Silent Monks Sing Hallelujah

After the epic fail of the Messiah organist on crack, I wanted to share another unique and memorable interpretation of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus." Here's a performances from a group of silent monks.

Bach Passacaglia in C minor for...accordion??

On his new blog Unquiet Thoughts, Alex Ross introduces us to Aleksandr Hrustevich, a young Ukranian who plays Bach's tremendous Passacaglia in C minor, originally written for the organ, on an accordion! For comparison's sake, here's organist Karl Richter performing the original. Incredible how little is lost in translation (er, transcription).

Browsing through the "Related Video" bar, you'll also find Hrustevich's renditions of Summer from the Four Seasons, the finale of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, and others.

"Messiah" on Crack

After a long absence, I've returned with good tidings for the holiday season and a favorite seasonal tradition: the "Messiah" on Crack. We've all had one of those days. But no all of us have those days recorded for posterity. Enjoy!!

(Clip from The Rambler.)