National Orchestra for All ambassador, Joe, recommends listening to ‘Waterfall’ by The Stone Roses. Picture: Wallpaper Cave
Which songs will you be listening to this Easter? Here are a few to get you started…
From spending time with family and friends to hunting for chocolate eggs, there’s plenty of fun to be had in lockdown over the Easter break. What’s more, long weekends mean more opportunities to share and discover new music!
We caught up with National Orchestra for All ambassadors Joe, Megan, Phoebe and Isaac to find out which tunes they can’t get enough of…
Joe: Easter is a time to feel good. It’s all about celebrating everything positive to do with spring: the renewing bloom of nature, the return of the warm sun – and eating chocolate without the guilt!
That’s why my recommendation for your Easter Sunday playlist is a warm, feel-good song. Introducing ‘Waterfall’ by The Stone Roses.
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It’s an easy listen with an upbeat tone, a major key and enough to keep you interested all the way through. It’s a Madchester song (a popular musical and cultural scene in Manchester in the 1980s), so it can fit into a number of genres from pop to indie-dance. It deserves a place in anyone’s playlist!
Megan: Over the past year, I'd say my taste in music has evolved a lot – but two artists I’ve consistently listened to are Hozier and Woodkid.
The first song I’d recommend is ‘Sunlight’ by Hozier. It’s one of my personal favourites by him – the references to Icarus and the sun are hauntingly beautiful and when combined with the use of percussion and background vocals, it creates an eerie but powerful effect. Chances are you’ll recognise him from his other song, ‘Take me to church’, which was played a lot on the radio a few years ago!
Another song I really enjoy is ‘Conquest of Spaces’ by Woodkid. You might recognise his music if you ever watched Netflix’s Umbrella Academy – he was the one who sang ‘Run Boy Run’!
‘Sunlight’ by Hozier is a personal favourite, says Megan: ‘The references to Icarus and the sun are hauntingly beautiful.‘ Picture: Giphy
Woodkid beautifully utilises percussion in his work alongside soaring strings and other traditional orchestral instruments to create a grand atmosphere. As the track develops, the instruments all come together and swell to produce enrapturing sound.
If you enjoy these songs, I’d 100 per cent recommend you listen to other works by those musicians – it’s all just as good and who knows, you might even discover a new favourite artist!
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Phoebe: If you’re looking for something a little different to listen to this Easter break, I would definitely recommend giving ‘Ex-Wives’ from SIX a listen. A new musical about Henry VIII’s six wives, Six combines traditional musical theatre with more modern techno beats.
‘Ex-Wives’ is the opening song from the show – what I really love is that each wife gets a chance to sing her own verse and then they all sing together in the chorus, creating some really cool harmonies all layered above a techno beat that you won’t be able to get out of your head for days.
There’s also a cheeky little bit of ‘Greensleeves’ in there – see if you can spot it while listening!
Isaac: My recommendations are ‘Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2’ by Franz Liszt and ‘Passing By’ by Edward Purcell. Hungarian Rhapsody is a piece I like for its drama; it has these wonderfully tense, quiet and sparse sections that alternate with triumphant, grand and virtuosic ones, and it makes it really easy to be swept along in it.
I like to watch videos of people playing it because the speed of their fingers is astounding. ‘Passing By’ is simply an intensely beautiful song, it really brings across this sense of sweetness and longing.
The recordings I've heard are by the excellent Paul Robeson – and they never fail to pull on the heartstrings. Now, a quick bonus lighthearted one: ‘Ghost Grinder’ by Steam Powered Giraffe is a bit weird but I always find myself dancing along when I listen to it!
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