Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 5 Episode 2

Feeling tired? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle, soothing piano music? Welcome to the the Episode 2 of Series 5 in the Relaxing Piano Playlist! In this episode, I perform for you music by Gluck, Faure, Lyadov, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and Mvt 2 of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto Op.37

Chapters

• 0:30 Introduction
• 5:00 Melody from Orfeo & Euridice, Christophe Gluck arr. Siloti
• 9:45 Pavane Op.50, Faure
• 16:43 Prelude No.1 in B minor Op.11, Anatoly Lyadov
• 20:02 Intermezzo No.3 in C Sharp Op.117, Brahms
• 27:23 Moment Musicaux No.3 in B minor Op.16, Rachmaninoff
• 35:22 Mvt 2 Largo from Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor Op.17, Beethoven

Transcript

00:30 - James Quinn

Hello and welcome to Episode 2 of Series 5 in the Relaxing Piano Playlist, with your host, James Quinn here at the piano, thank you very much for joining me.

In this episode, you’re going to hear a number of pieces ranging from a wide variety of composers, covering the Classical and the Romantic periods.

The first piece that you’re going to hear, comes from a new composer added to the podcast in the form of the composer Christophe Gluck. Born in July 2nd 1714 where he was raised in Bohemia and died on 15th November 1787 in Vienna. He specialised in Italian and French opera. The piece you will hear is a piano arrangement from his well known opera, Orpheus and Euridice and this is simply called 'Melody' which originally comes from the second Ballet. This arrangement was made possible by the Romantic composer Alexander Siloti.

The next set of pieces come from the Romantic period. For the first of these comes from a return to the French composer Gabriel Faure, and in this instance you will hear another piano arrangement of one of his well known works, Pavane. This was published by the composer as Op.50.

Afterwards, we then have a short piece from yet another new composer in the form of the Russian composer Anatoly Lyadov. Born in St. Petersburg on 12th of May 1855 and died on 28th of August in 1914, he was immediately submerged into music from his extensive musical family. After he was first taught by his Stepfather Konstantin, who was a conductor, and he would enter in the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1870 studying Piano and Violin, as well as Counterpoint. His work was recognised by members of The Five, notably by Mussorgsky. He would also entered in the composition classes given by Rimsly-Korsakov. To give you a first glimpse of his compositional style, you will hear a short work, his Prelude No.1 in B minor, which he wrote in a small set of 3 Piano Pieces published as Op.11

We then make a return to the composer Johannes Brahms for our next piece, and here you will hear his Intermezzo No.3 in C sharp minor, which he published in a short set of 3 Intermezzos as Op.117

To finish off this section, we revisit the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff for our penultimate piece, in which you will hear his Moment Musicaux No.3 in B minor, which he wrote and published 6 of these in a cycle as Op.16.

After this, you will hear another slow movement from a piano concerto to finish off this episode, and in particular, we return to the classical composer Ludwig Beethoven. In this case, you will the second movement set to the speed of Largo from his Third Piano Concerto in C minor. He composed this between the years of 1800-1803 and was published the following year and he dedicated the work to Louis Ferdinand of Prussia.

So to recap, here is the order just once more: 'Melody' from the second Ballet of the opera Orpheus and Euridice by Christophe Gluck and arranged by Alexander Siloti, Pavane Op.50 by Faure, Prelude No.1 in B minor Op.11 by Anatoly Lyadov, Intermezzo No.3 in C sharp minor by Brahms, Moment Musicaux No.3 in B minor by Rachmaninoff, and finally Movement 2 from Piano Concerto No.3  in C minor Op.37 by Beethoven.

So sit back, relax, and I hope that you enjoy all of the music. Thank you.