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Andy Lowe
Dec 17, 20211 min read
Mistaken identity (Hall of Fame #69)
Für Elise might be the most recognisable piece in the countdown so far (which, by the way, looks set to continue for about 5 years if I...
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Andy Lowe
Nov 5, 20211 min read
Textural genius (Hall of Fame #70)
"Daddy, when does it get fun?" my youngest daughter asked recently when the music I was listening to caught her attention. My reply - "it...
30 views0 comments
Andy Lowe
Oct 1, 20212 min read
Godfather of guitar (Hall of Fame #71)
I like guitar music - rock, folk, acoustic pop, you name it. If you include electric guitars, it's hard to imagine any instrument being...
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Andy Lowe
Sep 17, 20211 min read
Chopin's second/first; seventy-second (Hall of Fame #72)
I know you're confused. The latest piece in this increasingly elongated blogging countdown is Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, which was...
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Andy Lowe
Aug 13, 20211 min read
Ma Vlast is a blast (Hall of Fame #73)
And if that title wasn't corny enough for you, here's a joke: I know a Slovakian sound technician, and a Czech one too, a Czech one too....
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Andy Lowe
Jul 2, 20211 min read
Guts, fireworks and sorcerors (Hall of Fame #74)
There's nothing subtle about Music for the Royal Fireworks, Handel's bombastic piece that ranks 74th in the Classic FM chart. Apparently...
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Andy Lowe
Jun 11, 20211 min read
Hilary Hahn interviews a fish (Hall of Fame #76-75)
We'll get to the fish, but you'll have to bear with me. Ranking at 76th place in the hall of fame is Chopin's Nocturne in E flat major....
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Andy Lowe
May 27, 20211 min read
Mozart's bangin' tunes (Hall of Fame #77)
It's been a while since I wrote a blog post, mainly because of working on and releasing my own music. As I returned to Classic FM's top...
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Andy Lowe
Mar 25, 20212 min read
Orchestral Explosion (Hall of Fame #79-78)
I've been surprised by how many pieces were new to me in this top 100 countdown so far. You hardly expect a Classic FM ranking to include...
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Andy Lowe
Feb 26, 20212 min read
The redemption of Sibelius (Hall of Fame #81-80)
Ask any music student what they think of Sibelius and I'll guarantee most won't be thinking of the Finnish composer. Instead, they'll...
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Andy Lowe
Feb 12, 20211 min read
Too many notes? (Hall of Fame #82)
Emperor Joseph II supposedly made the criticism "too many notes" about one of Mozart's new pieces. I'd love to hear what he thought about...
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Andy Lowe
Jan 29, 20211 min read
Composers need to go outside (Hall of Fame #84-83)
A couple of quick ones today. Ludovico Einaudi's I Giorni (#84) is probably the least classical piece of music in the countdown so far....
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Andy Lowe
Jan 22, 20211 min read
Beautiful or Creepy? (Hall of Fame #85)
Bach's St Matthew Passion ranks in 85th place in Classic FM's Hall of Fame, being described as one of the greatest masterpieces of...
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Andy Lowe
Jan 15, 20211 min read
When worse = better (Hall of Fame #86)
After a hiatus, I'm diving back into my countdown through Classic FM's top 100 popular classics. Handel makes his first appearance at 86...
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Andy Lowe
Dec 17, 20201 min read
Bringing the drama (Hall of Fame #88-87)
#88 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial - John Williams In my last post I mentioned the orchestral instrument libraries I compose with. One of...
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Andy Lowe
Dec 11, 20201 min read
On the verge of disintegration (Hall of Fame #89)
YouTube comments on classical music videos are often quite helpful, and I've titled this post with some words from one of them. John...
13 views0 comments
Andy Lowe
Nov 27, 20201 min read
Fishing for pearls (Hall of fame #90)
Maybe I'm a sucker for punishment but this is the second opera on the top 100 list and again I decided to watch the whole thing on...
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Andy Lowe
Nov 17, 20202 min read
Unleash the feet! (Hall of Fame #92-91)
#92, Organ Symphony No. 5 in F major - Charles-Marie Widor Feet are the most underutilised body parts in music. Drummers, pianists and...
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Andy Lowe
Nov 9, 20201 min read
Mutter the Shredder (Hall of Fame #93)
It's been said that in previous centuries violinists were the rock stars. Paganini was melting faces with four strings long before...
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Andy Lowe
Nov 5, 20202 min read
Profound Sorrow (Hall of Fame #94)
For a long time I didn't understand why some people were drawn to sad songs. Mystified by an advert for the 'Greatest Tearjerkers'...
21 views0 comments
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