January's Listening Picks

2021 has arrived! And it’s… the same as last year but a bit colder. Anyway - I hope you enjoy these five pieces to keep you going!

Variations on a Theme by Haydn - Johannes Brahms

There’s something comforting about this one for me. As I’ve said before, many times, I used to dislike Brahms intensely (once likening his music to eating a disappointing watery brownie) but over the years I have grown to understand a love his music - this is one that really helped with that.

The Lighthouse - Segun Akinola

If you know me, you’ll know I’m a bit of a fan of this show, and the music has recently been of a particularly high quality. Akinola’s score underpins the action and drama on screen perfectly, and without spoiling any of the show for those who haven’t seen it, this musical moment is a real highlight. As with any modern-day soundtrack, I think it works best as part of the scene it’s for rather than on its own, but hopefully this gives you a flavour!

Violin Sonata - Ethel Smyth

This is such an accomplished and captivating work which combines atmospheric and harmonic sensitivity with lush melodies and excitement. I’m really glad I found this recently!

Always The Beautiful Answer - Marc Yeats

I had the fantastic opportunity to play in this a couple of years ago. Marc Yeats’ writing is incredibly interesting as it relies on performers having timecodes on their score and following a stopwatch, rather than a conductor. It’s been really interesting recently to revisit how this affects the independence/cohesion of each instrumental part.

Symphony No. 3 - Krzysztof Penderecki

This is a gargantuan piece that feels really foreboding (you might recognise some of it from the film Shutter Island). I think it’s a great example of a piece which explores contemporary approaches to creating music but that is also really accessible and satisfying to listen to.