Mindy, if you want to rock out to classical music check out Prokofiev's Dance of the Pagan Monster also called The Enemy God and the Dance of the Spirits of Darkness from his Scythian Suite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfQb6BKq_ZU&featur…
a2resource, I'm grateful that you've taken the time to comment and hopefully I can share a little bit of the motivation behind this particular posting.
I assume you're familiar with the experience of watching opera in Italy--come and go, in and out, shouting at the performers from time to time, the claques hushing applause for singers who didn't pay up and going nuts for those who did. I'm not saying it's better or worse than opera in America but it's certainly the other side of the coin.
So far as a one shot national job interview, its a contest and contestants have 11 years of eligibility and can compete as often as they like. The national winner is offered an apprenticeship with The Met (the smart ones turn it down), no principal contract has ever been extended to a contestant in the year that they won. Why they call it an audition is beyond me.
I, for one, am proud of West Coast sophistication. At it's best, it is a sophistication that values content over structure.
I appreciate and thank you for your obvious dedication to music and music education.
Best,
Garrett — October 18, 2010 7:59 p.m.
From the New World
Mindy, I'm not sure what Gene Page did for New York. sailinsax, I think we all understand that Jazz grew out of African music and that it is a unique American contribution. However, Jazz and Classical music are different styles, so I will clarify my statement for you and say that, "Unfortunately, American classical composers have not, in general, turned to these products of the soil." Does that make more sense? Composers like Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Mahler, Bruckner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Bartok, Dvorak, Sibelius, Grieg, even Wagner, and countless others, used the folk melodies of their regions and created timeless music that continues to represent the traditions it grew out of. Jazz composers, with their enormous abilities to improvise, create a different type of experience for us. It is the freedom in Jazz and the uniqueness of each performance that excites us. It is the spontaneity and the witnessing of genius operating in "the moment" that creates the unique art we observe in jazz. That is not to say that one is better than the other but that Jazz and Classical music have different values and strengths. So with the exception of Porgy and Bess, which some have said was written as propaganda, where are the slave melodies in American classical music?— November 16, 2010 1:06 p.m.
A Requiem for Innocence
Altius you are right on target with Verdi. The last time I sang it was with SDO during the Verdi Centennial and the Salva Me passage tore me up. The music is screaming for salvation. It is not asking or pleading for salvation but crying out in the midst of crisis. The Faure is one of my guilty pleasures. When music is that beautiful and that accessible, it is tempting to criticize it as populist or trite. The Faure Requiem is an absolute gem and I will go hear it anytime any place!— November 8, 2010 2:50 p.m.
Operatic Requiem
Nan, it's great to have an opera lover in the blog community posting comments! Thanks, Garrett— November 8, 2010 11:52 a.m.
Hopped up on Opium
It is a wonderful movie. I missed the Oprah episode even though I had heard rumors about it a while back. Music and children is definitely a recipe for tears!— October 29, 2010 4:55 p.m.
Hopped up on Opium
Thank you Mindy. Let us know if you have any episodes.— October 27, 2010 2:12 p.m.
My Pants were on, so what was the Big Deal?
Mindy, if you want to rock out to classical music check out Prokofiev's Dance of the Pagan Monster also called The Enemy God and the Dance of the Spirits of Darkness from his Scythian Suite. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfQb6BKq_ZU&featur… a2resource, I'm grateful that you've taken the time to comment and hopefully I can share a little bit of the motivation behind this particular posting. I assume you're familiar with the experience of watching opera in Italy--come and go, in and out, shouting at the performers from time to time, the claques hushing applause for singers who didn't pay up and going nuts for those who did. I'm not saying it's better or worse than opera in America but it's certainly the other side of the coin. So far as a one shot national job interview, its a contest and contestants have 11 years of eligibility and can compete as often as they like. The national winner is offered an apprenticeship with The Met (the smart ones turn it down), no principal contract has ever been extended to a contestant in the year that they won. Why they call it an audition is beyond me. I, for one, am proud of West Coast sophistication. At it's best, it is a sophistication that values content over structure. I appreciate and thank you for your obvious dedication to music and music education. Best, Garrett— October 18, 2010 7:59 p.m.
The Beast with Two Backs
I didn't know there were any little Russians.— October 17, 2010 8:07 p.m.
The Beast with Two Backs
I'll give the Shostakovich a listen. I've always associated him with politics. As he said of his 5th Symphony, it's like Boris Godunov, someone is beating you with a stick and telling you to rejoice. However, I'm sure there's enough room in Shostakovich for some sexy. Side bar, I think the Russians are the most sensual composers but the Italians are more blatant!— October 15, 2010 10:01 a.m.
The Beast with Two Backs
There's enough room in this world for Latin Lovers.— October 14, 2010 5:43 p.m.