Music For Fur Rug and Fireside;On Valentine's Day, Shun Pop For the Fhythms of Romance FINAL Edition

• Published in: The Washington post
• Main Author: Law, Steven J
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, D.C WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post 14.02.1988
• ISSN: 0190-8286

Other works have briefly caught the public's ear as great romantic themes, without being absorbed into the gristmills of Madison Avenue and Muzak Inc. The slow movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major gathered a devoted following as the theme to the film "Elvira Madigan." This movement, like many Mozart piano concerto second movements, combines spacious textures, chromatically undulating harmonies and playfully embellished melodic lines. The result is music both powerful and serene. Also of note from Mozart's pen is the adagio from his Wind Serenade No. 10 in D Flat, immortalized in the film "Amadeus" by Salieri's worshipful description: "Such longing ... such unfulfillable longing!" For gentler lovemaking or romantic contemplation, the evocative piano music of [Debussy] and Satie provides a tender counterpoint. Satie's "Gymnopedies," inspired by Grecian vase paintings, and Debussy's "Arabesques" are elegant, cool and melodically sensuous pieces, perfect for late weekend afternoons. Debussy was an early proponent of the subtle eroticism found in Japanese ukiyo-e prints; and the artistic values expressed in those prints are clearly audible in Debussy compositions such as "L'apres-midi d'un faune" and "Pelle'as et Me'lisande." If this sounds good to you, you will find many lusty performances of Monteverdi's madrigals and other Renaissance secular pieces, such as "Love and Dalliance in Renaissance France" (Turnabout Tv-S 34380), "Pleasures of the Royal Courts" (Nonesuch H-71326), "Amorous Dialogues of the Renaissance" (Nonesuch H-71272), Monteverdi: "Madrigali Erotici" (Oiseau-Lyre DSDL 703) and the wonderfully titled "Kissing, Drinking, and Insect Songs" (Turnabout 34485). Drink tawny port, share thick-crusted bread, and kiss, oh love, the beautiful mouth of your beloved.