tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-132993452024-03-14T13:11:18.200+08:00solitude.in.musicsolitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-10666642454458390882008-10-04T17:16:00.005+08:002008-10-04T17:17:31.255+08:00Internal Chemical Reactions<blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"Do you think music has the power to change people? Like you listen to a piece and go through some major change inside?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Oshima nodded. "Sure, that can happen. We have an experience - like a chemical reaction - that transforms something inside us. When we examine ourselves later on, we discover that all the standards we've lived by have shot up another notch and the world's opened up in unexpected ways. Yes, I've had that experience. Not often, but it has happened. It's like falling in love."</span><br /><br />-From Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami</blockquote>solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-23992379273893177752008-05-04T18:01:00.002+08:002008-05-04T18:14:48.861+08:00Bayreuther Festspiele 2008The dates of this year's Bayreuther Festspiele are out. It runs from 25th July to 28th August.<br /><br />25 July Parsifal I<br />26 July Tristan I<br />27 July Meistersinger I<br />28 July Rheingold I<br />29 July Walküre I<br />31 July Siegfried I<br />02 August Götterdämmerung I<br />03 August Parsifal II<br />04 August Meistersinger II<br />05 August Tristan II<br />06 August Parsifal III<br />07 August Meistersinger III<br />08 August Rheingold II<br />09 August Walküre II<br />10 August Parsifal<br />11 August Siegfried II<br />13 August Götterdämmerung II<br />14 August Tristan III<br />15 August Meistersinger IV<br />16 August Parsifal V<br />17 August Siegfried<br />18 August Tristan IV<br />19 August Meistersinger V<br />20 August Rheingold III<br />21 August Walküre III<br />23 August Siegfried III<br />25 August Götterdämmerung III<br />26 August Tristan V<br />27 August Meistersinger VI<br />28 August Parsifal VI<br /><br />Wolfgang Wagner has announced his resignation as the director of the festival on 29th April 08, according to <a href="http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3301199,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf">news reports</a>. It is still unsure of who will take over him yet, as the festival committee has yet to choose a candidate.solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-34531927013939774002008-03-21T16:49:00.005+08:002008-03-21T17:34:21.043+08:00BravissimoI might have found a new favourite after Michelle Kwan.<br /><br />There seems to be a lot of dispute over the judges' results in the short program. I think there may some biasness involved, but I really don't wish to judge. Carolina Kostner wasn't really so bad, but in my opinion, Mao Asada was simply sublime this year.<br /><br />Her short program for this year's ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2008 plunged me straight into an altered state within the first few seconds of her performance. From this short program alone, she has truly excelled herself. So much more musical, so much more elegant than her previous showings in her previous tournaments. Excellent program, excellent costume, excellent music.<br /><br />I am waiting to watch her free skating program, where she came in second too, after Yu-Na Kim.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3QuHly3Kdpc&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3QuHly3Kdpc&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />But it's all well for now, knowing that she has the gold this year...solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-51884078846360956092008-03-03T11:34:00.001+08:002008-03-03T11:36:47.752+08:00Between Wagner & TangoI had my recess week last week. Had intended to sit through a listening of a Wagner opera last week, but apparently, I was too distracted by tango to sit quietly in my room for just that couple of hours. A bad substitute in terms of musical depth, but surprisingly, I enjoyed myself as much as I would have if I had studied Wagner, or <span style="font-style: italic;">maybe even more</span>...<br /><br />I'm feeling a little hungry for some Wagner right now though...solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-84555361705421391862008-02-18T20:43:00.010+08:002008-02-18T22:04:11.574+08:00On Brahms and a Waitress...<span style="" lang="EN-US">It was a quiet day in Hamburg. With his flight in the late evening, he had a couple of hours more to roam the city. He walked into a Café and found himself a seat by the window</span><span style="" lang="EN-US"> to watch the city pass by his window.<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="DE">„Guten Tag, </span><span style="" lang="DE">möchten Sie etwas bestellen?“</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">He looked up to see the source of the sweetest voice he had heard ever since he arrived in this city. He was greeted by the sight of this young, charming girl with the most exquisite facial features. The floral fragrance of her flowing, velvety hair stunned him momentarily before he regained control of his faculties to process her words.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="DE">„Oh, ich nehme eine Tasse Kaffee und ein Stück Schokoladenkuchen</span><span style="" lang="DE">, bitte. </span><span style="">Danke.“</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">The waitress gave him a saccharine smile before returning to the counter to work on his order. As he gazed at the waitress as she walked away, he heard the music of Brahms’s <span style="font-style: italic;">Piano Concerto No. 2</span> play in the background, a work which he had heard a couple of times but could never really appreciate. By a quirk of nature, as the opening theme played, he experienced a moment of musical epiphany. It all made sense to him now. It was music parallel to what he had just</span><span style=""> experienced.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/R7l9kogZmcI/AAAAAAAAAIs/-va6n8oWCMw/s1600-h/brahms+1-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/R7l9kogZmcI/AAAAAAAAAIs/-va6n8oWCMw/s400/brahms+1-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168300115686431170" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">Like the waitress who made a resounding entrance, the 1<sup>st</sup> horn sounded a beautifully i</span><span style="">nnocent theme and before it all ended, the piano emerged from the depths of its lowest registers, seemingly like a deep and heartfelt response to the horn theme, rising to the higher registers. Wait, a response? No! The piano couldn’t help it, but mould itself into a beatific perfect cadence using the very last five notes of the horn theme.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/R7l9yogZmdI/AAAAAAAAAI0/XGvN-9w4nWU/s1600-h/brahms+4-6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/R7l9yogZmdI/AAAAAAAAAI0/XGvN-9w4nWU/s400/brahms+4-6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168300356204599762" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The horn came in again, first in an inversion, followed by the same notes just an interval of a second lower. Irresistibly, the piano found itself echoing the last five notes of the theme again. Oh gosh, what was this waitress doing to him?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In a dreamlike state while waiting for the same waitress to send his food and drink, he was interrupted by another waiter, who sent his chocolate cake and coffee instead.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/R7l-CYgZmeI/AAAAAAAAAI8/YPUV9C1nviM/s1600-h/brahms+11-16.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/R7l-CYgZmeI/AAAAAAAAAI8/YPUV9C1nviM/s400/brahms+11-16.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168300626787539426" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The piano broke into the lush soundscape with a dramatic cadenza of dissonance, intensified later by the use of cross-rhythms between both hands. What an emotionally volatile afternoon! He wondered if it was the waitress, or simply the music of Brahms.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">He decided to focus his attention back to the city outside the window, in an attempt to maintain homeostasis. It was a lazy afternoon, without much activity out in the streets. This time, it was a new theme of a pastoral nature introduced by the violins.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/R7l-a4gZmfI/AAAAAAAAAJE/WqcNhrHtexk/s1600-h/brahms+48+-+29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/R7l-a4gZmfI/AAAAAAAAAJE/WqcNhrHtexk/s400/brahms+48+-+29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168301047694334450" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As he stared dreamily at the streets outside, his thoughts drifted back to inner soul. Barely ten minutes in an apparently serene <span style="" lang="EN-US">Café and it was getting much too intense for him. In his line of sight, a pair of lovers walked past his window. Subconsciously, he flirted with the idea of the waitress and him being a couple, before he realised what he was thinking. What poisonously inexorable yet undeniably sweet thoughts! As the music played, the new section, supposedly made up of new material, still contained notes from the opening theme. It was a most welcoming invasion of the theme, which Brahms had never forgotten. The music progressed on, with his soul being drawn deeper into it, and of course, his thoughts. Throughout the entire movement, Brahms had playfully hidden the opening theme which appeared in the most unexpected moments and places. The theme donned on a myriad of colourful costumes, and in its many facets, a different aspect of its beauty is exposed. It was just the right theme for this beautiful waitress he met. A true beautiful woman will look beautiful in anything, for each costume will accentuate a different aspect of her beauty…<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">It was time to head to the airport. He walked towards the entrance, not before turning back for the moment to steal a look at the angelic girl for the last time. He made a check of his luggage before taking a cab to the airport. He closed his eyes on the cab, indulging in his thoughts. Though the music had long ended, it was fresh on repeat mode in his mind, together with the mental images which he had taken of this beautiful girl in the birth city of Brahms. He was, after all, just a passing visitor…<o:p></o:p></span></p>solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-6875654226587873092008-02-11T14:44:00.001+08:002008-02-11T14:46:35.078+08:00I Am an Amateur...<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">I have spoken to many people about art (covering much more than simply music itself), from people who have no idea what is art to artistic professionals who do it for a living. In those conversations, I notice myself advocating the approach of art in the spirit of an amateur, even to professionals.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">More often than not, I lament the fact that many aspiring musicians would be increasingly critical of the smallest mistakes as they become better in their art. Probably in a self-assuring attempt to prove that they are more musically sensitive and aware. I myself am not spared from such a tendency and I do have to continually remind myself to cast away such a malicious approach to art and retain the purest spirit of an amateur.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-style: italic;">Amateur</span>. As the term itself originally suggests, it is not simply about the Art itself, but doing it solely for the love of it. Beethoven, despite being (near) deaf, had attended 11-year-old Liszt’s concert in 1823 and praised him for his performance. Had he encouraged the young virtuoso based on the little or even none which he had heard, or was it more for the passion which he had seen and felt in the prodigy? Beethoven hadn’t earned much for his compositions as well, but it doesn’t take much to see that he was not writing for money. He hadn’t connected well with Rossini’s or rather, Italian opera in general, because they lacked something which he personally valued so deeply. If he had wanted to compose for money, coming up with a comical opera wouldn’t have been much of a problem for him. Even as a professional composer who was continually struck by financial issues, he would never compromise on what he wanted to express through his music to appeal to the masses superficially. Evident in all which he had left behind, his music was not simply a product of a professional duty, but more of that exhibiting an immense love not simply for music, but for life itself. Daniel Barenboim had recognised music is not an end in itself, but a means to understand life (in his 2006 Reith Lectures) and reconcile people (in the setting up of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra). It was this certain quality in these great artists which had touched me and it is this which I want to give away by encouraging artistic appreciation and good taste in the spirit of an amateur.<o:p></o:p></span></p>solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-72861754394024504112008-01-30T02:09:00.000+08:002008-01-30T02:15:18.061+08:00Eighth Annual Weblog Awards (2008)<a href="http://www.therestisnoise.com/">Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise</a> has been nominated for the best weblog for music. If you truly enjoy his articles, blog and of course, his book (a must-read!), make your way down to vote for him <a href="http://2008.bloggies.com/">here</a>!solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-42033001840684482612008-01-24T23:57:00.000+08:002008-01-25T11:40:36.111+08:00Intense LyricismHaving to acquaint myself with Mahler's colossal <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Symphony No. 3</span> in a day and a half is no mean feat. The approximately-90-minute long work (longest among all his symphonies) can be incredibly beautiful and taxing on the same time when I listen to two full runs in the same day. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra will be having a local premiere of this transcendental masterpiece this Saturday evening, and of course, I've grabbed a first class seat for this concert. I'll probably be doing a review of this concert as well, which will also be for an essay required in a module which I'm taking in university. (As you may have inferred, the essay is secondary here. Screw the academic essays, my appreciation of the concert comes first.)<br /><br />Besides a decadent indulgence in Mahler today, I got to listen to a couple of my favourite works later in the evening in a most insightful masterclass by Keng Yuen Tseng, the Yong Siew Toh Chair in Violin at the Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University. He is no doubt a most passionate mentor who goes the extra mile just to draw out the best out of the students.<br /><br />A very young and talented violinist, whom I shall name PonytailGirl here, started off the masterclass with one of my favourite Schubert pieces, <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Sonatina in D (D. 384)</span>. It was quite a surprise and relief knowing that this piece is on the masterclass list of music, especially after having a lunch date with a megalomaniac Mahler (of course, an exceptional megalomaniac with an immense depth). It isn't a big work, but a beautiful and precious gem among Schubert's output nonetheless. That's some more passionate lyricism for me after two full runs of Mahler 3rd! The insightful advice by Keng Yuen Tseng did much to draw out an additional depth to PonytailGirl's already beautiful interpretation of the music. Despite being well acquainted with Schubert's music for the past three years of my life, it's simply surprising how I still manage to gain new insights to a Schubert work which I have listened to on countless occasions.<br /><br />SloppyLookingBoy played the dramatically lyrical 1st movement of Brahms' <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Violin Concerto in D major (Op. 77)</span>. I was hoping that his playing wouldn't be as sloppy as he was dressed, but unfortunately, it wasn't so. Still, it was quite a mean feat for a student to complete the entire 1st movement which was unbelievably demanding, given the fact that Brahms wasn't a violinist and didn't understand much about the violin to write a violin concerto. Thankfully, I was enamored by something else throughout his masterclass session - the accompaniment. SloppyLookingBoy's accompanist played the accompaniment for PonytailGirl as well. Both pieces were of contrasting characters, despite both being romantic pieces, which were still deeply rooted in the classical style. Schubert was mostly light, lyrical and uplifting while Brahms was mostly deep, dramatic and dark. The sensitivity which she exhibited was nothing short of mind-blowing. In Schubert, she was an equal with the violin. The chemistry between both instruments was immensely captivating. In Brahms, she was the orchestra. Her fingers drew out the timbres of the various instrumentation as much as the Steinway allowed. It caught my attention in this particular piece due to the orchestration of Brahms. His beautiful melodic lines didn't belong solely to the solo violin, but to various important orchestral instruments as well, notably the oboe, cellos and double basses. The various charming melodic lines were handled with the utmost sensitivity by the accompanist. At the same time, she took extra care not to overpower SloppyLookingBoy and accommodated the most awkward tempo changes by SloppyLookingBoy with extreme delicacy. In some cases when the violin took centre stage, she was an empty vessel, helping the violin to shine by absorbing SloppyLookingBoy's style completely. In other cases when she had her solo parts, her musicality and depth were nothing short of breathtaking. It was a rare epiphanic moment when I witnessed such musicality and depth being summoned and repressed at will in order to help the soloist to shine. That was truly a first class accompanist whom I had come across this evening.<br /><br />The third was IndulgentGirl, who played Wieniawski's <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Violin Concerto No. 2 in D min (Op. 22)</span>. I always have an unexplained fascination for Polish composers, besides Chopin. Ironically, it wasn't Chopin who started this unexplained fascination with Polish composers (he is in a class of his own), but Henryk Górecki with his Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, Op. 36). I'll leave this work to another time or I'll spend an additional 3 hours in front of my computer. Subsequently, it was Krzysztof Penderecki, with his <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Symphony No. 7 (Seven Gates of Jerusalem) </span>and <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Threnody</span>. Not forgetting Karol Szymanowski with his 2 <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Violin Concertos</span>. I got acquainted with Wieniawski in the midst of this period of fascination with Polish composers and I fell in love with a couple of his works since then. This <em>Violin Concerto No. 2</em> is one of them and it's a most pleasant surprise to have it on the masterclass list this evening and also to end my day with. IndulgentGirl was technically proficient and musically mature, and it was a pleasure to hear her perform this entire work this evening. It was just different having this masterpiece being performed live! The experience was completely breathtaking (despite having the orchestra being reduced to a piano part on a Steinway) and it sounds like a completely new work to me, with the resonation of the violin penetrating straight into my soul. Recorded music is just different, no matter how good my speakers are.<br /><br />All in all, it was a musically, emotionally and spiritually demanding yet immensely satisfying day, with all the music which I was deeply drawn into. Now that I'm penning all my reflections down well after midnight with just the quiet sounds of the night in the background, I realise the musical journey which I have randomly embarked on today was simply strange. From Austrian and German composers and, finally ending with a lesser known but no less beautiful Polish masterpiece...solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-40653920347384064492007-12-31T00:42:00.000+08:002007-12-31T01:03:45.353+08:00Deutschlandlied (German National Anthem)I didn't know that Germany's national anthem was actually the second movement of Haydn's <em>String Quartet No. 62 in C maj (Op. 76 No. 3),</em> more commonly known as the <em>Emperor Quartet</em>, until I chanced upon the anthem in YouTube today. Such an alluring and beautiful melody!<br /><br />A little more background on the music. Haydn created the melody for the text Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (God Preserve Emperor Franz) in honour of the reigning Austrian Emperor Franz II. It was first sung in theaters throughout the Austrian realm on the Emperor's birthday, 12 February 1797. Following its popularity, Haydn used it as the material for the second movement of his string quartet. The <em>Emperor's Hymn</em> was the last music Haydn played before he died on 31 May 1809.<br /><br />It formed the melody of a Protestant hymn and in 1853, became the national anthem of Austria! The tune was given up after Austria's defeat in World War II and was subsequently taken up by Germany in 1950!<br /><br />Guess they couldn't help it, with such an irresistible melody by beloved Haydn!solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-27322164253544089652007-12-30T13:14:00.000+08:002007-12-30T13:29:08.922+08:00In a Quiet Corner of A Certain Local Newspaper Today...<blockquote>Best Classical Performances in 2007<br /><br />2<br />Wagner Die <s>Walkure</s> <em>Walküre (oh, please, not without the German Umlaut)</em>, Act 1<br />...<br />The first-ever concert performance of a "bleeding chunk" from Wagner's Ring Cycle in Singapore was a runaway hit. Solid performances from Gitta-Maria Sjoberg, Richard Decker and Martin Snell were backed by a full-strength SSO that proved to be much more than a pit orchestra. <span style="color:#ffcccc;">Who needs to go to Bayreuth after all?</span></blockquote><br />He actually compared <a href="http://solitudeinmusic.blogspot.com/2007/05/on-wagner.html">that performance</a> to the ones they stage in Bayreuth? It couldn't even compare to the internet broadcast of the Bayreuth Festival! Unbelievable...solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-3969411114553203912007-12-15T16:58:00.000+08:002007-12-15T17:00:16.776+08:00I have no reason to disagree that her version of the Chaconne was what Bach has intended...solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-35090986287576807322007-11-26T11:58:00.000+08:002007-11-26T14:54:52.555+08:00Nature and Art<blockquote><p><em>Things are beautiful, the representations of art succeed, to the extent that,through the clarity and significance of their form, they direct our attention to the 'innermost being' of the world. They are the opposite when, through the proliferation of disorganised, irrelevant and distracting detail, they fail to communicate a coherent vision of the truth. In art, as Iris Murdoch puts it, beauty consists in 'the artful use of form to illuminate truth'.</em></p><p>Julian Young in his book on the philosophy of Schopenhauer</p></blockquote><p>Schopenhauer, in his <em>The World as Will and Representation</em>, recognises that art fulfils a didactic purpose, and believes that through art's deliverance of an universal knowledge, beauty will manifest itself in the process. In this respect, the association of truth and beauty seems very similar to Plato, when the latter puts forth the concept that generally, truth, goodness and beauty are closely related to one another and when one starts with any of them, the other two will be attained in the process. Apparently, such an association does not apply to the arts for Plato, when he mentions that art does not contain type of ideal truth. </p><p>However, what interests me about Schopenhauer is when he differs from Plato in the type of didactic function which art fulfils. In the <em>Republic</em>, Plato mentions of the existence of a tense relationship between philosophy and the arts. Philosophy, to him, imparts a significant and universal knowledge while art, on the other hand, is similar to illusion and fantasy, seducing us away from the truth and reality. As such, Plato concludes that art is unable to deliver the kind of knowledge in question. But Schopenhauer believes that art actually contains 'an acknowledged treasure of profound wisdom'. (The World as Will and Representation I) Schopenhauer makes use of visual art in his examples to illustrate this fact, but here, I shall attempt to draw similar parallels in music. Take the music of Bach for example. His choral music often have biblical titles. However, the piece of music whose significance is exhausted with a biblical title is entirely trivial (in Young's words). The true significance is never in the fact that the title reminds us simply of the historical biblical event, but in the very fact that the core values of the biblical personality or biblical principles of that event manifest themselves in the music. Like in Bach, the structure and the order inherent within the music aren't just superficial foundations upon which the entire music is formed. It does have a spiritual meaning as well. The harmony, melodic lines, counterpoint do hold symbolic meaning beyond what we study in our theory classes.</p><p>This brings us to another important aspect of Schopenhauer's argument that art expresses ideas more clearly than nature. The artist 'can express clearly what nature only stammers'. (The World as Will and Representation I) Before Schopenhauer, I have always believed that nature embodies a more perfect form of beauty and truth more than what an artist can articulate through art. I still find that true essentially, as we have to always factor human imperfection and the limitations of the artistic medium into the picture. However, Schopenhauer brought out an important aspect of the arts which I have missed out all along. The artist is able to focalise on a specific idea which may not be distinctly evident in nature, with the multiple distractions in place. A more literal example I have would be a motif. A beautiful motif can be made by random sounds in nature, but when a composer makes use of that motif which was inspired through sounds of nature, he focalises on it and <em>develops</em> it. For that particular instant when one appreciates the artwork, that main idea shines forth and is exalted for that special moment. And that's beauty.</p><p>Both the arts and nature are not mutually exclusive and neither can be considered more superior than the other. Both are closely related in many aspects. Schopenhauer and Plato hold opposing viewpoints with regards to this, and I don't find that either of them is strictly right or wrong, but to get a view of the entire picture of the relationship between the arts and nature and the rightful role of each of them, it will be essential to consider the views of both parties. </p>solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-42586973436599989552007-11-25T12:08:00.000+08:002007-11-26T01:05:32.835+08:00A Strangest ExperienceI apologise for the long hiatus! Thanks to Janice's comment, which reminded me that I still have this blog! It has been decades since I've last updated this place. Things have been really busy ever since school started, with me trying to balance performance, teaching, schooling and of course, dancing. I'm taking a break from the dance floor for these couple of weeks though, since my schedule has been leaving me breathless even before the end of the day and tango parties only start near midnight! There'll be an upcoming International Guitar Festival held locally in Singapore early next month and the updates should come as I'll attempt to review the performances and progress of the festival.<br /><br />I haven't gotten anything informative to add, but I am having a lot of thoughts and feelings with regards to the performance yesterday yesterday. I had an unusual experience on stage yesterday. I was invited by the National Library Board with give a couple of performances every weekend for the past 3 weeks, mainly to publicise for the upcoming guitar festival. It was totally weird yesterday, when I found myself in the improvisatory mood on stage yesterday. It all started out with a memory slip in the Spanish Serenata - <em>Granada</em> by Isaac Albéniz, which was surprising because that was supposed to be my firmest piece and I wasn't the least affected by nerves. And of course, I kept the rhythm and worked out some random shapes on the fingerboard, but I swore it came out like I had added a snippet of Schoenberg into this romantic piece. Thankfully, after-performance reviews were pretty favourable for the piece.<br /><br />And of course, the improvisation streak didn't stop there. Since I had a couple of arrangements of pop songs and tracks from famous musicals later on (what kitsch!), I decided to <em>jazz </em>them up a little (note: that was my intention, whether my execution was convincing was a completely different matter), this time intentionally. J's fiancée came up to me first after my performance, eyes wide open with petrification. "What happened to your pop songs?!?!?" Well, apparently, it doesn't work when you jazz such pieces up in, well, let us put this this way, Schoenberg style.<br /><br />I intended to conclude the light session with just something light and easy, so I did the overplayed Romance in conventional style. Well, I did start the piece that way and intended to play it through simply, but when it came to the final recapitulation, I decided to throw caution to the wind and gave a tremolo version of that section. I had heard a couple of variations on it, but it was essentially a novel attempt for me, not to mention the fact that I hadn't refined my tremolo technique for what seemed like a couple of centuries. It was all weird and so different from a conventional performance. I just thought that since I couldn't make it refined, might as well do it fast, rough and hard (no pun intended). I'm still recovering from the shock that such a idea actually occured to me (or even existed within me for that matter) within that milliseconds I had to decide on how to end the piece on the stage. That was probably some Freudian process at work there. I don't exactly have a word to describe my state of mind towards the end. Barbaric probably comes close. Thankfully again, it was well received, surprisingly. The audience that evening probably liked it rough! Analysing it in perspective though, it was probably because of the fact that there weren't many people within the audience who were purists last evening. With authenticity and some variations, I could please both groups of people with their respective preferences (which, of course, wasn't considered when I was deciding to do it that way).<br /><br />Those were the strange moments in last evening's performance. Of course, I am essentially trained as a classical musician, so the rest of the classical pieces I played were conventional, with me entering that altered state as usual. In retrospect, in some of the weird moments during the performance last evening, I somehow caught a glimpse of the state of mind jazz musicians are in. And of course, the way I did it was a far cry from how Stephen Francis improvised a jazzed version of Elvis Presley's <em>Can't Help Falling In Love</em> in Bellini Room later in that evening. Sublime!<br /><br />Note: Schoenberg's name is used figuratively and simply in this post to symbolise passages which are not within the confines of tonality. I do, essentially, have lots of respect for him and his works and in no way should the above mentions of him suggest a mockery of him, his style or compositions.solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-54539409507974799142007-09-01T17:55:00.000+08:002007-09-01T18:04:11.893+08:00TastesI have observed that artistes (with artistes-at-heart and patrons of the arts) often seek to cultivate good tastes in the society and economists, on the other hand, have come up with theories and formulae to measure tastes and preferences of the society, making a list of assumptions on the multiple variables which have to remain constant. Who are the ones who're indulging in a vainer activity?<br /><br />And they say that artistes are unrealistic...solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-9636625287554591822007-08-26T02:01:00.000+08:002007-10-14T09:34:34.389+08:00Performance Afterthoughts<div align="left">It has been a hectic week preparing for this performance. Not a traditional classical music setting, but playing live music for storytelling. In fact, it was the first time I was playing for a storytelling performance, and at the same time, premiering a composer's new work with a strange mix of instruments comprising of the piano, oboe and guitar.<br /><br />In the midst of working intensively with such professional artistes of a very different nature in the past week, I have gained lots of invaluable lessons, not only in storytelling, but in theatrical art in general as well. The talented and passionate artistes form a small, close-knitted community which respects and holds their art in the highest regard. Combining storytelling with live music, which can be loosely termed as programme music, is a relatively new concept locally. For this year's <a href="http://www.bookcouncil.sg/sisf/">two-week festival</a>, I'm honoured to be working with the composer <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kah</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Chun</span> and the storytellers for the <a href="http://www.bookcouncil.sg/sisf/sayang.htm">opening two days</a> when local storytellers takes centre stage.<br /><br />It was my first time playing in the Arts House. I never knew we had such a charming and intimate performance venue locally. I had taken a few photos of the venue and its vicinity throughout the four performances these 2 days. </div><div align="center"><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102699472209627410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtBuInygyRI/AAAAAAAAAGk/0uQyS_cPMvw/s400/IMG_1660.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center">The Arts House Building. Sweet charming architecture which stands besides the Padang. Thanks to <a href="http://oceanskies79.blogspot.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">PY</span></a>, I've caught her bug of taking snapshots of corners of Singapore.</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102698398467803394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtBtKHygyQI/AAAAAAAAAGc/GBwSjdWnI7E/s400/Arts+House.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center">The Arts House Entrance<br /></p><br /><div align="center"></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102702873823725890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtBxOnygyUI/AAAAAAAAAG8/3XsnJHoBW0g/s400/IMG_1643.JPG" border="0" /> <div align="center">The Auditorium. I took this when I reached the venue early, when no one else had arrived yet. It's actually the Old Parliament House. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102712292687006130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtB5y3ygybI/AAAAAAAAAH0/1daJ6LKGinw/s400/IMG_1733.JPG" border="0" />That's our performing platform. The musicians, excluding me who was taking the photo of course, were deep in conversation with the artistes.<br /><div align="center"><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102702173744056626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtBwl3ygyTI/AAAAAAAAAG0/9D-hcC80Y_s/s400/IMG_1729.JPG" border="0" /> <div align="center">Here's a snapshot of what everyone was doing before the performance. There we have our makeup artist, Caroline, looking into the mirror. Lovely lady who rendered her professional services for free to them annually for the festival. </div><br /><div align="center"></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102704686299924818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtBy4HygyVI/AAAAAAAAAHE/SK2OW4Vni5I/s400/IMG_1704.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center">That's another snapshot I took while taking a break from the book I was reading in my free time between the concerts. That was Dolly in white on the left and and Rosemarie on the right. Far back the room was Sheila. I love the way they were on stage! Such passion!<br /><br />Of course, besides sitting behind backstage during the free time, I took a walk around the vicinity. </p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102707319114877298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtB1RXygyXI/AAAAAAAAAHU/sXZZLYh8-Yo/s400/IMG_1670.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center">The Singapore River. There's something nostalgic and poetic about this shot.</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102708586130229634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtB2bHygyYI/AAAAAAAAAHc/teZNAvVPrqI/s400/IMG_1674.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102709187425651090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtB2-HygyZI/AAAAAAAAAHk/6fylSukS7zc/s400/IMG_1741.JPG" border="0" />The Padang on the left and the distinctive skyscrapers in the background. The latter forms much of the city skyline locally.<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102710600469891490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtB4QXygyaI/AAAAAAAAAHs/7aLR9no1tSw/s400/IMG_1740.JPG" border="0" />And here's Raffles City, one of many large shopping complexes in the city area locally.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102706352747235682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtB0ZHygyWI/AAAAAAAAAHM/l4lG4kDHFuY/s400/IMG_1723.JPG" border="0" /> <p align="center">Not forgetting the exotic mix of musicians. Kah Chun the <em>composer</em>-conductor standing behind. Edward the pianist on the left, though he's trained in the violin professionally. Justin the oboist on the right. I truly enjoyed playing with them.</p>solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-50419652864536983972007-08-13T12:03:00.000+08:002007-08-13T13:05:16.034+08:00On Playing in a Group that Isn't So Good<blockquote><p>(...)<br />For me it’s simply playing my best. I don’t attempt to play the group’s best. Believe it or not, that’s an easy thing for us to do sometimes. (Now if the group is better than I am, I definitely work at playing their best!) <em>Playing less than one’s best really drags a person down, and can lead to some very bad habits.</em> So I attempt to play my best.<br />(...)</p></blockquote><p>Taken from <a href="http://oboeinsight.com/2007/08/12/maintaining-quality/">oboeinsight</a>. Read the full article there.</p><p>My sentiments exactly. Having played in amateur school ensembles a couple of times, I realised that playing at a lower level, especially for long periods of time, often desensitises me. Especially when it comes to simple mistakes which are more commonly made, resulting in everyone having to repeat the same passages <em>ad nauseam</em>. It certainly takes more effort, in fact much more effort, to brace oneself and play at his or her best, in the midst of the the less blessed musicians around. And note the way Patricia put it - "So I <em>attempt</em> to play my best", with the reiteration of that difficulty at the end of her article...</p><p>On the other hand, playing in a superior chamber group, ensemble or orchestra will catapult one higher musically, if the musician has some pride in his or her music that is.</p><p>So you see the contrast? Ideally, I'm sure one would choose to be in the latter scenario, but alas, that isn't the case all the time, due to financial, obligatory or other reasons...</p><p>I see such instances whereby one is engaged to play in a still-maturing group as a mirror of his or her values as a musician. Most, sad to say, often fall short of the level they usually perform at in those cases. If they have a perfectionist streak in them naturally, it somehow just doesn't seem to show up in those practices. The right way to resolve this isn't to reject engagements by such groups, as what most would do, but in fact to reflect on one's values as a musician, followed by accepting such engagements as far as one's schedule would allow. Playing in such groups might not make one improve musically or technically, but it does mould the musician spiritually and mentally, if he or she goes for practices with the right perspective.</p><p>I guess it's time for me to evaluate my values as a musician too...</p>solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-51522703417955051852007-08-11T00:48:00.000+08:002007-08-12T00:57:43.132+08:00A Special MentionThis evening's performance was by far the most enriching and special artistic performance which I've gone to this year. I shall talk about this in my upcoming post...<br /><br />However, it wasn't the performance that captured my heart this evening. It was the company I had. The performance opened my eyes to the value of the arts. The companionship, however, made me understand myself more than any arts performance would.<br /><br />Thank <em>you</em>.<br /><br />Let this be an evening to remember for the years to come, just as the last one we had together more than <a href="http://solitudeinmusic.blogspot.com/2006/04/estrellita.html">three years back</a>...solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-63818434321700044922007-08-02T04:40:00.000+08:002007-08-03T07:51:46.572+08:00Der Ring des Nibelungen*Note: This is not a review or an attempt at that. Just some personal opinions from a greenhorn to the Wagner scene.*<br /><br />This grand opera of Wagner for the Bayreuth Festspiele '07 ends this evening with <em>Götterdämmerung</em>.<br /><br />I have to admit that this is the first time whereby I've sat through the entire Ring cycle within a span of less than a week. What a journey!<br /><br />I have listened to different sections of the entire cycle on records every now and then, and I have to admit that this year's production of this trilogy doesn't speak to me. Judging from the lukewarm applause upon the closing of this evening's <em>Götterdämmerung</em>, I believe that many of the people there felt the same. I can't deny that several segments of this entire cycle do shine, but on the whole, there's still something lacking, and I can't exactly put my finger on it.<br /><br />This similar production, thankfully traditional, will run for the upcoming few years until 2010. On their side, there'll probably be quite some more fine-tuning to do to bring this trilogy to a higher level. Hopefully by then, I would have acquired more knowledge to fully appreciate this masterpiece by the greatest opera composer.<br /><br />Tomorrow's the last opera for this year's Bayreuth Festspiele, <em>Parsifal.</em> I'm looking forward to it, not the end, but to indulge in another masterpiece by Wagner...solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-20793661494585099802007-08-01T13:11:00.001+08:002007-08-03T07:51:59.274+08:00Quirky Quote<blockquote><p>First of all: I am not a fan of <em>Regietheater</em>: I firmly believe that it is 1% ignorance and 99% exibitionism.<br /><br />But the case of Kathi is slightly different: perhaps her mix is 30% smartness and 70% exhibitionism (and this was perhaps also the ratio applause/boos after her debut).</p><p>Read it all <a href="http://pogner.blogspot.com/2007/07/to-rescue-of-kathi.html">here</a>.<br /></p></blockquote><br /><a href="http://pogner.blogspot.com/">Daland</a> carries on by giving his opinions on Kathrina's production of <em>Meistersinger</em> on the opening day of Bayreuth. A break from the all-so-similar reviews out there.<br /><br />A true Wagnerite! How I pale in comparison to him and the others out there!solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-70334820847257236972007-08-01T09:29:00.000+08:002007-08-27T09:42:40.536+08:00Services<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103188832193399298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtIrNHygygI/AAAAAAAAAIc/QPxyHMwieTw/s400/front.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103189317524703762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sau0ae9VKrQ/RtIrpXygyhI/AAAAAAAAAIk/0eBGcprZo-Q/s400/back.jpg" border="0" /> <div></div><div>Design and Realisation of Card Courtesy of Ivan Lim</div>solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-38488564897909007392007-07-31T18:57:00.000+08:002007-07-31T22:38:56.312+08:00An Abhorrent SystemIn my entry to my new academic institution, I was recently introduced to their academic culture module. One of the first few concepts they emphasised was on independent learning and inquiry. Upon coming out from the module, I felt like I've been waddling in a pool of mud. Here's a short summary. In the independent quest for learning, they taught four methodologies, namely survey, compiling documented information, experiments and reasoning. After that follows mandatory steps of justification and critical thinking. I wouldn't go into the details, but you get the rough idea they're advocating.<br /><br />How am I supposed to reconcile this with the way I function in the artistic field? I'll give an example - aesthetics. Beauty is a central concept in the arts, at certain times even prized higher than values like truth and goodness. Here's an imaginary scenario of myself in a conversation with someone else upon graduation out of this academic institution...<br /><br />(looking at an abstract form in marble in a sculpture exhibition)<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Friend</span>: This is beautiful...<br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">Me</span>: Why do you think so?<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Friend</span>: Huh?<br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">Me</span>: As in justify your statement, why is it beautiful?<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Friend</span> (hesitatingly, for now his <s>statement</s> concept of beauty is being questioned): The usage of the black marble and spheres, arranged in the simplest manner...<br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">Me</span>: Let's work this out one by one. How does black marble make it beautiful? How does the colour itself and material itself trigger your aesthetic nerves?<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Friend</span>: It just comes together. Marble, polished with such meticulous care, painted in black, would result in such a beautiful effect.<br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">Me</span>: So it's the shiny surface of marble. What if he had used glass or a form of well-polished metal for it? Wouldn't it achieve the same effect?<br /><br />And so the conversation can go on and on, questioning each individual quality in the sculpture, to the way they interact and even on to our perception of beauty, the way we perceive it. (One might argue that aesthetics is such subjective issue that it shouldn't be subject to any justification or any form of rules or trend in the first place, how about issues like capital punishment, euthanasia etc? Aren't there so many perspectives and controversies around these issues? Despite that, they're still being brought up for discussion in such a systematic scientific way.)<br /><br />How destructive such learning concepts are to the appreciation of artistic objects and forms. And here, in this renowned institution, such skills (based on these concepts) are honed until they're second nature to the student! The picture now. This institution, or rather most academic institutions locally, instil this raging desire to question, research, reason and justify in order to learn. All to the point that without an answer, they wouldn't be satisfied. <em>No satisfaction</em> without an answer. The students are pushed until they can see the inner workings and mechanisms of it all. Going far too fast. How can one fully appreciate and <em>learn</em> about an artistic work and form in such a manner? Can one <em>learn</em> about an artistic work after taking it apart into its smallest components like the way a technician learns?<br /><br />I'll end off here with a passage by "Speaking of Beauty" by Denis Donoghue.<br /><br /><em>In "The Artist of the Beautiful" (1844) Hawthorne tells of Owen Warland, a young man who works as a watch-repairer but who lives his true life in search of the beautiful. He is gifted with a acute sense of the delicate and minute. Mind and hand are turned towards the exquisite. Owen thinks of his work as a tribute to Annie Hovenden, whom he loves and regards as his ideal companion, best recipient of the beautiful. For her, he makes a metal butterfly that perches on one's hand, flies off, and returns. It is a work of extraordinary refinement. But Annie marries Robert Danforth, the local blacksmith, a man of iron, and they have a child who resembles his father in that respect. Peter Hovenden, was once a watchmaker and Owen's master, but he is now retired. He is a materialist and despises Owen's yearning for the exquisite. (...) The implied narrator is on Owen's side, because he believes that the "deeds of the earth, however ethereralized by by piety or genius, are without value, except as exercises and manifestations of the spirit." After many tribulations and lapses during which he ceases "to be an inhabitant of the better sphere that lies unseen around us," he succeeds in making the butterfly, giving it his own life. One evening he shows it to Annie, Robert, their child, and Peter:</em><br /><blockquote><p><em>Nature's ideal butterfly was here realized in all its perfection, not in the pattern of such faded insects as flit among earthly flowers, but of those which hover across the meads of paradise for child-angels and the spirits of departed infants to disport themselves with. The rich down was visible upon its wings; the luster of its eyes seemed instinct with spirit, the firelight glimmered around this wonder - the candles gleamed around it; but it glistened apparently by its own radiance, and illuminated the finger and outstretched hand on which it rested with a white gleam like that of precious stones. In its perfect beauty, the consideration of size was entirely lost. Had its wings overreached the firmament, the mind could not have been more filled or satisfied.</em></p></blockquote><em>Annie thinks it beautiful and wants to know if it is alive. Robert laughs at it. Peter wants only to see how it works. The child grabs it. In a few moments, meeting those roughness and vulgarities, the butterfly loses its beauty and dies...</em>solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-5782144940692973602007-07-29T17:34:00.000+08:002007-08-03T07:52:13.662+08:00Imagine...... a few years down the road, what audiences will get at the Bayreuth Festspiele wouldn't be and exclusive seven evenings of only-Wagner operas, but instead, a mixture of other German operatic productions as well. Our dear Richard Wagner would probably flip in his grave if he knew how his operatic productions in his very own Festspielhaus had changed over the years. Superficial caricatures of the originals. With the invasion of productions of operas by other composers, he would soon flip <em>out</em> of his grave... What a desecration of the Festspielhaus...<br /><br />Do head over to the <a href="http://www.soundsandfury.com/">A.C. Douglas's website</a> for updates on the Bayreuth Festspiele 2007. He has diligently consolidated the reviews and articles, on top of his own, on this topic.solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-58624603452995935232007-07-29T03:36:00.000+08:002007-08-03T07:52:22.193+08:00Der Ring des Nibelungen: Die Walküre<em>Die Walküre</em>, the First Day of the Ring, was on this evening, a continuation from <em>Das Rheingold</em> from the previous evening.<br /><br />I started listening from Act II on the Dwójka Polskie Radio this evening. Having accessed the webcast a couple of minutes late after what I supposed what the starting time, I was surprised on hearing the Valhalla leitmotif, which I vaguely recalled its appearance only during the second act. It was only after some time later that I realised that the operacast website had printed the timing for two of the radio stations wrongly. By that time, it didn't make much sense to switch to the other radio station with the delayed broadcast since Act I would have been more than halfway completed.<br /><br />I thoroughly enjoyed Acts II and III this evening. Albert Dohmen, as Wotan, caught my attention with his confident and powerful delivery. Together with last evening's performance of <em>Das Rheingold</em>, I find that he was adept in bringing out the multifaceted character of Wotan vocally. I was moved by the way his voice shimmers above the orchestra in proclaiming his [sadly temporal] support for Siegmund, and when he was conflicted upon Fricka's chastisement of his notion of love and his ways as a god and husband, his immanent frustration upon killing of Siegmund, and of course, his most intense nostalgia in the closing passages of the last act.<br /><br />Linda Watson, as Brünnhilde, wasn't as consistent. In the dramatic sections whereby her vocals were supposed to float above the orchestra, she was drowned out by the latter. On the other hand, her rendition of the monologue at the end of Act II Scene 2 was the most beautiful I've heard thus far. In heart-rending passage with such poetic libretto, she brought out conflicting wretchedness in Brünnhilde in the most alluring manner.<br /><br />And of course, now to the tragic hero, Siegmund, sung by tenor Endrik Wottrich. How I wish the lifespan of his character was lengthened! Such power and intimacy in the same voice! I shall take note of the re-broadcast, and indulge myself in his proclamation of love to Sieglinde in Act I Scene 3. I have no doubts that it'll be superb.<br /><br />The Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele under Christian Thielemann was strong, as like the last evening, stringing every single unit of the opera together to create the most complete and coherent picture. Come to think of it, they're unrivalled when it comes to Wagnerian repertoire.<br /><br />Thankfully, there'll be a break of a day before <em>Siegfried</em> will be shown. Being situated in an obscure corner of Mars, the time difference is just horribly different. I shall attempt to compile the available reviews on this entire Bayreuther Festspiele in the next coming few days. Apparently, the opening night wasn't well received with the radically different production by Katharina Wagner. We shall see how it turns out. Right now, I would personally prefer a traditionalist to the throne (all three candidates are, as quoted from <a href="http://www.soundsandfury.com/soundsandfury/2007/07/no-way-out.html">A.C. Douglas</a>, unfortunately, supporters of <em>Regietheater</em> and none seemed like conservatives), as I'm still considerably new to Wagner music. Give me a few more years of largely similar traditional productions and it'll difficult to say though...<br /><br />Darn, I'm more interested in the politics of the Bayreuther Festspiele than the local politics.solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-11179969573837032402007-07-28T00:03:00.000+08:002007-08-03T07:52:31.864+08:00Der Ring des Nibelungen: Das RheingoldThe production of the legendary <em>Der Ring des Nibelungen</em> at Bayreuther Festspiele 2007 has started. Christian Thielemann will be conducting these four evenings of the entire cycle.<br /><br /><em>Das Rheingold!</em> Behold the conflict between love and power! Introduced this very first evening will be the multifaceted character of Wotan, the renunciation of love for power by Alberich, the craftiness of Loge (with a flawed sense of righteousness so despised by Wagner), the superficiality and simple-mindedness of the giants Fafner and Fasolt...<br /><br />So much to write, but I need to go back the music. To end off, here's the cast for this evening's performance...<br /><br />Conductor <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Dirigenten/Thielemann.asp?Jahr=07">Christian Thielemann</a><br />Production <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Inszenierung/Dorst.asp?Jahr=07">Tankred Dorst</a><br />Sets <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Buehnenbild/Schloessmann.asp?Jahr=07">Frank Philipp Schlößmann</a><br />Costume <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Kostueme/Skodzig.asp?Jahr=07">Bernd Ernst Skodzig</a><br /><br />Wotan <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Albert&Nachname=Dohmen&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;Akteur=Wotan&Jahr=07&St=_R">Albert Dohmen</a><br />Donner <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Ralf&Nachname=Lukas&Akteur=Donner&Jahr=07">Ralf Lukas</a><br />Froh <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Clemens&amp;amp;amp;amp;Nachname=Bieber&Akteur=Froh&Jahr=07">Clemens Bieber</a><br />Loge <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Arnold&Nachname=Bezuyen&Akteur=Loge&Jahr=07">Arnold Bezuyen</a><br />Fasolt <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Kwangchul&Nachname=Youn&Akteur=Fasolt&Jahr=07">Kwangchul Youn</a><br />Fafner <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Hans-Peter&Nachname=König&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;Akteur=Fafner&Jahr=07&St=_R">Hans-Peter König</a><br />Alberich <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Andrew&Nachname=Shore&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;Akteur=Alberich&Jahr=07&St=_R">Andrew Shore</a><br />Mime <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Gerhard&Nachname=Siegel&Akteur=Mime&Jahr=07">Gerhard Siegel</a><br />Fricka <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Michelle&amp;amp;amp;amp;Nachname=Breedt&Akteur=Fricka&Jahr=07&St=_R">Michelle Breedt</a><br />Freia <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Edith&amp;amp;amp;Nachname=Haller&Akteur=Freia&Jahr=07">Edith Haller</a><br />Erda <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Mihoko&Nachname=Fujimura&Akteur=Erda&Jahr=07&St=_R">Mihoko Fujimura</a><br />Woglinde <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Fionnuala&amp;amp;amp;Nachname=McCarthy&Akteur=Woglinde&Jahr=07&St=_R">Fionnuala McCarthy</a><br />Wellgunde <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Ulrike&amp;Nachname=Helzel&amp;amp;Akteur=Wellgunde&Jahr=07&St=_R">Ulrike Helzel</a><br />Flosshilde <a href="http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/Solisten/Solisten.asp?Vorname=Marina&Nachname=Prudenskaja&Akteur=Flosshilde&Jahr=07&St=_R">Marina Prudenskaja</a><br />(most are similiar's to last year's)<br /><br />I'm thankful there wouldn't be any intermission tonight. Given the length of the intermissions for the previous two evenings, I am speculating that they have a shortage of cubicles over there...solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13299345.post-42857195651368089802007-07-26T04:45:00.000+08:002007-08-03T07:53:00.700+08:00Die Meistersinger von NürnbergI have to admit that I clicked on the webcast with that a slight skeptism, despite my love for Wagner's operas. I was almost preparing to turn in after a long day earlier, if the first few minutes into the opera didn't move me. The moment the first sounds of the production this evening came forth through my headphones, I knew I was hooked for the entire duration of it. For the few times when I've gone through the entire length of Wagner's operas, they were all savoured together with the visual staging. This was by far the first time I was hooked on the entire production simply based on the music without any visual stimulation.<br /><br />Such a wonderful opening to this year's production of the Bayreuther Festspiele! Sebastian Weigle conducted the Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele with such Wagnerian charm, with the right touch of humour in this opera. The soloists sounded beautiful this evening. If the staging was anywhere as good as the music, this completely new production by Katharina Wagner would have been a success.<br /><br />As to the composition of this opera, the libretto is beautifully and poetically written! Lighter in mood compared to his other works, but it certainly doesn't lose out in depth compared to them. How can one not be impressed when confronted by the Wagner's ingenuity?<br /><br />So much to talk about, but I shan't disgrace myself further by showing my ignorance. I'm still new to the Wagnerian opera scene and have lots more to learn. Let's wait for the professional critics to come out with their reviews...<br /><br />Almost seven hours of <em>live</em> audio webcast of Wagner's <em>Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg</em> after a full day of activities, it's nigh time I catch some sleep. And Tannhäuser's on tomorrow.solitudexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12740659492577352273noreply@blogger.com2