Anna Clyne: my classical-for-beginners playlist
One of the first pieces of classical music that I heard live, and which I found deeply moving, was Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, composed in 1806 for solo violin and orchestra. As the music unravels, the solo violin soars above the orchestra with such tenderness and intensity – from its entry at 3:20.
Arvo Pärt at 80: listen to five of his least, and best, known works
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A couple of years later, I heard on the radio Arvo Pärt’s Fratres for solo violin, string orchestra and piano, and was immediately captivated by its meditative quality. Pärt has arranged the work for several different instrumentations – such as solo cello and piano – since the original version in 1977.
Many of today’s composers are exploring new ways to write for traditional instruments. For example, Caroline Shaw’s Partita, composed between 2009-2012 for eight voices, explores a whole new sound palette for the voice.
Movement 1 – Allemande
Movement 4 – Passacaglia
In Kaija Saariaho’s Graal Théâtre, composed in 1994 for solo violin and chamber orchestra, the solo violin adopts a very different character to the Beethoven and Pärt, really exploring the extreme sonorities of the instrument and how it interacts with the ensemble. I first heard this piece in a live performance and was struck by the physicality of the music – especially for the soloist.
The physicality of music is something that I am often inspired by when I’m writing a new work – especially if it is in collaboration with a choreographer. Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring is a wonderful example of the synergy between music and movement, especially in the earthy rhythms that we hear at 3:00 of this video, which is the Joffrey Ballet’s reconstruction of Nijinsky’s choreography for the original 1913 premiere.
Classical music does not require a full orchestra to create a dramatic impact – the intimacy of a solo instrument can also be deeply moving – such as Satie’s Gymnopédie No 1 or the presto from Bach’s Violin Sonata No 1 in G minor, heard here in its original form...
... and here performed by Chris Thile on mandolin.
Sound Unbound is at the Barbican, London on 31 October and 1 November from 11am to midnight.