| Music
|
Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Opus 27 by Serge Rachmaninoff |
| Broadway show tunes.
But, let's talk about this. There are ones I love and ones that do not
attract me at all. The standards like Brigadoon, South Pacific, Oklahoma,
Guys and Dolls, and those of that ilk are ones I like so much that I know
or knew most of their songs by heart. Other, of a more recent vintage,
which are more operatic in nature and ones which have songs that I am
convinced can not be sung by people except of a short memorable phrase
which gets remembered for its loveliness but is otherwise forgotten; those
do not appeal to me. I like songs with good lyrics as well as being lyrical.
I tend to sing them in the shower and while driving. |
| Opera interests me
for its almost "total theater" capabilities. But, for the most
part the way it is performed leaves me sitting in my chair in the theater
waiting for the next "song" to be sung rather than being carried
away to that other reality that being totally engrosed by a theatrical
piece can accomplish. The music is often beautiful, but I have rarely
been moved by the comedic or dramatic elements of the pieces save for
most of the operas in which I was directly involved a stage director.
I believe that, though opera is about music, with out fine acting and
directing to frame the music properly, the art of the opera remains mostly
unexplored. To me, those who go crazy for well sung and poorly presented
or rather poorly acted opera remind me of the Hans Christian Andersen
story The
Emperor's New Clothes. |
| I always wanted to
cut a record and did record a song in honor of the wedding of my kid sister.
I had been teaching at Five
Towns College when it was located in Seaford, NY, and hired a few
student musicians and a technician to play and record "Now That We're
In Love" from the movie "Whiffs" and which was nominated
for and Academy Award for Best Song in 1975. (The link takes you to an
album by Steve Lawrence titled "Academy Award Losers" and at
which you may follow the links to hear a snippet from his rendition).
I recently purchased an electronic keyboard at a yard sale for $3.00 and
have been enjoying learning how to play it. |
