Rachmaninoff Performed by Lisitsa

Having a favorite composer, or two, or a dozen – is one thing. But even the most well-known and widely-recognized music masterpieces can be performed in so diverse ways. Thus having your favorite performer, I believe, can say a lot about a person. It’s all in the small nuances, and colors, and mood, and energy that are present in a certain performing style.

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is no doubt among my unchanging all-time favorites and I’ve listened to quite of a lot interpretations of this almost-piano-concerto. Those include the original performance of the master Rachmaninoff himself (as we know he often played his own works), the version of Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Rubinstein at the piano, of course, and my favorite perhaps – Valentina Lisitsa’s performance. Here she plays on piano Variation 18 from the Rhapsody. Isn’t it wonderful? It’s definitely one of Valentina’s brightest performances of Rachmaninoff to me. Just listen and enjoy.

Who’s your favorite performer now?

Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars: “Uptown Funk”

I always couldn’t help but agree that all the new stuff is just the well-forgot old stuff. Same in fashion, same in architecture, same in any form of art, including, of course, music! It all returns.

That’s what I thought when heard “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson, featuring Bruno Mars’ vocals. (The actual impression was that it was Bruno Mars’ song with Mark Ronson and not vice versa, but well). The good thing about this song is that it becomes one’s flashback into the popular cultures of the past and conveys them perfectly! The flavors of disco, funk, RnB and the entire spirit of the 80ies make you wanna groove from the very first chords. No wonder Ronson got a British Single of the Year award for it and during the first week Uptown Funk could be intensely streamed, listened and danced to all over the world.
Verdict: it worked just fine!

Here, take the score, and here, taste the video:

Sentence Me to Bach!

So I run into this short note on NBC News saying that a certain guy, Andrew Vactor by name, was listening to music too loudly in public and to be punished for that received a most curious sentence. Andrew could simply pay a fine of $150 but the judge thought of an alternative. She allowed reducing the fine ($35 instead of $150) on condition that the guy would spend 20 hours listening to classical music! How do you like that?

The idea is clear, of course – the judge simply wanted to show Andrew what it's like, to be forced to listen to something against your will and taste. But the fact itself made me wonder. How many of today’s teenagers would perceive listening to classical music as punishment? I’m afraid to know the answer, to be honest. It’s kinda sad that we are gradually losing that fragile sense of the beautiful that is brought up by classical music. Parents, please, if you like classics, try planting it in your kids from early childhood!

As for Andrew, he was an ardent fan of rap music so he chose to pay the full fine. The guy, however, mentioned that it was rather for the ‘lack of time’, not because the unbearable punishment.

LEGO harpsichord

I sometimes wonder how people get inspired for creating certain things. Isn’t it wonderful that at some point of your life you may get ‘hit’ by some crazy idea and find it embodied in real life after a while? I truly respect people who have courage and strength for both developing an idea and fulfilling it.

 Here’s an amazing example of how a guy called Henry Lim created a most beautiful harpsichord from as many as a hundred pieces of LEGO.  I’ve always found some special charm about harpsichords and that’s why this caught my eye. As you probably know, the harpsichord had two ‘birth times’. The original harpsichord era is the 18th century, when it could be heard in all courts and could boast of having a great patron – Bach, who loved it a lot and thus scored a lot of music works for it.

Unfortunately, by the 20th century harpsichord completely gave way to it more popular follower – the piano. And it seemed to have faded for quite a long time until Mrs. Landowska brought back to life again. And I’m glad we have it back, really! With the amount of music compositions for harpsichord that are abundant today, I’d definitely consider possessing one myself. And especially if it’s as original as Mr. Lim’s creation.

The most beautiful thing about this LEGO instrument is that it’s actually fully PLAYABLE! Considering that it’s fully made from those tiny LEGO pieces (well, but for the strings, of course), it’s a little miracle to me. There are, surely, a few tricks used to make it possible (like covering some pieces with special resonant tiles), but we are to face the fact: it cost a lot of effort, time and it works!

"Rolling in the Deep" in American Sign Language

I believe each one of us has at least once found the proof to the fact that we don’t value something strong enough until we lose it. To think about, we are so happy to live, to be able to breathe, hear and see the surrounding world, while some people don’t have even that. I’ve always been wondering in horror what it would be like to be deprived of some of the important parts of the world perception like seeing or hearing. And I honestly doubt I would have enough strength to cope with that and be able to enjoy life to the fullest. And people like this are actually not few, and I do look up to them for their willpower and character.

But even more of my admiration is caused by those who have gone a bit further and have made it possible for people who can’t hear to ‘see music’. Here is a great work (and it’s not the only one) that was created by a team of professionals, deaf professionals. The world famous hit by Adele “Rolling In The Deep” was re-created in American sign language. The music video was directed by Jules Dameron with Amber Zion starring as main actress. It is a very emotional thing to watch. I can’t put myself in deaf people' shoes but I do hope that they enjoyed it as much as I was touched by it.

Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah Belongs to Everyone

Hallelujah. A song-legend, a modern timeless hit with a long and most difficult past full of both obscurity and fame. Who could predict that the original song that appeared in 1984 and dragged immense effort out of its author would reach such a peak in world music?

Leonard Cohen did spend a lot of time and energy on writing this song, sitting on the floor and banging his head in despair not being able to finish the work. And even after he did succeed in that, and even after re-writing the verses for 80 times – the record studio did not accept the result calling it awful and not compatible with pop music standards of the time. And so it lay down there in the couloirs for years waiting for a second chance which came with the young and hungry musician Jeff Buckley and his rendition of the song. Since then a wave of recordings flowed, each and every interpreting Hallelujah in a different way – some artists were stressing the religious part, others – the secular. But even now the song remains so universal that it can be played both at weddings and funerals and sound equally to-the-point. Talent shows, movies, church ceremonies, dozens of artists famous and not (Bono, John Cale, Regina Spector, k.d. lang, Timberlake, etc.) – Hallelujah has dwelt everywhere.

In a few dozen years Hallelujah ‘lost’ its owner, it became an international song, belonging to everyone in a way.

Father Ray Kelly sings Hallelujah to the bride and groom

John Legend: “All of Me”

Some say that the key to creating a successful song is first of all hidden in its personal background. That’s precisely one of the reasons why Adele skyrocketed that high with her songs, for example. Not counting the unearthly voice of the UK star, of course.

from music video "All of Me" by John Legend

I believe the element of ‘personality’ is a must  in such a music genre as power ballad. It is in itself a very personal romantic love story told to the public and love stories are hard to be faked – it would be too obvious and unnatural. The piano ballad by John Legend “All of Me” is a very nice example of a successful love song that ‘has it all’.

The song was born as a dedication to John’s wife Chrissy and can’t be more personal (judging by the lyrics and the video). No wonder that “All of Me” knocked off Williams’ “Happy” single from the US Billboard and peaked high in other charts (the UK, Australia, Canada, etc.). Seems like John had been waiting for it for ages – “All of Me” became his first number 1 song.