Updated Favorites

I have added some more "Favorites" to the right-hand side of my blog. I especially want to talk about the new classical music additions, and why I consider these to be my favorites.

In addition to my favorite musical groups, I have added my favorite classical musicians and composers. I have actually met Gil Shaham a couple times when I was in high school; he is a really awesome violinist (check out his recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons), and just as importantly, he is a really cool person. Hilary Hahn is a violinist who is my age, and she is well-known for her recordings of works by J. S. Bach. Peter Bowman is an oboist who I believe was (or maybe still is) the principal oboist of the St. Louis Symphony. I especially love his recording of the Vivaldi F Major oboe concerto (see the CD entitled Intimate Baroque); his sound is incredibly clear and resonant, like he is singing through his instrument. Placido Domingo is of course, very famous for being one of the Three Tenors, and while I have never really been an opera fan, I do really like his voice.

Under Favorite Composers, Bach, Corelli, Handel, and Vivaldi are my favorites from the Baroque period. I have played a lot of their works on both violin and oboe, and they are just lovely pieces to practice and perform (solo and orchestral literature alike). Palestrina is one of the most famous composers from the Renaissance period, and I have sung several of his choral works, including my favorite: "Sicut Cervus." Aaron Copland was from the 20th century, and we played a lot of his stuff in orchestra, including "Rodeo" (think Beef-it's what's for dinner), which has some pretty sweet oboe passages. Morten Laurisen is another 20th century composer, and we sang a lot of his literature in my college choir. His setting of "Ave Maria" is out of this world. And last, (but certainly not least!), Roger Petrich is a 20th-21st century composer who has written many works mostly for voice (choir, small ensemble, and solo), but also for organ, trumpet, flute, and oboe to name a few. Not only is Roger a really great composer, he is an amazing pianist and organist, the music director at my church, St. Thomas More, and one of my favorite people. I have added his website, Diaphora Music, to my Favorite Links.

I have also updated my favorite athletes and Bible verse.