#233 The Smell of Boiling Water

The smell is instant: The tiny bubbles catching the surface of a casserole, intensifying, capturing and gaining control of the water.

Singer plays vividly, mastering the tone in a way that makes you think you should learn how to play the clarinet, too. A Far Cry Orchestra (without a conductor) merges with Singer in a brilliant and very organic manner.

Composer: Robert Aldridge
Work: Clarinet Concerto, I. Fast and light
Recording: David Singer, A Far Cry Orchestra

#225 The Smell of Imperative

What a change of mood at 0'28''! We're getting into something so serious, big, and imperative. The smell is drying up but it's still there, in these tiny piano lines, till the end.

Ott is perfect in this concerto, very lisztian, precise, musically brilliant and technically marvelous.

Composer: Franz Liszt
Work: Piano Concerto No 1, III. Allegro marziale animato
Recording: Alice Sara Ott, Münchner Philharmoniker, Thomas Hengelbrock

#221 The Smell of Craving

It's desirous, calling for attention and love, and very craving. The main theme returns resiliently, secure and self-esteemed. Sturdy and intelligent.

Polekh, who asked Glière to write a horn concerto, his own cadenzas, and the composer himself conducting, do we need more? A historical performance.

Composer: Reinhold Glière
Work: Horn Concerto, I. Allegro
Recording: Valeri Polekh, Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra,

#220 The Smell of Clove

It smells of distance and adventure. Very bold, melodic, alive. It's a ship, full of spice, yet maneuvering like a frigate.

Capuçon is building great waves of melodic lines–urgent, calling, restless. Wonderful sound.

Composer: Victor Herbert
Work: Cello Concerto No 2, I. Allegro impetuoso
Recording: Gautier Capuçon, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Järvi

#217 The Smell of Motion

Wind mills, trains, big wheels: It's the revolving motion that characterizes this movement. It's presto, yet the motion is not fast: it's bigger than life, very regular, continuous, unmatched.

Stern is iconic here. His playing works magnificently with NYP. A very pleasant recording.

Composer: Samuel Barber
Work: Violin Concerto, III. Presto in moto
Recording: Isaac Stern, New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein

#213 The Smell of Suffering

The beginning, that's real pain. I wonder if somewhere else a composer was so successful in translating his suffering to music. However, there's also a fight, a majestic sound keeping us up, filling us with hope.

Buchbinder and Harnoncourt in what might be the best recording of this concerto ever (yet not your typical Brahms). Highly spirited, infiltrating and completing each other.

Composer: Johannes Brahms
Work: Piano Concerto No 1, I. Maestoso
Recording: Rudolf Buchbinder, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Nikolaus Harnoncourt

#210 The Smell of Attack

This music goes straightly to its point. Intention and destination are clear; no time to wait, no time to explain. It attacks you completely, subjugates you, violates you.

Mutter is able to achieve almost agonizing sound when you cannot breathe anymore. BPO is second to none.

Composer: Johannes Brahms
Work: Violin concerto, III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace – Poco più presto
Recording: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan

#209 The Smell of Another World

The most simple is the most impressive: Listen to the music at 1'21''. Ta-ta! Ta-ta! The harpsichord is not penetrating the orchestral sound. It's totally different, not from this world.

The orchestra is sloping, attacking, slowing down, and the harpsichord just does not get it. The solo in the fifth minute is so painfully lonely.

Composer: Francis Poulenc
Work: Concert Champêtre, II. Andante
Recording: Mahan Esfahani, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Martyn Brabbins

#202 The Smell of Missing

Dignified grief. Something's missing, and it will never come back. What is it? Why so sad? You smell the words and actions that cannot be taken back. Regret.

Haveron, of Brodsky Quartet, of BBC Symphony Orchestra, shines. His tone bends the walls, keeping a special beauty, urge, unrepeatability.

Composer: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Work: Violin Concerto, I. Moderato nobile
Recording: Andrew Haveron, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiří Bělohlávek

#150 The Smell of Fraction

How dancing and playful it is. But the movement is also every fractional, the numbers are splattering from it. Orchestra is suppressed, almost like muted, the sound is very unified.

Zimmermann's playing is full of joy and energy. Sometimes it seems like the music is calling for help, exhaused, violin unnerved. But it's all numbers, small fractions in a landscape of beauty.

Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Work: Violin Concerto, IV. Capriccio
Recording: Frank Peter Zimmermann, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Gianluigi Gelmetti

#148 The Smell of Nobleness

A classy composition and a classy recording. Very noble and aristocratic. It somehow shifts from romanticism to decadence.

I don't understand Tortelier's Bach but his approach to Schumann totally suits me.

Composer: Robert Schumann
Work: Cello Concerto, III. Sehr lebhaft
Recording: Paul Tortelier, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati

#147 The Smell of Caprice

First, there's innocence. Then, duality and attack. Exhaustion of love. Humpiness of anger. Attempts of reaching out. Mockery, humiliation. So many caprices in one movement!

This recording has a firm and solid leading from both the conductor and the soloist. Across all the moods, there's constant inner shining in it.

Composer: Béla Bartók
Work: Violin Concerto No 2, II. Andante tranquillo
Recording: André Gertler, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Karel Ančerl

#125 The Smell of Dripping Water

Drip, drip, drip... and the level goes up. Drip, drip, drip... nowhere to go, the music explodes. Drip, drip–and the next one is not coming, tension and expectation. And then: drip! Another explosion!

Chung and Solti are ideal pair for Bartók. Expressive, emotional recording.

Composer: Béla Bartók
Work: Violin Concerto No 2, I. Allegro non troppo
Recording: Kyung Wha Chung, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Georg Solti

#123 The Smell of Passion

If there's a smell of passion, it is found in this cello concerto. Love, death, home sickness, everything's here. Eruptive, bold melodies; soft and fragile moments (horns at 7'23''). All combined to a perpetual stream of passion.

Talich's recording of the concerto is the best one ever. Young Rostropovich has no limits. Absolutely legendary.

Composer: Antonín Dvořák
Work: Cello Concerto, I. Allegro
Recording: Mstislav Rostropovich, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Václav Talich

#120 The Smell of Walking with Child

Child goes first: happy, jumping, running forward, turning, acting like a soldier, like a fairy, like a lion tamer. You're walking with a hero, trying to understand where the energy and fantasy comes from.

Mullova plays boldly, accenting the dancing rhythm. The sound harmony between her and the orchestra is exemplary.

Composer: Sergei Prokofiev
Work: Violin Concerto No 2, III. Allegro, ben marcato
Recording: Viktoria Mullova, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, André Previn

#112 The Smell of Stasis

Take in your breath (as in the recording) and hold it. There are only four instruments in this movement. First and second violins are responsible for the indifferent wheel of noise. Principal violin plays protracted sad and craving tune that's muted by viola, hung in the space, not going anywhere, just repeating its two knocks in every bar.  These two notes are not evil, just completely detached and timeless.

Beyer and Gli Incogniti go crude here. There are really only four instruments, no real orchestra. In many other recordings, viola part is buried under the mass of violins, resulting in nice and boring music. However, Vivaldi wanted viola to be played very strong and ripped (molto forte e strappato), like a crying dog. Paralyzing.

Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
Work: Violin Concerto No 1, II. Largo
Recording: Amandine Beyer, Gli Incogniti

#93 The Smell of Ice Window

You're looking through a window pane. The landscape is lateral and before you're able to fully perceive it, the pane gets it own artwork. Ice is drawing complicated surreal shapes, you're trapped in them, trying to catch the glimpse of the real world–but what is real?

Wang is the one who can draw these shapes, precisely and with ease. It's a magical world we have a privilege to touch.

Composer: Sergei Rachmaninov
Work: Piano Concerto No 2, III. Allegro scherzando
Recording: Yuja Wang, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Claudio Abbado

#92 The Smell of Reaching Out

These are strong musical waves and a great example of  big architecture. The forces are in motion and one does need to dance high to keep up with them.

Berman does not try to shine, he's not pushing the romantic line. His account is both bold and subtle–and very compact; the same goes for BPO. The evil essence Karajan is able to extract from the orchestral playing at 2'17'' or at 6'16'' is blood-stopping.

Composer: Petr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Work: Piano concerto No 1, I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso
Recording: Lazar Berman, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan

#85 The Smell of Answered Desires

It's amazing how true this concert is, how good it is in answering question, pleas and desires. The assuring piano line against the doubts in strings like at 4'15''... Positive, self-assured music. It knows exactly where it's going.

Bronfman and Salonen understand each other, and it's always a pleasure to hear them together. Salonen wrote his piano concerto at the end of his LAP tenure, and he would like to focus more on composing now. Good for him, good for us.

Composer: Esa-Pekka Salonen
Work: Piano Concerto, Movement II
Recording: Yefim Bronfman, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen

#83 The Smell of Fortress

Attack the fortress! And the warriors are attacking it. From all directions, they're moving forward, so it's encircled and beset. And the standard–violin, flapping in the wind. It's actually not the smell of fortress, it's the smell of all around it.

RLPO under Petrenko has wonderful, sharp sound. Hahn delivers full, assured performance. Higdon was born in 1962 and wrote this concerto for Hahn. She received the 2010 Pulitzer Price in Music for it.

Composer: Jennifer Higdon
Work: Violin concerto, III. Fly Forward
Recording: Hilary Hahn, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko