This is the view of the world from the eyes of a Sugar Islander. It talks about Anime, Boxing, Manny Pacquiao, Team Pilipinas and Fiba Basketball. It also covers Naruto and Bleach comic books. However, serious Asian society issues and Racism against Asians, Asian achievers in Sports are also discussed. Advocacies are carried on and never forgotten.
Showing posts with label classical music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classical music. Show all posts
As if Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 Allegro con brio (known in our country as “Standard” soundtrack) isn’t powerful enough – add an emotional and power packed conductor such as Karajan (I think he is minutes away from head-banging) and the piece becomes even stronger. Just look at Herbert Von Karajan in action - picture of intense concentration and probably internalizing what the piece is all about. Understanding the piece and what the composer was trying to convey to his audience is the key in successful presentation of classical music. WOW just look at the guy! He is unbelievable!!!
I want to add Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 allegro con brio in the playlist for I really developed a liking for the piece – soon hopefully – please take time to listen, okay?
Beethoven Symphony No.5 Allegro con brio is a needle that sticks to your butt to keep you from being depressed. No, really it's an effective anti-stupor remedy.
Ahhh...You know I’m always interested in listening to classical pieces outside their native instruments. For example, what it’s like hearing Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 or Beethoven’s Pathétique on guitar? However for purists, it is sacrilegious to do so but for me it isn’t, after all, it is still music. The treatment will be different of course but I like trying new things. Luckily, Youtube has provided me with one – Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 on guitar interpreted by Japanese power player Kazuhito Yamashita. (Unlike the piano, playing Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 on guitar is totally mice-free hehe.)
Liszt and Yamashita have something in common, here’s the observation:
Just as Franz Liszt created new repertoire and technique for the piano by transcribing Symphonies and Operas and then developing new techniques with which to play them, Kazuhito Yamashita took a similar path in the early 1980's and so revolutionised the world of possibilities on the guitar.
By transcribing well known pieces of orchestral music for solo guitar he has encouraged a trend which could make classical guitar much more appealing and accessible to concert programmers and the general concert going audience.Source
Please take time and listen to this genius at work – exhibited by his performance of Liszt’s rhapsody. Boy, it sounds fantastic and the guitar – I feel like it is going to sing in the manner Yamashita played it. Although, it is a totally different experience but it is a fine one indeed. Next piece, Beethoven’s Pathétique played on guitar I can’t wait to share it with you. Hopefully, I could find one.
Hey guys (and gals)! Please check out my own listening station at the right margin of the blog. Yup, it is one with the title Holding On Listening Station. I recommend the two classical pieces most especially Ludwig Van Beethoven's Pathétique or its formal name Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 -"Pathétique" - 2. Adagio cantabile - an incredible romantic piece. This is the second movement of the maestro's Piano Sonata No.8. I described it as romantic though experts say it is "tragic" or accurately put the sonata's tragic sonorities motivated the publisher to name it “Pathétique". A pretty sad piece as if one is waiting for his lover that could never return or trying to meet someone that didn’t prosper. Yeah, it’s tragic.
Facts are boring says copyblogger. But at the risk of being that I’ll still give you guys some facts about the sonata.
Beethoven's Piano Sonata op. 13 in C minor also known as " Pathetique " is by far the most well-known work from his early creation, composed in 1798 but published in 1799 and dedicated to prince Karl Lichnowsky. Some sources attribute the title to Beethoven himself, while others state that the title was given by the publisher of the sonata, who was so impressed by its tragic sonorities that he proposed Beethoven the name Pathetique.
No, I'm not talking about the experience of illegal drugs users. This is the experience the writer of a drama described Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.5 in F Major. Yes, I have showed this piece before but I wasn't able to elaborate on it. It has four movements but I will talk about the first movement since I like it and this is one of the first classical pieces I really enjoyed. In this work, the power of the violin is masterfully displayed magnificently accompanied by the piano. One can appreciate violin more when listening to this (esp. to a classical music newbie like me). Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.5 in F Major or Spring is a cheerful piece that could lift me out of momentary sadness. It is rightfully called Spring - as if the sonata heralds the season's arrival after the harsh winter. In my opinion, this sonata is rock-like could be played with wild abandon (but shouldn't). The first version is a rock-like version as played by the character Mine in Nodame Cantabile (J-drama)- it's messy. The second version is how it is supposed to be played as Beethoven intended it to be.
Who would have thought this simple six-minute animated short is actually the greatest cartoon as voted for by 1,000 animation professionals? The criteria is simple it has to be under thirty minutes and cel animated. (But knowing the ethnocentrism of the Americans I don't fully subscribe to the assessment.) Wikipedia describes this work as an operatic parody of Richard Wagner's opera. Most experts consider the animated short as Director Chuck Jones' magnum opus. Look at the following analysis of "What's Opera, Doc?" What's Opera, Doc? (1957) takes us still more deeply into the world of parody. Here Jones and arranger Milt Franklyn offer a grandiose skewering of Wagnerian themes and conceits. With his cries of "kill the wabbit" unforgettably grafted onto the characteristic dotted rhythm of the "Ride of the Walküres" from Wagner's Ring, Elmer's pursuit of Bugs is raised to a maniacal pitch. Whereas Stalling's score for the Rossini project confined itself almost exclusively to a single overture, Franklyn juggles a pastiche of favorite themes, not only from the Ring, but also from Flying Dutchman and Tannhaüser. The famous Venusberg ballet from the first act of the latter opera becomes a ridiculous parody of a Wagnerian love duet, complete with an overstuffed horse and its gigantic backside... link
When I was young, I thought the cartoon was funny. I have no intention of doing an analysis of What's Opera, Doc? Being funny - I'll just leave it at that but some pundits revealed the cartoon's deeper meaning - how it uses opera tools to make fun of opera itself. This is truly a work of a genius and deserves the greatest cartoon tag.
For the musically curious, cartoon sound tracks served as a point of entry into distant musical and timbral worlds that young viewers might never have otherwise encountered, much less understood. And even if some will lament the transformation of operatic and symphonic standards into slapstick entertainment, we must concede that decoding the layered meanings of these cartoons actually requires remarkable imagination and insight. Listening today to the sounds of these decidedly silly cartoons, we can nevertheless marvel at the artistry and wisdom that foolishness can sometimes inspire... link
For a spoof to really work, one must have in-depth knowledge and appreciation of the art that he lampoons.
For example, Willie Nepumoceno impersonates Filipino politicians and other big shots. He does it so successfully because of the in-depth knowledge he has on people he copies. His characterization is deep and most likely what the real person would say in the first place. Poohkyaw's impersonation of Manny Pacquiao however is stupid, tasteless and racist - copying Manny's regional accent is not enough to be funny unless one is fond of garbage entertainment.
With all due respect to the great composer, I think to visualize it just remember Tom and Jerry. Yes, Tom and Jerry, if I remember correctly this piece was used in the said cartoon. I think Tom was chasing Jerry all over the piano and the resulting sound that they create is Hungarian Rhapsody No.2! It was a great comic combination. Just now I saw a clip on Youtube, I can't believe its available - I thought its protected by copyright. Man, my memories are being refreshed and I love this clip! I was right I knew this piece was used in Tom and Jerry - nobody can forget a great music and a great animated short.
Tom & Jerry - The Cat Concerto
Academy Award winner - Best Animated Short 1946
An interesting note: Classic Warner Brothers cartoon made in 1946 featuring Bugs Bunny playing the piano. The plot and execution are very similar to a Tom & Jerry cartoon that was made and released the same year by MGM called The Cat Concerto. Both studios sued each other for plagiarisms, claiming that ideas were stolen from each other. It's interesting to compare the two. LINK
Bugs Bunny - Rhapsody Rabbit
The moral of the story is when playing Hungarian Rhapsody be kind to the mice that lives on the piano!
It could be described as happy, fun, mischievous, and playful piece. Could words really capture the essence of an excellent musical piece? (Why did I become so poetic all of a sudden?) The word spirited could also be used though I prefer my original description. The rhapsody is really suited in comic works like in animation. Here is a technical description of Liszt's spectacular work:
Liszt wrote fifteen Hungarian rhapsodies, all of them originally for piano solo, but many of them have been scored for orchestra. Of all these the second is by far the most popular and the most frequently heard in the concert room and is therefore selected for description. Its orchestral version was made by Herr Muller-Berghaus, though another version was also made by the composer, assisted by Franz Doppler. The two principal movements are the Lassan, or slow movement, and the Friska, or quick movement, of the conventional Hungarian Czardas, the national dance. The Lassan begins in the clarinets, violins and violas in unison, accompanied by chords in the horns, trombones and basses and is very earnest and resolute in character. A slow and mournful passage follows in the same instruments with a similar accompaniment, the theme of which, after a clarinet Cadenza, appears in the flutes and oboes... http://www.musicwithease.com/liszt-hungarian-rhapsody-2.html
I actually prefer to put Lang Lang here (yesterday my parents laughed when they heard his name since the talented pianist name means abnormal in our language geesh) but the sound quality is poor. I decided to place Rachmaninoff instead - one legend playing another legend's work!
Note: Liszt suffered from critics (like Rachmaninoff) and they dismissed his works but in the end nobody remembered those people. It is Liszt.
Henceforth, some critics condemned him from the very beginning - a dark cloud that hung over him for a lifetime. Yet, it's interesting how some of these intellects couldn't comprehend the complexity of his serious pieces, or they dismissed his works on the grounds that no single person could be both a star performer and a great composer. Liszt couldn't win with these mental midgets. In general they loved his performances and technique, but despised his compositions. It's amazing how the pen of one single-minded critic can wield devastating control over public opinion.
Even today many people will forfeit seeing a movie based upon a critic's review. Many times this can destroy box office sales and plummet a film into obscurity. Yet with time and a lack of bias, it may secure a revival via the video rental market. Many excellent films have risen from the ashes this way, and so too has Liszt... risen like a phoenix. This phenomenon can be succinctly witnessed in a personal letter that Liszt wrote in 1875, "For people now-a-days hear and judge only by reading the newspapers. I mean to take advantage of this in so far that the leading and favorite papers of Vienna, Pest, Leipzig, Berlin, Paris, London, etc.--which abhor my humble compositions and have declared them worthless and objectionable--shall be relieved of all further outward trouble concerning them. What is the good of performances to people who only care to read newspapers?"
It is also curious that Franz Liszt had many parallels to Leonardo DaVinci. The old Italian master was of the highest order in the arena of diverse invention and so too was Liszt. DaVinci experimented in science and the arts developing new techniques and visions never seen before by man, while Liszt too created soundscapes so unique and bewildering to his contemporaries that even the great Hans Von Bulow could not fathom how to conduct a work like Hamlet. These bizarre configurations seemed unmusical and alien to 19th Century ears, and rightfully so, they were prophetically modern. It is also curious that Franz Liszt had many parallels to Leonardo DaVinci. The old Italian master was of the highest order in the arena of diverse invention and so too was Liszt. DaVinci experimented in science and the arts developing new techniques and visions never seen before by man, while Liszt too created soundscapes so unique and bewildering to his contemporaries that even the great Hans Von Bulow could not fathom how to conduct a work like Hamlet. These bizarre configurations seemed unmusical and alien to 19th Century ears, and rightfully so, they were prophetically modern. Granted both men did experience the pitfalls associated with experimentation, as can be witnessed by the deterioration of DaVinci's Last Supper or the stylistic fluctuations in Liszt's Christus Oratorio. Yet, both pieces are masterworks of the highest order, as they both broke ground in countless ways and move us with their profound vision. As for their seemingly precarious methodology it's key to remember, only by abandoning the norms and plodding into the deep, dark abyss of the unknown can one engender and reveal the nebulous wonders that lay hidden to lesser beings. Franz Liszt has always been assured a lofty place in the Pantheon of Composers, yet on that celestial horizon of stars only a select few burn with fervid intensity... Liszt is one of them.
Wow, the title is a handful! I encountered this piece on a Japanese dorama and I liked it. As an amateur classical music fan, I can't believe how much this piece can stir my emotions. The moderato starts as if it is building up on something. A very intense start, full of fervor I can imagine the faces of the conductor and the pianist on this one. It ebbs on the middle preparing itself for another chance to explode - slowly the piece builds up and the distinct sound of the piano is making itself heard as if emphasizing the fact that it is a piano concerto. This is probably the most amateurish description of Rachmaninoff's work but who cares?
According to Wikipedia, when it first came out the symphony was derided by critics but now it is recognized as a masterpiece. (It reminds me of the Sydney Opera House when it was first unveiled it was also scoffed at by experts but now the structure is recognized as an architectural wonder.)People.
Rachmaninoff began work on his Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 in the latter part of the summer of 1900. Rachmaninoff, having regained his confidence, composed the second and third movements “quickly and easily” (125). However, he had much difficulty with the first movement. He premiered the work in incomplete form at Ziloti’s suggestion in Moscow on 2 December 1900. This was a daunting performance for Rachmaninoff, since the continued restoration of his self-confidence as a composer hinged on its reception. Furthermore, he had contracted a bad cold days before the performance. Also, this was to be his first performance with an orchestra in eight years, having played with an orchestra only three times prior. Moreover, Ziloti was to make his professional conducting debut with this performance. Luckily, the performance went off without a hitch, and Rachmaninoff was greatly reassured. The concerto was premiered in its complete form on 27 October 1901. It was a tremendous success with the audiences. The concerto quickly gained international fame with Ziloti’s performances in January 1902 with the Leipzig Gewandhaus under Nikisch and under Sapellnikov in London in May of the same year.
The opening of the concerto begins with a series of swelling piano chords that are punctuated by bass octaves. Once again, this passage brings to mind the sound of bells, heard from far off at first but growing more powerful with each stroke. It is interesting to compare this opening with the final bars of his Prelude in C Sharp Minor. It is possible that he may have derived the opening of the concerto by inverting the layout and dynamics of the final bars of the prelude, in which the bass octaves precede and not follow the chords. As is common with Rachmaninoff, the opening theme has a distinctly Russian sound. Rachmaninoff’s friend, Medtner, described this Russian quality of the Second Concerto’s main theme, stating that it is “not only the theme of his life but always conveys the impression of being one of the most strikingly Russian of themes, and only because the soul of this theme is Russian…every time, from the first bell stroke, you feel the figure of Russia rising up to her full height” (127)...link
The effect of Rachmaninoff's work could still be felt today like these young kids from Dipolog. Lucky kids, I only got to hear Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 THIS YEAR. Though he was discussed at Music Class in High School nobody bothered to let us listen to his works. I was fortunate enough to hear the works of Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn thru the BBC World Service documentary on great composers and...Warner Bros. and Tom and Jerry which I will explain later.
MANILA, Philippines - Classical music got a much-needed shot in the arm in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte, when over 800 students from different schools in this city cheered pianists Ingrid Sala Santamaria and Reynaldo Reyes Friday last week on their 15th Romantic Piano Concerto Journey Tour.
Held at the Atrium of Top Plaza Hotel with a view of the sea, Santamaria and Reyes played Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and were rewarded with a standing ovation.
“We are really excited because this is our first time to watch a classical concert,” said students Jane Krish Erasmo, Franz Roezyl Lugo and Kathleen Alberca from the Dipolog Pilot Elementary School. “Before this, we only had exposure to rock bands like Bamboo and Cueshe,” they added.
For this rare classical event in the city, 10 men were hired to move two upright pianos to the fifth floor of the hotel through the stairs...link
Rachmaninoff plays his Piano Concerto No.2 in C Major OP 18 I_Moderato
I’m starting to enjoy classical music esp. if it’s properly explained to me. It all started because of this Japanese dorama – Nodame Cantabile which is about classical music. I was so enamored I went to Youtube.com and searched for clips of classical music. (Before Nodame, I know one classical music artist Lang Lang. I saw him on a BBC documentary about classical pianists. His name means abnormal and mentally ill in the Hiligaynon language that’s why when some people ask me for some classical artist and I reply Lang Lang all I get is the bemused look and the mandatory giggle. No Lang Lang is not lang lang, he is Chinese phenom.) I chose Spanish guitar solos since I love that instrument. Ta-da!!! Right there and then names came up – almost all unfamiliar to me. I chose this EMU professor playing "Spanish Romance" – the guitar solo that I really love – but a comment cited the professor made at least three mistakes so I moved to other guitarists. One name stood out Jose Feliciano – probably the original GOD-GUITAR (the name given to the lead guitarist of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE)! He played Flight of the Bumble Bee with blinding hand speed that could embarrass Slash. However other than the Flight, he didn’t play other classical pieces. It doesn’t matter I’m still astonished by his talent despite the fact I probably saw Senor Feliciano’s clips several times already!!!
Jose Feliciano playing Flight of the Bumble Bee
Spanish Romance - composed by an anonymous medieval Spanish guitarist became even more famous when it was featured in the French movie "Forbidden Games (Jeux Interdits)"
Nodame Cantabile is a story of a confused, talented, young musician, Chiaki Senichi (played by Tamaki Hiroshi), and a hygienically-challenged woman, Megumi Noda or Nodame (Ueno Juri - a top J-actress), pursuing their musical dreams or at least one of them is. A beautiful love story told in a serio-comical manner I highly recommend this Japanese show. I just finished the show two days ago when classical music related news came up. The first one is the New York Philharmonic Orchestra's North Korean concert which was well-received by the people there. The other one is about this fast rising conductor from Colombia, the one called the demonic conductor, I forgot his name though. Thanks to the TV show, I appreciated classical music even more and I learned the history of various compositions from Debussy's to Mozart's. It is in knowing the purpose and history of a composition that one can truly appreciate its value, its existence. For example, Claude Debussy's L'Isle Joyeuse, it was composed to convey his joy and happiness after visiting one of the French Colonies in the Pacific. The show explained why classical music training is so rigid. It is so in order for the budding musicians to play the piece as closely as possible to what it is intended for.
