A few weeks back, I was tweeting and talking on the podcast about how much I enjoyed the third book in Tessa Dare's Spindle Cove series, A Lady By Midnight (A | BN | K | S). Avon kindly offered up 5 digital ARCs to help me soothe my feelings of guilt for talking about a book so far before the on-sale date. Super easy and quick giveaway ahoy!
If you'd like to win a digital ARC of A Lady By Midnight, leave a comment below and tell me your favorite piece of classical music (the heroine, Kate, is a music teacher in Spindle Cove).
I'll share one of mine: one of my absolute favorites is the second movement to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, which you can hear (and watch from a 1952 Carnegie Hall performance) on YouTube. The first movement of the 5th is pretty bad ass, but the second movement is my favorite.
And if you don't like classical music, you can still enter! TV themes, jazz, instrumental interstitials to commercials, they all totally count. Feel free to post a link to the piece of music you're suggesting, too. This will be one loud entry when I figure out how to make them auto play all at once.
There are no restrictions geographically for this giveaway but please know that winners will need an account with Edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com. The eARCs expire on the book’s on sale date, which is 28 August 2012.
If you're confused about what devices you can use, your questions may be answered at the Edelweiss site.
Standard disclaimers apply: I'm not being compensated for this giveaway, except that I read an ARC a week or so ago. Void where prohibited. Must be over 18 years of age and driving a wagon in order to win. Your mileage may vary. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. Never sass a librarian or a music teacher.
You've got until 11:59pm ET Saturday 16 June, and I'll be picking the winners at random from all your musical suggestions. Ready, set, go!
Opera counts as classical, right? Because my (current—my tastes tend to fluctuate rather wildly over time) favourite is Habanera from Carmen. Somewhere deep inside I still hope to learn to sing it properly, as opposed to off-key and in the wrong register, despite the fact that I’ve not been a soprano since I was sixteen, sigh.
My favorite is a toss up between two pieces depending on my mood. One piece is Wedding Day at Troldhaugen by Edvard Grieg. You can hear both the dignity of the event and the overwhelming joy. The other piece is the Overture to The Flying Dutchman, an opera by Wagner. The story is that of a sea captain who is cursed to forever sail stormy seas until freed by the love of a faithful woman. Wagner captured the energy and feel of a stormy sea beautifully in this piece.
I am a proud NPR nerd and they were playing some tracks from the new album of the piano duo, Anderson and Roe. Now, some of it is a piano version of “Billie Jean” and Radiohead songs, but before you wrinkle your nose at the scent of Muzak . . . try it, they’re awesome. They actually make songs better. My favorite is “Giustino, RV 717, Act II: Sento in seno ch’in pioggia di lagrime (arr. G. Anderson and E. J. Roe).” This is an Italian art song and the way that they interpret the singing part on the piano sounds like I like to imagine a waterfall would translate into music.
Not a big classical music fan. But I love the opening credits music from Angel (the Buffy spinoff natch).
Whenever I’m putting the baby down for his nap and I know he’s going to cry for at least 10 minutes, I turn up Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14 in my headphones. It helps me pretend I’m well-rested and elsewhere. ha
Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings.” I am held captive every time I hear it.
one of my favourite pieces of music is Senorita by Bond. not strictly classical, more…classical pop (popsical? classpop?). whenever i hear it i picture a mysterious woman doing…something mysterious. like a glamorous cat burglar, or an exotic superspy, or something. i’d like to think it’s not just my overactive imagination, but an awesome piece of music.. however… it’s probably just me. 🙂
Star Wars theme. It’s got trumpets and stuff.
I haven’t listened to much Western classical music at all. However, I recently rearranged my CD/DVD drawer, as a result of which I now have this stuck in my head…
I love Mozart’s Piano Concerto 21 and Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie 1!
I don’t listen to classical music much unless my daughter or husband is playing it or it is the music to a ballet. I love the main theme in Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet ballet though. Also, I have fond memories of the old Rice Krispies commercial where they used famous opera music and sang “No more Rice Krispies”.
Ooh, goody!
My favorite classical piece is Flight of the Bumblebee. Although, the reason may be slightly dubious. Everytime I hear it I think of the scene in The Money Pit when Walter (Tom Hanks) is being chased down the hill by a bee? That is classic physical comedy.
I hate picking favorites, but right now I’m obsessed with Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. Of course it’s too late for Kate, so maybe Mozart, Mozart or Donizetti…and then I’d have to narrow it to a specific opera, possibly even a single part of an opera? Can’t be done. So in a non opera context…it’s not any easier. I’m a sucker for Chopin’s Nocturnes, but who isn’t? Bach’s Brandenberg concertos maybe. Ok, first instinct, Onegin. First clip is has no singing, for those who think they don’t like opera:
second link
always gets me choked up. I went with Vargas, because that’s what I’ve seen live, although I can and do spend stupid amounts of time checking out every version I can find on the internets.
I enjoy classical, but I am not particularly knowledgeable about it. I love Tchaikovsky’s music from the Nutcracker, which is a good thing because one daughter performs in it every year with her ballet school and oh, my, I get my fill. But I still want to get up and dance when them when Waltz of the Snowflakes, the Russian Dance, or the finale music is being played. And I’ve never taken a ballet class in my life, LOL. Also love “Ode to Joy,” always puts me in a good mood.
Pachelbel’s Cannon in D. I played the cello in high school and it was and is my favorite piece to play
Rimsky-Korsakov’s Easter Overture.
I will be following up these various recommendations. One recent beloved discovery is Eliza’s Aria:
from the wild swans ballet, which has become the theme of a radio show in Australia.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)
Right now, I am listening to a lot of Pachelbel’s Canon in D as my dear son is playing it as special music in church on Sunday. Of course, he’s playing his own variation, so it’s a “new” classic.
Mozart Symphonies no 40 & 41 “Jupitor”
Is my all time fav 🙂
I like that calssics as I was first exposed to them—from the bugs bunny cartoons—especially Wagner’s Der Ring Des Nibelingen.
Alma Mahler’s Four Songs for Voice and Piano, published in 1915. Such a fascinating woman, and a wonderful composer.
I love pretty much anything played on the piano because it is the instrument I have played for years. My favorite piece, which I cannot play, is Clair de Lune by Debussy. I LOVE Clair de Lune. The only problem is that in my car it starts off so much quieter than the other songs on my iPod that I frequently have to turn the sound way up and then remember to turn it back down before Metallica comes blaring out at ear-bursting decibel levels. Small price to pay to listen to Clair de Lune.
I like a lot of classical music but I must say that when I hear “The Blue Danube,” my eyes close and I imagine a gorgeous Regency couple dancing to the music. Beautiful, just beautiful!!
Mozart Concert Rondo for Piano and Orchestra in D. It was the background music in the movie “Hopscotch.” Great movie!
Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas”—Dido’s lament (When I Am Laid In Earth) makes me shiver every time I listen! Followed by Bizet’s “Carmen”—who can resist “Les Toreadors”?
One of my all time favourite pieces is “Of Foreign Lands and Places” by Robert Schumann. I used to play it on the piano many years ago, and it was used in one of my favourite Australian films, My Brilliant Career.
My favorite piece of classical music would have to be Habanera by Bizet in his opera Carmen. I studied the piano for about 10 years when I was younger and played a lot of classical music. I loved Chopin’s Grande Valse Brillante, and The Swan by Camille Saint-Saens.
I grew up in Thailand and Nepal (where I am right now) and classical music was not top of the list of music options I listened to. I did, however, realise I knew (know?) quite a few of the more famous pieces due to close attention paid to various cartoons (as some have mentioned above), especially Tom and Jerry and various Disney/Looney tunes ones where chase scenes are set to music. The William Tell overture is one that has remained a favorite 🙂
I like a wide variety of classical music (although I’m nowhere near as knowledgeable about it as I would like to be) and there are many pieces that I love. The first one that came to mind though is the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth—the Ode to Joy.
I am not sure we can count this as classical but I love just about anything Aaron Copeland….I love his Appalachian Spring….and simple gifts…..
It just makes me go sigh and even shed a bit of a tear now and again.
And I am dying to read this book! Great summer reads this year…as always.
Hope
Ode to Joy by Beethoven.
In a contemporary vein, I really like the Vitamin String Quartet’s covers, particularly “Hallelujah” (originally by Paramore… strangely, I don’t like the original) http://youtu.be/81XL32QK1p8
I love the Arabian Coffee Dance from the Nutcracker. LOVE. (
Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. Gorgeous, gorgeous music.
I love Christmas Eve in Sarajevo. Kind of an edgy modern feel, but orchestral, so I’m counting it. Also, Tchaikovsky, which I couldn’t spell without looking up. And Franz Liszt is pretty good. Apparently he had a ” bawdy life” which I didn’t know until just now when I checked the spelling of his name online. (Look up “Lisztomania” on Wikipedia—he was like all the Beatles rolled into one.) (And I agree with VandyJ, all Opera is better when paired with a Bugs Bunny cartoon.)
Not a huge classical music nut, but I love Pachelbel’s cannon, so beautiful!
Here is a link of a great rendition if anyone cares to have a listen…http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJYVH_…
at the moment I’m torn. I LOVELovelove the theme from Game of Thrones Song of Ice and Fire by Ramin Djwadi, but before that it was Pachelbel’s Canon in D ..
Faure’s Pavane, Op. 50. Kills me every time.
Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight). But I have to say the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack makes me very relaxed and calm.
Easy, Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov. Love, love love it. Second favorite, Swan of Tuonela by Sibelius