On my way to the gym, I heard Mozart's Symphony#5 in B Flat that he wrote at the age of nine!
It was perfect, and the whole time I was thinking about so many composers (Mozart's contemporaries or not), who would give anything just to write one symphony like that!
And Mozart was nine, and at that time it was quite a while before he wrote anything that made him the Great Mozart.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
High Expectations
This weekend, to be more precise, this coming Friday, May 2nd, my husband and I are going to our um... a little belated wedding anniversary trip - to ... New York!
The trip will start with a night at the Met (what can be more beautiful and romantic?), where we are going to see "La Fille du Regiment" with Juan Diego Florez and Natalie Dessay!
I have to confess this is a big event for me - something I have been looking forward to since October '07 ( that's when we got the tickets).
Talking about the tickets, we have wonderful seats in the orchestra, all right - in the rear orchestra...but anyway, the orchestra.
I have very high expectations from that night - the night when I am going to listen to one of my most favorite singers live!
The trip will start with a night at the Met (what can be more beautiful and romantic?), where we are going to see "La Fille du Regiment" with Juan Diego Florez and Natalie Dessay!
I have to confess this is a big event for me - something I have been looking forward to since October '07 ( that's when we got the tickets).
Talking about the tickets, we have wonderful seats in the orchestra, all right - in the rear orchestra...but anyway, the orchestra.
I have very high expectations from that night - the night when I am going to listen to one of my most favorite singers live!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Yankeediva: Sweet repose? Not on your life!
I admire Joyce Di Donato's vision of Handel's music - can't wait for that disc to come out. She says so many amazing things about experiences singing Handel. It is very interesting how she writes about "cleansing" through suffering on stage.
She should write a book about her operatic roles, like Placido Domingo did. That would be some book.
I am posting a link to that beautiful entry ( just in case I want to read it all over again).
Yankeediva: Sweet repose? Not on your life!
She should write a book about her operatic roles, like Placido Domingo did. That would be some book.
I am posting a link to that beautiful entry ( just in case I want to read it all over again).
Yankeediva: Sweet repose? Not on your life!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Ban Breaker
This sounds really exciting - I am proud to be going to La Fille next Friday - and hopefully, will not be disapppointed!
Sing it again: Flórez breaks encore ban
Charlotte Higgins
Thursday April 24, 2008
The Guardian
Juan Diego Flórez is bucking the trend in the opera world by singing encores - a practice banned in most opera houses for much of the 20th century.
The Peruvian tenor become only the second singer in 15 years to sing an encore at New York's Metropolitan Opera, during a performance on Monday night. The last to do so was the late Luciano Pavarotti during Tosca in 1994.
Flórez was appearing in Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment, a comedy in which one aria requires hitting nine high Cs, the limit of a tenor's rang
In the words of the New Yorker music critic Alex Ross, "Flórez, after a slightly breathless start, securely zapped his nine high Cs in the cabaletta of Ah! Mes Amis, and then proceeded to zap them all again, audibly more at ease".
Despite the long-term proscription of encores at the Met, this one had been carefully planned. According to a New York Times report, Peter Gelb, the Met's general manager, asked Flórez weeks ago whether he would be prepared to repeat the aria. Flórez agreed: he had already become the first tenor to break an encore ban established in 1933 at La Scala, Milan, with the same number.
On Monday, the opera's opening night, Gelb gave the go-ahead to Flórez and the conductor by telephone to the stage manager from his box.
The same production of the opera - also with Flórez and co-star Natalie Dessay - was staged at the Royal Opera House, London, last January. Though it received rave reviews, there was no encore. A spokeswoman said: "The expected thing here is that we carry on with the opera. An aria comes in the context of the whole piece, and we would continue so that the dramatic impetus of the piece is not lost."
Sing it again: Flórez breaks encore ban
Charlotte Higgins
Thursday April 24, 2008
The Guardian
Juan Diego Flórez is bucking the trend in the opera world by singing encores - a practice banned in most opera houses for much of the 20th century.
The Peruvian tenor become only the second singer in 15 years to sing an encore at New York's Metropolitan Opera, during a performance on Monday night. The last to do so was the late Luciano Pavarotti during Tosca in 1994.
Flórez was appearing in Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment, a comedy in which one aria requires hitting nine high Cs, the limit of a tenor's rang
In the words of the New Yorker music critic Alex Ross, "Flórez, after a slightly breathless start, securely zapped his nine high Cs in the cabaletta of Ah! Mes Amis, and then proceeded to zap them all again, audibly more at ease".
Despite the long-term proscription of encores at the Met, this one had been carefully planned. According to a New York Times report, Peter Gelb, the Met's general manager, asked Flórez weeks ago whether he would be prepared to repeat the aria. Flórez agreed: he had already become the first tenor to break an encore ban established in 1933 at La Scala, Milan, with the same number.
On Monday, the opera's opening night, Gelb gave the go-ahead to Flórez and the conductor by telephone to the stage manager from his box.
The same production of the opera - also with Flórez and co-star Natalie Dessay - was staged at the Royal Opera House, London, last January. Though it received rave reviews, there was no encore. A spokeswoman said: "The expected thing here is that we carry on with the opera. An aria comes in the context of the whole piece, and we would continue so that the dramatic impetus of the piece is not lost."
Friday, April 25, 2008
Stradivari, Amati and the Magic Touch of a Genious
Just wanted to briefly share some impressions of my trip to Boston last weekend.
I had a chance to visit MFA and see its amazing Musical Instruments Room. For someone like me, this room had more treasures than the cave of Ali-Baba!
It was not huge, but offered quite a collection of the most exquisite, elegant and peculiar-shaped instruments.
And then there was that feeling of so much different music brought to life through those instruments centuries ago, so many fingers touching those strings and chords.
There were spinets, harpsichords and forte pianos encrusted with all sorts of wood, blue-and-white cameos and exquisite French and Italian paintings, depicting scenes from ancient mythology.
There was this simple but strikingly harmonious mandolin, decorated with darkened silver, which completely captivated me. There is something simple and yet so mysterious about this instrument, about the way it sounds and even about the way it looks. Think about Vivaldi's concertos for mandolin...
And to top it all, I had an encounter which made my whole trip to Boston worth while.
It was my encounter with a violin made by the great Stradivari!
It was a small instrument, supposedly made for the son of Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie-Louise. At first glance, it was a very simple ornament-free violin, but looking at it felt like looking at La Gioconda...
It still bears that highly perceivable magic, mystic touch of a genious.
I saw an Amati violin there as well.
For someone who appreciates music as much as I do - what could be more desirable?!
In the whole history of violin, there were 3 major violin makers: Guarneri, Amati and Stradivari. On the same day and in the same place I saw creations of 2 out of 3.
Could I be any luckier?
I had a chance to visit MFA and see its amazing Musical Instruments Room. For someone like me, this room had more treasures than the cave of Ali-Baba!
It was not huge, but offered quite a collection of the most exquisite, elegant and peculiar-shaped instruments.
And then there was that feeling of so much different music brought to life through those instruments centuries ago, so many fingers touching those strings and chords.
There were spinets, harpsichords and forte pianos encrusted with all sorts of wood, blue-and-white cameos and exquisite French and Italian paintings, depicting scenes from ancient mythology.
There was this simple but strikingly harmonious mandolin, decorated with darkened silver, which completely captivated me. There is something simple and yet so mysterious about this instrument, about the way it sounds and even about the way it looks. Think about Vivaldi's concertos for mandolin...
And to top it all, I had an encounter which made my whole trip to Boston worth while.
It was my encounter with a violin made by the great Stradivari!
It was a small instrument, supposedly made for the son of Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie-Louise. At first glance, it was a very simple ornament-free violin, but looking at it felt like looking at La Gioconda...
It still bears that highly perceivable magic, mystic touch of a genious.
I saw an Amati violin there as well.
For someone who appreciates music as much as I do - what could be more desirable?!
In the whole history of violin, there were 3 major violin makers: Guarneri, Amati and Stradivari. On the same day and in the same place I saw creations of 2 out of 3.
Could I be any luckier?
Thursday, April 24, 2008
A New Beginning
Today I am embarking on a new exciting journey - I am starting my Musical Journal.
In these entries I will share my thoughts about the main source of my joy and inspiration-Music!
It will be a journal of new impressions, discoveries, inspiration, joys and hopefully, rare disappointments.
A new beginning...what can be more exciting?
In these entries I will share my thoughts about the main source of my joy and inspiration-Music!
It will be a journal of new impressions, discoveries, inspiration, joys and hopefully, rare disappointments.
A new beginning...what can be more exciting?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)