Procrastination

I am taking a break from my studies because I have a blog post itching to get out of me...

I just have to share with you two pieces of music which are really moving me at the moment.

The first is Brad Mehldau, "Largo". After a conversation with Nicholas on Saturday (a most excellent evening. incidentally), I was inspired to get another of Brad Mehldau's albums. For those of you unaware of him, he is an American pianist who plays jazz (mostly) in a trio (in the period in question, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy). He has a net line in jazz versions of Radiohead and Beatles tracks.

I was first introduced to his music back in 2001 when living in Nice. We were sharing a house with an Irish exPat Nursing student, Orla, and she introduced us to the large Irish community in Nice at the time. Amongst them was an extremely affable chap called David O'Docherty (nominated at the Edinburgh Fringe this year for the Perrier award, and writer of the rather terrific children's book, "Ronan Long Gets It Wrong"), who loaned me a tape of his friend Brad, which took up residence on our rather decrepit tape player for the next few weeks.

The original record Nicholas and I were enthusing over, "The Art of the Trio, Volume 4" has now been joined in my collection by "Largo", which I believe is marginally superior, although orbiting in a slightly different musical world. The ensemble has been enlarged to include brass and string sections, and it takes a slightly more simplistic approach to some of the numbers. Indeed, it is markedly less "jazz" than the other recordings I have heard by him (which may help to quell the fears of those dreading a jazz-Radiohead collision), and features some fine versions of "Paranoid Android" and "Dear Prudence".

However, it's the opening track, "When It Rains", which is moving me at the moment. There's an air of relaxed melancholy over it, which is peculiarly beautiful. I won't say much more about it, but would encourage you to track it down if you can (Nicholas - a copy shall be on the way to you shortly).

The other piece that is affecting me at the moment is the Concerto Grosso, Op. 6 No. 4 by Arcangelo Corelli. Not only is it far removed from the Brad Mehldau, it is far removed from my "usual" favourite pieces of Classical music. Thanks to my course, my eyes have been opened to the joy of Baroque (and earlier) music (previously, I confess, my interest in this period had begun and ended with the Renaissance church music of Gabrieli and J.S. Bach). This particular Concerto Grosso is one of our set works, and I would encourage anyone who likes the music of Vivaldi (can you guess who this is directed at?!) to listen to this piece.

The musical and technical joys of this piece are too long for me to go into here, but I shall highlight my two favourite moments. Firstly, the Phrygian (so called after the Phrygian mode) cadence that ends the Adagio. After a Perfect cadence in B minor (for the piano players among you, a triad of F# major, followed by a triad of B minor, both in root position, and with A# followed by B in the top part), the music descends through a first inversion (A in the bass, F# at the top of the chord) F# minor chord, then a first inversion E minor chord (G in the bass, E in the top), and finishing on a root F# major chord (F# in the bass, F# at the top). It looks complicated written down, but believe me, it sounds simple and beautiful.

The second moment is in the fourth movement (Allegro), again at the end of the piece, where the bass rises against F# and D in the top two violin parts, giving chords of D major (root), D major (first inversion), G major seventh (first inversion), D major seventh (second inversion), B minor (root). Again, looks complicated, sounds divine.

I hope you enjoy these!