For self-isolating music lovers

Thu 19 Mar 2020, 00:11

The whole album (Bach motets) also available on spotify.

Wed 18 Mar 2020, 21:51

See Gareth Malone website. Singing together through the crisis.

I shall be joining millions singing together.  leave the windows open.

Wed 18 Mar 2020, 21:46

And if you are disappointed by the cancellation of the vOx concert in St Mary's of Bach motets, well, David Crown has enthused about this blissful rendition that is also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Wf3yqG8t1_Y

Wed 18 Mar 2020, 21:23

I so agree! The Ravel quartet is bliss. It reaches parts that most other music cannot.

Two more YouTube sources of superb concerts are the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra https://www.youtube.com/user/hrSinfonieorchester and the Netherlands Bach Society at https://www.youtube.com/user/Bachvereniging

And when the need is for background music, but a more interesting selection that Classic FM comes up with and without the ads, there's Radio Swiss Classic. There's an app for it, or you can get it on their website at http://www.radioswissclassic.ch/en You can choose German or French for the brief audio announcements. (There's a Radio Swiss Jazz too!)

Thanks Richard for the Worcester Cathedral organ recitals. Today's is complete serenity and hope in a time of fear and loathing.

Wed 18 Mar 2020, 20:27 (last edited on Wed 18 Mar 2020, 20:35)

And, as always, YouTube is your friend when self-isolating (and, indeed when not!).

Richard, I had a conversation with you about organ music one night in The Rose & Crown, and mentioned Paul Hindemith's Organ Sonata No. 1 as being one of my favourite pieces of music in the world. (It is something that I can play if I'm low ... and by the end I am feeling better!) My favourite recording of it is by the great Rosalinde Haas, however sadly that is not on YouTube. But this version is not at all bad: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLhPcpK4sEU

Another piece of music that I have Charlbury to thank for introducing me to is Ravel's String Quartet. In the latter days of The Hothouse (a weekly music venue, which brought much wonderful folk and roots music to Charlbury, before various "vested interests" brought it to an end), they tried putting on a string quartet concert, and the last item in the first half was the first movement of this piece. Call me a softy (I don't care!), but it left me in *floods*, and I had to go to Blackwells to buy the CD the next day. A rather fine version can be found here (don't forget that there are four movements!): 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehQMe57TPPM

... and if I introduce even *one* person to one of these pieces and they grow to love it, all this typing will have been worthwhile!

Wed 18 Mar 2020, 18:38 (last edited on Wed 18 Mar 2020, 18:39)

Worcester Cathedral are streaming a short live organ recital at 6.30pm on Facebook every day: https://www.facebook.com/worcestercathedralchoir/

(Right now their Director of Music, Sam Hudson, is playing Howells’ wonderful Preludio Sine Nomine. Worshippers at St Mary’s might recognise it from when I played it after the service a couple of weeks ago. He’s a lot better than me though!)

Wed 18 Mar 2020, 17:19

The county library service offers a tremendous range of online services, including access to thousands of classical recordings. You'll need your membership number and PIN to log in.

Wed 18 Mar 2020, 13:49 (last edited on Wed 18 Mar 2020, 13:49)

I hope this can be shared on the Activities area of the site. There are some musical organizations offering free performances online. I'm sure there are a bunch of them, but two great ones I know of are:

1. The Metropolitan Opera in New York are streaming one opera for free daily. These are from their archive of live performances. Explanation here: https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/met-to-launch-nightly-met-opera-streams-a-free-series-of-encore-live-in-hd-presentations-streamed-on-the-company-website-during-the-coronavirus-closure/. 

It's a bit tricky because it's time limited. Hint: At the moment, EDT is 4 hours behind us. So 3:30pm there is 7:30pm here -- will change to five hours when our clocks go forward. 

2. Easier is the Berlin Philharmonic, which has an archive of free live concerts to stream anytime. I saw/heard a lovely Mahler 6 the other night, but there's lots more to choose from: https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/home.

As I say, I'm sure there are more of these. Musick has charms to soothe the savage breast...