Mozart's for Beginners Part 2

Mozart's music in this part:

1. The Magic Flute - Bernard Haitink/Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
2. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Neville Marriner/Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
3. Symphony No. 5 - Trevor Pinnock/The English Concert
4. Piano Concerto No. 23 - Christoph Eschenbach/London Philharmonic

Mozart's for Beginners Part 1.

I do not know is there a God but if she existed Mozart would've been her most favorite son. His music is simple beyond this world.

In this video:
1. Jupiter Symphony - Levine/Chicago Symphony Orchestra
2. Piano Concerto No. 20 - Bilson/Gardiner/English Baroque Soloists
3. The Abduction at the Seraglio - Gardiner/Monteverdi Choir
4. Symphony 40 in G Minor - Maazel/New York Philharmonic
5. Piano Sonata K.545 - Jean Bernard Pommier
6. Requiem in D Minor - Philippe
Here you can hear Mozart's Queen of the Night by Lucia Popp

 

Le Fantôme de l'Opéra (The Phantom of the Opera)

Emily Rossum sings aria Think of me from The Phantom of the Opera (original title: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra), that's a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialization in Le Gaulois from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910. Initially, the story sold very poorly upon publication in book form and was even out of print several times during the twentieth century, despite the success of its various film and stage adaptations. 

The most notable of these were the 1925 film depiction and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical. The Phantom of the Opera musical is now the longest running Broadway show in history, and one of the most lucrative entertainment enterprises of all time.

From The Phantom of the Opera [Blu-ray] with Gerald Butler.
 

 

A na posledak ja skazy...(from A cruel romance)

Not an opera (from the movie A Cruel Romance ) but Larisa Guzeyeva is so beautiful and natural and so believable in this scene where she sings so beautifully that I felt I should put her here anyway. Enjoy!!

 

By Jorge Reyes (Amazon comment)

Consider the plot of a very beautiful young woman, whose life ahead is full of promise.. But consider also that this girl's life is actually torn apart by events which seem (apparently) out of her immediate control, like if fate was conspiring against her at every other corner. Even her mother, willingly or not, at some point "sells" her -though like every other mother she blindly believes doing what's best for her daughter's future. Zhestokij Romans is synonimous to drama: just watch the final scene, which is so powerful, telling and poetic...

I especially enjoyed the Gipsy scenes. All that dancing, joy and vodka were very moving in this film. Just as Yugoslav director Emir Kosturica has immortalized the Gipsy people (i.e. "Underground") we also see in "Zhestokij" droves of joyful Gipsies carrying everywhere they go that sound which is at the same time melancholic and joyous. Some other scenes reminded me of "Svadba" (Pavel Lounguine) a film which also features lots of partying and rivers of vodka despite the imminent disgrace and bitterness of life. I even found some parallels with "Luna Papa" another film from the former Soviet republics in which a young and pretty girl has to rapidly mature and leap from childhood into adulthood.
The Gipsy scenes also served as a very effective contrast between joy and doom. While they kept dancing, tragedy was occurring elsewhere. It's like they say: one man's happiness is another man's suffering.

Boris Christoff - Song of the Volga Boatmen

Boris Christoff sings the Song of the Volga Boatmen (Russian title:Эй, ухнем!). This is a well-known traditional Russian song collected by Mily Balakirev, and published in his book of folk songs. 

It is a genuine barge-haulers' shanty. The song, also called The Volga Burlak's Song, was inspired by Repin's famous painting, Burlaks on the Volga, depicting the suffering of the people in the depth of misery in Tsarist Russia.

(Burlaks of the Volga)

The song was popularised by Feodor Chaliapin, and has been a favourite concert piece of bass singers ever since. Glenn Miller took the song to #1 in the US charts in 1941.

Spanish composer Manuel De Falla wrote an arrangement of the song, which was published under the name Canto de los remeros del Volga (del cancionero musical ruso) in 1922. He did so at the behest of diplomat Ricardo Baeza, who was working with the League of Nations to provide financial relief for the more than two million Russian refugees who had been displaced and imprisoned during World War I. All proceeds from the song's publication were donated to this effort.

Nikola Subic Zrinjski -- Unknown Croatian Opera Finale

Almost totally unknown Croatian opera by Ivan Zajc, Nikola Subic Zrinjski, tells a story about one of the most heroic albeit tragic episodes in that small nation's history. After 3 days of defending the city walls most Croats died. Zrinski led a force of 600 soldiers out of the burning walls against 80,000 Turks. 24,000 Turks died in the final battle. But Turkish Suleiman died just before the last charge of Zrinski!! If Croats would have waited only a day or two (it was impossible to sustain the siege due to lack of food and water so Croats decided to die in a final battle, taking as much enemies they were able to take with them) they most likely would survived because Turks withdrew after Suleiman's death!!

A beautiful opera, mostly adored in, interesting enough, Japan. As a curiosity here you may find 1,000 Japanese sing this same aria!!

 

Maria Callas "Non mi dir" Don Giovanni Mozart

A woman whose name says it all -- Maria Callas -- sings "Non mi dir" from Don Giovanni by a man whose name says it all - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart!

• Role : Donna Anna, a noblewoman
  
• Voice Part : soprano   Fach : dramatic coloratura
  
• Setting : A room in the palace of Donna Anna
  
• Range : E4 to A#/Bb6. Tessitura : G4 to A6
  
• Synopsis : Donna Anna, who is still strongly affected by her father's death, asks that Don Ottavio cease talking about marriage until she has had time to get over this tragedy. She still loves him, she says, but would like him to be patient.

English Translation:
I cruel? Ah no, my dearest! It grieves me much to postpone a bliss we have for long desired... But what would the world say? Do not tempt the fortitude; of my tender heart, which already pleads your loving cause. Say not, my beloved, that I am cruel to you: you must know how much I loved you,  and you know what I am true. Calm your torments, if you would not have me die of grief. One day, perhaps, Heaven again will smile on me. 

Read Music Made Easy  

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf - Ah, chi mi dice mai - Don Giovanni

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf sings the Donna Elvira's first aria: "Ah, chi mi dice mai" from "Don Giovanni" by Mozart. Great Tito Gobbi sings Don Giovanni!

Matti Salminen: "In diesen heilg'en Hallen" | "The magic flute" by Mozart

Watch, listen and enjoy Matti Salminen rendition of the "In diesen heilg'en Hallen" from "The magic flute" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Matti's a very large man with an enormous voice and an expressive face. According to one reviewer, in his prime Salminen was "... simply the largest bass voice in captivity. It is not just its roar in powering over Wagner's maximum orchestra, but the way he carves the sonority and forms the color."

  

Role : Sarastro, high priest of Isis and Osiris

Voice Part : bass   Fach : heavy bass

Setting : Pamina's room

Range : F#/Gb2 to C#/Db4. Tessitura : B3 to C#/Db4

Synopsis : After Pamina pleads with Sarastro to have mercy on her scheming mother, Sarastro sings of the ideals of his Brotherhood.

English Translation:

Within these hallowed halls
One knows not revenge.
And should a person have fallen,
Love will guide him to duty.
Then wanders he on the hand of a friend
Cheerful and happy into a better land.
Within these hallowed walls,
Where human loves the human,
No traitor can lurk,
Because one forgives the enemy.
Whomever these lessons do not please,
Deserves not to be a human being. 

Don Giovanni by Mozart | Quartet "Non Ti Fidar"

Carlo - Maria Giulini; The Don - Eberhard Wachter; Anna - Joan Sutherland; Elvira - Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.