AND HERE ARE HIS TOP TEN PICKS TO GET YOU STARTED
Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major (c. 1711-1720) — Johann Sebastian Bach
wHeN distinguished American biologist Lewis Thomas was asked what should be placed in the Voyager spacecraft (launched in 1977 to explore the far reaches of the solar system) as evidence of earth’s civilisation, he suggested the complete works of Johann sebastian Bach, before deciding this might be seen as ‘boasting’. The ‘Father’ of classical music, I think of Bach’s compositions as the musical equivalent of a cold glass of alpine water: clear, pure.
Messiah (1741) — George Frideric Handel
OFTeN, it is impossible to identify a composer’s masterpiece. Yet with Handel, one work shines brightest. There are many reasons why Messiah — written in just 24 days — is, along with Bach’s Mass in B Minor, the pediment atop the temple of Baroque music. But one of the most significant is Handel’s ability to convey and contrast so many emotions: the grave (the overture) with the hopeful (‘ev’ry valley’); the fearful (‘For behold, darkness shall cover the earth’) with the sprightly (‘For unto us a child is born’); the terrifying (‘Thou shalt break them’) with all the joys of heaven (the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus).
The Magic Flute (1791) — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
THe greatest musical genius to have ever lived, Mozart’s opera elevates us above the mundane more than any other. Although a case can be made for The Marriage of Figaro or Don Giovanni, the Magic Flute may be the ultimate distillation of Mozart’s operatic artistry which explored the boundary between the tragic and the comic, the sacred and the profane, like no other.
Symphony No. 7 (1811-1812) — Ludwig van Beethoven
COMPOseR Carl Maria von weber thought this symphony evidence that Beethoven had gone mad. Conductor Thomas Beecham described the last movement as like ‘a lot of yaks jumping about’. But for wagner it was the ‘apotheosis of the dance’ and Beethoven’s seventh is, without doubt, one of the most exhilarating pieces ever written.
The Barber of Seville (1816) — Gioachino Rossini
IN NeeD of a pep-up? something to get you going in the morning or while getting ready for a party? I can think of few things better than Rossini’s comic
masterpiece, filled with catchy tunes and helter-skelter tempi.
Nocturne No. 13 in C Minor (1837) — Frederic Chopin
IN HIS nocturnes — music which evokes the night — Chopin explores the dark side of the Moon. The main theme is grief-filled and noble. It may seem soothing but an extraordinary chorale — with octaves flying up and down the keyboard — disturbs our slumbers, before the theme returns twice as fast and agitated. The keys seem to be singing in sweet distress in this supremely Romantic piece for piano.
Overture to Tannhäuser (1843-1845) — Richard Wagner
WITH his four-hour operas and use of dissonance, Wagner can be intimidating if not approached in the right way. This is the first Wagner piece to which I became addicted and the work I would recommend to anyone wanting to make Wagner’s acquaintance. The trombone rendition of the theme from the ‘Pilgrim’s Chorus’ from Act III is spine-tingling.
Quartet from Act III of Rigoletto (1850-1851) — Giuseppe Verdi
IN THIS number, from what may be the most perfect operatic tragedy, Verdi demonstrates the advantages of opera over theatre. While four people talking on stage — revealing their motives — is just a noise, in opera it can form a perfect harmony. Verdi doubted he would ever write anything better and it remains among the most beautiful ensembles in all opera.
The Sleeping Beauty (1888-1889) — Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky
THeRe are so many pieces of music which fill me with happiness but this is perhaps my ‘break glass in case of emergencies’ choice. The most sumptuously melodic ballet score
MAHLeR believed the symphony ‘must be like the word: it must embrace everything’. In this musical colossus — perhaps more than in any of his other ten symphonies — the ever written, it is music which may stand alongside the greatest Romantic symphonies.
Symphony No. 2 ‘Resurrection’ (1895) — Gustav Mahler
Austrian composer vindicates this assertion as he leads us from tragedy to triviality, triumph to tribulation before, finally, providing us with transcendence and a chance at redemption.
PerFeCt PItCH by tim Bouverie is published by Short Books on october 7 at £9.99. © tim Bouverie 2021. to order a copy for £8.99 (offer valid to 10/9/21; Uk P&P free on orders over £20), visit www.mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193.