Not all hybrids are good. Think of Cronuts, the disorientation of looking at a Zonkey or the devastation that results every time someone tries to blend rock music with opera.
However, there is one hybrid which really delivers: Brunch! First dreamt up in 1895 by the British writer Guy Beringer in the publication Hunter’s Weekly, Mr Beringer declared that his newly conceived repast should start at 12.30pm, rendering ‘early rising not only unnecessary but ridiculous. You get up when the world is warm, or at least, when it is not so cold. You are, therefore, able to prolong your Saturday nights, heedless of that moral "last train" – the fear of the next morning's reaction… Brunch… is cheerful, sociable and inciting. It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper; it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow-beings. It sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.’
The only thing Mr Beringer didn’t conceive of for Brunch was the ideal soundtrack, and that’s where Senior BBC Sound Engineer Rob Winter and I come in. We’ll be hosting Classical Brunch at Spiritland, a listening bar boasting one of the world’s greatest sound systems, in London’s King’s Cross on Sunday1 March from 1pm. Four hours of ‘good temper’-inducing brunch, accompanied by the ideal classical mix.
To whet your breakfast/lunchtime appetites, here’s a Classical Brunch playlist to listen to as you consume your Eggs Benedict, Bloody Mary and restorative coffee…
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé – ‘Sunrise’
Sinfonia of London/John Wilson
This is daybreak music for lazy people. Scurrying strings, radiant harp, luxuriantly slow crescendos; Ravel is depicting a sylvan Greek mythological scene where sunlight is dappling and even if you’ve emerged from your Saturday night exploits epically hungover, you’ll be soothed and brought gently but triumphantly into the morning light.
George Gershwin: Prelude No. 1
George Gershwin
The popularity of Brunch took hold in 1920s America, and no one captured the American Jazz Age better than Gershwin. Apparently, he started the day with eggs, toast, coffee and orange juice, and then immediately began composing, sitting at the piano in his pyjamas, bathrobe and slippers. This man would have benefitted from a four-hour Classical Brunch.
JS Bach: Coffee Cantata –‘Ah! How sweet coffee tastes’
Carolyn Sampson, Bach Collegium Japan
Bach would be baffled by the idea of a decaf, oat milk Flat White, but he did write what is essentially a mini comic opera about a young lady addicted to coffee. Bach was writing for an ensemble based at Zimmermann ‘s Coffee House in 1702, and he created this sublime soprano aria which translates: ‘If I may not thrice each day / My little cup of coffee drink, / I'll turn indeed to my distress / Into a dried-up goat for roasting.’
Louis Moreau Gottschalk: The Banjo No. 2
Lambert Orkis
Brunch gained its initial popularity in the US via New Orleans. Begué's restaurant was the first to perfect a Brunch menu, with a six- or seven-course feast spanning several hours, served with champagne and chicory coffee. So, here’s a feast for the ears from New Orleans born virtuoso Louis Moreau Gottschalk, who made his debut at the famous St Charles Hotel in New Orleans. Try listening to this while eating New Orleans brunch delicacies like Shrimp and Grits or Gumbo Omelette.
‘Driving the Mule’ (Chinese folk song)
The Shanghai Quartet with Min Xiao-Fen (pipa)
No one does brunch better than the Chinese. In 10th century Guangzhou, tea houses started serving small-portion meals called ‘yum-cha’, the same as our Brunch. Dim-Sum is part of yum-cha and it means ‘touch the heart’… which is what this gloriously fresh performance from the Shanghai String Quartet will do for you.
Arnold Bax: ‘In a Vodka Shop’
Ashley Wass
No brunch is complete without the spicy, peppery, booziness of a Bloody Mary, first concocted in one of Ernest Hemmingway’s Parisian hangouts during the 1920s. Arnold Bax created this pianistic visit to a vodka shop just a few years ahead of the first Bloody Mary being quaffed.
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition – ‘Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells’
Isao Tomita
You can’t brunch without eggs, be they scrambled, poached or fried and this is perhaps classical music’s most vivid depiction of eggs (and chicks), given added wackiness in Tomita’s 1975 electronic exploding of Mussorgsky’s 19th century original. Listen out for the bonkers chirping and clucking, reminiscent of early video game sound effects.
Kerry Andrew: ‘Apples, Plums, Cherries’
Juice Vocal Ensemble
Here’s a nod to those of you who like some yoghurt and fruit as part of the essential brunch lineup. Kerry Andrew created this for what she describes as the ‘beautiful wintery weird album Snow Queens’ from Juice Vocal Ensemble. Gives a whole new spin on fruit salad.
George Frideric Handel: Julius Caesar in Egypt – ‘Va Tacito’
Andreas Scholl, The Academy of Ancient Music
One of the inspirations for Brunch is a Hunter’s Breakfast, an exceedingly hearty affair that would traditionally involve everything from devilled kidneys to venison heart. Musically everyone from Berlioz to Mozart’s dad Leopold has taken inspiration from the hunt, but this aria by Handel, liberally laced with horn obligato and possessing a stealthily unfurling melody is perfect to listen to whilst hunting for nothing more than an additional rasher of bacon.
Johann Strauss II: Morgenblatter (Morning Papers Waltz)
Vienna Philharmonic / Daniel Barenboim
The best way to round off a sizeable Brunch, especially one on a Sunday afternoon at Spiritland, is with a leisurely perusal of the Sunday papers. Waltz King Johan Strauss II came up with just the lusciously tuneful ticket with this waltz, originally written in 1863 for the Vienna Authors' and Journalists' Association, and bringing our Classical Brunch playlist to a well-informed to a close.
Tickets for Classical Brunch at Spiritland here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/classical-music-brunch-tickets-1981929076219
