Classic FM Relax
Our fantastic 3CD Relax is a must-have album, featuring over 3 hours of soothing classical music to relax and inspire you.
From the dreamy melodies of Mozart , Beethoven and Debussy to beautiful new tunes courtesy of Einaudi, Hawes and Ungar. The music on these three CDs are the perfect antidote to the busy and demanding lifestyles of the 21st century.
Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor - second movement
For many people, this is the Piano Concerto - lyrical, passionate and moving, real heart-on-your sleeve stuff from classical music's Mr Romantic. Listening to the tunes, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Rachmaninov had a lover in mind when writing the piece, but in actual fact, it's dedicated to his therapist, who helped the composer get over a nervous breakdown. Very Hollywood, and in actual fact Rachmaninov ended his days in Beverly Hills, forty years or so after this concerto was written.
Butterworth - The Banks of Green Willow
The English composer George Butterworth was a gruff Yorkshireman and, like his university friend Vaughan Williams, an enthusiastic collector of folk songs. The Banks of Green Willow is his most famous folk song setting - and it's one of the best musical depictions of lazy, sunny days in the countryside. Butterworth was tragically killed during the Battle of the Somme - and maybe it's the knowledge of this that lends a sad, wistful tinge to the music, too.
Grieg - ‘Morning' from Peer Gynt Suite No.1
Grieg wrote his Peer Gynt Suites as incidental music to a play by Henryk Ibsen. Peer Gynt is the main character, and he's no hero - in fact, he's quite a scallywag, and at the beginning of the play he's banished from his village after trying to crack onto the bride at a wedding. The remainder of the story concerns his adventures in exile. This beautiful number is, to many ears, the picture of a Norwegian sunrise, complete with fjords and mountains. In fact, it describes the sun rising on the desert of North Africa - somewhere Peer Gynt ends up in the play.
Schubert - Symphony No.5 in B flat major - second movement
The amount of music Schubert wrote in his short life is nothing short of miraculous - in the 1810s, when he composed Symphony No.5, he averaged at least 65 bars of new music every day. If you've ever tried writing music yourself, you'll know just how much of a feat that is. Glorious tunes simply poured from him, seemingly effortlessly, and that's the mood of the fifth symphony - sunny, free-flowing and sparkling. This slow movement is one of the loveliest ever written, peaceful and serene - enjoy!
Saint-Saens - ‘Aquarium' from Carnival of the Animals
Incredibly, Saint-Saëns wouldn't let the Carnival of the Animals be performed during his lifetime - the reason being that he'd written it as a bit of a fun, to be played by him and his friends of an evening, and he felt that if it was made public it would destroy his reputation as a "serious" composer. Today it's probably his most popular work, showing that there was indeed a humorous side to the man. It has everything from elephants to fossils - and even pianists - but this is one of its more serene moments: a brilliant, watery depiction of an aquarium.
For a man universally acclaimed as probably the greatest composer ever, it's reassuring for us mere mortals that Mozart didn't live his life without some criticism. The violinist Antonio Brunetti slammed the original slow movement of the composer's Violin Concerto No.5, calling it "too artificial". Can you believe the man's gaul? Anyway, Mozart wrote this piece, obviously also for violin and orchestra, as a replacement for it, but nowadays it's commonly performed on its own.
Einaudi is probably contemporary classical music's greatest success story. As a student in the 1960s, he wrote angular, harshly modern music - but luckily for us, he decided to take another approach in the 1980s and instead discovered a gentler, mesmerising solo piano style that deservedly has audiences the world over transfixed. This piece, whose title means "Tonight", is from his album Le Onde - which was inspired by a Virginia Woolf novel.
Delibes - Valse Lente from Sylvia
Leo Delibes, the man who gave us the "Flower Duet", was actually more famous during his lifetime for writing ballet music for Paris's famous Opera House. His ballet Sylvia was composed in 1876 and it's based on Greek mythology - the lead character is a nymph, and isn't supposed to fall in love. Aminta, a lowly shepherd, tries to win her affections - and that's where the trouble starts. This beautiful slow waltz is from the first act of the ballet.
Haydn - Trumpet Concerto in E flat major - second movement
If the words "music technology" make you think of blippy pop music and computers, then think again - for centuries, composers have been relying on it for inspiration. In the 1790s a new type of trumpet was developed which caught Haydn's eye (and ear): for the first time, a system of keys enabled the instrument to play all the notes of the scale, and Haydn used the new invention to fine effect in his Trumpet Concerto. The first and last movements are witty and invigorating, but this gorgeous slow movement is perhaps the concerto's finest moment.
Benjamin Britten could lay claim to being one of the greatest English composers ever, and he showed his brilliance at a young age with this stunning piece for choir, written when Britten was just 17 - and still at school, no less. Quite an achievement, especially when you find out that he cleverly splits the choir into two halves which question and answer one another - a jaw-dropping, stereophonic effect which will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Beethoven - Bagatelle No.25 in A minor (‘Fur Elise')
If you know anything at all about Beethoven, you won't be surprised to learn that the man had a pretty tortuous love life. One such romantic disaster was with Therese Malfatti, the daughter of a Viennese businessman, who Beethoven had been hoping to marry in 1810. In the end, she married a nobleman and left poor Ludwig heartbroken. Anyway - the reason all this is relevant is because it's thought that this little piano piece, known as "Für Elise", was originally entitled "Für Therese", in honour of Beethoven's intended bride.
Disc 2
Mascagni - Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana
If you're getting married at any point soon, and are looking for something a little different to walk down the aisle to, why not give this piece a try? It's becoming an increasingly popular wedding day choice - and when you listen to the romantic, sweeping strings in Mascagni's famous Intermezzo, you soon understand why. His opera Cavalleria Rusticana was astonishingly successful, with many people instantly describing it as a masterpiece following its premiere in Rome in 1890. The Intermezzo from the opera has gone on to become one of the most requested pieces on Classic FM - grab the tissues, because this one's a real tear-jerker.
Bach - Violin Concerto in A minor - second movement
If Bach was writing these sleeve notes, he'd probably have knocked them off in about three minutes, such was his astonishing work rate. Some months, he composed literally hundreds of pieces, and it would take an absolute age to listen to everything he wrote. Bach was a big fan of the violin - not least because it was one of the few instruments from our modern day orchestra which had actually been invented in the 18th century - and this stately second movement of the Violin Concerto in A minor is a great example of laid-back Baroque.
Rutter - ‘O Waly, Waly' from Suite for Strings
If you've ever sung in a choir, or seen your kids perform at a Christmas concert, then chances are you'll have already come across the music of John Rutter. And whilst it's fair to say that he's written a huge amount of seasonal music, it would be unfair to label Rutter as the classical equivalent of Slade or Johnny Mathis. Not that there's anything wrong with the Christmas hits of Slade or Johnny Mathis, of course. Anyway, back to the point - in this piece, Rutter takes the traditional tune ‘O Waly, Waly' and gives it a new twist, with a chilled-out string sound that's bound to relax you.
Berlioz - Dance of the Sylphes
As a composer, there must be nothing worse that having almost no audience for the premiere of your latest masterpiece. For Hector Berlioz, that nightmare came true when The Damnation of Faust was performed for the first time. Berlioz made his frustrations clear, and you can't help but feel sorry for him: "Nothing in my artistic career ever wounded me so deeply as this unexpected indifference". The lack of support for his new work led to huge financial difficulties for Berlioz - and yet when you listen to this wonderfully ethereal dance, you have to ask why it was never a storming success in the first place. Still, that's the fickle public for you.
Classic FM's most recent Composer in Residence has proven hugely popular since he first began writing dreamy piano melodies for us in 2006. And this particularly one is becoming a definite hit with some of our youngest listeners. It's essentially a lullaby, performed on this recording by Patrick himself, and if you're searching for a piece to get your little one off to sleep, this one's bound to do the trick.
Albinoni - Oboe Concerto in D minor - second movement
Back in the good old days of 1703, Albinoni wasn't particularly known for his oboe music. In fact, his operas were all the rage. But fast-forward a few hundred years, past Mozart, Verdi, Puccini and the like, and Albinoni's no longer prolific in the world of opera. Instead, it's his concerti which seem to have stood the test of time. Very little is known about Albinoni's life - but from the sound of his music, he clearly knew how to make the oboe sing.
Rodrigo - Concierto de Aranjuez - second movement
For many, it was the film Brassed Off which first instilled a love of the music of Rodrigo. In that movie, the title was altogether different (remember ‘Orange Juice'?), and the instruments the piece was performed on were more than slightly different - but here we've gone for the original version. Of all composers, Rodrigo can probably lay claim to trademarking musical sunshine - in fact, the opening bars of this piece alone are enough to whisk you off to far warmer climes. Rodrigo was an astonishing musician, and an inspirational man, too. Blind from an early age, he never let his disability hamper him from writing gorgeous tunes, and throughout his life he championed the music of his native Spain.
Listening to the rich, soulful voice of Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel - or ‘Big Bryn' as he's known to many of his fans - is enough to relax even the most frazzled of individuals. The anonymous Shenandoah is basically a shanty, painting the picture of a rolling American river. It's been sung by all sorts of people - including Bruce Springsteen - but Bryn's is the version we love best.
Handel - ‘Ombra Mai Fu' from the opera Xerxes
Opera is responsible for some of the most unfathomable plots ever imagined. In this aria, from Handel's opera Xerxes, the main character is singing a hymn of praise to a sacred plane tree. Not your usual ‘boy meets girl' storyline, but it's actually a cracking opera - unfortunately rarely performed nowadays. Albrecht Mayer is the principal oboist for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and he arranged this famous aria for oboe and orchestra. As we're sure you'll agree, this new take on it works beautifully.
One of things we love most at Classic FM is giving brilliant yet fairly unknown music a wider audience. In the case of the Ashokan Farewell, we knew we'd discovered a hit from the moment we played the piece. Jane Jones was responsible for championing this hauntingly beautiful tune, and before long it had become one of the most requested pieces on the station. The composer Jay Ungar has spent much of his life studying American music - so it's no surprise that this piece was inspired by a camp in the Catskill Mountains where, in fact, Jay still runs his Ashokan Dance Camps every year.
Maria Theresa von Paradis was admired by Mozart, and a pupil of Salieri, so from a young age she was certainly shown the musical ropes by some of the best composers around. In fact, she became so successful as a singer and pianist that she even commissioned a concerto from Mozart. One of the world's first truly successful female composers, she travelled widely across Europe - and spent several years in London. Most of her music is never heard nowadays - but this dreamy Sicilienne is a definite exception.
Puccini - Intermezzo Suor Angelica
In Suor Angelica, Puccini whisks us off to a convent in 18th century Italy. Suor (or Sister) Angelica has been there for seven years, and the story revolves around a previous illicit relationship which still haunts the now-faithful nun. Many critics have suggested that the plot for Suor Angelica doesn't show Puccini at his best - but when it comes to the music, he definitely doesn't disappoint. We still hear the beautifully lush, romantic sound that Puccini's famous for - nowhere more so than in this Intermezzo.
The Baroque composer Domenico Zipoli is something of a one-hit wonder. He divided his time between writing music and working as a Jesuit missionary, and although a large number of his choral works remain today, it's Elevazione that's proved the enduring success. Zipoli studied with the cathedral organist in Florence - in fact much of his musical education was intertwined with his religious belief - and this piece is one of the prime examples of his ability to take a simple, stately tune, and leave it ringing in your ears.
Disc 3
Debussy - Arabesque No.1 in E major
Debussy and Alfred Hitchcock aren't exactly a natural partnership, but this tune was made most famous by its use in Hitchock's 1963 film The Birds. Debussy himself remains one of France's most famous composers - but despite his dreamy music, he led a pretty turbulent life. Personal problems led Debussy to flee to Eastbourne, of all places - so who knows, perhaps the bracing East Sussex coast was the true inspiration for so much of his atmospheric music.
They say your parents are responsible for many things - and in the case of John Barry, it's certainly true that his career path was partly carved out by his dad. Barry Senior ran a small chain of cinemas in North Yorkshire, and his son would regularly join him in the projector's booth. From a very young age, John Barry developed a love of the cinema - and, in particular, film music. He later went on to write some of Hollywood's most memorable movie scores - most famously, James Bond - and, since then, he's written lots of chilled-out orchestral pieces. This is one of the best, arranged by the clarinettist Emma Johnson.
Erik Satie is the only composer who can lay claim to calling a set of pieces ‘Three Drivelling Preludes for a Dog'. And, as far as we know, no other musician has ever demonstrated a penchant for collecting handkerchiefs, umbrellas and velvet costumes. Until the 1960s, Satie's sublimely relaxing tunes had been largely dismissed - not least because most people thought he was a nutcase - but the last forty or so years have seen something of a revival in appreciation for his music. And when you listen out to the evocative piano sounds of this piece, you wonder why anyone ever questioned Satie's talents.
Bizet - Entr'acte to Act III of Carmen
Opera. Stuffy, posh and other-worldly. Is it? When Bizet launched Carmen into the world in 1875, just imagine what the French public thought. It was vivid, lively and controversial. It dealt with gypsies, smoking - live, on stage! How do they do that, post-smoking ban? - and torrid love affairs. The music matched, too: it was very real, using immediate, catchy tunes, so no wonder it caused such a fuss. Sordid and lewd, they called it. Vulgar, even. But not stuffy, posh and other-worldly.
Bach (CPE): Symphony in B flat Opus 18 No. 2 - second movement
Being a member of the Bach family must have been hard at times. After all, given Johann Sebastian's prolific achievements, there was a danger of everyone else paling into insignificance. Carl Philip Emmanuel was one of Johann Sebastian's five sons - so he must have always been living in his dad's shadow. After all, how do you follow a man who's still described today as the Father of Western Music? Young C.P.E. did a pretty good job, given the circumstances - and when it came to composing relaxing tunes, he certainly had a few up his sleeve which, surprisingly, hadn't already been used by his dad.
Holst - 'Venus' from The Planets
It was whilst on holiday in Majorca, of all places, that the idea of an astronomically-inspired piece first came to the British composer Gustav Holst. He originally wrote The Planets for piano duet - far less hassle than a whole symphony orchestra - but he soon changed his mind. We couldn't put together a disc of relaxing music without including ‘The Bringer of Peace', and Holst's depiction of Venus very much does what it says on the tin. After the terrifying sound of Mars which begins the Planets Suite, Venus offers the perfect excuse to sit back, look at the sky, and escape to another world.
Glass - Violin Concerto - second movement
Philip Glass is a very busy man. He's one of the world's most successful contemporary composers, frequently in demand for both concert pieces and film scores. But it was this concerto which really shot him to fame and found him a wide audience of devoted fans, back in 1987. The term minimalism gets thrown around a fair bit nowadays, but Philip Glass can lay claim to being one of its founding fathers. Minimalism is all about taking simple musical ideas and using them in various different ways - and it's something which has won Glass the admiration of musicians like Brian Eno and David Bowie, as well as his classical contemporaries.
Brahms - Symphony No.3 in F major - third movement
Great composer, Brahms - but one of the most nervous musicians around. He was so worried about his symphonies being a flop that he didn't get round to writing his first one until he was in his forties. Mozart, by contrast, was busy penning symphonies at the age of eight. Brahms felt completely overshadowed by the genius of Beethoven - but he needn't have worried, because every one his four symphonies has become a hit. He composed this one in the summer of 1883, at the age of 50 - and the third movement contains one of the most sublime tunes Brahms ever wrote.
Piazzolla - Chiquilin de Bachin
"Evenings with his face all dirty, like an angel in blue jeans, he sells roses at the tables in the diner at Bachin's". So wrote Horacio Ferrer - a poet, musician and broadcaster who described a little man selling flowers and eating burnt beans in the moonlight. Astor Piazzolla, an Argentinian composer best known for his feisty tangos, took the words of Ferrer's poem as his inspiration for this beautifully relaxing guitar tune. Piazzolla's music has proved to be a big hit on Classic FM in recent years, and when you hear his sultry, summery music, you can understand why.
Massenet - Meditation from Thais
When you think of opera, the French composer Jules Massenet probably isn't the first person who comes to mind. And as far as we can remember, his opera Thaïs has never come up as the answer in a pub quiz. However, whilst he's no Verdi or Puccini when it comes to having stacks of memorable operatic arias, he certainly wrote some of the most beautifully relaxing music of his day. This Meditation offers a break in the opera's action, played whilst the curtain's down during Act II. It's since gone on to become one of the world's most popular concert pieces for the violin - this is lush music at its best.
Mendelssohn - Song Without Words 9 No. 1
If any composer was ever struggling for money, they could do a lot worse than write a set of solo piano pieces. If the 21st century's must-have household item is the DVD player, then the 19th century was all about having a piano in your front room. For the first time, people were not only able to afford a piano, but they could also purchase a whole range of accessible music. Amateur pianists were quick to learn Mendelssohn's set of Songs Without Words: they were fairly easy, they were perfect for concerts, and, most of all, they contained some cracking tunes.
A strong cup of tea, a long queue, and Edward Elgar. All of them quintessentially British - and the charming Serenade Lyrique is one the composer's real gems. It's rarely performed in the concert hall - often having to make way for the Pomp and Circumstance Marches or the Enigma Variations instead - but it's got to be one of the most charming pieces Elgar ever composed. He wrote it in 1900, for only a small orchestra - and it's four minutes of pure musical escapism.
Gershwin - ‘Bess You Is My Woman Now' from Porgy and Bess
In the 1920s, after reading DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy, George Gershwin immediately wrote to the author, suggesting they collaborate to set the story to music. Unfortunately, Gershwin then became completely tied up with all sorts of projects - and it wasn't until 1934 that he finally got round to composing Porgy and Bess. Of all the pieces Gershwin wrote, this was far and away his personal favourite - even though it wasn't a great success during his lifetime. The jazzy, laid-back sound of Gershwin is an unmistakeable one - and this violin and piano performance shows that off in the best way possible.
Written by Sam Jackson, Executive Producer - Classic FM
Bonus track: Ben Robbins - In Paradisum
It was my uncle, Peter Robbins, who initially asked if I would compose something appropriate for his own Requiem Mass that he was in the process of planning (somewhat prematurely we all hope!) He suggested a setting of ‘In Paradisum'. Having been a chorister at Westminster Cathedral, I was familiar with the text, and had particularly enjoyed Faure's setting, although my setting, by contrast, is predominantly in the minor key. My scoring for piano, organ, harp, horn and strings is designed to create texture and movement without getting in the way of the simple and haunting vocal line. Having heard Fiona Wilson's voice, (albeit singing Handel and Mozart) I was struck by its purity and tranquillity, and was delighted by her sensitive interpretation.
Written by Ben Robbins, Winner of Classic FM's 2007 Composing Competition
