Greetings and salutations, Hivers. Today let's go into another Three Tune Tuesday post.

As always, thanks to @ablaze for making this series. Lots of people participate in it! Follow the tags to find a ton of good music recommendation.

While jazz might be what I post about most on here, I am a big fan of classical music. I may even have that playing more often. I thought today we'd look at 3 of my favorite pieces. Now of course, classical pieces are typically quite a bit longer than our typical pop or rock song. Not considering prog, a typical rock/pop song is probably around 3 minutes, whereas classical might be 20 minutes or more. That can make it more challenging to make the time to listen to it, but making that time is well worth it in my view.

Anyway, on with three great pieces.

Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Op. 35

When people think good violin concertos, they probably first think of Mozart. While Mozart's violin concertos are all wonderful—especially 3, 4, and 5—in my mind, they don't match this one by Tchaikovsky.

There are three movements here. Be careful of the third if you are wearing headphones: the second ends soft, but don't crank up the volume because the third begins loud.

The emotional depth and complexity of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto set it apart from the elegance of Mozart. The first movement, with its sweeping melodies, builds an intensity that speaks to both technical brilliance and profound feeling. Where Mozart is often light and playful, Tchaikovsky pulls at the heartstrings with a passionate and dramatic expression. Am I overstating it? Just listen. (But I might be biased: this is one of my favorite pieces)

One of the best performers of this piece is Itzhak Perlman. He really makes his violin sing.

Beethoven - Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61

You know, the violin is probably my favorite classical instrument next to the clarinet. But—and I saw this as a clarinet player—the clarinet almost works better in jazz. In classical, the violin can be so beautiful and melodic. Or maybe the cello. Hmm... I'd have to think about it.

Anyway, this next piece from Beethoven pairs well with the Tchaikovsky piece. Like Tchaikovsky’s concerto, Beethoven’s work offers both technical virtuosity and profound emotional depth. The Beethoven concerto, written in a grand, classical style, features lyrical melodies in the first movement, contrasted by a deep, meditative second movement, and concludes with an energetic and lively third movement.

Both concertos share a similar balance of elegance and passion but express them in different ways, which creates an interesting contrast. Where Tchaikovsky’s concerto often draws out more overt emotional expression, Beethoven’s concerto is a subtle masterpiece, rich in classical form and musical development. The two concertos would complement each other well, offering a compelling mix of drama, lyricism, and virtuosic display.

Now Itzhak Perlman has also performed this one many times, and his interpretation is just as amazing as with Tchaikovsky, but just for variety I'll pick one with a different soloist. Anne-Sophie Mutter isn't as technically brilliant as Perlman, but she is still very very good.

Debussy - String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

If I were to take a guess, I'd say you probably have never heard of the Tchaikovsky piece but have heard at least parts of the Beethoven one. So I thought I'd jump back to another you probably haven't heard of.

Many probably know the name Debussy, but they probably haven't actually listened to much by him. He didn’t write a violin concerto, but this quartet provides a striking contrast in terms of style and mood with the dramatic emotionalism of Tchaikovsky and the classical grandeur of Beethoven. The String Quartet is rich with color, texture, and atmosphere, focusing on nuance and subtlety rather than overt melodic development. The second movement, for instance, features a dream-like quality that showcases Debussy’s ability to evoke mood with delicate, flowing harmonies.

Debussy’s approach to composition was different from the more traditional styles of the other two composers. He placed more emphasis on timbre, mood, and impressionistic detail. This offers us a perfect foil to the more traditionally structured and emotionally intense concertos.

I'm not familar with the guys who play this, but they do a great job.

I hope some of you will actually take the time to listen to these amazing pieces. Anyway, if you did listen or already know them, what one is your favorite?

❦

David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.