilina & Vivaldi work like a double shot of espresso!
Have a beautiful day!
Slow lunch break with Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major, "Adagio assai".
Martha Argerich, Paris 2017
According to the weather, I will begin a little dark with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, "Pathétique", where you can almost feel him watching the Grim Reaper in the eyes. (He died nine days after the premiere, and it's rumoured to be of unnatural causes.)
Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert Von Karajan
After a long day, I'll share with you a peaceful moment by Vera Danilina playing Bach's Prelude from Lute Suite, BWV 1006a.
Have a beautiful evening!
Good morning!
I will start the week without music, but with a silent footage of Giacomo Puccini playing the piano and composing at his home.
It was a long week! Let's "chill" with a leap back in time and watch Luciana Serra singing “Non piangete, o sventurati” from Rossini’s Aureliano in Palmira.
I'm in the mood for Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, so here we go.
This is footage from Seiji Ozawa International Academy in Switzerland, from 2015.
Gauthier Broutin (cello), Violaine Despeyroux (viola), Malgorzata Wasiucionek and Elin Kolev (violins)
