Let’s Rock Apocalypse, Shall We?

The whole world, in various languages, discussed, (dis-)believed in, expected, looked forward to or laughed at – in other words, was NOT indifferent to the potential World Apocalypse. No matter whether you felt cynical or inspired about ‘the end of this world’ but were all are somewhat in the middle of that happening. Well, here’s then a short post dedicated to Armageddon, in a music way, of course.

Despite beliefs everyone has his/her own vision of how all this should end and the best way to express that is art, music as one of its best forms. I would like to highlight three compositions that to me show the various sides of the world ending. The first would be the ‘voice’ of the famous American movie we all probably watched at least once – Armageddon. The track was composed by Trevor Rabin and managed to add up to the entire doomsday atmosphere of the film that was created at the times when disasters became easier to be portrayed through the CGI effects.

My second choice would be the “Armageddon It” performed by the Def Leppard hard rock band. The song itself and the epic ‘live’ video to it managed to reach Top 3 in the United States. These guys were actually the ones who started gathering such huge stadium for live performances. But what can be better than a cool rock band performing apocalypse on the stage? A whole orchestra doing the same! I’m referring to my third pick which is the “Apocalypse” by Bear McCreary. Those lovely vocals by Raya Yarbrough accompanied by the emotional BSG Orchestra! Check out the live version below.

The Carpenters: Merry Christmas, Darling

Can’t help but proceed sticking to the topic of Holiday and the music that adds up to its atmosphere. I've realized that such a genre as Christmas songs is the type of music I personally feel like listening to only in December. Not that it would hurt listening to them any other time of the year, no, but in December you feel like you actually LIVE this music letting it through yourself.

There are songs that are composed on the eve of Christmas but can live one season only. And there are hits that once composed immediately turn into timeless classics. “Merry Christmas, Darling” no doubt belongs to them – the first and successful attempt of The Carpenters in Christmas music. The lyrics had actually been written long beforehand, by Karen and Richard’s choir director Frank Pooler. But Richard composed the music and Karen decorated it with her angel voice. The song was released in 1970 as part of the album “Christmas Portrait” and is still one of the strongest associations with this holiday. It was covered multiple times and also appeared in TV series like the popular Glee.

All I Want for Christmas is … !

There, there! The festivity of the Christmas month is already in the air! I so love the last weeks of preparations for the holiday. That little Christmas chaos about everything – from the hassle of buying presents for the loved ones and thinking about ‘table issues’ to arranging business stuff. While kids are sincerely believing in Santa Claus (according to stats, 80% do), grown-ups get prepared in their own way. If earlier, when we were kids, dreaming of gifts like a toy, a puppy or a huge candy could be the top of it, now, as adults, we may have wishes of a different nature. A more ‘humanly’ nature… during the most festive moments we long for love, tenderness, safety and happiness of the people we love tenderly.

That is basically the main idea conveyed through one of the most recognizable Christmas songs – written, recorded and performed by a no-less recognizable singer Mariah Carey. “All I Want for Christmas is You” was released in 1994 and is still merrily sung around. The composition received numerous honorable titles by biggest magazines – “one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon” (The New Yorker), “a holiday standard” (Rolling Stone), “most played Christmas song of the decade in the UK” (The Daily Telegraph). One of the reasons for such commercial and popular success is the personal background to the song. It was a dedication to Mariah’s husband which is delivered not only through the intimate romantic lyrics, but also through a literally personal clip that was made from Carey’s personal video archive:

Satie the Gymnopaedist

When presenting himself to the director of a well-known cabaret in Paris, Erik Satie, a man not lacking a sense of humor, declared himself as a “gymnopaedist”, not quite being sure of what it meant exactly but leading the cabaret owner into a bit of a stupor. This small event happened much earlier than the three genius piano compositions titled “Gymnopedies” got written and saw world in 1888. The word itself did not quite exist this way, but versions are that it may signify either dance or antiquity or warfare or even nudity – still no accurate explanation. This way or another, but as unique as the title was, was the nature of these compositions. They are considered to be the predecessors of the modern ambient genre, though not to be confused with Satie’s ‘furniture music’ that was quite similar in essence.

Like mentioned above, there were three gymnopedies but the first and the third one really ‘caught up’. The second one was published many years later and was omitted by Debussy who made orchestration for the first two. And between those ones, number one is a definite leader. Gymnopedie No. 1 was featured by Gary Numan, Vladimir Cosma, Charles Fox, Lana Del Rey, also in numerous films and video games. Due to its soft ‘ambient’ nature, Gymnopedie No. 1 is often associated with autumn. For me, although composed for piano, this piece sounds wonderfully when arranged for cello. Here’s a lovely arrangement for cello quartet by Sheryl Smith.

Let the Bells Jingle!

Every single year, the entire USA, as well as a major part of Europe, and, well, almost the whole Orthodox world actually, look forward to celebrating one of the warmest and kindest holidays on Earth – Christmas. This tradition is no doubt associated with a number of Christmas songs and funny carols. But even the non-residents of the US when asked what song is most of all related with this holiday for them admit that the sounds of “Jingle Bells” can’t help but pop up in their minds reminding of the oncoming fun, tree decoration and merry family reunions.

Written by an American musician James Lord Pierpont and originally published titled as “One Horse Open Sleigh” the song turned into the most commonly-performed piece during Christmas celebrations, even though it was supposed to become a Thanksgiving piece. Once popular in Medford (Massachussets) races in sleighs served Pierpont as the subject of inspiration. Its fruit became one of the most recognizable songs ever, which awarded its author with a place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The list of musicians who performed or recorded the song is so long that it reaches… the space! Yes, that’s not a misprint! This is the 1st song that was broadcasted from the outer space performed on harmonica by Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra in 1965.

The Christmas legend is still being parodied and re-made a lot. And each parody or new version still preserves the magic Christmas charm of the original. One of my favorite arrangements is the piano version of “Jingle Bells” by OLC Barcelona Sheet Music. Happy anticipating!

Scriabin's most recorded work

The main symbolist-composer of Russian music, Alexander Scriabin has been distinguished for his inimitable music style fostered by composer’s adherence to synesthesia, mysticism and theosophy. Sadly, his impact on Russian and world classical music was not properly acknowledged during his lifetime. The famous sonatas had just a few recordings, which, however, changed by our time. Today Scriabin’s sonatas serve as a guideline for professional composers, learning sample for beginning musicians and a source of joy for the general public.

Probably the most innovative of all Scriabin’s sonatas is “Sonata No. 5” which was the 1st one to be composed in one movement. That’s the form Alexander stuck to in future works. The unusual manner of composition might be attributable to the event there were going on in composer’s life. He finally decided to move from Paris to a ‘purer’ area and it gave him more freedom and inspiration for work. The sonata actually took just 6 days to write, and the music milieu accepted it with envy and admiration at the same time. The work enjoyed so much approval that became Scriabin’s most recorded piece.

Fantastic Symphony from Berlioz’ life

Not like many classical composers that are widely praised today, Hector Berlioz was not a born music prodigy who would start composing as early as 6 years old. On the contrary, he just turned out to be a diligent student who would pounce on music books to build a steady theory basis in his head. A simple human, he was full of worries, joy, anxiety, anger and other human emotions that were of course reflected in his creative work. They say that out of all existing emotions love is probably the strongest one and the most powerful. So was it for Hector. Today his “Symphonie fantastique” is in the very forefront of his entire repertoire, and is apparently an outstanding music work not only because of its innovations in the programmatic symphonies form but mostly because of its vigorous send to the listener. The piece has five movements instead of the common four and depicts various scenes from the life of an artist who desperately fell in love and was left without mutuality. Hope, love, despair, death, witches’ Sabbath, joy, magic – all mixed in this masterpiece. The real love story, however, even though without the fairy-tale touch, was even more dramatic and unfortunately ended sadly: Berlioz’ passion Harriet Smithson reciprocated his feelings only after a few years of his fruitless efforts but their marriage broke shortly. 

Satie’s challenging Vexations

Some music pieces written by great composers in fact were not meant to be published during their lifetime. They had been composed either as a personal experiment or as a private gift to someone, not for public display. But the reputation of a good composer, even if appeared after his/her death, can’t leave anything undiscovered in the author’s manuscripts. For example, the controversial work “Vexations” by Eric Satie also belongs to not-to-be-published pieces. But look at what’s happening now: the longest piece in history (instructed to be repeated 840 times by Satie) has gathered a global community of musicians. In order to execute the ‘instruction’ musicians would have to spend over 18 hours playing non-stop. The first one to take the challenge 80 years after Satie’s death was John Cage. The piece was performed in Manhattan. The New York Times critic fell asleep by the end of it and there were only 6 people left out of the big original crowd of listeners.

Webber's Paranoia

Andrew Lloyd Webber is a very interesting person and a unique composer. He is so considerate and careful about his music that at times his fear of being blamed for the lack of originality may even get paranoid. He is known to have been permanently asking the restaurant staff to turn off the background. The explanation? He was afraid of being charged with music plagiarism. Some say that he also asks his driver to turn off the radio, for the very same reason.

Maybe that is why Andrew’s compositions do sound very original and unique. To take only the famous multi-award winning musical “Phantom of the Opera”, that has been seen by 130 million people in 145 cities in 27 countries. “All I Ask of You” is one of the most loved songs in it. It appears in Act I of the musical when the heroine escapes to the roof to talk with her friend who promises to love her and guard from the Phantom.

Friedrich Nietzsche the composer

We all know him as a prominent philosopher and philologist but hardly would anyone mention Friedrich Nietzsche as a… composer or pianist. However, he was one, and a quite enthusiastic one. His experience as a musician preceded his engagement as a thinker and undoubtedly influenced his philosophy in one way or another. Nietzsche actually moved in well-known composers’ circles and such outstanding music figures as Gustav Mahler, Frederick Delius and Richard Strauss were influenced by Nietzsche’s philosophical thinking which was reflected in some of their music pieces. Nietzsche’s own works were not at all popular during his lifetime but a couple of albums were published later on, “In the Moonlight on the Plains”, “Hymnus an das Leben”, “There Goes a Brook” being among some of the published works. Free from conservatory strictness, today Nietzsche-composer’s music is considered as improvising and fascinating in its own manner.

Duet of light and music - Alexander Scriabin

A hundred years ago classical composers were all absorbed in creating music that, as they hoped, would eventually bear some genius sound. Every each of them was inspired by his/her own muse – women, nature, feelings… For Alexander Scriabin fire and light became those sources of inspiration. And it all resulted in a most amazing of duets – combination of music and light, color music. His SymphonyNo.5 ‘Prometheus. The Poem of Fire’ (so symbolically picked for the Greek God of Fire) was the first to be performed with a color music effect in 1915. Scriabin thus became a pioneer in ‘music coloring’. Today technology has gone so far; now one can enjoy the power of music, laser light and even water fountains combined. But back then it was a truly unique and breathtaking experience.

Ballade for Violin and Piano – Porumbescu

Having once written about J.S. Bach being sentenced to jail for his strong desire to leave his position of concertmaster, I admit that it wasn't a serious law violation. Okay, composers are generally not involved into something of a like kind, however I can't help but recall a case of a greater misdemeanor: a Romanian composer Ciprian Porumbescu was arrested for his political activity one day. Luckily for us and him, all turned out well and he was able to continue composing. One of the major composers of Romania, he and his quite diverse oeuvre deserve a close look. Here is his Ballade for Violin and Piano.