Adagio Chillout
Adagio (Italian: at ease; at a leisurely pace). An
indication of tempo, sometimes used to describe a slow movement.
Take off your shoes, sit back in your favourite chair and
immerse yourself in some of the most tranquil music of the past 300 years.
Music has been used for centuries to relax and soothe the mind and body, and
this collection brings together works from all over the world – some familiar,
some not so well-known – to ease away the stresses of the day.
Track 1
Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Adagio for Strings
Few twentieth century pieces have caught the public
imagination quite like Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings. Originally conceived
as the central movement of his String Quartet in B minor, it was later
orchestrated by the composer at a request from the conductor Arturo Toscanini
for a piece for his first season with the newly-formed NBC Symphony Orchestra.
The piece gained international repute after it was performed at the funerals of
such luminaries as President Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Albert Einstein,
and has since been used in films such as Platoon, Lorenzo’s Oil and The
Elephant Man. It is an extraordinarily expressive piece of music, unfolding in
a series of dynamic terraces with the intensity increasing as the rapt mood is
effortlessly sustained throughout. It culminates in an impassioned climax
followed by a heartfelt pause, and the melody resumes its elegiac course,
resolving as if with a benediction.
If
you enjoyed the Adagio for Strings, why not try:
8.559088 Barber:
Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 (includes Adagio for Strings and Cello Concerto)
Wendy
Warner (cello)
8.559044 Barber:
Orchestral Works, Vol. 3 (includes Violin Concerto)
James
Buswell (violin)
Royal
Scottish National Orchestra, Marin Alsop
Track 2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto No. 21 in D major, K467 ‘Elvira Madigan’:
Andante
Mozart wrote an astonishing number of works in his short
lifetime. Among these are 27 concertos “for keyboard”: the piano as we know it
today was not fully developed until the very end of the eighteenth century, so
Mozart’s concertos were probably intended for performance on the fortepiano
(the modern piano’s immediate predecessor). They are generally referred to
these days as “piano concertos” as they are mostly performed on modern pianos.
Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 is one of the most typical of his orchestral
works, with two lively outer movements framing this gorgeous lyrical Andante.
This movement in particular is testament to Mozart’s unqualified genius as a
composer: though the musical language is actually rather complex, there is
absolutely no feeling that any of the music is in any way forced – an
achievement hardly any composer before or since has come near.
If
you would like to hear the rest of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, try:
8.550434 Mozart:
Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 21
Jenö
Jandó (piano), Concentus Hungaricus, András Ligeti
Mozart’s
complete piano concertos are available on 11 CDs:
8.550201 Vol. 1 8.550206 Vol. 6
8.550202 Vol. 2 8.550207 Vol. 7
8.550203 Vol. 3 8.550208 Vol. 8
8.550204 Vol. 4 8.550209 Vol. 9
8.550205 Vol. 5 8.550210 Vol. 10
8.550212 Vol. 11
Track 3
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3 – Mélodie
The name of Sergei Rachmaninov needs no introduction to any
lover of Romantic piano music: his Piano Concerto No. 2, used in such classic
films as Brief Encounter and by far the best known of his works, arguably
represents the zenith of Romantic concerto writing. His works for solo piano
are slightly less famous than his compositions for piano and orchestra. Written
in the autumn of 1892, when Rachmaninov was nineteen and had just graduated
from the Moscow Conservatory, the Morceaux de Fantaisie, Op. 3 comprise five
piano miniatures each with a character described in the title of the piece. The
third of the set is this exquisite Mélodie, so called because of the simple
melody that traces its way through the accompanying harmonies, from the
performer’s right to his left hand and back again.
Rachmaninov’s
complete Morceaux de Fantaisie can be heard on:
8.554669 Rachmaninov:
Morceaux de fantaisie (paired with Variations on a theme of Chopin, Op.
22 and Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 36)
Konstantin
Scherbakov (piano)
Track 4
Hugo Alfvén (1872-1960)
Elegy from Gustavus Adolphus II Suite
The name of Hugo Alfvén is not very well known outside his
native Sweden, though his works made quite an impact on first publication in
the early 1900s. His best known work was the Midsummer Vigil, a rhapsodic
depiction of the magical long Swedish midsummer night, though he in fact wrote
over 200 works including five symphonies and a large amount of choral and vocal
music. In 1932 the 300th anniversary of the death of King Gustavus Adolphus II
of Sweden was commemorated by the performance of a play entitled Vi
("We") at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm. Though the play is now
long forgotten, Alfvén’s music for it is still performed, particularly this
Elegy which is often used as funeral music; its serene dignity lends it a
poignancy fitting for such sombre occasions.
If
you enjoyed this, try:
8.553115 Swedish
Orchestral Favourites (includes Elegy from Gustavus Adolphus II Suite, Midsummer
Vigil and works by Söderman, Stenhammar, Larsson, Peterson-Berger and Wirén)
Helsingborg
Symphony Orchestra, Okko Kamu
Track 5
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Requiem - Pie Jesu
The subject of death is not exactly uncommon in classical
music, and the prevalent treatment of it is the setting of texts from the
Requiem Mass. Of the many settings through the centuries, few have won themselves
such classic status as the unique Requiem by Gabriel Fauré, pupil of
Saint-Saëns and teacher of Ravel. Where many other composers wrote angry,
dramatic, large-scale music clearly inspired by the ravages of Judgement Day,
Fauré’s music is intimate, serene and elevating: he took the word “Requiem” at
its literal meaning of “rest”, giving his music a sense of peaceful acceptance
and release. The Pie Jesu, whose words translate as “Gentle Jesus, grant them
rest, eternal rest”, encapsulates this sentiment perfectly with its clear
soprano melody set against a quiet organ accompaniment.
If
you would like to hear the rest of Fauré’s Requiem, try:
8.550765 Fauré:
Requiem (paired with Vierne: Andantino and de Séverac: Tantum ergo)
Lisa
Beckley (soprano), Schola Cantorum, Oxford Camerata, Jeremy Summerly
Track 6
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Fantasia on Greensleeves
The name of Ralph Vaughan Williams is synonymous for many
people with the very essence of British music. His quintessentially English
soundworld immediately conjures up images of forests, lakes and lush green
pastures; many of his works, such as The Lark Ascending and Fantasia on a Theme
of Thomas Tallis have established themselves in the British public’s affections
through the universal appeal of the beautifully simple musical language. The
Fantasia on Greensleeves, one such work for string orchestra, harp and one or
two optional flutes, is taken from the introduction to the third act of Vaughan
Williams’ opera Sir John in Love, based on The Merry Wives of Windsor. The
impassioned arrangement of the familiar melody appears at the beginning and end
of the work, with a lively folk-dance providing the contrast in the middle
section.
If
you would like to hear more of Vaughan Williams’ orchestral music, try:
8.555867 Vaughan
Williams: Orchestral Favourites (includes Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis,
Fantasia on Greensleeves and other orchestral works)
New
Zealand Symphony Orchestra, James Judd
8.553955 Vaughan
Williams: The Lark Ascending (paired with Job – A Masque for Dancing)
English
Northern Philharmonia, David Lloyd-Jones
Track 7
Jesús Guridi (1886-1961)
Diez melodías vascas – Elegíaca
One of the lesser-known names in classical music, Jesús
Guridi was in fact one of Spain’s greatest operatic and orchestral composers,
remarkable for the fact that he absorbed elements of the contemporaneous
musical trends but never actively attached himself to any of them, retaining
his own unique voice. He hailed from the Basque region of Spain and became one
of the foremost exponents of Basque nationalism in music. The Diez melodías
vascas (Ten Basque melodies) of 1941, a set of ten folk-melodies simplistic and
occasionally light-hearted though tinged with a modernist edge, were
responsible for making Guridi’s name in international music through their
astonishing variety and brilliant orchestration. The melancholic Elegíaca is
the ninth of the set, with overtones of Sibelius and Elgar pervading what is
essentially a serenade for solo violin.
The
rest of the Diez melodías vascas
can be heard on:
8.557110 Guridi:
Diez melodías vascas (paired with other orchestral and choral works)
Bilbao
Symphony Orchestra, Juan José Mena
Track 8
Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
The Tempest - Miranda
Along with the Dane Carl Nielsen, Sibelius was probably the
most important composer ever to come out of Scandinavia. He was particularly
well known for his tone poems – orchestral works that tell a story through
music – and pieces like Finlandia have established themselves as modern day
classics with their accessible, almost cinematic quality. His incidental music
for a notable 1926 Danish performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest resulted in
two concert suites, the second of which includes musical portraits of Prospero
and his daughter, and captures the magical spirit of Prospero’s island. The
innocence of Miranda is conveyed in the delicacy of this piece, though there is
also a sense of mystery in the opening few bars that suggests there is more to
her than the wide-eyed naivety of a young woman brought up alone on an island.
You
can hear the rest of The Tempest: Suite No. 2 on:
8.554387 Sibelius:
Symphonies Nos. 6 & 7, The Tempest Suite No. 2
Iceland
Symphony Orchestra, Petri Sakari
Track 9
Armas Järnefelt (1869-1958)
Berceuse
There is no doubt that Jean Sibelius was the most famous of
all Finnish composers. Less well-known outside his native country was his
brother-in-law Armas Järnefelt, a pupil of Busoni and Massenet who later became
the director of the Finnish National Opera, introducing many new items into the
repertoire. He is chiefly remembered nowadays for his Praeludium, a charming
work that often features in light orchestral programmes, and this Berceuse, a
staple of the pre-LP era orchestral repertoire as it comfortably fitted on to
one 78rpm side. In this touching, melancholy work, a haunting violin melody is
set against the lilting rhythms of an orchestral accompaniment, with a
major-key middle section providing a ray of light before the original theme
returns to close the piece.
To
hear more music by Järnefelt and other Finnish composers, try:
8.555773 Finnish
Orchestral Favourites
Maarit
Kirvessalo (violin), Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Jorma Panula
Track 10
John Tavener (b. 1944)
The Lamb
Sir John Tavener, an erstwhile student at the Royal Academy
of Music, is one of contemporary music’s most distinctive and recognisable
voices, writing deeply-felt compositions of instant magnetism and lyrical
intensity inspired by a strong Greek Orthodox faith. A prolific composer of
religious music, he has a catalogue of works including three Requiems and has
developed a very personal style that embraces his own concept of “melodic
minimalism”. The composer’s profile rocketed when his sacred choral work, Song
for Athene, was sung at the funeral ceremony of Princess Diana. The Lamb, one
of his settings of poetry by William Blake, is one of his better-known works.
It might almost be described as a (sacred) lullaby; written in one afternoon,
it is dedicated to Tavener’s three-year-old nephew. Its deceptively simple
melody drifts over waves of austere but exquisite harmonies, creating an
ethereal soundworld that is unique to Tavener.
More
of Tavener’s choral works can be heard on:
8.555256 Tavener:
Choral Works (includes The Lamb, Song for Athene and other choral works)
Choir
of St. John’s College, Cambridge, Christopher Robinson
Track 11
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Nocturnes – Nuages
One of the most influential composers of the early twentieth
century, Debussy was largely responsible for the development of Impressionist
music. Like the paintings of his compatriots Monet and Renoir, his music is
more about conveying a complete idea than it is about details – in fact, he
identified much more closely with painters and poets than he did to other
musicians. Nocturnes is a set of three orchestral tableaux originally inspired
by the poetry of Henri de Regnier and described by Debussy as “an impression of
light and shadow”. Nuages ("Clouds") is the first piece in the set.
Its delicately shifting string harmonies and dreamy oboe motif describe the
constantly changing shapes of twilight clouds, which finally disperse into thin
air at the very end of the movement.
To
hear Debussy’s Nocturnes in full, try:
8.550262 Debussy:
Nocturnes
BRT
Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels, Alexander Rahbari
Track 12
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
Pictures at an Exhibition - Cum mortuis in lingua morta
Modest Mussorgsky was not the most prolific of the Russian
nationalists, partly due to the fact that he was in full time employment at the
Russian Ministry of Communications for almost all his life, and he left a great
deal of work unfinished at his death. Probably his best known work is the 1874
suite Pictures at an Exhibition, inspired by an exhibition of works by his
friend, the artist Victor Hartmann. Originally conceived as a work for solo
piano, this underwent orchestrations by various composers, of which that by
Ravel is the most performed nowadays. Linked by “promenades” – the short walks
between the paintings – Mussorgsky represents in music a varied collection,
from the Market of Limoges and the Catacombs to the Great Gate of Kiev, a
monumental translation into music of an architectural design for a triumphal
gateway. Cum mortuis in lingua morta (With the dead in the language of the
dead) follows the depiction of the Roman catacombs with their skulls piled up
on either side. It achieves a ghostly, sinister mood through the use of tremolo
strings in the background, though the transition to a major key towards the end
gives a sense of optimism as the visitor to the catacombs emerges into the
light.
The
whole of Pictures at an Exhibition is available on:
8.555924 Mussorgsky:
Pictures at an Exhibition
National
Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Theodore Kuchar
The
original piano version can be heard on:
8.550044 Mussorgsky:
Pictures at an Exhibition
Jenö
Jandó (piano)
Track 13
Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999)
Fantasía para un gentilhombre - Española
Left blind from a bout of diphtheria at the age of four, the
Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo heard Verdi’s Rigoletto as a child and knew
that his vocation was to be a composer. His life spanned the entire twentieth century
and the numerous musical developments that lay therein, and as a result many
different musical techniques can be seen throughout his works. Though he was to
become most famous for the ubiquitous Concierto de Aranjuez, he wrote countless
other orchestral and choral works, many of which take inspiration from Spanish
music and legend. Of these, the Fantasía para un gentilhombre is among the most
commonly heard. Written for the world-renowned guitarist Andrés Segovia, it is
based on 17th century Spanish dances since the “gentleman” of the title is
Gaspar Sanz, the most significant Spanish composer of guitar music in the
Baroque period.
To
hear the complete Fantasía para un gentilhombre, try:
8.555841 Rodrigo:
Complete Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 (includes Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasia
para un gentilhombre)
Ricardo
Gallén (guitar), Orquesta Sinfonica del Principado de Asturias, Maximiano
Valdes
Track 14
John Rutter (b. 1945)
Requiem - The Lord is my shepherd
John Rutter is the most performed living composer of choral
music in the world today: there are over 200 sets of parts for his Requiem on
loan from the US publisher at any one time. His music is modern yet instantly
accessible, but is also often deeply personal and frequently provokes emotional
response. Written in 1985 in memory of John Rutter’s father, the Requiem is not
a conventional setting of the Requiem Mass but comprises a personal selection
of texts from the catholic liturgy and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. It is
divided into seven sections which form an arch-like meditation on the themes of
life and death. The penultimate section, a setting of Psalm 23, started life in
the mid 1970s as a separate piece and was incorporated into the fabric of the
complete Requiem in an exact correlation of the Libera me movement from Fauré’s
Requiem. Its simple oboe melody and shimmering strings instil a sense of
contemplation and calm, with some exquisite harmonies in the choral writing.
Rutter’s
complete Requiem can be heard on:
8.557130 Rutter:
Requiem
Choir
of Clare College, Cambridge, City of London Sinfonia,
Timothy Brown