Bastille – Pompeii For Cello And Piano
Breathe Quietly And Let It Be
The Final Countdown – Europe (Vintage Cabaret Cover)
Interview: Florian Christl, Composer & Pianist
What are the special challenges/pleasures of working with particular musicians, singers, ensembles and orchestras?
The piano, to me, is the instrument with the widest range of possibilities. You can express almost everything with that single instrument. But if you combine it with other instruments there are no bounds. The creation of new sounds, the interaction between the musicians and their instruments, as well as the merging of tones is simply fascinating. I love the sound of the piano, and I love the sound of strings. Combining these two instruments gives me goosebumps in every rehearsal, and every concert. This is just one reason why I love music so much. But of course there are also challenges. In my mind I’ve got a very specific idea for every composition, and how it has to sound. The greatest challenge is to make my ensemble play the music exactly as I expected it in my mind. There are details you can’t write in the score. Details the musicians have to feel, to play the piece in the right way.
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Opera Meets Film: ‘Ombra Mai Fu’ As a Call For Respect in ‘A Fantastic Woman’
“A Fantastic Woman” is a film filled with dark and dreary moments. It kicks off with the bliss of love between Orlando and a transgender woman, Marina. Moments after experiencing their joy we see Orlando die and Marina forced to overcome his discriminatory family (and society) just so she can say goodbye to him.
We experience Marina’s journey through these challenges until she eventually manages just one moment of true intimacy moments before Orlando’s body is no more.
It’s quite breathtaking and beautiful in its impact, but what happens next is even more so
After so many challenges and difficulties, we hear Marina stand up in front of an audience and perform “Ombra mai fu” from Handel’s “Serse.”
The aria kicks off the opera with King Xerxes pondering the beauty of a favored tree. It is one of opera’s most famed melodies, it’s melody relaxing for the listener, matching the mood of the text in which Xerxes asks that “Never was a shade of any plant dearer and more lovely, or more sweet.”
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‘Take On Me’ Fingerstyle
[News] Madonna To Direct Movie Based On Life Of Ballerina Michaela DePrince
Madonna is to return to the movies after a seven-year absence to direct Taking Flight, a feature film based on the life of Michaela DePrince, a war orphan from Sierra Leone who became a leading ballerina.
According to Deadline, Hollywood studio MGM has been developing the project since 2015 when it acquired the rights to DePrince’s memoir, co-written with her adoptive mother, Elaine.
“Michaela’s journey resonated with me deeply as both an artist and an activist who understands adversity,” Madonna said. “We have a unique opportunity to shed light on Sierra Leone, and let Michaela be the voice for all the orphaned children she grew up beside. I am honoured to bring her story to life.”
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