Thursday, June 05, 2008

Song of the Day - Arvo Part - Berliner Messe: VI. Credo

When I was a kid I was forced to practice classical piano. I didn't really like it. I just wanted to play basketball. As I have grown older my appreciation for classical music has grown significantly. For the song of the day, I wanted to draw your attention to my current favorite classical recordings: Arvo Part's Te Deum and the song, Berliner Messe - Credo. This has brought me to tears on one occasion from the sheer beauty of it. The harmony is rich, melancholy, and beautiful. You can listen to a clip of it below.

Here is another classical recording I have been listening to quite a bit lately: Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier - Buch I (BWV 846 - 869). It doesn't get much better than a little JSB.

3 comments:

Ted Slater said...

I first heard Arvo Part back in the mid-90s. His Te Deum is still my favorite of his. Wonderful music, best listened to at night in a darkened room and a substantial volume.

Ted Slater said...

Have you heard Rachmaninoff's Vespers, performed by the Robert Shaw Festival Singers? If you like Part, you'll like this....

Maybe also check out Bach's Goldberg Variations, transcribed for strings by Sitkovetsky. Of course, Glenn Gould does a masterful job interpreting this piece as well; I prefer his 1981 version over his 1955 one, FWIW....

Vitamin Z said...

Yeah, someone else told me that I would like the Vespers so I bought it. It's great. I played his classic Prelude in C# minor for my high school senior recital. What an amazing piece of music!

zach