Today is Easter Sunday. It’s a big day for Christians worldwide. In fact, the biggest. This is year is different, though. We couldn’t go to church in person. (Thanks a lot, COVID-19.) So everyone tuned in on the Internet. Wasn’t the same, of course. But it was nice enough. Before service time, however, I settled … [Read more…]
This morning, I’m listening to an older recording (perhaps 1962, if the year on the back of the CD sleeve refers to when this was recorded). The conductor is Heinz Bongartz (1894-1978). The orchestra is Dresdner Philharmonie (1870 – ). The musical work is Brahms’ Serenade No. 1 in D, Op. 11. It was composed … [Read more…]
Today, I’m listening to Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in D Op. 73. The conductor is, once again, Jaap van Zweden. This time, the orchestra is Radio Filharmonisch Orkest Holland (1945 – ). I was immediately hooked by this piece of music, noting that in Movement I there are strains of the melody to Brahms’ Lullaby … [Read more…]
And so it begins. I haven’t undertaken one of my exhaustive music projects in quite awhile. The last one was in 2018 and it required that I listen to all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies as interpreted by 17 different conductors from 18 different CD box sets (Herbert von Karajan was represented twice). You can find … [Read more…]