What are you listening to?

Originally posted by HandyAndy
Thanks for sharing. The 5th is one of my favorites. Have you listened to all 15?

🙂 No I haven't. No 5 and 10 are my first Shostakovich - I've always thought he was too difficult for me, but I've just learnt that he isn't, and I only discovered his fifth today and I just love it. Are you a Shostakovich fan?

Two of our kittens, apparently, trying to kill each other.

Originally posted by Great Big Stees
Two of our kittens, apparently, trying to kill each other.

You are lucky. 🙂

Originally posted by lolof
You are lucky. 🙂

Now I have to vacuum up all the fir that flew. 😉

Originally posted by lolof
🙂 No I haven't. No 5 and 10 are my first Shostakovich - I've always thought he was too difficult for me, but I've just learnt that he isn't, and I only discovered his fifth today and I just love it. Are you a Shostakovich fan?

Absolutely. Try the 1st, 7th and 8th, but allow time between to let the music settle in.

Originally posted by HandyAndy
Absolutely. Try the 1st, 7th and 8th, but allow time between to let the music settle in.

Thank you, I look forward to that.

In the meantime:

YouTube

Lang Lang - Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5

Originally posted by lolof
Thank you, I look forward to that.

In the meantime:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH63RKQ7OEw

Lang Lang - Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5

One of Beethoven's best! Lang Lang is obviously gifted, but I find his theatrics a bit over the top.

Originally posted by HandyAndy
One of Beethoven's best! Lang Lang is obviously gifted, but I find his theatrics a bit over the top.

It's lovely music. Lang Lang is so talented that whatever he plays always seems so effortless. Here he appears totally relaxed as if his mind is wandering off somewhere - the conductor seems very pleased though. But people expect a lot from him and he needs challenges too, I would guess.

Here is another amazing pianist:

Daniil Trifonov - Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No.1 in C minor

YouTube

Thank you, Andy, for opening my heart to this composer. 🙂

Originally posted by lolof
Here is another amazing pianist:

Daniil Trifonov - Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No.1 in C minor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyADlfFSFC0

Thank you, Andy, for opening my heart to this composer. 🙂

My pleasure. 🙂

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=486

Handel's Messiah
Monica Sinclair, Jon Vickers, Giorgio Tozzi, Jennifer Vyvyan; Sir Thomas Beecham, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

The quality of this recording is astonishingly good for 1959.

YouTube

Schindler's List Soundtrack

Ian Dury & The Blockheads

YouTube : What a Waste