Classical
Music of the Day: Mompou – Paisajes no.2 “El Lago”
Today’s piece is “El Lago (The Lake)”, the second of three piano pieces by Federico Mompou (1893-1987).
“El Lago” is inspired by Barcelona’s Montjuic Park, but this piece is not so much a picturesque depiction of nature as it is a abstracted and polished beauty that has been cut out of the composer’s inner landscape.
Leif Ove Andsnes (pf)
Music of the Day: Rued Langgaard – String Quartet No.1
Today’s music is String Quartet No.1 by Rued Langgaard (1893-1952) who is Danish composer.
Many people might think that Langgaard’s chamber music is better in his early works. This “String Quartet No.1” is one from when he was 21-22 years old, so it is still not avant-garde. This music is in a fresh style, and it is easy to listen to because it sounds gentle to anyone’s ears.
There are many wonderful points in this performance, for me, the harmonies of the parts played with non-vibrato (such as major chord before the small pause) are unusually beautiful. It was a bit of a surprise as I had never heard this kind of performance/recording before. One reason may be that the recording is extremely good.
Denmark may be a small country, but it has been producing extremely unique artists, especially in art and music, since the 19th century.
Nightingale String Quartet