Shostakovitch - an excerpt from 'The Gadfly'

This CAN'T hurt your ears! The previous post might disturb......this does not! When I first discovered this, it shocked the hell out of me as I didn't think the composer had it in him to write such beautiful music. I hope you love this as much as I do!

Listen and ENJOY!

Shostakovitch - an excerpt from Symphony no. 14

Shostakovitch that might hurt your ears! This clip is from his Fourteenth Symphony and in my opinion it is one of his masterpieces. It may not be for all but I adore it!

Prokofiev Symphony No. 4 1/4

I have avoided Prokofiev's Fourth Symphony for far too long. I have been well aware of Prokofiev's symphonies no.'s 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7, but have maintained a wrongful determination to avoid discovering his Third and Fourth. Part of the problem probably stems from the fact that the composer re-wrote this symphony in 1947 and added an additional 14 minutes onto the score. I once heard this version and took an immediate dislike to it. The ORIGINAL version, however, it a total delight. If you like/love his music to "Romeo and Juliet", this wonderful symphony should not be difficult to appreciate.

Please discover and ENJOY!

(Just a note: His Third is more difficult to appreciate as it sounds like he was trying to imitate the sounds one would hear in a steel foundry.......crash.....bang.....boom!)

Prokofiev Symphony 4 2/4

Prokofiev Symphony 4 3/4

Prokofiev Symphony 4 4/4

Prokofiev's fireworks for the piano....Sonata no.7

I still wish I could play like her because then I.....oh well, you know the story!

Prokofiev's Piano Concerto 3/1

Damn, can she play. I wish I could play like her then I wouldn't be sitting here typing away at this stupid key board. I love this concerto....really exciting!

Prokofiev Piano Concerto 3/2

Prokofiev Piano Concerto 3/3

Wow! This is REAL filmscore!

Prokofiev wrote this music for the Sergei Eisenstein's epic film "Alexander Nevsky". Later he compiled the music for a "Cantata" which is how we know the score today. It is ironic that Prokfiev died the same day as Stalin and would never get to know the "relaxed" artistic freedoms that Shostakovitch would later come to "enjoy".

Please get to know this fantastic music......it won't "hurt your ears"!

Stalin meets "The Sound of Music"

Listen to the theme that comes in around 2:25....sounds familiar? I should say so! Hammerstein......you naughty boy! Plagiarism.....pure and simple! Ah, the trouble we have with Stalin!

Song of the forest

I'm lost in a "forest" as to how I thought 30 years ago that this piece of Stalinist propaganda was great music!