Unfortunately it makes you feel that MP3/Classical culture clash like BAM.

Still, we had piping hot, fresh Saint-Saens plummeting into the room during our introductory househeating meal of eggplant parmesan and freshly picked cherry pie. Good old Saint-Saens. He’s the bloke that got me into the genre. We were actually listening to the very piece that did the dirty, the 2nd piano concerto:

Click here to view the embedded video.

But the one I really like is the 4th. Anyone got any hot youtubings of that one? It’s so sparse, I love it. It’s like Shostakovich CC2 (another fave), in that there are rarely lots of groups of instruments playing at once. I remember intially thinking “what a waste of an orchestra!”, like if you’re paying ‘em all to sit there playing you wanna get the most bang for your buck. Everyone, full blast, all the time. Now I relish these unpopulated pieces. They’re pensive, cautious. The phrasing is more like equations in a quantum mechanics textbook than the bloody emissions of a sore heart.

Part 1 (beginning of 1st movement):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 2 (end of first movement, beginning of second):

Click here to view the embedded video.

Part 3 (end of 2nd movement):

Click here to view the embedded video.

However, the 2nd movement sounded frickin’ dumb.

Even after I had worked my way through the entire set of all 5 SS piano concertos I disliked that 2nd movement. It sounded like a bunch of pixies having a tea party and giggling about cupcakes or something. I remember coming across a comment (during my frequent googlings for people’s opinions on all the newly discovered music) by someone who stated that although they previously hated that movement, they had grown to love it. I also remember being pretty sure that probably was not going to personally be the case.

You can probably already be sure of what is getting written here next: I have grown to enjoy that movement.

Here it is (post initial mumblings):

Ones perceptions taking such a u-turn can be quite a shock to the past and future yous. It doesn’t sound like pixies anymore. Well, almost entirely not. Often the things which initially sounded so appealing fade away, and the previously faded things move into the focus. The depth of field pendulums.

And then again, some things are perennially the epitome of genius:

To make matters more bearable I completely pumped up the key, the gate, the music which got me into the world of classical in the first place. Which, you may not too cunningly have guessed, is by Mister Camille Saint-Saëns. Necessary umlaut guy.

The piece in question is his piano concerto number two. It was this piece, which, just beyond four years ago during the epic emotional crisis and mess of my first year in graduate school, grabbed on to me. That was the entry, the accidental engagement. It was innocently serving as background music due to being one of the few classical CDs I owned (all of which were purchased as one of those 3 for fifteen quid deals) and was on repeat to save me from getting up from my work/self-pity. All of a sudden — and it truly was suddenly — a melody existed which through all the previous listens had not.

It was the one after the intro in the first movement. From there I worked through that movement, listening over and over again. Then to the excitable, driving third. The second sounded way too tinkly and pretty back then, although I like it loads now. Inspired, I bought a set of all five of the piano concertos.

That’s how it all began for me. And that’s the end of story-time for tonight.

I didn’t even really listen to classical music until fairly recently. Interestingly, my fantastic and glorious renaissance (it was a world changing event for pretty much everyone in the world I’m sure) wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for my mum buying me a three-for-fifteen-quid deal on HMV brand classical CD’s one time when she visited in Bristol. I chose Saint-Saens (because I remembered liking “Carnival of the Animals” as a kid), Gorecki (because there was a track on an album by Lamb called that) and Mozart (because the keyboard I learned piano on had Symphony 40 as a demo song). I recall not really listening to them much. Except for the end of the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony, with the melody they used in Babe (I remember clearly it was playing when Alys brought over Champagne to store in our hallway-fridge before the final exam in Bristol, that’s almost prescient).

When it really hit was in the spring of my first year at Cornell, when the same CD was playing. Probably because I wanted some background music. It was the Saint-Saens piano concerto no. 2 which hit me first. That was the first piece of classical music that made sense. I wish I could pin down the day, or even month. It’s a date well worthy of recognition and celebration! Maybe I can check my Amazon orders for when I ordered the set of the Saint-Saens piano concertos…

…well look at that! March 5th, 2003. That was a Wednesday. I seem to remember discovering it while being on my computer in the middle of the day, which places it around the 1st or 2nd of March. Almost three years ago. And surprisingly soon after my horrible breakup that year. Wow… this could go on much longer. I’d like to keep pushing through my Amazon orders and see what comes back to me.