Florida Suite: "By the River" Album: Delius: Orchestral Works Artist: English Northern Philharmonia & David Lloyd-Jones Composer: Frederick Delius
This piece has a wonderful flowing melody that just carries the listener along in a dreamlike journey of the imagination. Here is the music from YouTube accompanied by some wonderful pictures that just take you back in time to a simpler era.
Love in Bath: "The Pump Room (Parnasso in Festa)" Album: Handel: Solomon & Love in Bath Artist: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Sir Thomas Beecham Composer: George Frideric Handel
Back in pre Internet days I was driving along searching for music on my car radio. This suite had just started when I tuned in the local classical station. I had never heard such music. It sounded kind of Baroque but somewhat Modern at the same time. The music inthralled me and I had to know what it was and who was the composer. I had to be somewhere soon but I decided to keep driving until I had my answer. So I circled the freeways for the next 45 minutes until the suite ended and the station announced what just played. Love in Bath is a beautiful interpretation of Handel's music by Sir Thomas Beecham. I especially love the beginning piece "The Pump Room" which is again reprised during the suite.
From Wikipedia: Love in Bath is a suite of music compiled in 1945 from the music of Handel by the British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham for a ballet entitled The Great Elopement. Set in 18th-century Bath, the ballet depicts the love affair between the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Elizabeth Linley (daughter of the composer Thomas Linley), all presided over by the famous dandy Beau Nash. The music is mostly taken from Handel's operas Rodrigo, Serse, Ariodante and Il Pastor Fido among them.
Love in Bath: "The Pump Room (Parnasso in Festa)" — sample
Pastoral Suite for Flute, String Orchestra and Harp, Op. 13B: I. "Preludium" Album: Swedish Orchestral Favourites, Vol. 2 Artist: Swedish Chamber Orchestra & Petter Sundkvist Composer: Gunnar de Frumerie
The "Preludium" in Frumerie's Pastoral Suite for Flute, String Orchestra, and Harp is quite beautiful. The flute playing by Sarah Lindloff dreamily flows throughout this piece. The harmony also sounds quite modern but very pleasing to the ear. This is definitely a music gem.
Pastoral Suite for Flute, String Orchestra and Harp, Op. 13B: I. "Preludium" — sample
"Elegia No. 1 for Double Bass & Piano in D" Album: Bottesini: Music for Double Bass and Piano, Vol. 1 Artist: Joel Quarrington, Double Bass & Andrew Burashko, Piano Composer: Giovanni Bottesini
Who would of thought that the double bass could be the lead instrument in a piece of music. But the double bass really pulls it off in this absolutely gorgeous piece of music.
"Elegia No. 1 for Double Bass & Piano in D" — sample
The violin displays a lot of romantic emotion in this piece and seems to be crying through much of the of music. Kind of makes me want to cry too.
On some recordings the "Adagio cantabile" is the second part of the 1st movement (combined on one track) with the first part being the somewhat boring "Introduction: Grave". Get the "Adagio cantabile" on its own track so you don't have to wade through through four minutes of the "Introduction: Grave". On some recordings the "Adagio cantabile" is labeled as the 2nd movement. It can get confusing.
Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46: I. "Adagio cantabile" — sample
OK, I know that technically this piece isn't really classical music. But then again where do you draw the line between different genres of music. It's close enough for me though. Can't you discern the sonata form and the clever use of counterpoint? Now this is a great piece of music to listen to while you're driving above the city lights at night. And the storm sound effects add to the experience. Now add this to driving in real stormy weather at night and you're in another dimension of sound and experience.
