Category Archives: Music

Music of the Trees 3: The Five Sacred Trees

Posted on 16 February 2017 by

John Williams is massively known for his massive body of film music. But one of my favorite modern works is his concerto The Five Sacred Trees. I have the disk of the London Symphony performance with Judith LeClair. It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged , | Leave a comment

On My Bookshelf: Hamilton and Sondheim

Posted on 28 January 2017 by

For now, I live at least a half a continent away from the performances. As a consolation, the soundtrack is greatly enjoyable. And nearly so is this book, which arrived from Amazon last summer. Having a readable libretto is nice; some … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, On My Bookshelf | Leave a comment

Music Of the Trees 2: Hovhaness

Posted on 26 January 2017 by

A sonata for harp and guitar, “The Spirit of the Trees,” has long been on my cd shelf. This recording by Yolanda Kondonassi on harp and David Leisner on guitar is the only release of which I’m aware. Reviewer Steve Schwartz, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Leave a comment

Music Of The Trees 1: Sibelius

Posted on 5 January 2017 by

By accident or whatever, I’ve found music of trees crossing my path today. There’s a good bit of it all over, mostly in the so-called classical sphere. A new discovery for me are these five piano pieces from the opus 75 … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Leave a comment

Star Dawn

Posted on 5 December 2016 by

In a liturgy/music/astronomy/science fiction mash-up, I’d like to nominate Alan Hovhaness’ mini-symphony “Star Dawn” for your December listening experience. From the review at a tribute site for the composer: In this work evoking space travel, bells symbolize the stars, flowing … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Music, science fiction | Leave a comment

Mary FAQ FAQ

Posted on 2 December 2016 by

Or, When Is A Question Not A Question? One of the sidebars in the War on Christmas is the thrust and parry of commentary on semi-liturgical songs. “Mary Did You Know” is a popular battlefield for Catholics. In parishes, I get … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Music, spirituality | 4 Comments

Exile Symphony

Posted on 1 December 2016 by

Some Advent music to consider, the First Symphony of Alan Hovhaness. The first movement is here by the Seattle Symphony, a more sympathetic recording than Leopold Stokowski’s 1942 version with the NBC Orchestra. From that link you can get to … Continue reading →

Posted in Advent, Music | 2 Comments