Ya'll still here?
A few different musical perspectives on winter, today on the winter solstice if we're still around to enjoy it after the Mayan Apocalypse. I found the Balmorhea piece hauntingly beautiful with striking imagery. The Celtic Frost video is different, albeit perhaps a bit depressing. Vivaldi is a perennial favorite, and the final piece by Enya is frankly, just to cheer you all up after the first three.
Great selection.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's this one, too.
ReplyDeletelove the Vivaldi.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shaw, I don't think I've heard that one before.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
That Celtic Frost piece is, well, significantly quieter than most of the Celtic Frost that I've heard...
ReplyDeleteThis is the Celtic Frost that I remember.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbfsFPNUOs4
It just wouldn't be winter without 'Snow'
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkB1o_iu73A
Interesting offbeat selections.
ReplyDeleteThe first two are a little static for my taste. In the first I long for a change in harmony and pray for a modulation, and then I keep waiting for a melody to appear to justify all those accompaniment figures, but it never comes. It sets a mood very well, but doesn't feel complete somehow.
The second is much more interesting harmonically but it progresses -- almost literally -- at a glacial pace. It could function well as an entr'acte for some heavy German opera or the introduction to a dramatic aria dealing with rape, murder or suicide.
The Vivaldi is a great classic, of course, but its standard Baroque harmonies don't seem very exciting to our modern ears. Most of the interest lies in the virtuoso violin figurations which never fail to impress me.
Your last piece is charming. Bouncy, energetic, cheerful, nice words -- the whole bit. I do wonder, though why the groups keeps that heavy bass figure pounding throughout? It sounds a little ominous frankly, and threatens to spoil the cheery mood.
The tendency in "modern" music seems to be to take a basically good idea then beat it to death with lots and lots of unvaried repetition.
Of the four maybe I like the offering by Celtic Frost the best, despite it lugubrious pace.
Thanks for the musical offering.
~ FT
Lol... see FT, you do like Death Metal ;)
ReplyDeleteThe band is Swiss and this is off their last album "Monotheist"
I like the Balmorhea one best, but mainly for the imagery.
Cheers!
Awesome compilation, I truly enjoyed, but Vivaldi was my favorite. Blew me away.
ReplyDeleteAll is well in San Diego. I woke up this morning. The Mayan civilization did not. Pretty sure they didn't see that coming.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the music selections. I enjoyed that!!
"... see FT, you do like Death Metal"
ReplyDeleteAs Natsuo points out, hardly a representative sample. You're right though about it being depressing. It inspired fond thoughts of hanging myself from the Christmas tree.
"I like the Balmorhea one best..."
The ice man melteth? The visual is interesting but I agree with FT on that one. Twelve tones in search of a direction.
Enya is best heard unadulterated by lesser voices, so I have to go with the Vivaldi. Genius is never out of fashion.
@KP " Pretty sure they didn't see that coming."
ReplyDeleteDontcha wish we could say the same?
@viburnam Ha! Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil :-)
ReplyDeleteBTW, what's this world coming to when you can't even trust the Mayans anymore?
"I have to go with the Vivaldi. Genius is never out of fashion."
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you said that, Viburnum. I listened to the video again earlier today, and found it to be a remarkably GOOD performance of the old masterpiece.
Fantastic fiddler and, despite the hyperkinetic passagework in the solo violin the mood remains appropriately chilly, gloomy, and sober throughout.
Nothing wrong with gloom and sobriety. They're a natural, unavoidable part of life. It's only when we develop a morbid fixation with depressing, enervating abnormal phenomena that it becomes undesirable and potentially dangerous.
That is the central flaw in "liberalism" --"liberals" always think on the dark, dreary, discouraging side of things. Great music explores all of that thoroughly, but always with compassion, and never leaves you in despair.
Even the tragic stories from the world of opera are supposed to have a CATHARTIC rather than a DEPRESSIVE effect.
Hey! Merry Christmas to you!
~ FT