Whether or not you're a classical music fan, I urge you to listen (even if it's for 30 seconds) to both below - when I'm missing America, I frantically search for a recording of Appalachian Springs or Letter From Home in order to visualize the vastness of America's heartland. And when I'm in the States and badly missing the pensive English countryside with its grey skies and contrasting green fields dotted with cows and sheep, I turn to Finzi.
So here we have my snapshot (taken out of a moving vehicle) of an English shire that shall remain unnamed, in its wry, moody state:
And Finzi's haunting Romance in E flat Major, Op. 11:
Contrasted by the wild, American prairie (where Laura Ingalls Wilder frolicked, where the deer and the antelope play ... where seldom is heard, a discouraging word ... you know the rest):
And the hopefulness of Copland's Appalachian Springs:
Photo source
Bartok: Concerto 4th movement.
ReplyDeleteBartok felt homesick in the US and in this movement the melody on the brass&wind instruments is said to represent the American city and the melody on the strings is Hungary.
Starts around 6:50 on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxkjNX7ZLDA
Ah, yes I can hear that - the brass & wind melody reminds me of Bernstein and a bit of Copland as well!
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