Desert Island Discs

While I was in school studying music, on more than one occasion I would hear my profs speak about “Desert Island Discs” ….. music they simply couldn’t live without. Well you may find this funny coming from a professional musician but I have finally come to the realization today that there is music I truly couldn’t live without …. so I’m going to start my own desert island disc collection 🙂

#1
Holst – The Planets – Montreal Symphony Orchestra w/ Charles Dutoit
(label – London/Polygram)

This is what started this whole post, and a no brainer for me. This work is so epic I can’t even begin to describe the depth of it. It’s truly a study in instrumentation and form. Holst does so much with so little material …. endless repetitions of a smattering of melodic motives. But in doing this the music still has a feeling of musical schizophrenia, contrasting sections of music make major tonal shifts and night and day differences in overall feel. And through all of this, every once in a while, he throws in the obligatory “sing along” melodies that just bring a smile to your face.

This is absolutely in every respect a piece of music I could not live without!

Eugene

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