Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Mercoledi Musicale


I can't believe that in the past week I have missed the Tallis Scholars, The Harlem Gospel Choir and kd lang!  Now I must admit that I knew about all three months ago and meant to get tickets - I mean I really meant to get tickets but....

And that is one of my problems I keep meaning to do these things which is why I ended up buying subscriptions - that pretty much guarantees that I will go.  Though I must admit our Cathy sent me a little note about the Harlem gang but by the time I got home that night I was just too tired and it was raining and... and... and..    You see if I don't plan these things I don't end up going.  My bad!!!

So for my Wednesday Music (doesn't have the same ring in English does it???)  I though I'd feature a clip from each just to remind me what I missed and to suggest I start checking calenders and booking.

Tallis Scholars under Peter Phillips started off specializing in Early Music and though it is their forte have since branched out into modern church music to great effect.  But I thought I'd feature them in the music they performed on one of their earlier recordings.  The only word for the Palestrina Missa Papae Marcelli is miraculous and this 1980 performances approaches that adjective.  The "Kyrie" has been matched in this clip by pictures of two churches in France including Notre Dame de Garde in Marseilles - a church that I visited more than 45 years ago but remember to this day.


A few weeks ago Lara, Reg, Sonya, Laurent and I went to what was advertised as a "gospel brunch" at one of the local restaurants. From the publicity we were expecting at least a small gospel choir; what we got was a blues singer with three backup guys doing Wade in the Water and a few other gospel style numbers. I was expecting something more along these lines:


kd lang has almost reinvented herself as often as a few other current performers who I won't even mention in the same breath because they come no where near to having the talent and abilities of this remarkable singer. Maybe reinvented is not the right word, its just that her versatility is such that she can go from stadium, to concert hall to cabaret. She seems as comfortable in pop as she does in C and W, Blues, torch songs and jazz. And her sense of communication is... well if this doesn't rip your heart out you jsut don't have one!


My friend Maureen tells me that at tonight's concert she included Miss Chatelaine, Helpless and - be still my soul - Hallelujah. I've assured Maureen that I am not jealous of her - just bitter!

19 September - 1982: Scott Fahlman posts the first documented emoticons :-) and :-( on the Carnegie Mellon University Bulletin Board System.

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5 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I've seen kd lang in concert a number of times and she is always fabulous.

David said...

I kick myself that I've never seen kd live - her voice always goes straight to the heart of things. Ah, 'Miss Chatelaine'...
Love your yoking of diverse enthusiasms here.

yvette said...

I always have nice surprises reading you. If you climbrd up the hill to the top sanctuary you did well l It is a walk I do for remembrance and rediscovering the town and its growth.The staue was refurbished not long ago! It shines even more in the distance!

gutscheine zum ausdrucken said...

very good comment

Susan Scheid said...

I see you often over at David's blog and thought it high time to make a visit. So glad I did when I saw this: I am regretful almost every week at the concerts I miss (I suppose I have the excuse of being a long way from NYC, but I still know I could do better)! I have from time to time put together a little playlist of pieces from a concert I missed just to console myself. Here's an example of one I'll never get over, particularly as I was in NYC, but it had sold out before I got to it, so I went to a different concert that was really, really awful.

Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle, Music Director and Conductor
Program
DEBUSSY Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
DVORÁK The Golden Spinning-Wheel, Op. 109
SCHOENBERG Verklärte Nacht
ELGAR Enigma Variations, Op. 36

Clearly, I should get more subscriptions . . . have put that right on the ever-growing list!