Music makes life more beautiful.
The music I enjoy most is classical music and within that broad genre, I find myself listening to late romantic more than anything else. My favourite composer is Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). Arguably his work is the culmination of the whole classical symphonic tradition, although when I'm listening to Bach or Mozart, I am lost in wonder at their music.
Here's a YouTube link to a performance of Mahler's 1st symphony. It is a wonderful piece by the Vienna Philharmonic, (the orchestra Mahler himself conducted for many years), conducted by Leonard Bernstein. It's way back in 1975 but is still breathtaking.
The complete work is available as a Deutsche Grammophon DVD
Commissioning musical works from composers has given me great satisfaction. Hugh Crosthwaite, a talented Australian composer, lawyer and human rights advocate has composed several works for me, including his string quartet Spirit Journey (for my wife Sally's birthday) and his magnificent Mountain Ash piano concerto, premiered to great acclaim on 20 June 2016 with Stefan Cassomenos on piano and Patrick Miller conducting.
Hugh's website includes audio for both Spirit Dreaming and the chamber version of Mountain Ash.
Hugh Crosthwaite (foreground) at the rehearsal of Mountain Ash
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