Waterfall
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2014
- Messages
- 11,961
Agree, I was surprised myself.
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She is now my current favourite. Many thanks!
Mendalla
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
American composer Christopher Tin has been a favorite contemporary composer of mine for a while now. This lovely setting of a poem by famed aviator Amelia Earhart shows why.
And Danielle de Niese is new to me but I shall do some research. A solid soprano voice and a very expressive singer.
And Danielle de Niese is new to me but I shall do some research. A solid soprano voice and a very expressive singer.
Mendalla
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
A few weeks ago, Tin released this video celebrating the 15th anniversary of what remains probably his most famous composition, "Baba Yetu". It features dozens of performances of the song from Youtube from throughout the years. The song debuted as the theme to the computer game Civilization IV but took on a life of its own when sung by the Soweto Gospel Choir from South Africa as the leadoff track on Tin's Grammy-winning album Calling All Dawns. The words are the Swahili translation of the Lord's Prayer, and it remains one of my favorite musical settings of that famous prayer.
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Mendalla
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
As for Danielle, wow. She was born in Australia to Sri Lankan parents (her ancestry is pretty complex, actually, with Scot and Dutch in there) and won a talent competition there when she was 9. They moved to Los Angeles when she was a teenager and at 16 she won an Emmy as host of the TV series LA Kids. She also began her operatic career in LA at 15. Danielle currently lives in the UK, where she settled a decade ago after marrying the chair of the famed Glyndebourne Festival, one of the UK's top music festivals.
A nice recital performance of an opera favorite:
And some baroque opera, the popular "Let the bright Seraphim" by Handel.
Mozart's Exultate Jubilate from, based on the audience behaviour, a Prom's concert or similar
A nice recital performance of an opera favorite:
And some baroque opera, the popular "Let the bright Seraphim" by Handel.
Mozart's Exultate Jubilate from, based on the audience behaviour, a Prom's concert or similar
I promised myself I would wait but this is one of my favourite renditions and it reminds of me driving home from work in a winter wonderland and into my Christmas holidays. Pure Joy.
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Mendalla
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
I quite enjoyed Jon's Christmas album. Though, to be fair, he is one of those singers who could sing his grocery list and I would listen. I actually have a fair bit of Christmas music coming up in my Youtube recommendations right now, but I've been holding off starting a Christmas thread. Still feels too early for me (though I guess it is really only a month to go now).
Waterfall
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2014
- Messages
- 11,961
This is exactly what it looks like outside my patio doors right now!
Mendalla
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
You, too, eh. I just came in from putting out the trash. Looks nice but it is heavy, wet stuff that will turn to slush fairly quickly once things warm up.
Mendalla
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
British choral group Voces8 have been quiet on the new music front of late, focussing their energies on organizing online music festivals, performing virtual concerts, and their educational programs. So I was pleased to see a new music video drop yesterday, a performance of the Hymn to St. Cecilia by 20th century English composer Benjamin Britten.
Mendalla
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
John Lodge of the Moody Blues has been relatively quiet of late. However, that does not mean he has been inactive. A new Lodge original song reflecting on life in lockdown came out on the Moodies YouTube channel today. And it's a lovely piece that musically hearkens back to his many compositions for the band.
Mendalla
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
This is almost 20 years old now, but the series CMT Crossroads paired up country star Martina McBride with eighties rocker Pat Benatar to, if this performance from the show is any indication, great effect. The song was originally a hit for McBride but here Benatar is showing her how it's done. The look of joy on McBride's face when Benatar lets her powerful voice loose on the chorus is priceless.
And to turn things around, here's a Benatar hit with McBride on lead.
And to turn things around, here's a Benatar hit with McBride on lead.
Mendalla
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
I have probably raved enough about Julia Westlin but her new song is lovely.
And she also posted a cute video of her hearing it introduced and played on Radio Canada. Even subtitled it for us non-Francophones (actually, I imagine her husband, a bilingual Quebecois, did that part).
And that is the first time I have heard her health condition given a name. She has been battling health problems for years and has been fairly open about her health, but I have never seen or heard her call it by name.
And she also posted a cute video of her hearing it introduced and played on Radio Canada. Even subtitled it for us non-Francophones (actually, I imagine her husband, a bilingual Quebecois, did that part).
And that is the first time I have heard her health condition given a name. She has been battling health problems for years and has been fairly open about her health, but I have never seen or heard her call it by name.