2024 Year End Review

Well here it is again,folks!

The 2024 Year End Review and it's that time of year where I celebrate some of the media I've been consuming this year. It's been a year where quite a lot has changed as series I've been watching have gradually been finishing for good leaving me with space to try and discover new shows to get addicted to.

So let's get this show on the road, shall we?

Off the Scale #81 - Any Other Name by Thomas Newman

Hello everyone!

Drawing the movie themes to a close it's back to Thomas Newman and this time American Beauty takes centre stage.

I've gone for a particular piece of music that's so soothing, so relaxing, it almost demands you stop what you're doing to consume it properly in my opinion.

Off the Scale #80 - Love Actually Suite by Craig Armstrong

 Hello everyone!

Well, we're 20 away from target now and it doesn't seem all that long since I started before I took the series on a hiatus.

Continuing in with movie themes, I've chosen one from a movie I could care less about, but the music on the other hand? This one has to get a special shout out...

Off the Scale #79 - For the Love of a Princess by James Horner

Hey everyone!

Onto the next in my mini-series within a series.

This time, it's the turn of the excellently scored movie Braveheart. I'm not wasting time on accuracies or inaccuracies of this movie because my series zooms in on the music that matters...

Off the Scale #78 - Road to Perdition Theme by Thomas Newman

Hello everyone!

We're back for another edition of Off the Scale and this time it's movies I'm paying a visit to. For the next few entries I'm going to be looking at some of my favourite themes.

I hope you can grow to appreciate them as much as I do...

Off the Scale #77 - Ma Vlast by Bedřich Smetana

 Hello everyone!

My, it's been a looong time since this series was last present on my blog!

I've been through a tough few years and have had multiple intentions to restart this series celebrating classical music in all shapes and sizes...

Then the pandemic hit and changed everything.

Then my dad got sick and changed everything.

Then my priorities changed, as my dad passed away, and I had to step back from blogging for a season.

But here I am, back once again in my journey to 100 episodes...

2023 Year End Review

 Hello everyone!

Rather belatedly, but as promised, here is my best of show for 2023. As always, the winners are not necessarily from content produced in 2023, just that it was consumed, by me, last year and made enough of an impression upon me to deserve a place on this list.

Here we go...

2022 Year End Review

Hello everyone!

This has been, probably, the toughest year on record for me.

But I have to stay focused and deliver the year end review I've been accustomed to bring.

Are you ready? Cos here we go...

Off the Scale #76 - The Banks of Green Willow by George Butterworth

Hello everyone!

It's been some time since my last "Off the Scale" entry, so I thought it high time I add another one to the collection, especially whilst I'm riding the high of motivation for updating this blog.

Today, I'm looking at The Banks of Green Willow by George Butterworth...

Off the Scale #75 - The Watermill by Ronald Binge

Welcome to the long-delayed return of my celebration of all things classical music.

I am so very sorry about the delay. A lot of circumstances have been beyond my control and, as a result, this was one of those unfortunate casualties that I could no longer maintain. I want to let you know from the off, though, that this might not be every week but I will at least try to make it every other week or every third week. We shall see.

Today is a piece I discovered some time last year as a long-time Classic FM listener entitled The Watermill by Ronald Binge...

Off the Scale #74 - Agnus Dei by Samuel Barber

Hello everyone!

I trust that you enjoyed my April André celebration, where I took a whole month to pay homage to my favourite violinist/conductor André Rieu. It was a wonderful time, trawling through the archives trying to find a mixture of his own, original compositions as well as covers of some well known pieces.

Today, I'm bringing things back on track as we edge ever closer to the finale at 100...

Off the Scale #73 - And the Waltz Goes On by Anthony Hopkins

Hello everyone!

My how time has flown by in this André Rieu special throughout the month of April.

Next week we will be back to normal, celebrating all things classical music, but for now, for one final time, let's celebrate all things André...

Off the Scale #71 - My Beloved Limburg by André Rieu

Hello everyone!

This is the third week of my André Rieu April celebration and for this week I have chosen "My Beloved Limburg" and, sadly, could only find an audio-only link to this one.

It shouldn't stop you from enjoying it, though...

Off the Scale #70 - Tales from the Vienna Woods by André Rieu

Hello everyone!

I hope you are enjoying André Rieu month here.

Today, as promised, is another of André's creations; entitled 'Tales from the Vienna Woods', which is available today on Amazon, so I suggest you buy yourself a copy. You won't regret it.

Off the Scale #69 - Music of the Spheres by André Rieu

Hello everyone!

It's April so it's André Rieu month here!

Each week throughout this month, I will be celebrating my favourite violinist/conductor. As you can see from the history of this series, I am quite a keen fan of André's music thanks to his effervescent stage presence. The way he can light up the stage with his demeanour and yet not steal any of the spotlight from the featured artists of his Johann Strauss Orchestra shows to me the true mark of a professional knowing it is not just about them.

For week one in April we are going to be listening to Music of the Spheres...

Off the Scale #68 - Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the sixty eighth edition of Off the Scale where this week we will be taking another look at Tchaikovsky, this time we will be focusing on part of the Swan Lake ballet.

This particular piece has always been a favourite of mine, though quite how many CD's my "favourites" would end up taking up is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. It just goes to show that you can like something yet to be always willing to expand your boundaries, allows you to open your mind that little bit more to broaden your tastes...

Off the Scale #67 Scheherezade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Hello everyone!

This week it's the turn of a composer I don't feature anywhere near enough, yet this particular piece is one I have heard quite a lot over the last year.

I am, of course, referring to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and his take on One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales...

Off the Scale #66 - Spring from 'The Four Seasons' by Antonio Vivaldi

Hello everyone!

It would be remiss of me not to do this, especially as we have been seeing some glorious weather here in Oldham this week. Admittedly, I'm actually writing this a couple of weeks ahead of schedule, so it might have changed by the time this goes live.

For today, I'm going to be celebrating Spring from Antonio Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'...

Off the Scale #65 - The Prince of Denmark's March by Jeremiah Clarke

Hello everyone!

This week I want to celebrate a piece that has been quite impactful on me of late and I could never remember what it was called despite hearing it on numerous occasions on Classic FM.

I have just made special effort to get its name, this time around, so that I could share it with you in the hopes that it helps someone else out there in the interwebby land to either study better, play harder, or just relax that little bit more.

I am of course referring to the 17th Century composer Jeremiah Clarke...

Off the Scale #64 - Elizabethan Serenade by Ronald Binge

Hello everyone!

Today I wanted to celebrate a composer who is relatively new to me as I am pretty sure that, if you listen to the choice I've made today, you will also find incredibly enjoyable.

I am of course talking about Ronald Binge and, in particular, his Elizabethan Serenade...