Friday, May 13, 2016

This is an Epic Fugue on a Theme by Lady Gaga

By Kyle Macdonald, ClassicFM London


A truly monstrous piece of counterpoint.

Lady Gaga Fugue

A bit of a Prelude

It's worth starting this off with a bit of a doff of our music geek cap to the pop superstar. The music video to Lady Gaga's 2009 hit Bad Romance begins with Johann Sebastian Bach's Fugue in B minor from the Well-tempered Clavier Book I:

And, err... Fugue

So Gaga is clearly someone who likes a bit of Baroque point-on-point action. It's therefore quite appropriate that a YouTube notesmith has taken the theme to her 'Bad Romance' and turned it into a brilliant Bach-inspired fugue. 
And the pop superstar was lovely enough to get in touch with us and tell us how much she liked this contrapuntal rendering of her melody.
So that's nice. 
Let's close with a brilliant 'orchestration' of this fugue, cunningly assembled by another YouTuber. 

Friday, April 29, 2016

Here's Prince Casually Owning George Gershwin's "Summertime" in Rehearsal

By Daniel Ross, ClassicFM London


We know Prince was a master of many genres, but this video shows more.
prince plays gershwin in rehearsal
The multifaceted singer-songwriter was known for skipping merrily through a whole variety of genres, sometimes in a single song, but this intimate (for a stadium) soundcheck shows that he knew his way around a Gershwin number too.

“Follow me…”

Twelve Mind-Widening Pieces Taking You Beyond Classical Music

By Sarah Neufeld, ClassicFM London


sarah neufeld arcade fire
Sarah Neufeld knows all about pushing the boundaries of her instrument: as a violinist with Canadian indie rock titans Arcade Fire and equally as an experimental solo artist, she's become a torchbearer for expanding listeners' minds. So who better than her to provide us with a superb playlist of modern works that will rewire your brain a bit?
Here's what she's picked for you:

1. Some - Nils Frahm

2. Atomos XII - A Winged Victory For The Sullen



3. Never The Way She Was - Colin Stetson, Sarah Neufeld



4. Parry: Interruptions (Heart And Breath Nonet): VI French Guitars -yMusic, Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner, Richard Reed Parry



5. The Candlelight Vigil - Jóhann Jóhannsson



6. Harmonium - Max Richter



7. Part IV - Nico Muhly



8. High Above a Grey Green Sea - Colin Stetson



9. Nijùshichi - Sylvain Chauveau, Stéphane Garin



10. Where The Light Comes In - Sarah Neufeld



11. Ogives/Redisributed - Eluvium



12. Apreludes (In C Sharp Major) - Stars Of The Lid


Saturday, April 16, 2016

Beethoven's Fifth Reworked in the Style of Chopin

It’s absolutely exquisite


Trust us and take a listen - we reckon you’ll be converted by a bit of ‘Chophoven’.
image: http://assets8.classicfm.com/2015/08/chopin-beethoven-5-1425064667-article-0.png
Chopin Beethoven 5
We stumbled across this stunning arrangement of the exposition ofBeethoven’s famous 5th symphony, as you might hear it in a 19th century Parisian salon. This Beethoven/Chopin mix-up may be a touch surprising, but what’s not to like? 
Undoubtedly, the arrangement from YouTuber Syd R Duke has gone down a storm, but we still believe this is worthy of more views. One YouTuber commented, “It’s as if Beethoven and Chopin met in an alternate universe to create a lovechild.” We'll leave that image with you - but do take a listen to this gorgeous arrangement...

Read more at http://www.classicfm.com/composers/beethoven/news/symphony-5-style-of-chopin/#MRLMFpYjVVGmOZJg.99

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