#38 The Smell of Seduction

You're watching a snake. It waves, it hisses, it bemuses. You–bewildered–are starting to dance a slow intoxicant dance. Breathe with the music. Acquiesce in it. Drink it. Tired out, you give in.

What a suggestive piece of music! Gergiev takes it a little bit faster than usual but it just fits. It's a compact, solid, toxic message. The footsteps starting at 2'19'' are irreversible. A parasite that grows with you, in you. It has never enough, it never will. And you like it.

Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich
Work: Symphony No 9, II. Moderato
Recording: Kirov Orchestra, Valery Gergiev

#37 The Smell of Pride

A very proud symphony. Strong cello lines are noble and vehement, flutes are so urgent. Brasswind instruments sound imperiously, and together, it's a march that cannot be stopped.

And yet, the recording is so plain. Nothing fancy. Pretty fast, totally synchronous, with chamber-like touch. The timpani sound in the beginning is actually made by violas. And the final five chords, oh my–like if they're saying: this is not over, this is not my final word. Well played.

Composer: Antonín Dvořák
Work: Symphony No 8, I. Allegro con brio
Recording: London Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati

#36 The Smell of Stallion

Gallops. Frenetic turns, and there's only one direction: forward! A sprinter reaching out for victory. No shadows, no dark tones–pure pleasure. The sudden fortes are not scary, it's just funny yapping.

ORR/Gardiner recording is the finest one. Fast reading, full of joy, excellent sound. I still remember when I've heard it for the very first time. Delightful.

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Work: Symphony No 7, III. Presto – Assai meno presto
Recording: Orchestre révolutionnaire et romantique, John Eliot Gardiner

#35 The Smell of Aversion

This music is circling. Big, slow circles. It's hawking but it cannot attack what's in the center. The presence there is surprisingly silent, unbearable; there's no mockery.

A masterpiece. Don't listen to it if you're alone because this is a power play, a very dark one. We will never recognize who or what is in the center, it's beyond all understanding. We just dread.

Composer: Sergei Prokofiev
Work: Symphony No 6, III. Vivace
Recording: London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev

#34 The Smell of Power

This Andante is a great opening of the symphony. Nothing but strings (except for the first violins) and clarinets conjure a depressive melody full of pauses and musings. It's starting up and backing out, bassoons are joining in but we need to wait to allegro–an obscure curly waltz in 6/8–to get the full orchestra sound.

And what a sound it is! Mravinsky delivers a shivering and sensual performance. I would not say it's about precise playing–there's something more. You know what the orchestra is capable of (well, not really until the last movement) and you know Mravinsky will not let it go yet. It's his smell.

Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Work: Symphony No 5, I. Andante–Alegro con anima
Recording: Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, Evgeny Mravinsky

#33 The Smell of Reproach

The list of things that you should've done. One by one, each of them is claimed loud and clear. Apologies are futile, The Voice is prosecuting.

Szell keeps the monotony of the charges, tempo is "lebhaft" (lively) but also kind of slow, heavy. In the apology parts, listen how the melody goes up: It's not cheerful at all. The music inevitably knows its destiny.

Composer: Robert Schumann
Work: Symphony No 4, III. Scherzo: Lebhaft
Recording: The Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell

#32 The Smell of Dark Side

Forget the fairy tales about Scotland. From the first chord, here's the Dark Side of The Force. Pushing, stretching, reaching out (3'59''). Maestoso starts at 6'58''. Darkness is defeated by a broad, positive flow of energy. The victory is absolute.

Peter Maag's recording is maagical. True legend.

Composer: Felix Mendelssohn
Work: Symphony No 3, IV. Allegro vivacissimo–Allegro maestoso assai
Recording: London Symphony Orchestra, Peter Maag

#31 The Smell of Blue Skies

After the introduction, a cathedral is built. Its roof is missing, you can still see the blue skies. Very enjoyable piece of architecture.

Gardiner's account is grandiose, the sound is absorbent. Strict playing is combined with reckless joy. A peaceful movement that does not expect anything in reward. Enjoy.

Composer: Johannes Brahms
Work: Symphony No 2, IV. Allegro con spirito
Recording: Orchestre révolutionnaire et romantique, John Eliot Gardiner

#30 The Smell of Naked Calf

Here we have a game, filmed in black and white. Licentious girl is exposing her calf and then she's running away, smiling, to a meadow. There's no lust. For us, it's a comical situation–the film is speeded up a little bit.

In the serious middle section, we expect fun again and we're not disappointed. The music goes fast forward, slows down; it tries to astonish us but it's never enough. We want our heroine back.

Composer: Gustav Mahler
Work: Symphony No 1, II. Kräftig bewegt, doch nichz zu schnell
Recording: London Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti