Classical Music II

[hectorberlioz]

Thanks Gwai, buddy ol' pal . I'm going to look up the youtube singers first.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Of course, I'm sure you'll be able to find any of the others I mentioned on youtube as well.

[trolls' bane]

I just downloaded "Fantasia on British Sea Songs." 'twas epic.

[Earniel]

Fantasia on British Seasongs just IS epic.

[Tessar]

These are more New Age, but they use classical instruments and are light on synth... The synth is a veeeeery tiny background echo of sound, which I love.

http://www.thesixtyone.com/olafurarn...d+Songs/10991/

This guy is just fantastic. I discovered him last night and I've been listening to his music since then... very creative, melodic music with beautiful harmonies.

[trolls' bane]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

Fantasia on British Seasongs just IS epic.

Yes, agreed.
But thanks to my limited knowledge of how British sea songs go, I'm not sure if I have the original Henry Wood version (I think I do), or the slightly-modified version where they swap out one of the songs for another set.

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Gwaimir Windgem

If you're looking for soprano arias, opt for Sandrine Piau's over Renee Fleming's. The latter is rather dull, though there are some bright spots (Endless Pleasure probably being the brightest).

Of course, you can always resort to youtube. Two contraltos that have intrigued me singing Handel there were Marijana Mijanovic (a fascinating voice; contralto, but in a minimalist, almost skeletal way) and Sonia Prina. Ann Hallenberg has some excellent Handel on youtoube, as well.

I *must* second the recommendations for Sandrine Piau and Sonia Prina! Two of my favorites.

[Voronwen]

More Baroque!!!

Here's another Handel aria sung by Ms. Piau:

'Ritorna, o caro e dolce mio tesoro' - Rodelinda

And some Purcell (sung by Sylvia McNair):

'Music For A While' - Henry Purcell

I love her interpretations of Purcell, they're sung just as Purcell should be - with lightness and purity of tone, and nothing over the top ornamentation-wise. I love Purcell songs!

Here she is again with an aria:

'O let me weep' - The Fairy Queen

This is the best rendition of this aria on youtube, imho. I also like the renditions by Yvonne Kenny and Emma Kirkby but there's something so pure and lamenting about Ms. McNair's that is really moving. The other two i just mentioned are worth listening to also but not any of the others as they're all sung way too heavily. This is delicate music and should not be ploughed through with a tractor - i can say the same thing about the other renditions of the Rodelinda on youtube - all sung way too heavily. You just DO NOT sing Handel and Purcell as if they're Puccini - period! Then again, this is a light soprano talking here so consider the source I probably have a preference for the timbre and style of my fellow light sopranos because i can relate to it much better.

ETA: And i could not finish off this post without adding this quintessential rendition of the Lament from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas sung by Emma Kirkby:

'Dido's Lament' - Dido and Aeneas

Now THIS is how Dido's Lament should be sung! Love it. Today it's mostly sung (far too heavily) by mezzos and heavier sopranos but what people forget now is that Purcell wrote this opera for a girls' school. It was not meant to be sung heavily at all. I believe Ms. Kirkby's rendition is the closest thing we have today to the composer's intent.

[Tessar]

I wanted to mention in here, for Hector and Gwai's benefit, that the early music soprano I got to coach with today actually went to school with Andreas Scholl and has sung with/is friends with Vivicia Genaux.

So on the Bacon chart I'm like... one handshake away from having met two of my favorite singers .

[Voronwen]

Very cool, Tessar! I had the chance once to study baroque ornamentation with a teacher who had worked with some big names, so i kind of know how you feel. Mostly i was happy to be learning stylistic techniques that the top pros use it was quite enlightening.

[Tessar]

One thing she told me that I think our two gentlemen friends might appreciate (and by this I refer to Gwai and some other male person.... not Hector ) is that supposedly most of these 'baroque' singers have other people write their ornamentation for them!

Some of them are apparently knowledgeable of how to ornament their own stuff, but apparently some of the top baroque singers actually get someone else to write their 'original' ornamentation for them . She says she only found out about it because she's friends with some of the people who do the writing!

[Voronwen]

I don't doubt that that's true and i've heard the same thing before about certain singers. It's not very 'period correct', though Singers in period, as i'm sure you know, were masters at inventing ornamentation - on the fly. In fact singers in period had new, original ornaments for every performance! Imagine that. I don't think anyone actually does that today but i've read about it in primary sources.

[Voronwen]

Listening to Arcangelo Corelli's concerti grossi today ... it's going perfectly with my peaceful and slightly whimsical mood, and the beautiful weather we're having.

[Voronwen]

Another hauntingly beautiful aria from Handel's Orlando:

Se mi rivolgo al prato (Dorinda's aria)

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by Tessar

I wanted to mention in here, for Hector and Gwai's benefit, that the early music soprano I got to coach with today actually went to school with Andreas Scholl and has sung with/is friends with Vivicia Genaux.

So on the Bacon chart I'm like... one handshake away from having met two of my favorite singers .

Mmmm...Vivica Genaux...I have to say, her voice is my favourite of the mezzos out there, though her taste can be a bit iffy at times. But I overlook that. She has a new CD coming out, I hear; must have it!

And looking forward SO much to the new Vivaldi opera with her, Jaroussky, David Daniels, Lehtipuu, Patrizia Ciofi, and just about every other person who's made a bit of a name in baroque opera!

EDIT: I believe it, Tess. Excellent ornamentation is apparently very difficult, and just about everyone who isn't a baroque specialist but has the occasional foray seems to have the conductor write theirs for them; it doesn't surprise me that even specialists do sometimes.

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Gwaimir Windgem

Mmmm...Vivica Genaux...I have to say, her voice is my favourite of the mezzos out there, though her taste can be a bit iffy at times. But I overlook that. She has a new CD coming out, I hear; must have it!

I like her Rinaldo. She has just the right sound for the role, imho.

But as mezzo voices go, i prefer Ann Hallenberg.

Excellent ornamentation is apparently very difficult, and just about everyone who isn't a baroque specialist but has the occasional foray seems to have the conductor write theirs for them; it doesn't surprise me that even specialists do sometimes.

Oh God yes, it's hard!!! When you get to the top, you can pay someone to do it for you! And admittedly, it's a lot better that way.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Oh, I disagree. I didn't like her Rinaldo very much; her voice doesn't fit the role, I feel. This was particularly clear in her Cara sposa; that aria really demands a voice that's heavier, darker. Combining her lighter voice with the faster tempo Jacobs took, it didn't feel like the aria being sung was Cara sposa at all. Although I haven't heard it, I would guess that David Daniels version of the role was probably much better suited to it. Although I did love her rendition of Or la tromba. I read one reviewer who described Vivica Genaux's voice as having "all the duskiness of twilight and all the freshness of morning".

Ann Hallenberg is another great, though for me it's more her musical and dramatic taste that I love than her voice as such.

[hectorberlioz]

I've been listening to Sibelius, mostly. Also Bach cantatas, and the Handel Water Music.

And now for something totally different: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqlUhN7TbAk

[Voronwen]

Originally Posted by Gwaimir Windgem

Ann Hallenberg is another great, though for me it's more her musical and dramatic taste that I love than her voice as such.

I agree about her musical and dramatic choices. I love her O let me weep.

[Tessar]

WOW! Beautiful. I had never heard of her before, oddly enough... she's simply fabulous .