One of Frederic Chopin's most well known works, and for good reason. The Polonaise in A-flat major is quite a stirring piece, performed here in a brilliant rendition by pianist Evgeny Kissin.
With almost 4 million views, there are tons of other people that liked it too.
Let's hear what else you have!
John, a more sedate spin-off is Perry Como's " Till the end of time ".
For Stirring I also like " The 1812 Overture " and " Bolero ".
This video kind of explains what Bolero is all about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILNDWCLVnpw
Carl,
I love that song and never heard it done better than your source!
I prefer some of the modern day composers. Hans Zimmer has some awesome "dark" scores that he's done, including the music for the movie "Time":
The 2nd part of this performance(dream is collapsing) that starts just after 3:20, would be perfect for you to play when the 10 mile wide asteroid is about to strike earth (-:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIk-Kxw_7Kc
We have all heard the saying by Emma Wheller Wilcox that goes :
Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.
i dare say that few of us are aware of the rest of the poem.
For this sad old earth must borrow it's mirth with troubles enough of it's own.
Carl:
"This video kind of explains what Bolero is all about."
IMHO, Bolero is THE musical representation of making love. Think about this the next time you listen to it. It starts out very quiet, and there is no hint of what is soon coming. It builds and builds and builds - relentlessly - until finally it explodes into the climax - and then it is suddenly over.
This is not the only music that seems to be based on sex. Listen to Yo Yo Ma's "Soul of the Tango." Even 30s music like Benny Goodman, etc. Listen to his Carnegie Hall concert from 1937 and think about this in some of the rhythms.
" Carl, I love that song and never heard it done better than your source! "
Glad you liked it , Mike … but I don't know if it's the Flash Mob in a mall that I edited in place of the original.
" IMHO, Bolero is THE musical representation of making love. "
cfdr, you are right … but some people see sex in tea leaves. ; )
Ha - you're right, of course.
But, I'm too old to see it in tea leaves anymore. Can still see in in Bolero, however. (g)
One thing I would like to add to this thread - IMHO, possibly the best music ever written are the late string quartets by Beethoven. Especially the A minor and the C sharp minor. I have the Italian Quartet performance and also the Takacs Quartet performances. Both are very good, but the recording in the 60s by the Italians is really something - but not as good recording quality.
Beethoven is a towering figure in music. It's pretty rare for a composer to enter in one era and forge into another; Monteverdi did it (Renaissance to Baroque) and Beethoven surely did it (Classical to Romantic); some think he even forged into the modern era with his late works. He was the first composer to open the door to the the end of tonality as it was once known -- he did it as early as in the first movement of his great 3rd Symphony, and his Scherzos (such as the second movement of his 9th Symphony) intimidated the next generation of composers so profoundly that they gave up writing them! His late works are astonishing. Thank you for reminding me about his late string quartets; the A minor quartet (Op. 132) is a personal favorite, especially the last movement, which leaves me speechless.
Superb
Well, John ( JP ), I think Culture Corner turned out to be more than you expected.
Yes it did turn out unexpectedly. I am left wondering, however, if anyone listened to the Chopin and liked it!
Right on Carl!
A good example of one of the many, many, MANY(as SS would state) intriguing interests that........absent political disagreements would connect us strongly in positive ways.
Keep it coming. This is why I have always thought that the NTR forum has the most "potential"
JP:
"Thank you for reminding me about his late string quartets; the A minor quartet (Op. 132) is a personal favorite, especially the last movement, which leaves me speechless."
Thanks for your comments. It is interesting that I, a former brass player, pick the late string quartets as the best music ever written. (g) I agree on the last movement, except for the third movement. That one can bring tears to my eyes, especially played by the Italian Quartet. I am pretty sure that Wagner, when he heard it, said that it was "terrifying."
Beethoven, I am sure, did not write music because he wanted to write music. He wrote it because he had to write music. His late works are even more amazing when one considers that he was deaf at the time.
While no Beethoven, here's a short work any ex-brass player might reasonably enjoy -- "Kings Herald" by Herbert Howells.
Thanks, JP. I'm camping, so only have limited music listening ability, but have bookmarked your suggestions for later.
The Howells sounds good, even on this computer's speaker.
Have to quit now, but I would be interested in trading other suggestions in the future.
" I would be interested in trading other suggestions in the future."
Sounds like a plan -- gives a trading forum a whole different slant, eh?