Music to relax to

Thanks for all these great suggestions which I am going to sample.

Yes Sally I too love the music of the 50s. BBC4 has recently had a 3 programme series called something like 'The rock and roll years' if you can get it on catch up you will have 3 hours of great music and reminiscences.

I don't understand why those hang drums are so hard to get hold of. Why doesn't someone start mass-producing ones for beginners?

Also on catchup is 'When Pop Ruled my Life; a Fan's Story' by Kate Mossman, a lovely nostalgic look at 'fandom'. [she was obsessed with Queen, even though she discovered them after Freddie died]. A lovely, rather thought provoking programme that goes back to Beatlemania etc.

granjura what an interesting instrument, I love it with the violin.
Lucky girl Sentimental Saraband is a beautiful piece.

the choice was made by the inventors/manufacturers Jingl- every Hang is made by hand and tuned by hand- they do NOT want it to be mass produced. When Daniel comes here, he will teach me and perhaps help me get hold of one. I am a muscial failure, although I have a very good ear and can sing well- and it is my last hope. (my mum was a cellist and pianist, my dad played trombone and sax). Can't wait.

Glad you liked the sarabande Lona - I always love it when I discover a new piece of music. Lots of people assume that Britten will be a bit discordant - but definitely not this piece!

The most relaxing piece of music ever ( you will be nodding off in no time) is Acker Bilk's Stranger on The Shore.

Ah yes "Stranger on the shore"... haunting melody and who remembers the original TV series that it was the theme music for?

I have been putting together a relaxing playlist on my iPad for about a year now. Whenever I hear something I like on ClassicFM, I find out what it is and download it. It is quite eclectic but very personal.

'Albatross' by Fleetwood Mac

'Adagio for Strings'

'Meditation from Thais'

These are 3 of my top relaxing tracks.

If you like 'world music', 'Ancient Voices' by Karunesh is an effective one.

I love Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis. It just sends me into a trance.

The Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus by Vaughan Williams is my favourite music when I need calming. It is beautiful.

Apart from the music I enjoyed in the early 60s which I listen to when doing housework or ironing I really like to relax to Pan Pipes played by the Peruvian musicians that perform at local markets abroad,I have bought a few disc's over the years and they never fail to give pleasure.

I find John Ireland's music very relaxing and have a soft spot for the minuet from 'A Downland Suite' which was used as background music for Geoff Hamilton's Cottage Garden series back in the nineties.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUPLaj0RrrU

"Dawn" from the Pride and Prejudice sound track. Beautiful. Every time I walk on Stanage Edge now with my Mr Darcy (in your dreams, Greyduster!) I hear this in my head.

And the second movement of the Ravel G major piano concerto, although I have to say, although relaxing, it also has the capacity to bring tears to my eyes.

Any or all of Chopin's Nocturnes.

HazelGreen, was it the theme music for something on TV?Stranger on the shore?If it was, then I can't remember it.

Judthepud I would agree with Albatross.

I'm with you on the Ireland merlotgran - there is something so English about it. I have two wonderful boxed sets of music from Nimbus Records, with the English String Orchestra full of mainly early twentieth century English music. I always come back to these as my favourites - somehow they just conjure up the English countryside and are wonderfully soothing.

Love both of those loopy, also Mozart's coronation.

I was replying to end of first page. Sorry !

Absolutely love those 2 pieces from Vaughan Williams! Wish I could find something to send me to sleep tonight! Still awake at 4:10

rosesarered

Stranger on the shore

Yes it was a 1961 TV drama series. I can still see the footage with music of waves on beach and pretty girl in public phone box trying to make a call. The BBC TV programme was about a French Au Pair girl who was living in Brighton and found it hard to settle in. In the afternoons she waked the beach, hence the title. The music reached no 2 in the pop charts of the time and became one of best selling instrumental record up to 2012

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC3LvK8D_zA

Yes, that achieved some notoriety among my peers. The girl, Jeanne in real life, was at school with us, a year younger than me. Her father was French. I don't know whether she pursued an acting career after that. Must google it. The Acker Bilk music us quite haunting.

I usually use different apps where you can listen to nature sounds. Somehow, it allows me to evade from everything around me. The ones I really enjoy:
- Naturing: naturing.comyr.com/
- A soft Murmur
- Calm

Hope you like them!
Marcos