Some recordings (simply done, on a mobile phone!) of myself accompanied by a guitar or keyboard. Mostly old folk or roots songs, but occasionally dipping into other things. The full list can be found here. Some examples are the following (in chronological order of my recording them!):
A few stories, the first two of which were originally intended to be children's stories:
A longer, episodic tale: An advent fable.
A second Christmas tale: Wind and its abating to snow.
Some my own, along with translations to English of some Norwegian poems, including several works of Kolbein Falkeid: poems.
Now and again, I experience moments which I can best describe as transcendent: a deep sense of beauty, of happiness, of awe, of empathy. A sense of profundity, of being at one with the mysterious essence of life. Whilst these moments cannot truly be expressed in words, there is an art in trying to do so, as well as their being a pleasant and useful aid to the memory!
The wonderful organ piece 'Marche Nuptiale' from 'Conte d'avril' by Widor was played at our wedding (in the chapel of University College, Oxford) during the signing of the register, where, with its tender beginning, it went down very well. I had stumbled upon it sometime previously; it is not very well-known, and I think that the recording I heard at that time is no longer readily available, but fortunately this one is great too! A little information on the piece can be found here.
The organist did not know the piece, and I ended up ordering the sheet music for him from a somewhat obscure shop in London specialising in a niche of it; we still have it!
Of Mozart's operas, Così fan tutte is my favourite; it is the energy of its ensemble and 'linking' pieces that make it for me, but I am also extremely fond of the tenor aria Un'aura amorosa that occurs towards the middle. By some distance, my favourite singer of it is Anton Dermota; he is able to make it flow like nobody else I have heard, with greatly expressive dynamics. His version can be heard here, taken from a wonderful 1955 performance conducted by Karl Böhm (though without an audience, it sounds like it is recorded live on a stage).
I am extremely fond of the performance of the wonderful duet between Papageno and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte by Manfred Hemm and Barbara Kilduff at the Metropolitan Opera's production of this opera in 1991. A slightly longer clip can be viewed here. It is the staging and acting that makes the performance, particularly Kilduff's movement throughout in ballet across the stage; the brilliance of the piece lies partly in the wide range of emotions that are touched upon in such a short time, and the pair's expression of the nuances of this are authentic. An epithet of genius would I think be likely for anybody who could turn 48 (by my count!) consecutive "pa"'s into beautiful, evocative music! The short part of the duet section which is in a high register for both singers, beginning with the fourth "Kinderlein", is one of my favourite pieces of music; rare and true in its representation of bliss.
Last updated: 02:23 (GMT+1), 1st May 2025