La Boheme and the influence of music…
My father was a classically trained baritone who sang in many choral groups that performed the works of Schubert, Brahms, Palestrina, as well as many other early gospel and early church composers. As a child, numerous Sundays afternoons were spent at concerts soaking in the harmonies of these great works. These experiences have formed many of my sensitivities today. As I search and strive to build compositions in my work, often I reflect on what I have taken in musically and find myself asking as the sound weaves its way through my being, “What would that feeling or sensation I am receiving from the musical harmony look like in paint”? So the Journey begins….
This work, “LaBoheme”, inspired by Giacomo Puccini’s opera by the same title, is a tribute to how God has inspired me through music and the power that is contained within it.
Through the years, many have commented on the music that is playing in the studio and have asked for a list of some of the works. The following are some of my favorites that have carried many inspirations. (The list is only partial at best. Listed are only my favorite albums or songs of each artist, but often all of their work is greatly moving).
Artist/Composer Album or Song
- Ralph Vaughn Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
- William Ackerman Conferring with the Moon
- Arvo Part Te Deum
- John Rutter Requiem
- Vassilis Tsabropoulos Chants, Hymns and Dances
- Giacomo Puccini (All of his Operas)
- Josh Groban Mi Mancherai
- Connie Dover The Wishing Well
- Allison Krauss A Hundred Miles or More
- Henryk Gorecki Symphony #3
- Patrick Cassidy Irish Film Orchestra (Famine Theme)
- Itzhak Perlman Theme from Schindler’s List (John Williams)
- Yo Yo Ma The Music of Ennio Morricone
- Eleni Karaindrou The Weeping Meadow
- Fernando Ortega The Shadow of Your Wings
- Dave Gerhartz Hear You Call
- Hayley Westenra Quanta Qualia
- Rodrigo Concerto De Aranjuez
- Joshua Bell Romance of the Vioin
- Loreena McKennitt Nights From the Alhambra
- Nightnoise A Different Shore
- Oscar Petersen Night Train
- Over the Rhine Happy to Be So
- John O’Conor 15 Nocturnes
- Sarah McLachlan Afterglow
- Secret Garden White Stones
- Sons of Korah Shelter
- The Tallis Scholars Lamenta
- Van Morrison Poetic Champions Compose
- Gabriel Faure Requiem
This is a sampling of my favorites…I did not include many of the more well known classical composers, of course, they would be on the list too.
I’d love to hear some of your favorites too…
Thanks and Enjoy!
daniel gerhartz 
