Category: music

In Concert

Karen

A friend had an extra ticket to Renee Fleming’s opening with the Utah Symphony tonight, so I get to see her live for the first time! Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs are on the program, some of my absolute favorites. Here’s “September” from the cycle:

September (Hermann Hesse)

The garden mourns.
The flowers fill with cold rain.
Summer shivers
in the chill of its dying domain.

Yet summer smiles, enraptured
by the garden’s dreamy aphasia
as gold, drop by drop, falls
from the tall acacia.

With a final glance at the roses–
too weak to care, it longs for peace–
then, with darkness wherever it gazes,
summer slips into sleep.

(Translation via )

In college, the professor focused more on how these were Strauss’ swan song, finished when he was 85–but Strauss was 68 when Hitler came to power; he lived through the war and political maneuvering.  You can hear so much relief in the music that it’s all over.

Thursday Music

Karen

This popped into my head last night as I was brushing my teeth, so how about some Beethoven instead of a poem? Finished right before the Ninth Symphony, it is just sublime–the musical equivalent of Sam telling Mr. Frodo, “There’s some good left in this world.”

Here’s a whole performance of Bernstein capital-R-Romancing the heck out of it, but at least give the Kyrie a try (1:30 to about 13:00, where it nearly turns into the Ninth). It’s worth your time.

More Covers

Karen

I keep digging into Nina Simone covers of pop songs and I keep being delighted. For example, did you know she did a version of The Five Stairsteps’ “Ooh Child”?

And! She covered Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry.” This is a live recording from 1990:

Vinyl

Karen

Growing up I loved to listen to my dad’s records and it’s been at the back of my mind for years to get one. I finally researched a little and decided to just do it a couple weeks ago.

Holy shit, you guys. It sounds so good. I put on a record and stand in front of the speakers and that’s about as articulate as I can be: “This sounds so good! Wow! Damn! Listen to that!”

I got some new records (from the local store, where Record Store Guys clearly don’t see a lot of females) and also borrowed some old ones from Doc’s parents. It all sounds great.

I got this turntable with a built-in preamp and these speakers–so for under $200, you can be blown away, too.

Friday Links

Karen

1. It’s been about ten degrees above average here this week but for once I’m not going to post the Hemingway quote about “false spring.” I’m going to listen to “Frühling” (Spring) from Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs because yes, “I dreamt long
/ of your trees and blue skies,/
of your fragrance and birdsong.”

(Historical context and lyrics here)

2. We can’t have a week without an unattributed Pinterest quote!

“In June, I changed my tune”

Karen

How about some Benjamin Britten to get us to the end of the week? This is from his Friday Afternoons song series, written for the school his brother taught at, and it is a delight. (It was also used at the end of Moonrise Kingdom, where it was also a delight.)

Happy Birthday, Enrico Caruso

Karen

The Writer’s Almanac featured the tenor Caruso‘s birthday today, along with some trivia for your next Jeopardy game:

“When he was 15, he was performing at church one night when he received word that his mother had died. He left the church in the middle of the song, one of only two times in his life that he interrupted a performance. The only other time he didn’t finish a concert was his last.”

“Less than three months after his Metropolitan debut, Caruso made some recordings for the Victor Company. At the time, the gramophone was just a curiosity, but Caruso had become a household name, and people all over the country wanted to hear his voice. His records inspired thousands of people to buy their first gramophones, and his were the first records ever to sell more than a million copies. It can therefore be argued that Caruso’s voice was responsible for the beginning of the musical recording industry.”

Was he really such a big deal? I think so. Listen to this:

Music To The Rescue

Karen1 Comment

There has been a lot going on lately: car repairs, new car shopping, bathroom remodel progress, InstaCare visits for Doc, everything happening all at once at work, and today, a commercial shoot that started hours before you will be reading this.

I have been dividing my listening about equally between Tibetan singing bowls and early music from my B. Mus., Music History days: Josquin des Prez and his “Ave Maria, Virgo Serena.”

 

I think they’re really the same sentiment, in the end:  “Mother of God, remember me. Let’s be calm. Namaste.”

Happy Birthday, Johann

Karen

It’s the birthday of J.S. Bach today, composer of the music I’d take to a desert island (sonatas and partitas for solo violin) and architect of my last remaining Protestant religious experience (the St. Matthew Passion, which will get listened to this weekend).

But let’s go way back to the first Bach I or anyone else probably ever heard, the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor:

Fun music history fact: Toccata comes from the Italian toccare, “to touch,” and was essentially an improvised keyboard warm-up that got written down. And fuga is Latin for “flight.”

Thanks, Schumann

Karen

Here’s a Robert Schumann art song for your Thursday, which I have been listening to on repeat and which I promise will be the most gorgeous thing you will hear all week:

The title is “Mondnacht” (Night of the Moon), from his Liederkreis, (Song Cycle), Op. 39.  This is sung by by great Dietrich Fischer-Diskau, and you can get LOTS of info about the poem that makes up the lyrics (along with different performances and critiques) right here.