An aria in Lent

Listen to this new-found countertenor of mine:
Ian Howell.

He is singing from Handel's Messiah and it is beautifully illustrated with a montage of paintings by Flemish artist Jan Van Eyck (1385-1441).
This image above is by Memling.

Bartoli in full speed

Click here and let Cecilia Bartoli blow you away with the aria "Agitata da due venti" (Agitated by two winds) from Vivaldi's opera Griselda.



Lots to read about Vivaldi here.

Bach and I

Bach.
Fugue in G minor.
This is a piece for organ, here in orchestral setting.

Once in Haarlem, Holland, I entered the St. Bavo's cathedral just when the organist was rehearsing this piece. I'll never forget the way the music just filled me. I didn't notice until afterwards how freezing cold it was inside the church, or if there were others present.
Everything disappeared.
It was just me and Bach.