Not a bad choice – but you’re right that he’s a bit old for it.

However, although he’s good-looking and has a nice smile (the latter is absolutely necessary), IMHO no one is good-looking enough to play Barry in his prime.

The other thing that would be almost impossible to get right is that Barry was slim but muscular, somewhat like a ballet dancer. Today’s actors tend to be bulkier and more pumped.

This is the first version I first heard, I think, and it did change my life for the better. I was working at my first job out of law school—a stage in life where adulthood sets in and you realize that you somehow need to navigate the tangled world, to find and follow the right strings. I was lonely, I was isolated. But when I had the chance, I would sit outside and watch the clouds; hope for the sun, and listen to music that moved me and grounded me. Pachelbel seemed to give me a glimpse into the workings of the universe, that there was an intricate dance and sweet purpose to life no matter the surface struggles.

As a bonus, here is another Pachelbel piece, a Ciacona starting at 6:00, after the slow Canon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59HAq_wKOr0

Yeah, but one of those violinists looked pretty frenetic to me!
Thanks for the link – nice to see the organ and the theorbo (how does anyone play that thing?!?)

@ huxley > likewise, the Jean-François Paillard version is the one I’m most familiar with.
Wikipedia has the scoop.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachelbel%27s_Canon

The canon (without the accompanying gigue) was first published in 1919 by scholar Gustav Beckmann, who included the score in his article on Pachelbel’s chamber music.[9] His research was inspired and supported by early music scholar and editor Max Seiffert, who in 1929 published his arrangement of the “Canon and Gigue” in his Organum series.[10] However, that edition contained numerous articulation marks and dynamics not in the original score. Furthermore, Seiffert provided tempi he considered right for the piece, but that were not supported by later research.[11] The canon was first recorded in 1940 by Arthur Fiedler.[12]

In 1968, the Jean-François Paillard chamber orchestra made a recording of the piece that would change its fortunes significantly.[1] This rendition was done in a more Romantic style, at a significantly slower tempo than it had been played at before, and contained obbligato parts, written by Paillard.[1] The Paillard recording was released in June in France by Erato Records as part of an LP that also included the Trumpet Concerto by Johann Friedrich Fasch and other works by Pachelbel and Fasch, all played by the Jean-François Paillard chamber orchestra. Paillard’s interpretation of the canon was also included on a widely distributed album by the mail-order label Musical Heritage Society in 1968.

Yes, I heard it when it came out.

By the way, the Bee Gees had many country or country-ish songs even when they were the Bee Gees, my personal favorite being “Come On Over.”

The “Greenfields” album is okay, and I think it’s sort of interesting. I’m glad if it’s making Barry some more money and introducing a younger generation to some of the Bee Gees’ songs. But it’s almost painful for me to listen to it, at least much of it. I know the way the Bee Gees sounded singing the same songs, and to me all of the songs on that record are inferior versions. For me, there’s something exceptional in the Bee Gees voices and their voices as a trio. What’s more, Barry’s voice is somewhat diminished now, and when I hear it, in my head I compare it to his old voice and the comparison makes me sad at times.

I still love him though.

The smaller festivals are nice in that anyone can walk or dance up to the front of the stage.

The Pachelbel is wonderful and a familiar piece. I do like the period instruments, though the period performances that trigger my inner smile the most are the ones (earlier compositions?) that sound more medieval and include the recorder.

Have you heard Gibbs’ “Greenfields” (2021)?

I’m kind of intrigued. It’s Gibbs going country, though that’s too glib. Anyway, he’s got Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, who are personal faves. What I’ve heard, I’ve liked. Plus Olivia Newton John!

–“Barry Gibb – Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers’ Songbook (Vol. 1 / Album Trailer)”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqxTqkR_qRM

A friend once played me that Musical Heritage Society version, which exploded in the 70s/80s:

–“Jean-François Paillard, Pachelbel Canon in D major”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wiRRv80ehM

At the time I was personally shattered and the music was like God telling me It Was All Right. If I really listen, I still can’t hear that piece without tearing up.

Later, when I went home, I discovered my mother had a recording of the Canon but it sounded nothing like the MHS one I had come to love. Then I learned of the vagaries of classical music, especially when it comes to the earlier periods.

PA+Cat’s linked version is quite splendid, though I can’t speak to its authenticity (whatever that means) beyond they are using the original instruments.

I love them for that. I once I had box of vinyl Brandenburgs in the original instruments. Long lost. I’d like to replace them if I could. Perhaps Voices of Music is on the case.