NNGB, Dear Thumper

One of the sweetest and most supportive people I have ever known passed away today. I met Sharon Hames (aka Thumper) through our mutual adoration of handsome Celtic songsters.

We met online at first, in the “Thunderpub” chat room and then, one weekend, she drove out from her home in Lucerne Valley to see me sing at church and we had coffee afterwards.

A month later, we went with 5 other local Thunderheads to man the phones at KVCR when three of those Celtic Thunder guys were appearing on the pledge breaks. So many memories are held in that one night – and so many friendships.

Sharon almost became like an aunt to me. She was always emailing, asking how things were with job searches, asking about school, wanting to know when I’d be singing anywhere so she could come see me. She was always cheering me on. From the first year I knew her, I always had a birthday card and Christmas card in the mail. She wasn’t just a friend – she was a special kind of family. The kind you choose. This past year has seen a lot of changes in my life and it has been so difficult to keep up with people. The last time I saw Sharon was almost a year ago. Mom and I stopped to have lunch with her on our way out to Flagstaff for my transfer audition at NAU. She kept asking me for weeks after that: “Have you heard back from NAU? I know they’ll want you. But I hope you stay here.” (Shocking – she was ecstatic when I decided to go to USC!) Because life had gotten so crazy, I hadn’t known something was wrong with her health until I didn’t receive a birthday card in the mail in October and decided to check up on her via Facebook. That’s when I saw the posts from her daughter Kelly about her struggles.

I won’t forget how she kept all of our Thunderpub works of fiction in a manila envelope so she could read them at her leisure without squinting at the computer screen.

I certainly won’t forget her fun with Butterscotch Schnapps at Westfest *insert giggle here* and how she broke the “adult chair!”

I won’t forget how incandescent she was after receiving this hug from Paul Byrom. I definitely won’t ever forget her smile and her caring heart.

Enjoy the music up there, dear Thumper.

NNGB

Music Transcending

On Saturday, June 1st and Sunday, June 2nd, the Long Beach City College Chorales and Orchestras put on their end of the semester concert. This was also my last major performance as an LBCC Viking!

The concert on Sunday was filmed and is now on YouTube in its entirety! I thought I would share it here for those interested. We had a bit of Beethoven and a bit of Mozart – it was a beautiful concert!
I’ve also scanned the program, notes and translations and all, for you to follow as you watch.

I hope you enjoy!

P.S. – You may recognize the alto soloist in the Recordare and Benedictus. 😉

Z is for… MoZart

Had you noticed that I hadn’t mentioned Wolfie yet? I fully intended to save him for ‘Z’, but not because he has a ‘z’ in his name.

I am in Opera Chorus at school this semester and about half of our musical offerings in our upcoming show are from Mozart’s The Magic Flute aka Die Zauberflöte. Die Zauberflöte was the last work that Mozart completed before he died.

I will be playing one of the Three Ladies 🙂

But the really fun interaction comes in this delightful little duet between the birdman, Papageno, and his new found love, Papagena. So stinkin’ adorable!

Obviously, Mozart did so much more than The Magic Flute. His operas are still favorites today (and not exactly easy to sing). His concerti and sonatas are brilliant. He was prolific during his short life. I do feel that this last year has been nonstop Mozart for me. One of my audition pieces for my university auditions was Non So Pìu from The Marriage of Figaro. I’ve sung that at least ten times over the last seven months.

And, this semester, our choirs are combining with the school orchestra to perform the Mozart Requiem, so it has been all Mozart, all the time!

By the way, I love this piece from the Requiem and I am excited to sing it in June!

Thank you for hanging with me for April’s A to Z Challenge! I can’t believe I made it (barely)! Hello and welcome to my new followers – I hope my future posts don’t disappoint!

Y is for… gYmnopedies

I may be a day late, but at least I am getting it posted in April!!!

I was listening to some stuff I have on my iPod and a familiar tune came on. Luckily, there was a ‘Y’ involved 🙂

I am a fan of Erik Satie’s Gymnopedies, especially the well known No. 1. I can’t quite explain just why – perhaps it’s the relaxing feel of them. When I come across different arrangements of them, I have to listen. They do lend themselves quite well to variations.

My favorite instrumental variations are by the Jacques Loussier Trio. They get jazzy with one of their variations and kind of turn the melody on its head in another. (Variation no. 3 is my favorite, without a doubt.)

Welsh songstress Charlotte Church actually sang lyrics that were set to the melody of Gymnopedie No. 1, entitles “From My First Moment.” If I can find someone to accompany me, I am so singing this piece. Someday.

X is for… eXtra

I know, highlighting the ‘X’ in ‘extra’ is a stretch, but X is not an easy letter in most cases – and the only composer I could find with an X last name was someone I’d never heard of. And I simply don’t have time for that right now.

So, today, I am going to talk soundtrax. (I apologize now for the obvious mis-spelling of the word to match my theme. It is making me cringe to look at it, but needs must.)

I am someone who makes playlists for things in life. My life has a soundtrack. I have a playlist that is specifically for working out. I made a playlist just for my road trip to Flagstaff when I auditioned at NAU, making sure there was at least one version of “Route 66” included. I rejoiced (quietly in my seat) when it was announced on the tour bus last weekend that our soundtrack for entering Yosemite was going to be Aaron Copeland’s Appalachian Spring. And when I was preparing a hike playlist for my short hikes in Yosemite, I ended up just listening to the soundtrack from the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film (the one starring Keira Knightley and the dashing Matthew MacFadyen).

You have got to hear this soundtrack. If you have Spotify, look it up! It’s not a heavy soundtrack by any means. Each of the pieces is rather short, composed perfectly for the scenes in the film. It’s not a heavily orchestrated work, most piano and strings throughout the whole film. Dario Marianelli (who was nominated for an Oscar for this soundtrack) was inspired both by some early piano sonatas by Beethoven and the period that the book takes place. And the piano is brought to life by the master hands of pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

While I love the whole soundtrack, favorite tracks are Georgiana, Liz On Top Of The World, and The Secret Life Of Daydreams.

And Dawn. I almost forgot Dawn.

W is for… Wagner

Ah, Richard Wagner. I have been told that you either love him or you don’t. I have to say, I don’t. I don’t hate him. And I can’t deny the mark he has left on music, especially opera, but I am not particularly a fan.

I really did want to write more, but it’s proving difficult for me. I can’t gush on like I did about Debussy and friends or Chopin. But, I felt it would be wrong to not post something about Wagner.

So, I will be more than happy to share the one work of his that I could listen to over and over again. That work is the Prelude to Tristan und Isolde.

V is for… Vivaldi

The first time I heard any Antonio Vivaldi work played live was in the glorious city of Prague. The small group from church that I was with had been handed fliers for a small chamber concert, a string quartet performing in a beautiful Baroque palace in the heart of Old Town. The main program was Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” cycle of violin concertos.
The quartet was set up on the landing of this grand staircase, with our seats set up on the steps of the staircase. Such a beautiful night!

My latest Vivaldi favorite, however, is the Gloria.

My favorite movements of the piece are the 1st movement (Gloria, In Excelsis Deo) and 11th & 12th movements (Quoniam to solus sanctus & Cum Sancto Spiritu). The Quoniam actually brings back most of the theme of the beginning Gloria – just something to listen for.

T is for… Tchaikovsky

I have always loved Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Most have had their first Tchaikovsky experience via The Nutcracker, which has become a Christmas standard. (I will say that one of my traditions is listening to the ballet soundtrack on the local classical station when it airs at the holidays – usually during the week leading up to Christmas.)

But what made me fall in love with Tchaikovsky was his music for the Sleeping Beauty ballet, which was eventually also used for the Disney film (which is my favorite animated feature).

S is for… Shostakovich

Not what you expected, huh? I’ve been doing a bit of reading on Dmitri Shostakovich since I last watched Fantasia 2000 (where his Piano Concerto No 2 is featured). He kind of went in and out of favor with the Soviet government at different times in his career and often found himself kowtowing to the powers that be, composing the way they wanted him to, just to keep himself and his family safe. I am sure there are times when he must have felt trapped by his government.

I came across this interesting article about one of his string quartets and after reading it, went looking for the quartet on YouTube. You can listen first or read first, but I do suggest that you do both.

R is for… Rossini

The familiar strains of “Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!” are no stranger, even to those who avoid opera. (Thanks to cartoons, of course! Woody Woodpecker, a few Warner Bros. toons, and even Tom and Jerry.)

But my favorite piece by Gioachino Rossini is the William Tell Overture.