Most Beautiful Song, Ever ...

I'll host it for a short time.

Henryk Górecki - Symphony No. 3
performed by Zinman, David, Dawn Upshaw / London Sinfoniette

Op. 36 I. Lento (24.7mb)

Op. 36 II. Lento e Largo (9.1mb)

Op. 36 III. Lento (15.8mb)

Some parts are very quiet... but stick with it. I don't think you will be disappointed.

jpinMilwaukee

Thank you for posting. I have listened several times now, to really experience it.

Haunting, sparse, powerful, eternal, universal.

I didn't realize this is a recent composition.

Can you please define "Living classical composer"?

I thought classical, well, I guess I thought of it in terms of chronology.

Is it a definable style?

I was suprised to see so many composers listed at wikipedia as living classical composers.

Would Yanni be considered one?

Thanks.

And thanks for exposing me to this very important work!

No problem dupre. I'm glad you like it. It really is one of my favorites.




Not officially... but I would imagine that it is as simple as composers that are still alive that compose music in the classical style.




I think Yanni is more of a New Age composer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkch479CyLU

Sad because of the content of the video, but the voice and piano work shine.

2PacksAday:

Love your name!

Yes, that version puts a different spin on it than I got before, from the video content to her delivery.

More urgency, desperation. Depth.

Unforgetable.

Love that ending. Rings true.

Sorry, I never answered this. I think it's called fado music. I'm afraid I don't much about the origins, but to me it sounds like the moors made love to the Irish and fado music came out.

I've just been going through my final stack of vinyl albums, looking for good stuff to download on digital.

I came across an album from Nick Drake (who?, I hear you ask) called "Five Leaves Left" and had totally forgotten all about it.

Nick Drake only made three albums, I believe, before becoming a bit of a recluse, going into deep depression, and finally dying of an overdose of antidepressants in 1972, at the age of 26.

Each of his albums pretty well flopped at the time, the highest sales being 5000 or so, but he's got a bit of a cult following now, and the CD versions have sold hundreds of thousands over the past fifteen or so years.

Personally, I think he would have been as "big" as Cat Stevens or Donovan, had he not fallen ill and died so young.

here's " Day is Done", from five leaves left, which is not the best track on the album, but the best one I could find on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2jxjv0HkwM

love nick drake, i agree could have, should have been huge

Agree on Nick Drake. This is the VW commercial featuring Pink Moon that put ND posthumously on the map in the States. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vptGhAUukc

Luke Kelly's version of Raglan Road (from a poem by Patrick Kavanagh).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qb0u_LWU_Y

FreeDuck
Thanks. I was able to do a search on Fado and get more information.

my first introduction to nick drake was through this tune, on a compilation disc

Nick Drake - River man

Lord Ellpus and Swimpy:

Thanks for clueing me in on Nick Drake. I like it. It's listed as folk and I really liked the violin with the guitar.

Great "universal" themes.

lmur:

Hi. A bit o' the Irish!

Luke Kelly has a very expressive voice.

Thanks!

Riverman is haunting, especially considering what happened to him.

Love that video, and it really is like he's still here, just watching all of us go by. And you wonder what all that coming and going is for anyway, when we all are just going to end up seeing the Riverman.

I hope I'm getting the right point from the song.

I read all the comments posted at the link, and they were good, too.

Someone said the song is in 5/4 timing. Didn't even know that was possible. So that is very interesting to me.

Thanks for posting that one.

I can't pick a #1 favorite. One of my all time best is the version of Ave Maria that appears on the original sound track to Disney's Fantasia.

edgarblythe:

I love that one, too! I think Ave Maria might have been one of my grandmother's favorites. She played it often, I am told, on the piano with my grandfather playing the violin at church, weddings, events and so forth.

couldn't get a youtube of the version you mentioned but here is one on violin "near Disneyland."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek35IPCW9a4

First Time Ever I Saw Your Face -- Roberta Flack


The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the empty skies, my love,
To the dark and the empty skies.

The first time ever I kissed your mouth
And felt your heart beat close to mine
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command, my love
That was there at my command.

And the first time ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
And I knew our joy would fill the earth
And last till the end of time my love
It would last till the end of time my love

The first time ever I saw your face, your face,
your face, your face

Looking through the youtube vids, I discovered a tribute concert that was held in his home village, Tanworth in Arden. Apparently, he's buried there, in the graveyard of the small church.

I know Tanworth in Arden very well, but never knew that he grew up there. Next time I'm passing by, I'll stop in and pay my respects.

It's a truly beautiful little village, but you have to be extremely rich to live there, nowadays.

...and let's not forget Bolero by Ravel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAXTBiKwmgc