Deixa-me rir...

Caros Audiophiles, something a little unusual this week, a little eclectic: An orchestra performing without instruments!

The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain appear every year during the BBC Proms classical music festival at the Royal Albert Hall in London. I have watched them many times and they are, of course, exceptionally talented young musicians and inspiring to watch.

This year they presented a new work, specially commissioned for them, by contemporary composer Anna Meredith.

This piece, ironically as you will discover, is called HandsFree. It is fun and unexpected, especially because they are performing in such a grand and venerable institution. Imagine a "flash mob" of gospel singers, let's say, in Jeronimos.

From the point of view of the musicians, one of the NYOGB principal percussionists described the experience like this:

"HandsFree has been a fantastic journey this year; showing the NYO in a completely new, fun and accessible light. One of the really great things about it is that it bridged any possible gaps within the orchestra and also enabled players to come to know even more people in other sections, which consequently helps the overall teamwork and enhances our playing greatly. I have especially enjoyed being a team leader, which meant leading group rehearsals and teaching the piece, and these skills will definitely help me later in my career. HandsFree is perfect for the NYO as it requires huge amounts of skill and concentration but also shows our virtuosity and musicianship!"

A proxima.

PO

Deixa-me rir...

"Caros audiophiles, this week I offer another experience from the classical Proms season in London. Two days ago had been a long tiring irritating day. During the evening I became distracted and completely forgot that I should be meeting a friend for a late-night concert. I remembered, too late I thought, twenty minutes after it started. I looked out of the window. It was raining furiously like cats and dogs. Like London. Not a night to be outside.

But then I decided that the day would not defeat me. I jumped into my car, luckily found a parking space outside the theatre, ran inside, ignoring the attendant who said I could not enter the auditorium because there was no interval, found my seat and my friend just as the orchestra was finishing tuning their instruments for the next piece of the programme. I had missed half of the concert, had no idea who or what I was coming to hear. But, let me tell you, I became so glad that I made the effort to arrive!

The first musical piece was so serene, so beautiful, that I was immediately transported to a better place, a better disposition. Later I discovered that the composer was Nicola Porpora, a relatively unknown contemporary and rival of Handel and better regarded as the teacher of the famous castrata singer Farinelli. The music was an aria, Alto Giove, from his opera Polifemo. The wonderful counter-tenor singer was Philippe Jaroussky. The musicians were a young Baroque orchestra Ensemble Matheus, led by an exuberant charismatic conductor Jean-Christophe Spinosi (who looked like Sean Penn with a sense of humour).

Porpora - "Alto Giove":

So, now I was relaxed. And then the fun began. Jaroussky was joined on stage by a contralto singer Marie-Nicole Lemieux. A large vivacious sensual woman with flaming red hair and turquoise ballgown dress. I say joined, actually she literally ran onto the stage, almost pushing him and the conductor out of the way in her enthusiasm. This was a fun performance of the aria played as if by two competing singers instead of two competing lovers. A joyous victorious finale to my day!

Vivaldi - Orlando Furioso "Nel Profundo Cieco Mondo" (In This Profoundly Blind World)



Enjoy!
A proxima,
PO

Deixa-me rir...

"Caros audiophiles, here in London we are in the middle of the classical music Proms season at the Royal Albert Hall, an annual extravaganza for more than 100 years created to promote and popularise classical music among all people. Each night for two months there is a programme of music that might include something famous by one of the giants of classical composition such as Bach or Mahler, together with less known pieces by less-known or new composers, together with world premieres of new music, all played by fantastic orchestras and singers and conductors from around the world. The style may be baroque or operatic or romantic or minimalist or avant-garde. We may be introduced not only to our western music but also to Indian raga, to southeast Asian, Chinese, African or Arabian classical styles, The fun for me is having a mix, sometimes quite eclectic, and being introduced to music which normally I would not discover. And which sometimes I would happily not listen to again. Hands up anyone who fancies hearing Concerto for Three Pieces of Wood?!

So this week I offer something classical. My very first introduction to classical music.

Sergei Prokofiev was commissioned in 1936 to write a symphony for children, something accessible that could cultivate an interest in music and musical instruments.

Peter and the Wolf was composed remarkably in only four days. By defining each character in the story with its own musical instrument and musical theme or leitmotif, and most importantly by having an accompanying narrated story, children could take the first easy steps toward their musical education. I remember well, like many of you I am sure, listening dreamily to Peter's musical story, my head in my arms resting on a desk or lying on the classroom floor of my kindergarten primary school, being delighted by the distinctive sounds of Peter and the bird and duck and cat and anticipating the scary sounds of the wolf and the hunters from my place of safety. It must be one of my very first musical memories. As it remains today for children everywhere.

For children and adult children of all ages.

The videos I have found are of a wonderful stop-motion animated film which won an Oscar a few years ago. I attended the world premiere of this film at the Royal Albert Hall where the film was screened with a live orchestra. I was very pleased that it gained wide recognition later. The film captures beautifully the solitary life and defiant spirit of the young boy Peter amid the harsh Russian landscape, his friendship with his pet duck, his innocent adventure into the dark forest, and his loss of innocence, with some charming comic moments. Perhaps I should note that the music begins only after five minutes as soon as Peter escapes into the forest.

A proxima,

PO

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Músicas dos dias que correm