What's part French, part Japanese? Well, the French part is Claude-Achille Debussy, who can be described as the greatest French Impressionist composer. And you thought impressionism only applied to art, huh?
Debussy was a master of the tone poem, expressing thoughts and scenes by means of musical notes instead of brush strokes on canvas. Among his musical paintings, is 'Snowflakes Are Dancing', from his Children's Corner No.4 suite. If ever a descriptive piece of music existed, it is this.
And the Japanese? Well, classical music doesn't have to be played by a symphony orchestra, or string quartet et al. The undoubted master of the synthesiser is the Japanese, Isao Tomita. Internet clips don't really do his performances justice. I strongly recommend you buy one of his recordings, a decent hi-fi and a good set of headphones.
Now, turn the music up, and listen. See? It really does get right inside your head, and dances around!
And so to one of my all-time heroes - Bob Dylan, composer, poet, and.........Bob Dylan. To me he is the greatest poet of the 20th. Century, and, yes, he can't sing for toffee, but his music has a depth and authenticity that is unrivalled.
A lot of youngsters today dismiss his words as meaningless drivel, but, if you were young in the 60s, you knew instinctively what he was getting at, and understood his emotions and where he was coming from.
He's still making excellent recordings today, all be it a little more straightforward and easier to comprehend.
Sadly, I couldn't find a clip of him doing Desolation Row, only covers. That is my all-time favourite song of his, so here he is with a live performance of 'Tangled Up In Blue'
Will it, won't it?
19 hours ago
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