Author name: Dmitri Plotnikov

Bill Shirley is asking: “Do you follow the lyrics when you listen to this music?” Great question! Following the lyrics while they are singing gives the experience an additional dimension for sure, especially when you recognize repetitions.The text of Requiem Mass is pretty much standardized by the Catholic Church. Some composers modify it, but the […] …

#classical #music Last installment of the Requiem series this year. Christmas coming up – not the best time for morbid music. Speaking of morbid music, here’s Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. Britten was one of the most renowned composers of the 20th century. He was also an outspoken pacifist, became a Conscientious Objector during World War …

#classical #music   The Requiems that I presented in Parts I-III (Mozart, Brahms and Verdi) all followed the example of a pre-verbal baby: now he sleeps – now he’s awake – now he’s screaming – now he’s laughing – he’s angry – crying – smiling – he’s finally asleep again. The music would lurch back …

#classical #music The mini series continues. Next on the list is Giuseppe Verdi. Verdi is an opera composer. His Messa da Requiem is more operatic than religious. Unlike the Mozart and the Brahms, it is less likely to make you contemplate death and afterlife or lack thereof. IMO, the proper way of listening to it …

#classical #music In my experience people are a bit conflicted about declaring their love for Brahms. Brahms is not the first composer you run into when you start getting into classical music. Apart from Hungarian Dances and the Lullaby, you get your Beethoven, Mozart and also perhaps Tchaikovsky and some pop-Bach before Brahms. You develop …

#classical #music Don’t know about you, but I am always in the mood for a good Requiem. Mozart wrote the best known of them. He died having drafted only the first couple of movements. First he drafted them – surely wanted to draft more – but then he died. Young. That’s the gist of every …