Your playlist is as much part of a dinner party as what you present on a plate, and if you want to host a sophisticated soiree, it has to be classical. The right soundtrack has the power to transform even a burger and chips into a fine-dining experience, at least according to research by Cornell University. Why? Because the music makes us eat more mindfully and even perceive our food more favourably.
“Dinner parties are essentially about communication and the mingling of several different conversations, so you want background music that’s sophisticated enough to spark conversation, then melt away rather than competing with your chat,” says composer Oliver Davis, whose 2018 album Liberty recently topped the iTunes classical charts. So what music works best with different dishes? We spoke to a range of experts – from restaurateurs to party planners and composers to find out.
Soundtrack for starters
“I put as much thought and care into the music I play at a dinner party as I do into my cooking,” says restaurateur Asma Khan of the Darjeeling Express in Soho, London.
Her favourite starter is a mutton shikampuri kebab, a recipe from the Royal Kitchens of Hyderabad. “It has a uniquely layered shah-jeera flavour,” she says. “You think it’s mild at first, then the cardamom and cumin spice blend hits you. Most people don’t recognise all the flavours, but this starter never fails to impress.”
While guests dig in, Khan plays the classical Indian Sufi song Maula-e-Kull, sung by Abdida Parveen. “It has a very deep rhythm,” she says. “You don’t need to understand the words to feel the emotion in the voice of the singer: it starts off with the love between two people, then becomes deeply complex. Both the song and the starter have this incredible hidden layering, and together they set a rich, serene tone for your evening.”
Your musical main
“The right music helps the conversation flow, which is particularly important when your guests are meeting for the first time,” says Alice Matthews, founder of MotherHustler supper clubs.
“I love the classical guitar interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Air on a G String, by Richard Mollenbeck,” she says. Like the vegetarian tagine she serves her guests, the music is about different interpretations of a classic, melodiously coming together to create something new. “I’ve discovered guests relax and enjoy themselves more when eating familiar food and listening to familiar music, but in a heightened, luxurious atmosphere,” she says.
Sweet symphony
“I love to cook with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, and my taste in music reflects that too,” says Henrietta Inman, author of The Natural Baker: A new way to bake using the best natural ingredients.
“For a dinner party I’ll make my plum, blackberry and blueberry crumble, served with a rosemary and lemon syrup. The topping is crunchy and decadent, made with wholegrain spelt, oats and almonds.” And the perfect accompaniment? The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams, says Inman.
“It’s a beautifully tranquil piece by an English composer and it brings to mind a dusky evening eating outdoors, with birds singing in the hedgerows and trees hanging heavy with ripe fruit,” she says.
The tune for cheese
“The cheese course comes at a perfect moment to steer conversation into another direction,” says La Fromagerie’s Patricia Michelson, author of Cheese.
She recommends presenting a five-strong board with Sinodun Hill, a nutty goat’s cheese; the creamy, sweet and aromatic Beaufort Chalet D’Alpage; Lincolnshire Poacher Double Barrel, a hard cheese with a distinctive savoury acidity from the chalky soil where the cattle graze; a decadent Brie aux Truffes; and Regalis, a ewe’s milk blue that combines sharp mineral qualities with a rich, floral taste.
On the playlist is a classical composition with a jazz vibe, such as the Jacques Loussier Trio playing Bach. “It’s reflective and stimulating but soft and flowing, and these are words I often use when describing cheese too,” says Michelson.
The finale
Just as a digestif serves to calm the mood at the end of the meal, music plays a similar role. “One of the wonderful things about music is it fills in any awkward silence at the end of your dinner party, when everyone’s said an awful lot,” says Davis.
“I love an Amaretto, but I wouldn’t be as didactic as to suggest that a sweet liqueur goes with sweet music,” he says. “Go for something cosy that welcomes guests into your own personal comfort zone.”
For that, try downloading Rêverie Nocturne by Giulio Regondi or Liberty by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
