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I've always been a fan of classical music, even as a young child I preferred a concerto over the 1990s dance club beat which don't get me wrong, is fabulous in its own right. However, I did not start paying attention to names until I look a music class in university last year. I remember the professor playing the first movement of Vivaldi's Spring Concerto, and although I heard the piece before (who hasn't?), I did not know who it was by, or even what the name of the piece was! A year later, and I just got over an obsession with Gustav Holst's Planet Suite, I know, how mainstream. My obsession with the piece stems from my obsession with outer space in general, I like to think that if I had the brains and academic motivation for it, I'd definitely major in something to do with outer space. Anyway, back to the piece, my favourite movement is surprisingly not Jupiter, or Mars, it is in fact, Uranus! (tee-hee) The main reason why I enjoyed it the most is how action packed it is, nothing stays the same for very long. This constant change fits the piece to the planet perfectly, seeing as Uranus is considered to be the planet of change (even if it is quite antithetical to its title weather-wise). Although the entire work is fantastic composition no doubt, I feel that other movements are more about the gods the planets are named after, and not the actual planet, Venus and Saturn come to mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjxBzMsHfRc James Levine, in my opinion conducted one of the best version of The Planets, as is the case with most of Deutsche Grammophon recordings in my experience. Also, if you have the time, do give a listen to Isao Tomita's version of The Planets. Although it is not classical, Tomita takes a classical composition, and turns it into a somewhat spiritual feeling electronic space journey. I highly recommend giving a listen to his version of Neptune, the Mystic, as he takes the aquatic feeling of the original, and multiplies it tenfold, and in the process makes it even more mystical! The best thing about it though is that it's loud enough to take on the bus, and you don't have to turn your iPod all the way up just to hear it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K-NBH9Q-eo I chose this video, because it had various images of Neptune in it, and Neptune is my favourite thing in the universe, yet alone the solar system.
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Jan 15, 2013 06:24
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| # ¿ May 3, 2024 19:54 |
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