A Few of My Favorite (Classical) Things

Update: Added vocal pieces, as suggested and recommended by Reddit user spike

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know I love various kinds of music, and am frequently inspired by many off-the-wall productions/compositions, as well as contemporary mainstream music. But, Classical music has always been close to my heart. While I have no Classical training, and my piano “playing” is akin to an angry elephant stomping on the keys, as a child I attended many concerts in the Moscow Conservatory. I slept through many of them, but the music stuck. When in deep need for inspiration, I turn to Classical. Lately, I’ve found myself listening to a lot of Baroque, as this period is highly influential to me with usage of melody, melodic structure and progression and raw, passionate, emotional energy.

As I listened to some pieces (on Iceberg Radio’s Baroque Masterpieces channel) which really struck me, I decided to take notes so I can come back and hear pieces I like again and again. The following compilation took me a couple of months to put together from Baroque (mostly) pieces which I felt most resonated with my aural preference. I tracked almost all of the pieces I liked on YouTube, and tried to pick those with the best sound quality. Enjoy:

Vivaldi Violin Concerto In A Minor, Rv 356 Largo

Telemann: Die Kleine Kammermusik – Partita No. 1 in B flat major, 1968 Recording

Bach – Harpsichord Concerto No.1 in D Minor BWV 1052

Suite No. 5 in E Major HWV 430 – Courante

Corelli – Concerti Grossi, Op.6 (1714) / Concerto Grosso No. 1 in D major

A. Vivaldi: Concerto for bassoon, strings & b.c. in B flat major (RV 503) – Part II

Bach Sonata for Solo Violin No.1 in G minor BWV 1001

Vivaldi – Cello Sonata in E Minor RV40 – Mov. 1-2/4

J.S. Bach – BWV 525 (3) – Sonata I – Allegro Es-dur / E-flat major

Bach – Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830 II. Allemande

G.F. Händel – “Ho tanti affanni in petto” – aria for alto, flute and continuo (“Mi palpita il cor”)

J. S. Bach – Sonata for Flute and Obbligato Harpsichord in B minor BWV 1030: III. Presto – Gigue

J.S. Bach – Quia respexit humilitatem & Omnes generationes / Magnificat, Es-dur BWV 243a

Two Part Invention No. 8 in F Major, BWV 779

J. S. Bach: Allemande from Suite in e-minor BWV 996

Maxim Bernard – J. S. Bach: Partita No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826

Georg Solti/Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor (“Fate”), Op. 67 4th Allegro Pt2-2

Jean-Henry d’Anglebert de pièces d’Opéra de Jean-Baptiste Lully

Telemann / Han De Vries, 1982: Oboe Concerto In E minor, TWV 51:e1

Handel – Sarabande

Handel – Suite No. 5 in E Major HWV 430 – Allemande

Albinoni’s Adagio

Bach – Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major BWV 1050 – 1. Allegro

J. S. Bach – Trio Sonata in E flat Major BWV 525 (1/3)

Antonio Vivaldi – Concerto for two oboes in d minor RV 535 (1/-)

Courante, Mr. De Lully (Harpsichord)

Telemann – Concerto grosso in D major, TWV 54:D3 (Trevor Pinnock / The English Concert)

Bach: Mattäus-Passion – Kommt, Ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen – Otto Klemperer

J. S. Bach – Partita n. 2 in C Minor BWV 826 – 6. Capriccio (6/6)

J. S. Bach – Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830 (Perahia)

Corelli : La Follia

Vivaldi: Sovvente il sole (Andromeda liberata, RV117)

Desterò dall’empia Dite – Sharon Rostorf-Zamir – Amadigi – Handel

Sento la Gioia – M.R. Wesseling – Amadigi – Handel

Handel, Io t’abbraccio Love duets

Handel – Serse “Ombra mai fu” – Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson

Johann Sebastian Bach 6 Partitas BWV 825-830,Gustav Leonhardt

Mozart – Lacrimosa

I hope you enjoy these pieces as much as I did when I had first heard them. I am always open to suggestions and recommendations, so please feel free to comment on my Facebook page if you’d like to share them, or just your thoughts.

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