Help Identifying Classical Music from "Leverage"

Judas Priest

Super Member
My wife usually hates classical music with a passion, but she told me about an episode of the series "Leverage" where the actor pretends to play the violin, and that she really liked what he was playing.

I too, find it very beautiful; can anyone tell me what piece he is playing? Skip to 5:50:

 
Sorry the video is blocked in the USA by Gunpowder & Sky.
Regards,
Jim
 
Yes the video does not work, luckily there is a Leverage Wiki

"

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Wait a minute. This guy makes his money on the backs of children and no one does anything because he feeds a bunch of names to the CIA?20PXThe Leverage team must steal diamonds from the a vault belonging to Alexander Moto, a corrupt African official planning to assassinate his brother, the country's president. Hardison must face the music when the operation requires he play the violin with a symphony orchestra.
The Client
Jane Akinyemi, a reporter for The West African Newswire. Jane has written an article on Moto that reveals his involvement in the blood diamond market, and is being followed by Moto's men. Jane seeks the team's assistance when the Justice department abruptly stops an investigation of Moto for which she provided evidence.

The Mark
Alexander Moto, the younger brother of the president of Wadata is a wealthy, politically corrupt businessman. Educated in the United States and based in Boston, he maintains little connection with his home country. Moto deals in blood diamonds, which he uses to fund his lavish lifestyle, and has begun to peddle influence in his home country, where he plans to return with an eye to taking over the government.


The Con
Episode Notes

  • The episode features excerpts from Scheherazade (Op. 35), arguably Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's most popular work. Composed in 1888, the symphony consists of four movements, each named for a tale from the Arabian Nights. The movements are tied together by two unifying themes: the Sultan's theme, played by the brass and Scheherazade's theme, played on the violin. The final violin solo tells the tale of Scheherazade's final story and the Sultan's peaceful night's sleep."
 
Rimsky - Korsakov
Scheherazade - First Movement
The Sea - The Shipwreck Against a Rock Surmounted by a Bronze Warrior


... me thinks. :idea:
 
Sorry the video is blocked in the USA by Gunpowder & Sky.
Regards,
Jim
So that works the other way around, too? I thought that videos were only blocked here in Europe and that the rest of the world could always see everything:


Thanks for the ID guys. I´ll have to pick up that symphony :)

edit: Turns out I already have it, and have just not got around to listening to it yet. I´ll have to take care of that :)
 
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Couldn't help responding to your comment "My wife usually hates classical music with a passion" Too many people are put off by much of the music pressed onto them on radio stations and elsewhere, so It is good that you have both found something you really enjoy.

I first need to confess that I am a dedicated lover of classical music in many of its forms and struggled not only with an ex-wife, but friends who do not share this passion.but there is a way forward. If you are prepared to experiment a little, it will open up an entire world of beauty and pleasure. Just be open-minded.

Rimsky - Korsakov's Scheherazade is a great place to start. Other works might include Tchaikovsky's Romeo & Juliet fantasy overture, maybe Khatachurian's Spartacus ballet, almost anything by Cesar Frank, Elgar or (Don't faint) any of Wagner's overtures. I'll be yelled at for saying that it might be best to avoid Mozart but much of his work is actually quite boring. Do not be overly influenced by the"experts" who will probably try to push their particular barrow. (One idiot on a forum actually suggested Bartok for beginners!)

Once you have found something you like, get onto YouTube for free trials of other music that is similar.

Don't shout me down - I am trying to help
 
Ever since, back in 1968 and watching/hearing Stanly Kubreck`s 2001 A Space Odyssey I`ve become very attached to Waltzes(some of the movements, when in the right frame of mind, can move me, and draw a tear or 2 when they end up playing), though I have and listen to a quite a bit of my ripped CD classical music, all but Opera..

Just haven`t been able to handle that yet, maybe one day. :dunno:

And I`ve been primarily a rock & roller lover since 1963(Beatles, Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, etc.) I have developed a taste, and appreciation for the sound of unamplified natural instruments played in a well composed/orchestrated, and interesting piece/movement.
I`m not sophisticated, educated, and in to memorizing in all the composers, movements, etc.
But I know what I like, when I hear it..

Good for you Judas Priest, Sir.

Enjoy the music folks, whatever your tastes..

Kind regards, Billy Ferris
 
I'm basically an old rocker who loves to listen to classical, but has never bothered to become very educated about the genre. One exception is a piece by Respighi -- The Pines of Rome (1924). The whole symphony represents Roman soldiers marching back to Rome after battle. The closer they get to Rome, the more the pace picks up as they would be more and more anxious to get home. It's an impressive piece of work, and if you research what Respighi was working toward when he wrote it, it's fascinating to listen to.
 
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Thanks for the kind words Bill; I´m not at all educated in classical music either. But, like you, I know what I like :)

I keep a list of what I have already listened to and how I liked it. Otherwise, I could never remember the names of the pieces of music ;)


Steven, I´ll have to check out that piece.
 
Thanks for the kind words Bill; I´m not at all educated in classical music either. But, like you, I know what I like :)

Your most welcome Sir.
Yeah, well studied Classical music knowledge can be a full time learning endeavor, if desired, and I`m sure rewarding if diligently pursued, but, like so many other things, there is always competition for the individuals time, unless the strive to be a scholar, or at least, very well versed..

Hell !! Even proper rip CD tagging is often problematic because of a given popularity of the movement/piece and multiple renderings of the same movement/piece over the many decades of availability.

Keep expanding your classical music horizons Mr. Priest, Sir.

As you`ve discovered there is some tasty offering`s out there.

Enjoy as you can, desire.

Kind regards, Billy Ferris


I keep a list of what I have already listened to and how I liked it. Otherwise, I could never remember the names of the pieces of music ;)


Steven, I´ll have to check out that piece.
 
Try the slow movement of the Mahler 7th symphony. It isn't film music but it has many of the characteristics.If you liked the Rimsky and/or the Respighi, you will not be disappointed.

Start here:
 
School field trip to hear an orchestra when I was nine or ten years old mesmerized me. So classical music has always been part of my listening fare.

I love Debussy's La Mer, and the three nocturnes that come-with on some recordings... Nuages, Fêtes and Sirènes. La Mer means The Sea, of course, and the nocturnes, Clouds, Festivals and Sirens. Impressionism, though Debussy himself rejected the term.

At the risk of sounding stupid (why should that stop me at this late date?), I have for years thought of the choral female vocals of Sirens as PF's DSOTM of classical music.
 
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Purchase some Sarah Brightman video's, they are very artistically done and have a mixture of genres that help introduce newbies to both classical and opera. Some recommendations are Eden, Haram, Dive, Luna Luna and Symphony..

 
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