...is Halloween. When else can you freely wear costumes and gorge on candy? Mardi gras, maybe. But that's it.
And in preparation for Halloween, let's talk scary music. Classical, of course.
A person very close to me once said, "to be a musician, you cannot deny the demonic side of yourself." Wow! It's true, though; in order to channel the master works of music written by composers before our time, and in our time, one must be balanced, have life experience, and not deny his or her "dark side." Because sometimes, classical music is dark.
Imagine hearing, for the first time, Bach's Toccata and Fugue in d minor (BWV 565). In 1703, this would be equivalent to a hardcore metal concert of today. I'm talking Nails plus Alice Cooper (I know NIN isn't considered "metal," but you know what I mean). It is virtuosic, and it's impossible to hear without imagining some nasty ghoul playing it on the organ.
This is a not-so-scary video of the sublime piece:
Another favorite of mine is from Greig's vivid suite, Peer Gynt (written for Ibsen's play). The Hall of the Mountain King is considerably scary, especially when you imagine little Peer running away from the Mountain troll and his troll daughters. Run, Peer, run!
This piece, performed here by the Chamber Orchestra of S.João da Madeira Music Academy and directed by Richard Tomes, is short and to the point.
And what else could be more Halloweeny than Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre? This piece, later transcribed by Liszt for the piano, uses the xylophone to depict the sounds of rattling bones, or skeletons dancing. Below is a fan video of Tim Burton's animation to (part of) the composition.
And there are so many more, but for now, I will leave you with these gems.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Under the weather
Dudes, I have bronchitis. So I am staying off the chords at the moment; in other words, no singing. But on the other hand, lots of time for silly posting. (See previous post)
My solo recital has been postponed as a result. No worries, though. I will sing it in a month or so, healthy. In the meantime, I am learning (silently) "Air des clochettes" from Lakme and "Durch Zärtlichkeit und Schmeicheln" from Abduction from the Seraglio to add to my awesome coloratura repetoire.
My solo recital has been postponed as a result. No worries, though. I will sing it in a month or so, healthy. In the meantime, I am learning (silently) "Air des clochettes" from Lakme and "Durch Zärtlichkeit und Schmeicheln" from Abduction from the Seraglio to add to my awesome coloratura repetoire.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
STRESS
So, here's what's going on, and why I have not been blogging:
1. I have a cold, again. Actually, the cough from my cold in August never completely went away, and it has just flared up again. And I have a recital in 10 days! This is how my body reacts to stress: my respiratory system crashes.
2. Mr. P was hospitalized on Sunday with acute abdominal pain. This is how he reacts to stress: his stomach freaks out. They have no idea what it was, but a CT scan showed a bowel obstruction, which eventually cleared up. However, he is not yet feeling normal. He had a recital coming up, too, and he had to reschedule it.
3. My niece was in a bad horseback riding accident. She is fine but bruised and battered. She is only 9 years old. It is disturbing to see a black-and-blue child.
4. My mom is undergoing her second back surgery in a year and a half. She has been in excruciating pain, so I pray that this second surgery will get her back on her feet (literally).
5. My dad is on my case about every little thing, and I am this close to telling him to bugger off. He doesn't like our "lifestyle" and thinks I'm "in trouble," but he is not "helping me out" in any "constructive way." Bleh! I don't have time for this.
Here's what's going right:
1. Mr. P finished his recording (at least, the recording part of it, still has to edit), so he should have something to market in only a few weeks (God willing).
2. That movie Into the Wild was really cool. Sad, but inspiring.
Yeah, that about does it.
I promise to get back on top of things very soon, with healthy lungs and blogging about fun stuff.
1. I have a cold, again. Actually, the cough from my cold in August never completely went away, and it has just flared up again. And I have a recital in 10 days! This is how my body reacts to stress: my respiratory system crashes.
2. Mr. P was hospitalized on Sunday with acute abdominal pain. This is how he reacts to stress: his stomach freaks out. They have no idea what it was, but a CT scan showed a bowel obstruction, which eventually cleared up. However, he is not yet feeling normal. He had a recital coming up, too, and he had to reschedule it.
3. My niece was in a bad horseback riding accident. She is fine but bruised and battered. She is only 9 years old. It is disturbing to see a black-and-blue child.
4. My mom is undergoing her second back surgery in a year and a half. She has been in excruciating pain, so I pray that this second surgery will get her back on her feet (literally).
5. My dad is on my case about every little thing, and I am this close to telling him to bugger off. He doesn't like our "lifestyle" and thinks I'm "in trouble," but he is not "helping me out" in any "constructive way." Bleh! I don't have time for this.
Here's what's going right:
1. Mr. P finished his recording (at least, the recording part of it, still has to edit), so he should have something to market in only a few weeks (God willing).
2. That movie Into the Wild was really cool. Sad, but inspiring.
Yeah, that about does it.
I promise to get back on top of things very soon, with healthy lungs and blogging about fun stuff.
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