Hello Off Topic Chit-Chatters,

time for a new question. In the light of the abysmal performance of my home country in the Eurovision Song Contest last month (it was the sound equipment, honestly!), what kind of music do you like listening to at the moment? Don't anybody say the Cheeky Girls please......

All you oldies out there are welcome to take a trip back in time with your recommendations...bear in mind that I don't own a gramophone....

Ellen

Hi Ellen!

Time to buy a gramophone, 'cause I love Fleetwood Mac, for example

I hardly listen to "new stuff". I think my music collection stopped somewhere round the 80's.

Hi,

I love to listen to U2, especially the Joshua Tree album.  I also like Christina Aguilera's Stripped.  I believe that she is very talented and I love her powerful voice. 

Anita

Hey that's ok, you're the height of retro chic, although maybe not with Fleetwood Mac.....

"retro chic"? What's that?

Thanks

So that means that my cd player is retro chic, it only plays old stuff.

QUOTE (Ellen Brown): All you oldies out there are welcome to take a trip back in time with your recommendations...bear in mind that I don't own a gramophone....

New oldies:

"Stony Road" - it's my discovery of 2002. The latest album by Chris Rea where he started to play blues! The whole CD of pure blues made in the best traditions of the genre! Superb album! Highly recomended to all those who are into white blues.

Omar has mentioned Fleetwood Mac. For me this band was finished when Peter Green left them. BTW this year Green released a very good album "Rеaching The Gold 100". 80 minutes of groovy blues music and as a bonus a new 7-minute version of unforgettable "Black Magic Woman". Recomended.

NK

Hi, Ellen,

Trying to brighten up the day with a little orange!

My taste in music runs to older styles: Chopin, Bach, the sorts of things that our award-winning Kay is singing. I'm afraid I just don't follow today's popular music.

Scott

For me Fleetwood Mac started when Stevie Nicks joined them

Hi Scott,

Most of this will mean nothing to you!

My choices are wide ranging;

New stuff - Linkin Park, Mysteeq, Muse, Coldplay, and Stereophonics

Fairly new stuff - Suede, TLC, The Cardigans, Warren G

Retro-chic! - Eddy Grant, Bananarama, The Pretenders, Madonna

Old - The Animals, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin

Classical - Mozart, Mahler, Debussy, Sibelius, Rodrigo 

I don't like anything new with over-warbling females (think Céline Dion).

Ellen

Virginia, it was sooo bad I don't think they'll let us back in next year!

Ellen

Just a couple of names to add to my list:

In English:

-Eurythmics

-Pat Benatar

-R.E.M.

-George Michael

-Journey

-U2

-Peter Gabriel

-Stevie Nicks (obviuosly!)

-Meat Loaf

-Sting

-Cindy Lauper

-Tracy Chapman

-Tina Turner

-yes, Céline Dion, Emma Chaplin, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Sarah Brightman, Donna Summer -why not? when in the mood (I hate Madonna though)

In Italian:

Giorgia, Antonella Ruggiero, Andrea Bocelli, Irene Grande, Marina Rei

In French:

Francis Cabrel, Dalida

In Créole:

Kassav

In Spanish:

Joan Manuel Serrat, Miguel Bosé, Mecano, Ricardo Arjona, Fito Páez, Mercedes Sosa, Maná, Pablo Milanés, Shakira, Amistades Peligrosas

To dance (boy, how I miss dancing!):

Juan Luis Guerra y 440, Carlos Vives, Chichi Peralta, Celia Cruz, and some other "salsa" and "merengue" players/singers

Some "academic stuff":

Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, Bach (baroque composers in general)

Omar,

From the whole list I really do share only your passion towards Mercedes Sosa. Her 'Gracias a la vida' is great! Unfortunately it's almost impossible to find her recordings here. Can you recommend her disc with songs in the vein of 'Gracias a la vida'? Perhaps a Best Of compilation?

NK

Nikita,

Take a look at this link:

http://www.discoweb.com/fr/Music/scripts/info.asp?origen=&ref=00-145213

Her album: "Mercedes Sosa en Argentina" is a great compilation. In there, she performs with other singers, including Charly García (I do not know how I missed him in my list)

By the way, she's having a presentation in Massa, Tuscany, this week. I would sell my soul to go and see her

--------------------------------------------------

Just went back to that page and also found: "30 años". I would also reccomend this one. It includes "Unicornio", one of my favorites

Omar,

Andrea Bocelli, Francis Cabrel, I like them too.

Hi!

In the music department, my interests are closer to what Scott listens to.  Everything by Verdi.  Italian opera is my all time favorite.  I do not follow the latest trends in music.  I enjoy the Three Tenors a lot and went to their concert in Paris when France won the World Cup.  Unforgettable experience.

Małgorzata

Omar,

Thanx a lot for the link and recommendations. Though the site works quite badly when I try to listen to the songs, I've managed to listen to some fragments from "Mercedes Sosa en Argentina". It seems it's really a very good album. BTW I've found it at GEMM at a price more than 3 times lower than at DiscoWeb!

NK

Hi Ellen,

Classical music has been a constant in my life like a lot of you, however I love jazz and blues as well as some of the new bands mentionned like Coldplay; Thanks to the my french friends from Québec, I have been introduced to the wonderful sounds of Lynda Lemay and Garou to name only a few. From overseas I have followed the music of Youssou N'Dour and Eros Ramazzotti. One of my favorite links is Radio Nostalgie for all of us who were teenagers in France in the 70's. Now Ellen, you did say that us "oldies" could take that walk down memory lane. You wont need a gramaphone for this!!! Omar, you will find Dalida is played daily on this station. Enjoy:

http://cache.yacast.fr/V4/nostalgie/nostv2_main.html?id=nostalgie

Liz

Hi Liz,

Your words have touched my memory to the quick. I used to work as a DJ and programme director at Radio Nostalgie Vilnius. About three years ago we went bankrupt... The Russian branch of the network went the same way as far as I know.

Does Radio Nostalgie broadcast in Canada? Does it have high rating there?

Regards,
Nikita Kobrin

Hi Nikita,

I found Radio Nostalgie while doing a search on the internet; Check out the link and let me know if it's the same one you were affiliated with and whether their content has changed since you were there.They list their frequencies, all of which are in France. As far as ratings in Canada, I don't know. I cannot get them through short wave broadcast at this point, but the internet connection is very good from Canada. It's good to hear from someone else who appreciates Radio Nostalgie.

Liz

hello, in answer to arthur (each time i read your name,i remember the great blind poet )

 you can listen FIP radio (really good radio) on the following link:

http://www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/fip/direct/

enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Laurence,

Thank you to both you and Arthur for suggesting radio Fip; it's playing in the background and seems to be a great mix! Have a great day everyone; it is a gorgeous one here in southern Ontario.

Liz

Hmmmm, I have a seriously diverse CD collection.  When I was in my teens I enjoyed a-ha and Bon Jovi, so I have a few of their CDs.  Then I also loooooove musicals such as Chess, Little Shop of Horrors, Miss Saigon.  I also have loads of Andrew Lloyd Webber because I used to sing a lot of his music, but I'm getting bored with it now.

Then, I love The Levellers, fantastic band, and Del Amitri.

Austria introduced me to STS and Falco.

More recently: Anastacia and Ricky Martin.

My classical collection contains mostly opera (I like Mozart the best), some operetta (including many Gilbert and Sullivan shows, which are fun), but also some other stuff.  I particularly enjoy Rachmaninov's (got to go check the spelling...) piano music, Händel's Gloria and Pergolesi's Stabat matter (anyone interested in this, get the recording with countertenor Rene Jacobs: wow!!).

Well, since Kay mentioned Gilbert & Sullivan, I think it's time for me to come out and admit to being a big G&S fan too (got all the Savoy Operas on CD, plus a few rarities). I hasten to add that I'm talking about listening rather than performing, since unlike Kay I don't have any vocal talent (although I do enjoy the occasional G&S karaoke session in private!). As well as Sullivan's music, I just love the way that so much of Gilbert's satire remains as relevant today as it was a hundred-odd years ago.

I also enjoy other types of light opera, such as Offenbach, Viennese operetta and some older Broadway musicals.

On the more serious side, I have a definite preference for vocal rather than orchestral music. I have a theory that this is due to my being a linguist and not having any musical talent myself, hence the words add a dimension that I can immediately relate to. That would also explain why I prefer German to Italian opera. I enjoy operatic works from Mozart through to early Wagner: favourites include Weber's Freischütz, Flotow's Martha and Lortzing's Zar und Zimmermann.

I also like traditional folksongs in the languages I know (English, German, Scandinavian) and am developing an interest in Lieder after seeing Peter Schreier singing Die schöne Müllerin in Dublin last year.

As far as modern music goes, I'm another old fogey like Scott, and I'm afraid most of the names mentioned in this thread mean very little to me!

Regards,

Tom

Tom you're not an old fogey!

I like G&S too, it's great fun, I remember being taken to see "The Mikado" (how appropriate) as a child. I've got a little list (very little) of some of my other favourites that should be to your taste;

My favourite Wagner is "Tristan und Isolde". As for Lieder, you can't beat Schubert's "Der Winterreise".

Which musicals do you like?

Ellen (a young fogey)

Kay, you can tell we're the same age! I used to have a poster of Morten Harket on my wall...

Ellen

Hi Ellen,

I'm sure that being taken to see The Mikado as a child explains why you went on to develop an interest in "all one sees / that's Japanese."

I'm amazed to have found at least two other people who like G&S here on the forum in the space of a few hours, since most of the people I meet in real life have possibly never even heard of them. Still, I guess that even in their heyday, they were probably never a big hit here in the West Highlands!

As for musicals, I like most of the old classics: Oklahoma!, South Pacific, Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady, that kind of thing.

Hope the sun is shining in West Lothian as it has been in Argyll, right on cue for the school holidays (for once!)

Regards,

Tom

Ha ha very funny, don't you know that it's monsoon season here?! Why you lot get all the nice weather over there!

"Kiss me Kate" is one of the all time classics isn't it!

Ellen

Dont worry, Ellen, I'm sure the tables will be turned weather-wise as soon as I go on leave at the end of this week ...

Tom

Morten Harket?  Let's see, my parents kindly provided me with a very large pinboard which was absolutely covered in teenie posters (Smash Hits ring any bells? ) of all the a-ha guys, especially Mags.  I don't think I should really admit to some of the awful teenie tripe I used to listen to back then (and have since purged from my CD collection!)

As for G&S, maybe we (and Tom) should start G&S anonymous?!  I played Iolanthe at school and was in the chorus of Pinafore and Pirates, all lots of fun, although I do think that the men get the better stuff to sing - think of all those wonderful patter songs.

Tom, which viennese operetta do you like?  Gräfin Mariza and Der Opernball are two of my favourites. There is something so escapist about light opera which makes it appealing.  Give me Kalman (I'm sure there should be an accent over an "a" there somewhere) over Wagner anyday.  If you like Lieder, check out recordings by Fritz Wunderlich and Dieter Fischer-Deskau.  Also, I've been told that Ian Bostridge is an exceptionally good Lied singer, but I have not yet heard any of his recordings.

Hi Liz,

Yes, it's just that Radio Nostalgie I worked for - I can see it from their logo. In fact it's not only a French radio station but a network and we were a part of it. The content is the same, the only difference is that they have more French artists on their playlists than we had on ours. Unfortunately I can't listen to radio via Internet as the quality of broadcasting is too poor.

NK

Kay, there was a really good film all about G&S and how the Mikado was made on over here at Christmas time - Topsy Turvey - it was very good. I think it's a BBC film.

Ellen

Hi Kay,

Another confession coming up here: I actually sang in the chorus of a local amateur production of Gräfin Mariza back in my schooldays. That and Offenbach's La Vie Parisienne.

I agree that Kalman is a lot more fun than Wagner! I also like Franz Lehar (sure that should have an accent too), especially Der Graf von Luxemburg. Another favourite, slightly earlier, is Der Bettelstudent by Carl Millöcker.

The only things I know from Der Opernball are the overture and "Ins Chambre séparée", but I've always wanted to hear more of it. Do you know if its available on CD?

Funnily enough, the first two Lieder CDs I ever owned were Wunderlich's Schöne Müllerin and Fischer-Dieskau's Winterreise -- great stuff. I too have heard good things about Ian Bostridge from my mother, who is a big Schubert fan.

Regards,

Tom

Did you get to be the kid with the paprika or the maize (or some other vegetable or a bunch of flowers)?  I sung in the chorus of a semi-professional staging a few years ago.  We got to wear really cheesy copies of traditional Hungarian costume (shorter by far than the original I'm sure) and to dance around the stage in impossibly high heels.  Then again, they did serve Sekt on the stage during the second act.

The only things I know from Der Opernball are the overture and "Ins Chambre séparée", but I've always wanted to hear more of it. Do you know if its available on CD?

I've just checked my CD selection and I don't have it.  Guess you'll have to try Amazon or somewhere.  I worked backstage for a run of The Opernball so got to know it quite well.  A couple of months  later (this last April) I got to sing that exact song you mentioned, as Henri, in a musikschule production. 

Funnily enough, the first two Lieder CDs I ever owned were Wunderlich's Schöne Müllerin and Fischer-Dieskau's Winterreise -- great stuff.

You know, I think these two CDs are probably the most listened to Lieder CDs

I know the bit you mean ("Wir bringen dir, wir singen dir ...") but, no, I was just a teenage peasant in the chorus, drafted in at the last minute because men were in short supply as usual.

I've just checked my CD selection and I don't have it.  Guess you'll have to try Amazon or somewhere.

No luck there, I'm afraid: just various compilation CDs featuring the same two numbers I mentioned previously. I'll let you know if I ever do come across a more complete recording.

Best wishes,

Tom

Hi all,

Just to join in the G&S discussion, I sang in the G&S society at University.  I hadn't heard much G&S before then (although we had done some of their songs in my old society when we did compilation shows), but I have to say, I came away a fan.  Most people think I'm strange for liking them, but never mind! It's good to find some fellow fans here.

Emily

Yes, Emily, all human life is here on TC!

I'm beginning to notice that!

Emily

Yes, indeed: Lehár.

Szkot

Should it not be Szkott, though?

J

Jó napot, Jacek,

Originally written by Jacek Krankowski on July 31 2:45 PM Originally written by Scott Horne on July 31 3:31 PM Szkot Should it not be Szkott, though?

I suppose. There's no phonetic difference, but Szkott is closer to the original. Or maybe Skót 'Scot'?

Scott

Jó napot, Scott, but, other than that, nem tu dum... 

Isn't it Nem tudom?

Scott

Oh you, translators, don't pick on us, interpreters! 

J

Back to the music!

I just bought Fallen by Evanescence.

It's a pretty good album. Anyone living in the musical present know the band I'm talking about? anyone? anyone?

Kerrang-ingly yours,

Ellen

...Jan Johansson and Terry Riley for jazz or Janna Bichevskaya and Boulat Okoudjava for song? I'd still enjoy Leonard Cohen but haven't heard him in years.

Otherwise, I tend toward the sacred, from Gnowa to Kagyu, Sufi to Xhosa, or pre-Renaissance Spanish to pre-19th C Russian Orthodox. Some Japanese temple music is really good at making the silence between notes perfectly deafening. 

Still, the attachment to late 1960s pseudo-dissidence lingers on with the occasional bit of Beatles or Doors.

People like Bach, Mozart, Wagner and Szopin (or Chopin if we must & sorry, Jacek) test my patience these days.

In my teens I bought a 33 LP of USAF aircraft engine sounds and could listen to it for hours on end but now I feel like having one with nothing but birdcalls.

Do you mean the language Xhosa? I brought a tape from South Africa with some warrior Zulu songs and parts of one track were in Xhosa. There were some in Zulu as well. Unfortunately I don't have it here with me, but when I visit my parents in December, I'll get it and try to record all the soundtracks to a CD.

Best wishes,

Malgorzata

Hi Ellen,

You're not alone I like Evanescence too. I think "Bring me to life" and "My Immortal" are great songs.

I listen to all kinds of music, depending on my mood: pop/rock, classical, latin, arab. Right now I'm listening to "Granada" on the radio

Best wishes,

Carla

Good afternoon, everyone!

Have either of you already heard the new Sara Brightman's called "HAREM"? Beaaautiful...

Incidentally: the first music is from a very well-know old portuguese composer, she has of course translated with complete different lyrics and re-arranged the music. The result is spectacular. It gives name to the album itself.

Jacek - for you it will be a must!

Yup, it's southern African, Malgorzata - and do forgive me for systematically forgetting to cross your "L"s and I can't even make up for it by dotting the "I"s because there are none except in "Fish" which bears eat but NEVER spell. 

And Brigith, of course I've forgotten Amalia and her way with fado.

I assume you wished to say ... I have not forgotten ...

This newly-called "Harem" is in fact one of the famous Amália's Fados, yep!

There oughta be a "not" right where you place it, dear.

(And that's how we get it 180° wrong sometimes.)

Nothing to forgive Arthur! I myself am systematically forgetting to cross it, so I suggest that you do not worry and forget about it completely

M.

Ellen,

I like Evanescence's Going Under.  For Goth-type rock, she has a very clear voice, not irritating or too much yelling.

Anita

Hi Carla, Anita!

Well some people at least agree with me

I like "Bring Me to Life", "Imaginary" and "Hello" (which shows off Amy Lee's voice very well as it's a quieter song), but they're all good on that CD (most unusual for any album!).

Ellen

Cecilia Bartoli - Classic FM listeners' award!

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/newsMainTemplate.asp?storyID=1910&newssectionID=1

Where are all the fans of outlaw music?

Good Ol' Boy Country(like Johnny Cash, Johnny Paycheck), Rudeboy reggae(a la Lady Saw and Sanchez), Gangsta Rap(Booyah Tribe, Nate Dogg and Snoop Dog) y las narcocorridas mexicanas(la familia Rivera por ejemplo)?

I'm talking about the REAL "World Music" not the stuff that they would play at a World Bank company party. The music that they really listen to in the neighborhoods where the musicians come from.  

Outlaw music here?

Well, the No Smoking Band - "unza unza time", you cannot miss it! Dr Nele Karajic music for Kusturica's Black Cat White Cat is a must too.

But the last Carlos Núñez album, tribute to la Bretagne is very, very good.

Jairo

Originally written by Paul Doyle on October 17, 2003 2:45 PM  On the subject of heavy metal armageddon, I should perhaps mention that I just heard a Marilyn Manson track bearing the title "cake and sodomy" ... a rather humdrum effort, but the opening line is a rock classic! If only his music lived up to the hype he manages to create ...

Haha. I totally agree with you on the first line, and yes his music is rather mediocre.

Ellen

And you ain't heard nothing until you've heard Moji Banana No Tatakiuri by Tadoyoshi Ikawa. Very street. That's if you like hearing a Japanese man chanting and shouting about selling his loverly bananas with stick beating thrown in for good measure. A classic.

Ellen

Those fans are here, Nathan!

I'm keen on Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. I like Marley, Jimmy Cliff and Inner Circle.

As for rap... Well, I would better keep silence about it. I share George Harrison's opinion about this... eh, music? let's say about this phenomenon.

NK

Almost all kinds

Among my favs:

Classical: Strauss, Debussy, Vivaldi, some Beethoven, Liszt

Rock: Pat Benatar, Roy Orbison, Joan Jett, The Cars, Pink Floyd, The Police, Devo, Bette Midler, The Rolling Stones

Pop: Shakira, Blondie, Billy Ocean, Luis Miguel, Julio Iglesias Jr., Alejandro Fernández, Laura Pausini, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Elton John, Billy Joel, The Backstreet Boys, Son by Four

Oldie goldies: Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Patty LaBelle, Cher

Country: Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, Billy Ray Cyrus, John Denver, Faith Hill...oh yeahhhh 

It's the way you love me...it's a feeling like this,
it's centrifugal motion, it's perpetual bliss,
it's that pivotal moment,
it's ahhhhh...subliminal
this kiss, this kiss....it's criminal.

Originally written by Bianca Adriaensen on October 20, 2003 8:33 PM just as long as there's music playing loudly while doing the daily household chores Ladies (and Gents), try Enrique Iglesias while ironing, Eminem while vacuuming, Cheeky Girls while dishwashing.... It's gonna be a faster job, guaranteed!!

I love Enrique Iglesias'..."Bailamos" I wish we could upload music files, I'd love to listen to some of the artists others have mentioned.

Originally written by Bianca Adriaensen on October 22, 2003 2:28 AM As for translating in combination with music:

Just a set of CDs standing near my PC (I use the PC for listining of music ONLY when I work):

Armik, Ben Webster, Patricia Barber, Miles Davis, De Phazz, Peter Green, The Manhattan Transfer, Chris Rea ('Stony Road'!), Jimmy Smith, The Swingle Singers, Gabor Szabo...

NK

Thanks Paul!

I listen to and play music all the time, except when I'm talking on the 'phone. I like nearly every kind of music, and even if it's awful I get kind of sucked in and have to listen to it anyway. Kind of like Electric Six. The voice of their singer really cracks me up.

Head banging best wishes to everyone in Tuvalu.

Ellen

LOL Ellen, me too!!!! I finally had to give up listening while I work because the ones I play most are Pat Benatar and Shakira, and then I get up and start dancing around, so work gets shoved aside until I come to my senses.

Regards,

Oh, I've finally found some common ground with you, Belkis

Belkis,

If you really need peace, then listen to this beautiful only native american flute music CD by the great Carlos Nakai. Nakai was born in Flagstaff, Arizona, and is of Navajo-Ute heritage. I listened to this CD for the first time when I visited the "Casa Grande" ruins here in AZ. While visiting the ruins we could listen to this music over the loudspeakers. On my way out, I bought the CD. Believe me, it is stunningly beautiful.

Attached file : Carlos Nakai ee (20 KB - 3063 downloads)

I have had that one for a while, Bertha, and never tire listening to it.  Now you have given me an "ambiance" to visualize as well.

Maxi

Belkis,

You can visit amazon.com and listen to it over the internet. It is absolutely soothing and very beautiful. Besides, Nakai is a great artist.

It might put your little nephew to sleep too!

Maxi,

Agree with you. You listen to the CD and you are down in Delta in one second. LOL.

Attached file : SM laughing.gif (1 KB - 295 downloads)

Dear Nik,

This is one of my favorite songs by Elton John (I never imagined I would come across a "Nikita") . The lyrics are not that great, but I find the melody soothing. I'm sure you've heard it before.

Music by Elton John
Lyrics by Bernie Taupin

NIKITA

Hey Nikita is it cold
In your little corner of the world?
You could roll around the globe...
And never find a warmer soul to know.

Oh, I saw you by the wall...
Ten of your tin soldiers in a row
With eyes that looked like ice on fire,
The human heart a captive in the snow.

Oh, Nikita you will never know...anything about my home,
I’ll never know how good it feels to hold you
Nikita I need you so.
Oh, Nikita is the other side of any given line in time?
Counting ten tin soldiers in a row
Oh no, Nikita you’ll never know

Do you ever dream of me?
Do you ever see the letters that I write?
When you look up through the wire,
Nikita do you count the stars at night?

And if there comes a time...
Guns and gates no longer hold you in,
And if you’re free to make a choice
Just look towards the West and find a friend.

Regards,

P.S. No, I'm not making a pass at Nikita LOL

Originally written by Maurice Roman on November 1, 2003 2:08 AM Ah . . . nothing like Mozart's 25th Symphony in G Minor . . .

Mozart was a genius, but his music kind of puts me on edge. Perhaps because I studied about 25 of his piano sonatas?When I was a very young girl and caught a flu with high temperature, I always dreamed that I had to play one of Mozart sonatas in a very small compartment. Crazy.

To me, nothing like J.S.Bach, Telemann, Purcell, Corelli, Vivaldi, and most barroque composers.

But, as I said days ago, I enjoy all types of music. I just bought Barbra Streissand's new CD and next Sunday I am attending Simon & Garfunkel's live concert here in Phoenix and I am thrilled!

Bertha

11/08/03

Just remembered another dream ( nightmare rather) that I used to have concerning Mozart:Kochel came up to me and told me he would give up numbering Mozart's sonatas... and that I would be in charge of doing so from now on. Gee! I got so terrified I always woke up all sweat!

OMG Bertha -2 points for reminding me about my piano lessons and + 100 points for attending the Simon and Garfunkel concert (I simply LOVE their music, always have).

And in the naked light I saw...ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening, people writing songs that voices never shared. And no one dared disturb the sound of silence...

100 points, huh? I was lucky to have found tickets at regular or normal prices. They are already re-selling for as high as $ 750.00!!

They made a big mistake when they broke apart. People are going nuts over their tour!. I am one.

Here for you one of my favourite songs by the duo.

Ohhhhhh my $750!!! Lucky you for getting the tickets at regular price but mainly for getting to listen to them live! WOWWWW

And you're right, they should have never broken up the group. The very first wav I made was "Bridge  Over  Troubled  Water" and sent it to a friend of mine who was feeling blue . For those who don't know what a 'wav' is, it's part of a song (now you can make wavs using the entire song) which one converts into a MIDI file and upload it to someone else so they can listen to it on their computer.

I remember asking someone if we could upload wavs here or just pics, then I tried it and found out you can't.

Enjoy that concert girl and take tons of pics!!!

No cameras allowed, Belkis. But I will surely enjoy.Thank you. I will report to you after the show.

Bertha

PS: I love wav's. I have been doing wav's for the last six years at least, but I didn't know you could make them that big. I have never sent anything longer than one minute.

Well that's a shame, but at least you'll get to see them!

And yessssss you can, I have a collection of "full song" wavs in MP3 format.

Well, security here has always been tight. But after 9/11, wherever you go you are searched and sometimes even scanned. Plus no cameras allowed in concerts.

Ah, you mean MP3 downloaded over the internet... Yes, I knew that. What I was saying is that my wavs, the ones I record myself, usually with voice messages, are rather short, not more than one or one and a half minutes.

Bertha

Bertha,

I'm sure that has a lot to do with it, however; I remember going to concerts prior to 911 and sometimes cameras were not allowed either (let alone recording devices) because of copyrights issues (not being able to use the likeness of the artist, etc.).

I went to my first concert at 16 and took my younger sister with me,  we thought we were so cool LOL.  It was the disco era and we went to see Donna Summer the disco queen haha. I saw her in concert again in Dallas when I was in my 20's.

I've also seen Pat Benatar (first in Dallas and last time 2 years ago in California), Wham, Pink Floyd (awesome effects!) and a bunch more (not counting the Spanish artists). Rocío Dúrcal who was one of my favs since I was about 8, Julio Iglesias (I have to admit I'm not crazy about him but it was a family thing, so I went), Lissette, used to be a big fan also when I was very young, Juan Gabriel, Celia Cruz and several others.

I regret not having seen The Rolling Stones, but I always seemed to miss them, plus I don't think Mick Jagger would have been too attractive to look at in those longjohns he wears  LOL.

Ohhh...about the wavs, I downloaded some from the internet and created others myself.

Regards,

Belkis, the concert was phenomenal! Simon and Garfunkel sing even better than when they were much younger. I am so happy I got those tickets and went too see them!. Somewhere near the middle of the show, the Everly Brothers took the stage and sang three of their most famous songs. Among them..." Wake up, little Suzie...we've both been sound asleep, wake up little Suzie and weep"

Well, I started going to concerts when I was a young girl too. I remember one of my first shows was Louis Armstrong and his "All Stars". Girl, was that good! Down in Uruguay I went to several shows; my last ones down there were Rod Stewart and The Rolling Stones, though I am not a great fan of that silly man Jagger has turned into. I used to love Pink Floyd until one day I kind of got tired of their repetitive musical structures and sounds so I did not attend their show either. Julio Iglesias was in Uruguay several times but I would not go to one of his shows even if they gave me the tickets for free. Don't like the man at all. 

Here in the States I have seen few pop shows, but I did see Paul Mc Cartney and Neil Diamond. I have divided my time between pop and classical and have seen several performances by the Phoenix Ballet and several concerts by the Phoenix Symphony. The Famous Verioshka was here in 2000 and I rushed to see them because I had loved them when I saw them down in Uruguay. There were other interesting rock and pop concerts but I could not get the tickets or I found out about them too late.

Well, I thought that cameras were not allowed yesterday, but yes, they were. They did not allow *professional*cameras, though, or recorders. Anyway I was so busy listening and watching the show that I don't think I would have taken too many photos if I had had a little camera with me. 

Bertha 

Today I have been mostly listening to Travis.

I like Re-Offender. It's pretty big at the moment. The rest of the "12 Memories" album is a bit hit and miss for me though. 

Originally written by member5578 on November 10, 2003 1:51 PM I dreamt yesterday that I was at a concert of the Magic Flute and I really heard it in my head. I played it when I woke up because I was frustrated in my dream not to hear it all. Though I'm not a fan of opera in general, I love The Magic Flute.

Jean Pierre,

Your posting has made me smile . When I was in college I used to dream in French, and not only dream, but compose poetry in that language. Then I would awake abruptly also trying to remember the words, but I never did.

Regards,

OH MY GOD, GET OUT!!!  LOL I started jumping up and down when I read your posting as if I had been there myself hahahahaa. I almost mentioned that people always take cameras but since I wasn't certain about the security measures I didn't want you to get in trouble.

I'm SO glad you went!

Regards

Thank you, Belkis.

I arrived at the America West Arena some 30 minutes before the show started. I wanted to get myself something to drink and I had a talk with the girl that sold me the coke. She was a big fan of Simon and Garfunkel and she told me, almost in tears, that she had heard all their early afternoon rehearsal while she was getting everything ready at the stand. She said: " I was working on the popcorn machine when I suddenly heard music, and it was them doing a complete rehearsal of today's show".  She told me she has all of their CD's and was waiting for the show to begin in order to squeeze herself in and see the show too. Belkis, that girl was happy!

Bertha 

Bertha,

Thank you for sharing that story with me, a young girl who's been touched by their music...

When I decided to return to PR (still outweighing the pro's and con's of the step I was about to take, but nevertheless determined) all of a sudden this comercial came on TV. It was a guy on his jeep sitting on top of a mountain watching the sunset...while sending a fax to England through his cell phone and the client calling back saying "Mike I really appreciate you working on Sundays but you really got to get out more!",  he smiled and hung up.  I jumped from the couch,  said "THAT'S ME!" and started packing.

Being spiritual in my own way I pay attention to details like those, which have guided me during the most important decisions I've had to make in my life. So there I was packing...and thinking..."I'm returning to the unknown, no one there knows me as an adult, they'll think I'm going back because I failed here" (far from the truth), I turned on the radio and there they were again, the friends from my youth singing:

HOMEWARD BOUND

I'm sittin' in the railway station
Got a ticket for my destination
On a tour of one night stands
My suitcase and guitar in hand
And every stop is neatly planned
For a poet and a one man band

Homeward bound
I wish I was
Homeward bound
Home, where my thought's escaping
Home, where my music's playing
Home, where my love lies waiting
Silently for me

Everyday's an endless stream
Of cigarettes and magazines
And each town looks the same to me
The movies and the factories
And every stranger's face I see
Reminds me that I long to be

Homeward bound
I wish I was
Homeward bound
Home, where my thought's escaping
Home, where my music's playing
Home, where my love lies waiting
Silently for me

Tonight I'll sing my songs again
I'll play the game and pretend
But all my words come back to me
In shades of mediocrity
Like emptiness in harmony
I need someone to comfort me

Homeward bound
I wish I was
Homeward bound
Home, where my thought's escaping
Home, where my music's playing
Home, where my love lies waiting
Silently for me
Silently for me
Silently for me

and now I'm happy too YAYYYYYYYY!!!! (waving at you from my boogieboard)

And now for some Spanish music.

I've always loved this song, so I'm dedicating it to Omar and Ana María (I still remember Caracas and Maracaibo) :

ALMA LLANERA

And this one goes for Puerto Rico:

Para escuchar la versión a Piano Solo oprima AQUÍ

VERDE LUZ

Verde luz de monte y mar,
isla virgen del coral,
si me ausento de tus playas primorosas,
si me alejo de tus palmas silenciosas,
quiero volver, quiero volver.

A sentir la tibia arena
a dormirme en tus riberas,
isla mía, flor cautiva,
para tí quiero tener.

Libre tu cielo,
sola tu estrella
isla doncella, quiero tener,
verde luz de monte y mar.

Gracias, Belkis. Very kind of you

Here's another one I'd like to share with you. There's no expat Venezuelan that doesn't shed a tear (even more than one) when they listen to it.

Venezuela

Llevo tu luz y tu aroma en mi piel

y el cuatro en mi corazón

llevo en mi sangre la espuma del mar

y tu horizonte en mis ojos.

No envidio el vuelo ni el nido al turpial

soy como el viento en la mies

siento el Caribe como una mujer

soy así qué voy a hacer.

Soy desierto, selva, nieve y volcán

y al andar dejo mi estela

el rumor del llano en una canción

que me desvela.

La mujer que quiero tiene que ser

corazón, fuego y espuela

con la piel tostada como una flor

de Venezuela.

Con tu paisaje y mis sueños me iré

por esos mundos de Dios

y tus recuerdos al atardecer

me harán más corto el camino.

Entre tus playas quedó mi niñez

tendida al viento y al sol

y esa nostalgia que sube a mi voz

sin querer se hizo canción

De los montes quiero la inmensidad

y del río la acuarela

y de ti los hijos que sembrarán

nuevas estrellas.

Y si un dia tengo que naufragar

y el tifón rompe mis velas

enterrad mi cuerpo cerca del mar

en Venezuela.

Welcome Omar and thank you!  I know what you mean, heck  my eyes watered just from reading the lyrics. Tell me,  is "el cuatro" they mention in the second verse the musical instrument?  If so, it is the national instrument of PR.  Seasoned performers hold "competencias de improvisaciones al son del cuatro" singing "décimas" .  Now I must research its origin lol. I love the music from all Spanish countries, I can't think of a single one I dislike.  Must be in my blood 

A ver, Bertha confieso no saber "ni papa" de la música uruguaya.  Te aseguro que la he escuchado sin saber su procediencia.  Publica tu canción favorita, pretty please!

Last night I started looking for the lyrics to "Habanera" by Ernesto Lecuona, and I couldn't find them anywhere .

 El "cuatro" venezolano

 El "cuatro" puertorriqueño

You can hear the music by clicking on the links. Enjoy!

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Originally written by Maxi Schwarz-Bastami on November 12, 2003 2:24 PM Originally written by Belkis Díaz-Vidaillet on November 10, 2003 3:02 PM Originally written by member5578 on November 10, 2003 1:51 PM I dreamt yesterday that I was at a concert of the Magic Flute and I really heard it in my head. I played it when I woke up because I was frustrated in my dream not to hear it all. Though I'm not a fan of opera in general, I love The Magic Flute. Jean Pierre, Your posting has made me smile . When I was in college I used to dream in French, and not only dream, but compose poetry in that language. Then I would awake abruptly also trying to remember the words, but I never did. Regards, Double smile elicited by both of you. What instrument did you play it on, Jean Pierre, and only the part that you didn't get to hear in the dream? Belkis, there must be a way of remembering what one invents in a dream. I had one with beautiful music but could only remember the first 5 notes and the general drift (crescendo with a happier colour at the end) and tried continuing it into an amateur melody composition. When I learn more harmony theory, I'll add to it. Maxi

Maxi  how nice to see you participating in this thread.  I remember those dreams to this day, I also remember that the poetry was very fluent and melodic (I wish I were that fluent in French when I'm awake hahaha).  After reading something about how to recall dreams I started sleeping with a little notepad on my bedstand, but it didn't work. The second I would wake up it was gone, I still had the feeling of it, but I couldn't remember the words.    The strange thing is that after I left Texas it never happened again.

:::::::Smiling at your musical dream:::::::::::: although I play a couple of instruments I've never had a dream like yours.

Yep, Belkis. It's the instrument what they are referring to. Our "version" of the cuatro is also our national instrument

How curious (well, not that curious if we consider our origins), in Venezuela they also have that kind of competitions and they also improvise "décimas". It would be interesting to know if they are similar (I bet they are)

Pity! I could not listen to any music. What links were you talking about?

I, from Uruguay know only tangos. My mother was a great fan of tango, milongas, etc. (don't ask me the difference, I am a complete ignorant, although I liked some of them)

Have you all a good day!

Omar,

Here's the link to the "cuatro" music, knock yourself out LOLOL.

http://www.prtc.net/~migrios/cuatro.htm

We Belong 
by Pat Benatar

We belong
we belong to the light.

Many times I've tried to tell you
many times since I'm alone.
Always I'm surprised how well
you cut my feelings to the bone.
Don't wanna leave you really...
I've invested too much time.
To give you up that easy to the doubts
that complicate your mind.

We belong to the light
we belong to the thunder.
We belong to the sound of the words
we've both fallen under.
Whatever we deny or embrace
for worse or for better

We belong
we belong
we belong together.

Maybe it's a sign of weakness
when I don't know what to say.
Maybe I just wouldn't know what to do
with my strenght anyway.
How we've become a habit
How we distort the facts.
Now there's no looking forward
now there's no turning back
when we say:

We belong to the light
we belong to the thunder we belong
to the sounds of the words we're both falling under.
Whatever we deny or embrace, for worse or for better...we belong
we belong, we belong together.

Close your eyes and try to sleep now
close your eyes and try to dream.
Clear your mind and do your best to try
to wash the pallette clean.
We can't begin to know it
how much we really care.
I hear your voice inside me
I see your face everywhere.
Still you say:

We belong to the light
we belong to the thunder
We belong to the sounds
of the words we're both falling under.
Whatever we deny or embrace,
for worse or for better...
We belong, we belong
we belong, we belong together.

 http://iwant.on.ca/Music/webelong-patbenetar.wav

My mother was a great fan of tango, milongas, etc. (don't ask me the difference, I am a complete ignorant, although I liked some of them)

Omar,

a great Italian singer, who you surely have heard about, Paolo Conte , wrote a beautiful song, "Alle Prese con una Verde Milonga". And milongas come back in many other songs, as well as tango and rumba ("Si, sono sempre più distratto
e anche più solo e finto
e l’inquietudine e gli inchini
fan di me un orango
che si muove con la grazia
di chi non è convinto
che la rumba sia soltanto
un’allegria del tango...
Dancing, dancing")

Here are the lyrics:

Alle prese con una verde milonga

Il musicista si diverte e si estenua…

e mi avrai, verde milonga che sei stata scritta per me,

per la mia sensibilità, per le mie scarpe lucidate…

per il mio tempo e per il mio gusto

mi avrai, verde milonga inquieta

che mi strappi un sorriso di tregua ad ogni accordo,

mentre fai dannare le mie dita…

…io sono qui, sono venuto a suonare,

sono venuto ad amare, e di nascosto a danzare…

e ammesso che la milonga fosse una canzone,

ebbene io l’ho svegliata e l’ho guidata ad un ritmo più lento…

così la milonga rivelava di sé molto più di quanto apparisse…

la sua origine d’Africa, la sua eleganza di zebra,

il suo essere di frontiera, una verde frontiera…

una verde frontiera tra il suonare e l’amare,

verde spettacolo in corsa da inseguire…

da inseguiere sempre, da inseguire ancora, fino ai laghi biancchi del silenzio

fin che Atahualpa[1] o qualche altro dio

non ti dica: descansate niño, che continuo io…

…io sono qui, sono venuto a suonare,

sono venuto a danzare, e di nascosto ad amare…

Highly recommended

Matilde

Yet another all-time favorite of mine. It makes you want to get up and dance LOL.

Artist: Men Without Hats Lyrics
Song: Safety Dance Lyrics

[Spoken]
We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine
I say, we can go where we want to
A place where they will never find
And we can act like we come from out of this world
Leave the real one far behind
And we can dance

[Sung]
We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine
I say, we can go where we want to
A place where they will never find
And we can act like we come from out of this world
Leave the real one far behind
And we can dance
Dance!

We can go when we want to
The night is young and so am I
And we can dress real neat from our hats to our feet
And surprise 'em with the victory cry
Say, we can act if want to
If we don't nobody will
And you can act real rude and totally removed
And I can act like an imbecile (HAHAHAA)

[Refrain]
I say, we can dance, we can dance
Everything out of control
We can dance, we can dance
We're doing it from wall to wall
We can dance, we can dance
Everybody look at your hands
We can dance, we can dance
Everybody takin' the chance

Safety dance
Is it safe to dance
Is it safe to dance

S-s-s-s A-a-a-a F-f-f-f E-e-e-e T-t-t-t Y-y-y-y
Safe, dance!

We can dance if we want to
We've got all your life and mine
As long as we abuse it, never gonna lose it
Everything'll work out right
I say, we can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine

[Refrain]

Is it safe to dance, oh is it safe to dance [6x]
Is it safe to dance

About Polo Conte, he recently released a new album especially meant for the American audience, "Reveries" (in this album there isn't "alle prese con una verde milonga, shame ); here's a recension:

A return album for the US after the success of the Best Of album from Paolo Conte. His gravely voice croons through some works and narrates others. The compositions are all older works, revised and rearranged for the purpose of Reveries. At times using elements of Neapolitan music, at times stuck in French chanson, and at times in the cabaret forms, Conte is constantly moving from one style to the next, able changing the mood with the piano before he even utters a word in the next style. There's a clear disenchantment with love coming across despite language barriers in many of the tracks, and an extraordinary use of the language and poetry to convey just the opposite in others. References to tango are many, as Conte makes use of a bandoneon player to enhance the South American mood here and there. The elements of jazz and even R&B are exploited a bit as well, maintaining a supreme level of cool as he effortlessly croons to each of them, reciting his poetry casually. There's even a short bout with a kazoo, during which the singer continues to maintain his cool inexplicably. There's a fascination with cool jazz here, and a fascination with the work of Piazzolla, but most importantly a willingness to explore any number of territories and incorporate them all in the process of presenting an outstanding finished product of poetry in the form of high musical art. This is one of a small number of albums produced each year that should be heard by listeners from outside the genre's core and experienced at least once by all. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide

Originally written by Matilde Marziano on November 20, 2003 5:59 AM I'll try and fin one for you

Thank you!

Belkis,

este link va gustarte sin falta...y también hay un trozito de milonga...:

http://www.cuatro-pr.org/Home/Espan/Instrumusica/Generos/Seises/Cursoyomo/cursilloyomo.htm

Ohhh my God, how did you find this link??? It's wonderful, I have heard milongas before and the sample ones in this site are played in Puerto Rico all the time. I had even forgotten El Seis Chorreao (like they say here ¡WEPA, te la comiste!).

Omar, you should listen to them when you have time, they're awesome.

THANK YOU!

Originally written by Matilde Marziano on November 20, 2003 11:27 AM I knew you'd like it and I'm glad you do

Thanks again Matilde , sorry it took me so long to reply.

Excerpted from http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/031231-NL-recording.html

Classical records brought delight and enlightenment to millions who never dared enter a concert hall. More than that, they fostered a sense of community by allowing listeners to compare and contrast one interpretation of Bruckner's fourth symphony with another, sometimes to a nerdish extreme but inherently, invaluably, as a commonly shared cultural artefact. The existence of Bruckner Fourths conducted by, say, Wilhelm Furtwaengler and Otto Klemperer, presented two philosophically antipodal accounts of a mighty score - and encouraged record buyers to assess these grainy treasures against gleaming modern interpretations by Karajan, Tintner, Harnoncourt and Abbado.

In the industry's heyday every self-respecting label had its own catalogue version of every masterpiece, and every decade brought a technological improvement which prompted a further set of recordings. These were rhythms on which the industry ran happily for half a century: sensible, profitable rhythms that made great music continually relevant to changing times.

Those rhythms were disrupted, distorted and ultimately destroyed by digital recording, which delivered sonic utopia and exposed the flaws in the process. Attentive listeners were able to hear underground trains rumbling beneath Decca's Kingsway Hall, and botched edits in supposedly authentic performances. Digital clarity revealed the artificiality of recording, the fundamental fakery of producing an inhumanly accurate replica of all-too human music. As the digital sheen wore off, so did the sales.

Expectations of exponential growth were shattered and desperate execs polluted their labels with pop-like ephemeralities. Neither DVD nor super-audio CD will rekindle public interest.

I shall miss the industry when it is gone .... Every record comes to an end, but the music goes on. It always will.

I'm about to listen to Silesian singer Jaromír Nohavica's new album, Babylon . I haven't listened to it yet, but I'm sure it will be wonderful as always.

What's special about that album is that he apparently recorded one version of it in Czech and one version in Polish (he is from Český Těšín and I assume he is perfectly bilingual). Unfortunately, the Polish version doesn't seem to be available in the Czech Republic. I'm really curious to know how he sounds in Polish.

If there are some Polish fans of Nohavica reading this, maybe we could arrange to swap versions.

Jean Pierre,

Nohavica's CD (in Czech, except for the last song) got a 5-star rating from listeners at this Polish website where you can listen to his sample music: http://www.merlin.com.pl/sklep/sklep/strona.glowna?str=fis280344&skad=uzkmucpmny

His Polish is good, except, I would say, for the ż sound which is too soft. (Reminds me of Brassens...)

Jacek

Yes it's the same cd I've got, except for the Polish song.

I agree with the five stars, it's really wonderful.

If I understand well, it's the only song that's got a Polish version.

I'm surprised about the Brassens ž, he's probably trying to overdo it. I suppose that the Silesian accent must be the same as Polish, when I listen to the Polish version of Milionař it sounds very much like the original, except that I understand nothing!

Sorry for my shorthand. I meant he reminds me of Brassens in general, not because of his ż.

Jacek

Oh I see. Strange coincidence because Brassens's j was also very special.

I wonder what kind of songs Brassens would have sung if he had lived longer.

There is certainly a similarity in humour. Both of them use the theme of death and funerals a lot. And their funny songs are incredibly funny. I couldn't stop laughing when I heard the song Milionař . It's really a tour de force to write a song about the show Who wants to be a Millionaire .

I was surprised to see that Nohavica is so popular now. When I started listening to him he was virtually unknown outside Moravia.

Hi guys,

thank you for this interesting discussion and to Jacek in particular for pointing out that link. It's not so common here to listen to music coming from countries other than Italy, UK or USA. Beautiful, indeed.

Matilde

Unfortunately, Matilde, Polish hit parades are mostly in English. If you take a look at the following Top of All Times 2003: http://www.radio.com.pl/trojka/top/top2003.xls, you will find the first title in Polish at number 23. down the list.

More interestingly, though, down at no. 33 is the Polish Hit of All Times "Strange is the World" (1967) sung by Czeslaw Niemen who just died the other day at the age of 65 and is being mourned by many of us.

From The Warsaw Voice : "Strange is this world/ which still holds/ so much evil/ and strange is it that/ for so long a man/ has despised another man" he sang to critics who disliked his singing, clothes and long hair. The song was the first in Polish rock to be so sincere and thought-provoking. Niemen shocked listeners with his means of expression, which verged on shouting. And Niemen was shocking in other ways, too: In Opole [in 1967], he performed in flower-patterned trousers and a striped jacket."

I think you could listen to 1 minute of that song at http://www.tvp.pl/opole/mp3.htm#d (under: "Dziwny jest ten swiat") as well as mp3.wp.pl/p/strefa/artysta/4586,utwor,19490.html

More about Niemen's music: http://www.polishjazz.com/pjn/cd/specials.htm

That's great Jacek, thank you! Am I crazy to say it reminds me "A chi" - Fausto Leali?

At least, the beginning...oh well.

Matilde

hit-parades remain dominated by old kitsch singers like Karel Gott and Helena Vondráčková, because the people who listen to that usually don't know how to use a computer.

Ahah very funny JP!

Jean Pierre,

I have no clue how representative that Polish hit parade is. The fact is it is run by a respectable pop radio station (although the last time I listened to them was in the late... 1970s) and it seems to be connected with their website which would require a minimum of computer literacy.

Matilde,

Despite my long standing interest in Italian songs, I may have listened to Fausto Leali for the last time also back in the 1970s and I am no longer able to associate "A chi" with any tune. Some of Czeslaw Niemen's hits, on the other hand, continue to be popular in Poland until today. "Strange is This World" was voted the Hit of All Times a couple of years ago and I have personally never thought of questioning that. I am sure my children would disagree, though.

Jacek

"A chi" was the Italian version of an American blues song called "Hurt". I remember it very clearly when I was like 6 years old.

I love mainly music from the 70s and grunge music from the 90s, that is, music that means something. I love Stax music, the Beatles and most British groups from the 60s. I worship David Bowie, who is playing today in San Jose (and I could not find decent tickets!)

I have been singing professionally in a choir for 12 years. I come from three generation of professional musicians and could not survive without it.

Jacek,

you couldn't match the tunes anyway, it's just the way he's singing that reminded me a chi, actually the tunes have nothing to do with each other.

Elena, congratulations for your choir singing!Are you still singing in it?

What a pity for DB tickets!

Matilde

You can see some of my favourite records HERE .

NK

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Dear Brigith, others,

Misia

I've bought tickets for a concert of this lady:

Have I done the right thing?

She will sing songs from her new album:

I've never heard her singing but I like the artwork of Misia's album.

I'm very fond of Cesaria Evora.

She's coming to Vilnius soon. Don't you want to go to her concert here? Not far from you.

NK

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Thank you, Nikita, very kind. I love your lady too, got her "Voz d'amor" when she sang it a few months ago over here.  Although, I must say, I found it a bit too mellow... But my children love it.

About Vilnius, hmm, a tempting proposal now that we are going to be finally able to cross our borders with just an ID, unlike in the old good days of communist brotherhood...

Best,

Jacek

As for crossing the border with just an ID I'm afraid it won't be possible very soon for me: though I live in Lithuania I've got a Russian passport.

I had completely forgotten about this thread, so I hope you will excuse me for going back to the tango talk after so long.

Tangos and milongas are completely different. They have different rythms and milongas are much faster than tangos.

To any tango fans, and even those who are not, I sincerely recommend this CD, "Galas de tango", by the Philarmonic Orchestra of Montevideo,- my home town. It was recorded on a live show,- the philarmonic of Montevideo travels around the world and has recently visited Egypt with its uruguayan tango show. Aside of the members of the Filarmónica de Montevideo, there are also two singers on the show, 4 bandoneon players and two couples of dancers. The CD starts with the famous uruguayan tango "La Cumparsita", known even to those who don't care about tango. It is the first time a Philarmonic Orchestra has interpreted tango music, making the Filarmónica of Montevideo, the biggest tango orchestra in the world.

If you visit this site, you can also listen to the Philarmonic's version of the tango "Volver" which is also downloadable in its original version. It is only 444 kb and downloads very quickly.

http://www.filarmonica.edu.uy/galasdetango2.htm

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Ubelievable! I have known since my childhood this Polish "Tango Milonga" song:

"El año 1929 alcanzó la cima: Jerzy Petersburski compuso su "Tango Milonga" el que, con letra en alemán y en inglés se conoció como "Oh, Donna Clara", inmediatamente se impuso sobre otros éxitos en todo el mundo." http://www.todotango.com/spanish/biblioteca/cronicas/tango_en_polonia.asp

I never knew that the word "milonga" was not a proper name, but meant a type of music/dance!

Jacek

Everybody knows it. I like tango.

HERE you can download tango mp3 "Bryzgi shampanskogo" ('Champagne Splashes'). Perhaps it will be interesting for you to hear how they played tango in Russia in the 30's. 'Champagne Splashes' was the last dance my father danced with my mother 3 days before his death several months ago...

I think the author of 'Champagne Splashes' is not Russian. HERE you can download another tango. It is by a Russian author and was a huge hit in the 30's in our country. It is called 'Utomlyonniye solntsem' ('Weary by the Sun'). It's one of my favourite tangos.

NK

Oh, Nikita, I imagine all this tango means to you, then.

I also remember my parents dancing tango; only that my father died when I was only 13...and that was a long, long time ago.

Thank you for the link. I will download your tango and even email it to my friends in Uruguay.

Bertha Deffenbaugh

English and French into flawless Spanish

Phoenix, AZ, USA

www.translationsserv.com

I have encountered a problem, though; I can listen to it but I cannot save it in my computer.

Bertha Deffenbaugh

English and French into flawless Spanish

Phoenix, AZ, USA

www.translationsserv.com

I've got both files on my machine. If you want I can email them to you. Just let me know.

BTW I would like to know your opinion about those old Russian tangos (not the polite but a real one).

NK

The first one, reminds me of the old tangos rioplantenses. ( Uruguay and Argentina). When you first mentioned the *russian tangos* , hmmm... I wondered what those tangos would sound like, but I was very surprised; they are excellent.

If you would like to send me the files, great. 

Bertha

Bertha, you can now remove your address not to be harvested by spammers. I will email the files in some minutes.

NK

I thanked you, Nikita, on the Portuguese forum, for supporting my choice of Misia for last Monday evening. About tango, I mentioned on the Lang & Lit forum another concert I went to last night, and I see that it is actually common to "sell" Piazzolla together with Borges:

"The Tango, "cyclically sung" in the works of Borges, made its debut on stage thanks to Piazzolla and his guitar, for which he composed music of original beauty. Borges dedicated his collection of poems "Para las seis cuerdas" to Piazzolla.

Setting sail from Buenos Aires, Piazzolla’s music and Borges’ poetry i.e. the guitar and the tango, reflect the enigma of time and space, and of human existence which is so different and yet the same in each one of us."

http://www.giuliochiandetti.it/testi/buenos_aires.htm

The fact is that my last night concert of Argentinian music (Piazzolla+Terzian, Graetzer, Castro, Rossi, Urteaga, Ginaestra, Binelli) and poetry was a unique experience, with a fine mezzosoprano and beautiful instruments. They played "Verano Porteño" twice.  To no avail.  It is still grey and gloomy over here.

Jacek

I don't quite get why they associate Astor Piazzolla with the guitar? When I hear his name my first association is an accordion or bandoneon (an accordion without a keyboard. Buttons are pressed to give rise to single notes rather than chords or harmonies. In essence the bandoneon is similar to a large concertina. It is used in Argentina to accompany Argentine Tangos. Bandoneons developed and are used in urban centers like Buenos Aires.)

NK

Attached file : astor_piazzolla_and_bandoneon.gif (14 KB - 271 downloads)

That's a smart observation, Nikita.  Nedless to say there was no guitar in Grupo Encuentros las night.  I thought there was something fishy about the passage I quoted above which comes from a different group "selling" Piazzolla and Borges.

Jacek

From an old Grupo Encuentros' program:

"Encounters with the tango

It is not fair enough to name the tango “Argentinian Tango” since in the Río de la Plata  shores there were parallel events. It is more logical to speak of a “Rioplatense Tango”, recognizing the importance of the activities of our brothers from Uruguay. Since the begining, the word “tango” was linked to the music of black slaves of the Atlantic shores of Latin America, from Buenos Aires and Montevideo to the Gulf of Mexico. In 1590 the first black slaves were introduced through the Río de la Plata and, for 2 centuries until the appearance of the first sonorous testimonies, the rhythm was incorporated to the musical life of the province and city of Buenos Aires, for which many musicologists consider that the tango has a clear African origin. This will arise a racist attitude against the dance of slaves in 1788 when the authorities of Buenos Aires warned of the danger of it “for the sake of religion, the State and the Public in general”.

Beyond that distant and uncertain past, the presence of the tango in different Latin American countries – Cuba, for instance – is related to diverse origins, including European ones. Personalities such as Carlos Vega (Argentinian) and Lauro Ayestarán (Uruguayan) – both prestigious musicologists – agreed to consider the diversity of origins of the Rioplantense tango. It is amazing the difussion  reached in different countries such as Finland, France, Slovaquia, Colombia, France"

http://www.aliciaterzian.com.ar/in_encuentros_con_el_tango_programa.htm

First off, I want to say that I am delighted to see a photo of the great Astor Piazolla, perhaps the best modern tango composer and interpreter.

Secondly, guys, being uruguayan, I very much dislike the denomination "Argentine tango". Tango is written, played, danced and sung in both margins of the Rio de la Plata and there are no musicological grounds to talk about argentine or uruguayan tango. There is one tango and that is the tango of the Rio de la Plata.

How many uruguayan tango composers, interpreters and singers have crossed the river and settled down in Argentina? Plenty of them. How many argentine tango composers, interpreters and singers have moved to Uruguay? Lots.

For example, Astor Piazolla, wonderful argentine musician, spent more time in his home in Uruguay (Punta del Este) than in his home in Argentina. Conversely, uruguayan tango composers like Francisco Canaro and Horacio Ferrer and singers like Gustavo Nocetti lived almost permanently in Argentina.

The most famous tango of all times, "La Cumparsita" was written in Uruguay by an uruguayan named Gerardo Mattos Rodríguez and the same tango was later arranged by argentine musicians. Since that time, both countries have claimed to be the "owners" of the famous tango " La Cumparsita" and have gone to the extreme of taking the issue to the diplomatic sphere.

Being Uruguay a country of only 3 and 1/2 million people and so much smaller in size than Argentina is a fact that has largely contributed to the misconception that tango belongs to the argentinians. Dozens of famous tangos were written and born in Uruguay and the same tangos played, danced and loved in one country are equally played danced and loved in the other. As I said before, tango is not argentine, it belongs to both countries, it belongs to the Rio de la Plata.

Bertha 

It was high time someone talked the truth publicly. Tango is not Argentinian, it belongs to the Rio de la Plata or to Argentina and Uruguay alike.

Bertha

Bertha Deffenbaugh

English and French into flawless Spanish

Phoenix, AZ, USA

www.translationsserv.com

Tango in Uruguay

Five couples of uruguayan tango dancers:

Attached file : Tango-1.art (6 KB - 316 downloads)

Attached file : Tango-2.art (3 KB - 312 downloads)

Attached file : Tango-3.art (16 KB - 323 downloads)

Attached file : Tango-4.art (2 KB - 302 downloads)

Attached file : Tango-5.art (7 KB - 317 downloads)

René Marino Rivero is an excellent uruguayan bandoneón player,  admired by Astor Piazzolla. He tours around the world regularly and he seems to have a special instrument too. This article is long but, I think, interesting. For those interested, the CD is currently available on the internet and at amazon.com

In order to listen to the CD samples click here:

 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001DLF/qid=1078430737/sr=11-1/ref=sr_11_1/002-1908714-6013625

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The world of bandoneons: René Marino Rivero

This comes from the booklet of 'Bandoneon Pure: Dances of Uruguay - René Marino Rivero', a CD published by Smithsonian Folkways. A must-have for every bandoneon lover, TMHO. Something different than the normal tango stuff ...

II. BANDONEON ORGANOLOGY

René Marino Rivero Plays an instrument of German manufacture. It is about sixty years old and came from the "Alfred Arnold Bandonion und Concertina Fabrik in Carlsfeld" Saxony (figs. 1, 2). Some of the internal wooden components are marked with a production number which allows the date of manufacture to be traced. In addition, there are a number of external design features, such as the fretwork, the inlay and the housing dimensions, which also provide information as to its origin and age. It was not yet customary in the early 1930s to label the bandoneon because the manufacturers were still able to rely on the knowledge of their customers across the world and their ability to differentiate between instruments of different provenences. From that time on, however, the disintegration of the market looked as a result of an increase in dubious practices on the part of dealers and exporters, including the forgery of labels and price-undercutting. This threat to the proper identification of instruments forced the Carlsfeld manufacturer to protect his good reputation by clearly marking his instruments on the outside. Thus, bandoneons were marked with a branding iron, for example as follows:

But, as we know, a mark of identification still does not provide any real protection, and copies of instruments have played an integral role in the history of musical instrument making, as have forgeries with intentionally misleading ascriptions, made with the aim of maximizing profits.

Despite these practices, current research has confirmed that Marino Rivero's bandoneon was made by the Alfred Arnold factory, leaving it probably in 1930 as model 31a II (fig. 8), pre-assembled and tuned to a" = 880 the so called "orquesta tipica" pitch, which was only for export. In German-speaking countries, bandoneons were tuned to the "Normal A" (a" = 870) until 1941, when Germany joined the International Pitch Convention, at which time instrument makers switched to the higher a' for the domestic market as well.

Marino Rivero's bandoneon has been preserved in its original condition, meaning that all important components and their assembly remain as they were when the instrument left the Carlsfelder factory. It is the reed board, consisting of tongues mounted on long plates, that fundamentally defines the sonority of each bandoneon. As a result, the musical instrument manufacturers of better reputation had long been making their reed boards in their own workshops, employing their own well-guarded materials, tools and techniques. Only when the National Socialist government took over the direction of the German economy, and particularly after the outbreak of war in 1939, when quotas were assigned to the metal supply, was Alfred Arnold forced to cease production of reed boards. They were then obtained in semi-finished form from Gebr. Dix A.G. of Gera, who were mass producers supplying many German harmonica, accordion and harmonium makers. In Carlsfeld these externally produced reed boards were tuned, voiced, fitted with leather lamellae, installed and finally tuned once more inside the instrument.

Marino Rivero speaks of this instrument as a 'Stradivarius," far outclassing his other four bandoneons in its sound quality and in the precision of its response. He obtained it from the Italian bandoneon tuner Romeo Griati in Buenos Aires in 1960. All his life, this bandoneon connoisseur par excellence complained about those of his customers, mainly porteños (porteño society: inhabitants of the port of Buenos Aires), who either tried to make their own alterations to their instruments to make them as loud as possible or who brought them to him for this purpose. It was one of these porteños who gave him the future Marino Rivero bandoneon in payment, with the remark that it was unsuitable because its sound was too weak. Griati, however, immediately recognized the true value of the instrument, which had, during the first three decades of its existence, been perfectly played-in by a single owner, until it ended up in the hands of the porteño who thought it lacked power. It is a well known fact that the full tonal quality of wind instruments in general only develops gradually over a long period of time, and this is indeed true of the bandoneon. It is easy for a careless player with inadequate technique to ruin an instrument or to cause permanent damage to it. A new bandoneon of any make must therefore be correctly played-in from the start so as to allow its full tonal quality to develop gradually. Being an extremely complex combination of hundreds of individual components, the bandoneon demands the most conscientious handling on the part of the musician. The bellows only develop their pliancy and full capacity through balanced traction, the action only becomes uniformly light and sensitive through precise fingering applied to all the instrument's buttons and, in particular, the air ducts and reed boards together only gradually develop their potential sonority as a result of differentiated air regulation. Therefore it is clear that it is not only the manufacturer of a bandoneon who is responsible for its ultimate quality, but also to a great extent its first owner and player.

Griati retuned the bandoneon and changed a note, and then sold it to Marino Rivero for 1,500 Uruguayan Pesos, about U.S. $100 at the exchange rate of that time, which represented more than one and a half months' pay for a teacher in Montevideo. Griati also made the purchaser promise not to allow another tuner to touch the instrument, which accounts for the fact that this bandoneon has only been fully retuned once in 60 years, and that no work has been carried out on it that would affect its sound in any way.

When René Marino Rivero plays in an ensemble, the other instrumentalists must tune to the bandoneon's a' = 440, which is why a modern, sharp-tuned piano, cannot accompany the instrument. As far as the disposition of the keys is concerned, the manuals are in the so-called "Rheinish Layout," which was conceived in the 1850s as a 130-note model, with cyphers marked next to each of the 65 buttons. After the bandoneon had taken its place in the musical life of Uruguay and Argentina, the South American bandoneon players developed from this prototype their own 142-note model to meet their own special requirements. By adding four buttons to the righthand keyboard, they extended its compass down from c' to a, while two extra buttons on the left-hand keyboard have made the counterbasses D, E, F and F# available with either movement of the bellows. Button 11 was also changed from f#'e' (the same as button 9) to 9'f#' (fig. 4).

Marino Rivero's bandoneon departs from this standard layout only in one note, which was modified in 1960, when Griati tuned the instrument and changed the "e" on button 10 on the left manual to play "C." This is a sensible alteration because it dispenses with an identical note that is already to be found on button 6.

As the table of the two keyboards shows, the bandoneon has two notes linked to each button, one sounding when the bellows are compressed and the other sounding when they are extended. 59 buttons out of a total of 71 have a bi-sonor3 function, i.e., they each produce two different notes derived from paired tongues of differing measurements. Such an arrangement, which originated from attempts to develop instruments that were small but still had many notes, has a considerable effect on the timbre of the instrument. The formants of each note are obviously modulated by neighboring notes, so that the combination of the surrounding notes is important in determining tone quality. This sympathetic interaction has even been worked out on the basis of trial and error by some of the early instrument makers, which influenced the planning of their models. On the other hand, since the making of free reed instruments began, have also been designed uni-sonor models, which would produce the same note with either bellows movement. These uni-sonor realizations, regardless of their variants, are more systematic per se in their layouts and resulting fingering methods than the bi-sonor ones. However, the uni-sonor system in combination with the push-and- pull bellows modifies the timbre of the instrument to the degree that those players who are fixated by the characteristic tonal quality of the bandoneon, such as Marino Rivero and most South American bandoneon players, do not consider uni-sonor models to be a real alternative. They rather regard the absence of bi-sonority as a negative feature which deprives the bandoneon of its idiomatic sound.

Marino Rivero's bi-sonor bandoneon contains rows of tongues which are riveted to long plates in such a way that their free ends are exactly situated over vibration channels of the same dimensions. The smaller the clearance at the sides and free ends, the less the air loss and the better the tone. The rectangular tongues are grouped in pairs, one on each side of the plate, so that one tongue sounds when the bellows are compressed and its partner when they are extended. Eleven, twelve or thirteen pairs are combined on a long plate, each pair being fitted over its own wooden air chamber. All tongues, with the exception of the smallest ones, which produce the highest notes, are complemented by leather lamellae covering the vibration channels. They are glued at the base onto the plate's face opposite the tongue. Depending on the direction of the air flow, they are either pressed onto the plate or lifted away from it, respectively sealing or opening the vibration channels. Therefore, whenever the air stream causes one tongue to vibrate, it also opens its corresponding leather lamella and simultaneously pushes the lamella of its partner tongue against the plate, thus preventing the other tongue from vibrating.

Each vibrating tongue transmits some of its wave energy to its plate through its socket and rivet. However, "the greater the mass of the tongue carrier, the smaller the wave energy transmitted from the tongue to its anchor, and the larger the oscillation amplitude and, as the most important consequence of this, the greater the sound pressure" (Richter 1990:231).

With the long plates of Marino Rivero's bandoneon - the longest available - there is also a further factor influencing the timbre: they are made of zinc. Almost without exception, South American bandoneon players have always insisted upon zinc plates, and the German manufacturers and exporters have had to cater to this demand. This was the case in spite of the fact that in Germany during the 1930s domestic customers usually wanted aluminium, although the use of that material made the instrument more expensive. Zinc is not only heavier than aluminium, but also has a greater material density. ln the same way, the density of the steel used for making the tongues is highly relevant. Milling, pressing, stretching or rolling increase the metal's elasticity, and thus its resonance. The tongues in Marino Rivero's bandoneon have tempered segments. Today it is no longer clear what temperatures were used for the tempering and what other processes were used at Carlsfeld to increase the density of the metal. We only know that the Alfred Arnold reed boards have the worldwide reputation for having the richest sound of any ever made. Apart from their prized tone, they have the advantage of keeping stable pitch, even when played with high bellows pressure. Still, they have an extremely precise response at all times, allowing the player to produce the most sensitive and dynamic sounds.

The rule which governs free reeds is that the length and width of the tongue define its frequency. From the point of view of the tuner, this means that the pitch can be modified by the removal of material. When he shaves material away from the head of the tongue, he decreases the vibrating mass, which slightly raises the pitch. However, if he files something away at the foot of the tongue, he weakens its resilience and lowers its pitch. Tongues that vibrate at less than 150 Hz-that is to say, lower than "d"-usually have tongue weights fitted to their heads, because it is impossible to increase the length of the tongues ad infinitum without adversely altering their physical properties. Each pair of tongues has a corresponding air duct or chamber, the dimensions of which are directly related to the measurements of the tongues: for all practical purposes, their size also has to be limited.

The ducts form a row of compartments analogous to the set of tongue pairs on the long plate. Marino Rivero's bandoneon contains two types of air ducts: in the right-hand casing, shallow pans are combined with cavities that have been carved into blocks of wood that protrude from the base board (fig. 5). In the left-hand casing, only the latter type is found, with the distinction, however, that the right- hand duct floors are curved, while those of the left-hand easing are straight. This manner of installation is characteristic of double- voiced bandoneons, which make use of the so-called "Oktavton" register-i.e., each tone is produced from two tongues tuned an octave apart. South American bandoneon players favor this combination, whereas German players in the past employed every possible number and combination of voices up to five; apparently, they were not particularly bothered by the inevitable increase in the size and weight of the instrument.

Just as the type of chamber defines the air turbulence to which the tongue is subjected, so does it also determine the tongue's position in relation to the vent and its pallet, which is opened by the depression of the button. In Marino Rivero's bandoneon, the righthand easing houses tongues which are mounted parallel to the vents and pallets for the high octave and perpendicularly standing tongues (i.e., anaglott = pointing upwards) for the basic notes, whereas in the left- hand casing, both tongues are not only perpendicularly mounted but also hanging (i.e., kataglott = pointing downwards). In the opinion of instrument makers and tuners, it is this combination of different tongue positions and duct mountings that give the bandoneon its unique sound. Acoustic technicians also point to the fact that the tongue itself is not really the main sound source: this is provided by the air current which is, as it were, "blocked" periodically by the vibrating tongue, thus producing sound through quasi-intermission. The rapid motion of the tongue compels the air in its immediate vicinity to move as well, thus causing fluctuations in pressure. It seems logical to assume that the inner shape of the chambers and the position of the tongues are significant factors influencing sound amplification, radiation and tone, but this has not yet been sufficiently analyzed. In terms of its classification, the bandoneon belongs to the group of so-called intermittent aerophones, specified as free reed instruments with hand-operated bellows (Hornbostel/Sachs no. 412.132), which have no preset chords. This last fact is one of the essential features that differentiate the bandoneon from the common accordion-type instruments. Within the concertina family, the bandoneon is distinguished by its special combination of air ducts, by its long plates and by the layout of its buttons. The last few decades have seen the development of acoustic research, using advanced technology, in the field of free reeds. However, bandoneon construction has remained, up to now, traditional down to the last detail, and many unanswered questions thus remain.

Comments, adds, suggestions, ... to DeJean
(Created : June 24th, 1995 Last Modified : Mar 29th, 1998 )

Attached file : Marino Rivero CD.art (10 KB - 606 downloads)

Originally written by Marc Jérusalmi on March 4, 2004 3:46 PM Many thanks Bertha. Tango dancers are very expressive (great pics). La Cumparsita was written in Uruguay and recorded in Buenos Aires. That's true. Unfortunately, Uruguay is a very unknown country and the French denomination is still "Tango Argentin". Here are some French and Canadian tips about the Uruguayan Tango : Le Tango est montevidéen... Tango Argentin et Uruguyen ? Anniversaire, Tango et souvenirs... L’ensemble Romulo Larrea Tango et littérature Tango, rythmes et danses Tango Uruguayen, Candombe et arts de Montevideo Qui était vraiment Carlos Gardel ? King regards Marc

Hi Marco Polo! Thanks for the links. Wonderful research, as usual.

According to the great Borges, tango and I were born in the same town: Montevideo.

« Le tango soi-disant argentin est fils de la milonga montevidéenne et petit-fils de la habanera.
Il est né à l'Academie San Felipe, (...) entre compadritos et noirs; il a émigré dans les bas-quartiers de Buenos Aires... C’est dire que le tango est montevidéen, ... »

Jorge Luis Borges

Le tango, peut être attribué à deux patries, à l'argentine et à l'uruguayenne. En même temps, tant dans son histoire, que dans son évolution et dans son progrès, le tango a grandi sur les deux rives du fleuve.

Hector & Luis Batles

Hug,

Bertha

See if you like this pic, Marc.

It is a tango pub in Montevideo, Uruguay. There you can dance and learn to dance the tango.

Bertha

Julio Brum y "La Maroma". Montevideo, Uruguay.

AUDIO CLICK HERE: 30 segundos de las Minas de Magallanes

Attached file : JulioBrumyLaMaroma.art (19 KB - 552 downloads)

Originally written by Josique Lorenzo on March 4, 2004 7:40 PM And what you do you think about Gardel?

Hi Josique,

What I think about Gardel is something I could never talk about publicly in Uruguay. Gardel is worshipped by so many millions... The truth? No me gusta, nunca me gustó. Hummm,... lo dije!

Bertha

The fact that Viktoria Mullova (and Katia Labeque on the piano) played tonight Albeniz's "Tango" as one of encores is just a pretext to introduce this wonderful Russian violinist here.  Both ladies are also into jazz which could be heard in the way they played Ravel's Sonata in G-minor.  If you only have a chance, don't miss them!

Jacek

Thank you, Jacek. Will keep an eye on them in case they come to the USA.

Bertha

Bertha Deffenbaugh * English and French into flawless Spanish

Phoenix, AZ, USA * www.translationsserv.com

So recent is Vivaldi's discovery, in fact, that close to two-thirds of his work has never been performed by an orchestra - let alone recorded. So the question has to be asked: Why The Four Seasons again, Nigel Kennedy?

Kennedy, whose version of the Seasons (yes, those National Bank ads) was even more career-defining than his punk hairdo and practiced British-gangster-flick accent, has been taking a five year sabbatical. He's returned from a spot of gardening, picked up the Stradivarius and he's belted out another batch of the Venetian master's finest, accompanied by quite possibly the greatest orchestra on the planet [Berliner Philarmoniker].

Also included is the rarely-performed D-Major Concerto for two violins - a great opportunity, as Kennedy points out, for a bit of showing off - as well as the strident A-Minor Concerto, which stands as a triumphal kick-off to an album that will no doubt do every bit as well as the last time Kennedy made it into the Guinness Book of Records for unprecedented classical CD sales.

Kennedy, now in his mid-40s, is no longer the enfant terrible of the classical world (surely you don't have to pretend it's still the 18th century in order to perform its music!). His grasp of the music is masterful and seemingly effortless. There's a confidence and bravado throughout. Why The Four Seasons again? Because it's Kennedy's music. It's his life. He knows it as well as - if not better than - anybody on the face of the planet. He could - and most likely will - perform it for the rest of his life, and well he should.

As you might expect, it's a vibrant, rich and full recording of a great orchestra performing in a great acoustic space. As you also might expect, the violins (one in particular) take centre stage - almost as if they were more closely mic'd than all of the other instuments. Not standard practice for an orchestral recording, but not unheard-of either for a star's performance. Certainly, you won't lose sight of Kennedy in the mix of sounds. That said, it's a dynamic performance of a stunning and often stirring piece of music, recorded absolutely beautifully.

However, Vivaldi's Four Seasons has never been recorded as triumphantly as on the now hard-to-come-by recording by Il Giardino Armonico. Their use of authentic baroque period instruments gave the work a brash, almost (paradoxically) a rock 'n' roll attitude - something that Kennedy, a traditionalist at heart, can't quite manage no matter how much leather he wears, how many expletives escape his mouth in press interviews, and how sticky-uppy his hair gets.

As someone who owns shamefully few classical albums, comparatively speaking, Kennedy's Vivaldi is a worthy addition that outshines much - even most - on the shelf. And like most recorded music, it improves with volume and expensive stereo equipment. If you were at all inclined to purchase a Vivaldi recording - even if it was just because you like those bank ads - this would certainly be a great one to have.
http://xtramsn.co.nz/entertainment/0,,6242-2943760,00.html

Also: http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9908/23/wb.kennedy/

* * *

Snip from http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1174641,00.html

The march [in London, last Saturday] was one of a series of worldwide protests to mark the anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. Rallies also took place in Japan, South Korea, India, Bangladesh and Thailand, while in Europe crowds turned out in Italy, Germany and Greece.

[Last year] the demonstration was a million strong; yesterday's protest was smaller, although there were the usual arguments about the actual size - police claimed 25,000, organisers said four times bigger. True, there were whistles and drums, but the babies in buggies, the Twickenham brigade, the thirtysomething marrieds, were all missing this year. The celebrity turnout was also down. Last year the likes of Blur's Damon Albarn and Ms Dynamite were there; this year's crowd had to be content with violinist Nigel Kennedy.

* * *

Catch him on his tour:

24 March	Poland	Philharmonic Hall, Warsaw	The Vivaldi Experience
25 March	Poland	Filharmonia Baltycka Gdansk	The Vivaldi Experience
30 March	United Kingdom	Bridgewater Hall Manchester	The Vivaldi Experience
31 March	United Kingdom	St David's Hall Cardiff	The Vivaldi Experience
3 April	United Kingdom	Warwick Arts Centre. Coventry	The Vivaldi Experience
18 April	Germany	Bochum	The Vivaldi Experience
19 April	Germany	Oldenburg	The Vivaldi Experience
21 May	Germany	Hilden Festival	Nigel and the Kroke band
8 June	United Kingdom	Hampton Court Palace	The Vivaldi Experience
26 June	Germany	Pirmasens	Nigel and the Kroke Band
29 June	Germany	Ingoldstadt	Nigel and the Kroke Band
30 June	Germany	Berlin Museuminsel Festival	Nigel and the Kroke Band
10 July	United Kingdom	Larmer Tree Festival	East meets East (not Kroke)
18 July	Germany	Koblenz	The Vivaldi Experience
20 July	Germany	Jena	The Vivaldi Experience
21 July	Germany	Aschaffenburg	The Vivaldi Experience
24 July	United Kingdom	Reading, WOMAD Festival	East meets East
25 September	Australia	Brisbane Festival	Elgar & Bruch
28 September	Australia	Brisbane Festival	recital
30 September	Australia	Brisbane Festival	Jazz
1 October	Australia	Brisbane Festival	The Vivaldi Experience

Hi Jacek,

I've been listening to a few excerpts from Nigel Kennedy's album, playing the Four Seasons. This is my favourite piece by Vivaldi. This Nigel does a beautiful job. I recently went to hear another exceptional violinist, Adrian Anantawan performing Vivaldi's Four Seasons as well at the ROM, and what an outstanding performance! What a delightful young man!

Adrian Anantawan

The hand is artifice; the talent, quite real

Violinist Adrian Anantawan, born without a right hand, will attend Curtis Institute.

Adrian Anantawan, 17, began violin lessons when he was 9 years old. His mother hoped they would help bring some focus to his life.
(Fred Lum/Toronto Globe and Mail)
By Peter Dobrin
INQUIRER MUSIC CRITIC

It's no miracle that Adrian Anantawan can play the violin.

Although born without a right hand, the 17-year-old Canadian took up the instrument when he was 9. He practices six, seven, even 10 hours a day. And while his anatomy presented obstacles, his mother lavished lessons and special therapy on the boy with the hope that the violin might someday become a nice hobby.

But the violin has turned out to be something more than a hobby. Anantawan has become a real violinist who seems poised for a very real career. After winning various prizes and seats in youth orchestras in his native Canada, he's headed this fall to the Curtis Institute of Music, the Rittenhouse Square school that is arguably the world's most selective and prestigious music conservatory.

"I didn't really expect to go to Curtis this year," the soft-spoken violinist said recently from his home in Mississauga, just west of Toronto. "I was planning to audition this year for the experience and then really go for it next year. So it came as a big surprise when I was accepted."

When Ida Kavafian, the renowned violinist who teaches at the Curtis, heard Anantawan for the first time in live preliminary rounds, she sensed something special. Her hunch was confirmed in the finals.

Kavafian knows of no other violinists without a right hand. She and other members of the Curtis faculty exchanged glances when the tall young man first came out on stage to audition in March. Anantawan wears a prosthetic device that holds his bow, and the Curtis adjudicators hadn't been told that this applicant was any different from the other 80 violinists who had been given the green light this year to audition for Curtis' seven open violin slots.

"I felt that what he had, that some students don't have yet even, was a maturity in music-making, a sensitivity that grabbed me from the beginning," Kavafian said. "I said to Yumi [Ninomiya] Scott [another member of the violin faculty]: 'Wait till you hear the Mozart A Major Concerto [K. 219],' which has this adagio that takes enormous control and very mature musicianship. When he played it, I looked over at her and saw that she was really, really moved by it, and I had to fight back tears because it was so profound, so profoundly beautiful."

Such moments are rare in anyone's audition.

Anantawan was having trouble academically while in the fourth grade when it occurred to his mother that music lessons might bring some focus to his life. She considered drums or perhaps the trumpet. "Too noisy," said Maria Anantawan, a former chemist who emigrated from Hong Kong to Canada in 1971. (Her husband, Songsak Anantawan, a graphic designer and printer, arrived from Thailand in 1975.) "The violin was the one he was most adept at without driving the family bonkers." So violin it was.

Anantawan has several prosthetic devices that fit onto the end of his forearm. He has one for swimming, which is shaped like a regular arm. He uses another for weightlifting. For everyday use, he has an artificial arm with metal fingers that react to muscular impulses.

For violin playing, he has a device that has what he calls a spatula at the end that grasps the bow. It can rotate on an angle, so he can manipulate the tone of his Dutch replica of an Italian master Bergonzi violin. He can feel the vibrations of the notes as they travel through the artificial device.

"That is basically all I need," he said. "My left hand is the same as any other violinist."

Maybe better, said his mother, who theorizes that the dexterity in his left hand is more highly developed than in most people since it does twice the work.

Doctors don't know exactly why Anantawan's right arm did not develop normally. They believe that the umbilical cord wrapped itself around his arm, cutting off the blood supply and stunting its growth. He has no right hand, and his forearm is only five inches long. At its tip are very small nubs - would-be fingers.

His arm wasn't the only thing that didn't develop normally. Anantawan didn't learn to talk until he was 3.

"That was a bigger struggle than the hand," his mother said. But after music became a part of his life, his grades improved and he became more highly socialized. Music had freed his sense of expression, she said.

That, perhaps, is what the Curtis audition panel sensed in his playing.

"Expression and musicality come easy to me," said Anantawan, adding that what he hopes to do at Curtis is strengthen his technique and repertoire.

Not having a right hand has presented certain difficulties. He has had trouble using the entire bow. And figuring out how to do pizzicato - a violin technique whereby the strings are plucked, usually with the right hand - was a hurdle. Playing staccato was hard at first, since it uses the lower part of the bow.

But he has found compensations. He has practiced staccato so much, his mother said, that it is now one of his strong points. He has adjusted the placement of the chin rest to change the bow's angle, to use more of it. And he has an attachment for pizzicato, which violinist Kavafian said sounds quite natural.

Kavafian, who along with Scott will teach Anantawan at Curtis, said she will work on getting Anantawan to relax his left hand a bit and introduce him to new repertoire. She will also coach his ability to change the direction of his bow as smoothly as possible; since he does not use all of the bow, he switches from up-bow to down-bow more often than other violinists.

"My main focus with him is going to be to try very, very hard to keep his status at school as much like any other student as possible, so when the novelty of this wears off, everybody will let him settle into a really normal just-another-kid kind of thing. It could happen.

"It'll be important for people to say that he's a wonderful musician and player, and not a wonderful musician and player for not having a right hand."

Anantawan is well aware of the Violinist Without a Right Hand factor. He wants people to judge him for what they hear, not what they see. He already has some promising signs. He was admitted for this summer to the prestigious Meadowmount School of Music, founded by violinist Ivan Galamian, based on the submission of a tape, without the school's knowing anything about what Anantawan calls his "barrier."

But he doesn't underestimate the value of being a role model.

"I hope to show you can achieve things as great as other people. I guess in a way letting people see you as someone who has a challenge is almost a good thing. You're showing them the potential of humanity."

Anantawan and his mother share a rather Zen attitude about his career. Every step he achieves is something to be celebrated in itself. Learning to play the violin was an accomplishment, learning to play it well an even bigger one. His mom calls getting into Curtis a "bonus," and if he becomes a successful soloist, that would fulfill his ultimate goal.

"I could see myself playing in an orchestra or playing chamber music," he said. "Anything in music would be amazing or wonderful."

Liz, who begs your forgiveness for the long posting, but it is so inspiring ...

Thank you, Liz, for sharing that.  It's a very inspiring story.  I have seen Anantawan's picture before, but I've never actually heard him play.

Maxi

What a story, Liz, thank you!

(My son also got a statement from Nigel on camera for his documentary which he shot on Trafalgar Square last week.)

Jacek

It does all sorts of wonders:

A Little Music With Exercise Boosts Brain Power, Study Suggests

... "This is the first study to look at the combined effects of music and short-term exercise on mental performance," said Charles Emery, the study's lead author and a professor of psychology at Ohio State University.

"Evidence suggests that exercise improves the cognitive performance of people with coronary artery disease," Emery said. "And listening to music is thought to enhance brain power. We wanted to put the two results together."

Those results appear in a recent issue of the journal Heart & Lung. ...

The researchers asked participants to complete a verbal fluency test before and after two separate sessions of exercising on a treadmill. The workouts were scheduled a week apart and lasted about 30 minutes. Participants listened to classical music – Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" – during one of the sessions.

"We used 'The Four Seasons' because of its moderate tempo and positive effects on medical patients in previous research," Emery said.

Participants reported feeling better emotionally and mentally after working out regardless of whether or not they listened to music. But the improvement in verbal fluency test performance after listening to music was more than double that of the non-music condition.

"Exercise seems to cause positive changes in the nervous system, and these changes may have a direct effect on cognitive ability," Emery said. "Listening to music may influence cognitive function through different pathways in the brain. The combination of music and exercise may stimulate and increase cognitive arousal while helping to organize cognitive output."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040324071444.htm

Hi Maxi &  Jacek,

I'm glad you enjoyed the story. Yes, music does wonders for many, and for this musical thinker. Have a great day everyone!

Liz

It had special meaning for me in several ways:

- as inspiration at moments of getting bogged down in technical difficulties at the awkward 2-year level myself: the perserverence of someone with a handicap, when everyone says right hand technique is paramount over left hand, is more than inspiring. 

- Vivaldi's Four Seasons beyond the sheer beauty of it: I was blown away by my son's school's performance of the Winter movement last year and the young soloist's performance in particular - also I get to hear snatches of practice of the Summer solo occasionally through closed doors at home

Good memories all around.

Maxi

The right two ones (also played by Kennedy the other night).  I could do without the opening Spring after that. I've heard it a bit too much, although perhaps not enough these days (0 degrees Celsius + rain) to correctly match Vivaldi's sonnets with the calendar:

Italian	English
Spring
Giunt' è la Primavera e festosetti La Salutan gl' Augei con lieto canto, E i fonti allo Spirar de' Zeffiretti Con dolce mormorio Scorrono intanto: Vengon' coprendo l' aer di nero amanto E Lampi, e tuoni ad annuntiarla eletti Indi tacendo questi, gl' Augelletti; Tornan' di nuovo al lor canoro incanto: E quindi sul fiorito ameno prato Al caro mormorio di fronde e piante Dorme 'l Caprar col fido can' à lato. Di pastoral Zampogna al suon festante Danzan Ninfe e Pastor nel tetto amato Di primavera all' apparir brillante.	Springtime is upon us. The birds celebrate her return with festive song, and murmuring streams are softly caressed by the breezes. Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar, casting their dark mantle over heaven, Then they die away to silence, and the birds take up their charming songs once more. On the flower-strewn meadow, with leafy branches rustling overhead, the goat-herd sleeps, his faithful dog beside him. Led by the festive sound of rustic bagpipes, nymphs and shepherds lightly dance beneath the brilliant canopy of spring.
Summer
Sotto dura Staggion dal Sole accesa Langue l' huom, langue 'l gregge, ed arde il Pino; Scioglie il Cucco la Voce, e tosto intesa Canta la Tortorella e 'l gardelino. Zeffiro dolce Spira, mà contesa Muove Borea improviso al Suo vicino; E piange il Pastorel, perche sospesa Teme fiera borasca, e 'l suo destino; Toglie alle membra lasse il Suo riposo Il timore de' Lampi, e tuoni fieri E de mosche, e mossoni il Stuol furioso! Ah che pur troppo i Suo timor Son veri Tuona e fulmina il Ciel e grandioso Tronca il capo alle Spiche e a' grani alteri.	Beneath the blazing sun's relentless heat men and flocks are sweltering, pines are scorched. We hear the cuckoo's voice; then sweet songs of the turtle dove and finch are heard. Soft breezes stir the air... but threatening north wind sweeps them suddenly aside. The shepherd trembles, fearful of violent storm and what may lie ahead. His limbs are now awakened from their repose by fear of lightning's flash and thunder's roar, as gnats and flies buzz furiously around. Alas, his worst fears were justified, as the heavens roar and great hailstones beat down upon the proudly standing corn.
Autumn
Celebra il Vilanel con balli e Canti Del felice raccolto il bel piacere E del liquor de Bacco accesi tanti Finiscono col Sonno il lor godere Fà ch' ogn' uno tralasci e balli e canti L' aria che temperata dà piacere, E la Staggion ch' invita tanti e tanti D' un dolcissimo Sonno al bel godere. I cacciator alla nov' alba à caccia Con corni, Schioppi, e canni escono fuore Fugge la belua, e Seguono la traccia; Già Sbigottita, e lassa al gran rumore De' Schioppi e canni, ferita minaccia Languida di fuggir, mà oppressa muore.	The peasant celebrates with song and dance the harvest safely gathered in. The cup of Bacchus flows freely, and many find their relief in deep slumber. The singing and the dancing die away as cooling breezes fan the pleasant air, inviting all to sleep without a care. The hunters emerge at dawn, ready for the chase, with horns and dogs and cries. Their quarry flees while they give chase. Terrified and wounded, the prey struggles on, but, harried, dies.
Winter
Aggiacciato tremar trà neri algenti Al Severo Spirar d' orrido Vento, Correr battendo i piedi ogni momento; E pel Soverchio gel batter i denti; Passar al foco i di quieti e contenti Mentre la pioggia fuor bagna ben cento Caminar Sopra 'l giaccio, e à passo lento Per timor di cader gersene intenti; Gir forte Sdruzziolar, cader à terra Di nuove ir Sopra 'l giaccio e correr forte Sin ch' il giaccio si rompe, e si disserra; Sentir uscir dalle ferrate porte Sirocco Borea, e tutti i Venti in guerra Quest' é 'l verno, mà tal, che gioja apporte.	Shivering, frozen mid the frosty snow in biting, stinging winds; running to and fro to stamp one's icy feet, teeth chattering in the bitter chill. To rest contentedly beside the hearth, while those outside are drenched by pouring rain. We tread the icy path slowly and cautiously, for fear of tripping and falling. Then turn abruptly, slip, crash on the ground and, rising, hasten on across the ice lest it cracks up. We feel the chill north winds coarse through the home despite the locked and bolted doors... this is winter, which nonetheless brings its own delights.

I didn't realize that there were actual sonnets.  Now I understand something new about the descriptive instructions going along sporadically in the music score: "We shiver in the snow" .... then some bars down as the music changes "and are pierced by the cruel wind."

Shivering, frozen mid the frosty snow in biting, stinging winds;...

Aggiacciato tremar trà neri algenti Al Severo Spirar d' orrido Vento ...

(At this moment I hear the first flock of Canada geese heralding their assumption that Spring is indeed arriving.)

Maxi

The new album of Faithless will is called "No Roots" and contains samples from David Bowie and soul legend Nina Simone. UK reggea upstart LSK sings on six tracks. The new album will be released at the 7th of June 2004.

No Roots

...

Whether Halliburton or Enron or anyone
Greed is a weapon of mass destruction

We need to find courage, overcome
Inaction is a weapon of mass destruction

...

http://www.insomnia.tmfweb.nl/lyrics.htm

So nice to see this thread made it in the top 25

After seeing the movie " Ray", I've picked up a few of Ray Charles' recordings and absolutely love this rendition of  " Do I ever cross your mind" with Bonnie Raitt.

http://www.modernblues.net/raitt/genius.htm

Liz

I can't wait till that movie comes out here in Sweden! I've been listening to Ray Charles all my life. "Georgia on my Mind" still gives me chill bumps.

But, I'm really a rocker at heart! I went to see Robert Plant at a small club in Gothenburg a few years ago. He's still got it!

/G

I suppose I'm an oldie! I like all sorts of stuff from jazz/blues to rock to just about anything that catches my ear.

Oldtime favourites include Joni Mitchell, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison, James Taylor amongst others.

I also listen a lot to stuff from "Leftfield", "Massive Attack", the list goes on and on...

I suppose I simply love music and always have - it inspires!

The best live concert I ever experienced was Pink Floyd live at Earl's Court in London in 1993. I took my son to his very first concert and he enjoyed it as much as me - strange considering he's 23 years younger, but then their stuff is timeless

regards

DJ

Originally written by Angela Dickson on January 22, 2005 10:36 AM In an ideal world I should like to be able to participate in a highly-wrought symphonic performance (which can be an amazing experience, as can listening to one) AND be able to improvise fluently on piano and viola.

Angela,

That must be an incredible world, just knowing that among people who played viola there were Felix Mendelssohn, Anna Moffo, Monteverdi, Mozart, Paganini, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Leonard Slatkin, Bruno Walter, Christa Ludwig, Hindemith, Dvorak, Carlo Maria Giulini, Haydn, Jimi Hendrix, Beethoven, Britten, Bach...

I envy them and envy you.

Best wishes,

Jacek