Off the Scale #26 - Rosen aus dem Süden by Johann Strauss II

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the next edition of my classical music series and today I will be starting a series celebrating Dutch violinist and composer; André Rieu.

This particular piece of music I first heard back in 2012, I think, and this is what drew me to Rieu's style of conducting.

Off the Scale #25 - Asturias by Isaac Albéniz

Hello everyone!

Here we are, the quarter century milestone celebrating all things classical music, did you ever see that coming?! I didn't!

When I started this series back in February, I never expected to get here so fast, yet here we are so a big thank you for your support!

This week, we're keeping in with last week's theme of classical guitar music and it's the turn of Isaac Albéniz and his piece knowns simply as "Asturias"...

Off the Scale #24 - Recuerdos De La Alhambra by Francisco Tárrega

Hello everyone!

Thank you for sticking with my classical music series "Off the Scale", it means a lot to me to consider that I am helping to grow people's interest in classical music every single day. Simply by doing my bit for the genre.

Today we are going to look at one of my favourite pieces of classical guitar music; Francisco Tárrega's "Memories of Alhambra", otherwise known as Recuerdos De La Alhambra...

Off the Scale #23 - Parce Mihi Domine by Cristóbal de Morales

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the twenty third edition of "Off the Scale" and I have a very special one for you as I've only really been able to name this one this year; taken straight from his Officium Defunctorum, may I present to you Cristóbal de Morales' Parce Mihi Domine.

I have heard this one a few times on Classic FM's Smooth Classics programme and, until recently, haven't been able to name it until now. The smooth jazz lines featured in this peace are perfect for bringing out an emotional state that can at times be either reflective or melancholic, proving that music can cause you to be a great feeler of your emotions...

Off the Scale #22 - Karl Jenkins' Sanctus (taken from "The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace")

Hello everyone!

I hope you are enjoying the sunny weather (well, I hope it's still sunny by the time this one goes live as I'm writing it a week in advance) because, as always, I am.

Today's edition of "Off the Scale" comes courtesy of Karl Jenkins' Sanctus taken from "The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace". I recently discovered this one on Classic FM's Smooth Classics programme during my nightly unwind. I was gripped instantly and wanted to share it with you in the hopes that you, too, can be suitably inspired...

Off the Scale #21 - Eric Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1

Hello everyone!

Let us gain ever more momentum for this series celebrating classical music by listening to a piece of music that I only really discovered this last year or so; I'm talking, of course, about Eric Satie's Gymnopédie number 1.

This particular piece I find (like I like to use a lot when talking about classical music) both evocative and captivating and it's one I think seems to feature a lot on Classic FM's Smooth Classics programme...

Off the Scale #20 - 1812 Overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Hello everyone!

In celebration of the recent Classic FM Hall of Fame, I present to you the winner; The Year 1812, festival overture in E♭ major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture.

Even now, I still cannot believe that this particular piece forced the former champion (and feature of one of my earlier "Off the Scale" editions) Ralph Vaughn Williams' evocative piece "The Lark Ascending".

The biggest surprise on the night, in my opinion, was that it forced that piece to number three below Sergei Rachmaninov (another feature in this series) and his Piano Concerto number 2, when the two had been battling it out for several years' worth of supremacy.

Off the Scale #19 - The Soldiers' Chorus from Faust by Charles Gounod

Hello everyone!

Celebrating captivating classical music is one of the main staples of my blog, as well as talking about my life as a devout Christian, so today, I want to look at an opera by Charles Gounod.

This piece of music I only discovered over the last three months or so and, like The Witches' Chorus mentioned two weeks ago, was instantly captivated by the performance as it reminds me that voices can capture emotion just like musical instruments.

Let's take a closer look...

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: TLP Takes a Break

Hello everyone!

I'm just going to come out and say that I need to take a break from blogging for a while. It has become apparent that putting so much effort into my content since my return at the end of 2017 is burning me out.

I like to give my all to this content as I'm hoping that you, my dear readers, can tell by now and I just feel that, if I continue with the pace of submissions I have been attaining, I won't last very long. My mental health is of the utmost concern right now so I have to take a step back for a while.

Fear not, though, because I want to let you all know right now that I am still fully committed to my "Off the Scale" series every Monday.

Thank you for your patience during my absence and I will return.

===TLP===

Off the Scale #18 - Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the eighteenth edition of "Off the Scale", my celebration of all things classical music, where today I'm going to be looking a popular piece that's often played as part of Classic FM's Smooth Classics programme.

Listening to it you can definitely begin to understand why as it's so soothing as to be one of the most ideal pieces of music for mediation's sake.

I'm a big believer in celebrating all things classical so let's do this...