39 posts tagged “music”

Famed folk singer Odetta passed away last night.  Hers was the voice of my childhood.  When I was 5 years old, my parents bought the Odetta album One Grain of Sand.  I wore the grooves on that record out, replaying over and over again songs like Sail Away Ladies, Moses Moses, Midnight Special and She Moved Through the Fair, to name a few.  Here is a You-Tube video which pays tribute to Odetta, to the music of Midnight Special.

Better known as the lyrical half of the duo of Gilbert and Sullivan, here is a little ditty he composed separate from that pairing:

Gentle Alice Brown.

What's your favorite song with "America" or "USA" in the title? Bonus points if you share it with us.

Share a song you listened to in 6th grade.

I was in 6th grade in 1969, which was an amaaaaazing year for music.  But the question is what was I listening to.  And there are two songs from that time that I loved at that time.  Most of the others I came to love later.  Here are the two which I played on the record player over and over again:

What's your favorite soundtrack?

There are some great ones out there.  Wizard of Oz, Jaws, Lawrence of Arabia, Fistful of Dollars; the list is endless.  But I can think of no movie where the score is more important than the following (written by Prokofiev):

This man is a role model for me.

First "Brokeback Mountain" was a short story written by Annie Proulx. Then, it was a movie directed by Ang Lee. Next, it will be an opera slated to premier during New York's City Opera's 2013 season.

What movie/book would you most like to see turned into an opera?

Mystic River. 

 Do a ballet overture in the beginning showing the three boys and the fake cop, without voice.  And then the boy escaping.

Act I, Scene I: The murdered daughter (lyric soprano) in the movie was played by Emmy Rossum, who actually performed at the Met with Placido Domingo.  Could play the same role in an opera performance.  You see the young lovers, with a duet about how they are going to elope.

Act I, Scene II:  The daughter stops by to see her father Jimmy (tenor) at the convenience store, sings an aria about how much she loves her dad, and leaves.  Musical interlude cut to choral scene at the bar, where she and her friends have a competitive recitative with men.  Dave (baritone) is at the bar, sings about how lost he feels.

Act I, Scene III:  Dave comes home with the bloodied hand, and sings an aria about fighting off a mugger.  This evolves into a duet with his wife (soprano), as she cleans and bandages his hand.

Act II, Scene I.  Sean and his partner sing a duet about lost children.  Sean's wife calls and says nothing.  When the body is found, Sean realizes that it is the Jimmy's daughter.  As he does, Jimmy and his goons show up. Jimmy sings aria "Is it my daughter?, with the climax as he realizes it is.

Act II, Scene II.  Choral opening at Jimmy's house, as friends wander the stage in mourning.  Dave shows up, and encounters Jimmy on the upstairs porch.  Duet about loss and grief and friendship.  Dave leaves, and when Jimmy goes downstairs, Dave's wife sings an aria offering whatever help she can give.

Act II, Scene III.  Sean and his partner confront the daughter's boyfriend with the gun, and he refuses to confess.  Brendan sings an aria claiming his father Ray has been sending money for years, even though he is gone.  The police let him go, but Sean's partner (bass) sings that he killed his girlfriend.

Act III, Scene I.  Dave's wife goes to Jimmy, and sings an aria about Dave's bloody hand.  Aria ends with her assertion that Dave killed Jimmy's daughter.

Act III, Scene II:  Brendan finds the gun, confronts his younger son and his friend, and starts to attack them... As the younger son raises the gun, Sean shows up, stops him, and proclaims his guilt.

Act  III, Scene III:  Jimmy gets Dave drunk, and in a savage duet, stabs him to death.  Musical interlude cuts to Jimmy's house, where his wife (mezzo) tells him that he killed the wrong man.  She sings an aria about Jimmy's strength.

Act III, Scene IV:  Parade chorus scene, with Sean and Jimmy engaged in recitative apart from each other, as Dave's wife staggers down the street singing a mad dirge.  Fade in a minor key.

 

 

 

 

Which cultural festivals will you be attending this summer?

There are so many in Philadelphia, that I couldn't begin to list all of the options.  So, let me just concentrate on the events at  at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing:

 

Last week, I took my son to the Art Star Craft Bazaar.  This was about 150 booths of arts and crafts by folks from all over the country.  Except for the moment when my son got loose and sat fully clothed in a wading pool in front of one of the booths, it was a total gas.

This coming Saturday night at 8PM, as a kickoff to the LGBT Pride Festival, there will be a showing of the Wizard of Oz at 8PM.  I am thinking of taking my boy.  It's not often one gets to see this movie on a big screen, and it's an important movie in my family.  (My mom was at the World Premiere in LA.  Really.) 

The following Saturday is the Islamic Heritage Festival.  Should be great food and crafts.

That Sunday will be the Portuguese festival.  I love Portuguese food.  And there will be a cement truck filled with candy for the kids.

Saturday June 21st brings the Asian Festival.  This is a Pan Asian events, with food, crafts and performances representing many different Asian cultures.

Sunday the 22nd is my birthday, so I may be busy.  But if I have time, I will drop by the Irish Festival.  I would love to find some Connemara green marble, or perhaps a t-shirt for the hurling team from county Donegal.

Saturday June 28th brings Saturday Night Alive, a celebration of gospel music.  And believe me, here in Philadelphia, the gospel music is kickin'.

Of course, the July 4th weekend is a non-stop festival.  This years, the Penn's Landing fireworks will be on Saturday the 5th, after a concert by Boyz II Men.  Earlier in the day, there will be a food festival, combined with an ice cream tasting event.

I will be out of town the following weekend, but if you're here, go to the Hispanic Festival, which will flow over both weekend days.

The Saturday after that will be the Global Fusion festival.  One thing I am looking forward to with this is that there will be a trolley giving tours of several neighborhoods and their murals.  Philadelphia has more murals than any city in the country, so this should be exciting.

Sunday brings the Southeastern Cherokee celebration.  My boy will love the music and dancing.

I could go on.  In August we'll have an African festival, a DooWop festival, an Indian festival, Caribbean festival, Unity Weekend, Smooth Jazz Summer nights, Screenings Under the Stars...

Philadelphia is called the City of Brotherly Love.  Folks make fun of that.  But, for real, the name fits.

Show us your favorite YouTube video.

I have three.  They all involve music.  The first one is comedic:

The second one is touching (I am alway moved by what happens at 1:27-40):

The third is an unofficial video for a Regina Spektor song:

Share your favorite duet.