We love Classical Music!

[BBLife]

After the concert, we had some conversations about many aspects of being a musician in a symphony. Daughter wondered how much a musician who plays in one makes? It is all over the map, but the lower end is around $46,000. A concert master can make $500,00 a year.

And what does it take to make someone an expert, a master? According to an article written by Malcolm Gladwell which is a chapter in his book Outliers, it takes around 10,000 hours of practice. There have been people who have challenged that though.

My instructor (who became a good friend) taught me and in exchange I taught him how to do fine woodworking for a year. Would play the violin for an hour and then build something for an hour. He played for the symphony over 40 years and trained at some very good schools before that. I was honored with being asked to repair his master bow that he wore out from 55 years of use and did some work on his violin a couple times as well. I just wanted to learn to play the one I made and he ended up playing it in several solo performances (borrowed it because it is an exceptional master violin).

 

[Weedygarden]

Heard this on the radio today. I remember that we used to hear it on Tom and Jerry cartoons when we were kids. The part where he says, "Figaro, Figaro, Figaro," is the part that I remember hearing and imitating when I was a kid.

"Composed just five-and-a-half years before his untimely death, The Marriage of Figaro (in Italian Le Nozze di Figaro) premiered at the height of Mozart’s 35-year career. Mozart based the opera on the highly controversial play, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro by Pierre Beaumarchais, which had been allowed its first public appearance only two years earlier. For this opera, Mozart enlisted the help of librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. He also worked with Da Ponte on other well-known operas, Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte.

The opera itself shares characters with its prequel, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (written 30 years later). Surprisingly, at the time of its Viennese premiere in 1786, The Marriage of Figaro, was only moderately successful. Although, by the third performance the encores had almost doubled its performance time."

 

[Weedygarden]

The ending especially is familiar to me, after about 1.5 minutes. This is another piece that I heard on the radio today. It is from the opera, Carmen, by Bizet.

 

[Morgan101]

Heard this on the radio today. I remember that we used to hear it on Tom and Jerry cartoons when we were kids. The part where he says, "Figaro, Figaro, Figaro," is the part that I remember hearing and imitating when I was a kid.

"Composed just five-and-a-half years before his untimely death, The Marriage of Figaro (in Italian Le Nozze di Figaro) premiered at the height of Mozart’s 35-year career. Mozart based the opera on the highly controversial play, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro by Pierre Beaumarchais, which had been allowed its first public appearance only two years earlier. For this opera, Mozart enlisted the help of librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. He also worked with Da Ponte on other well-known operas, Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte.

The opera itself shares characters with its prequel, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (written 30 years later). Surprisingly, at the time of its Viennese premiere in 1786, The Marriage of Figaro, was only moderately successful. Although, by the third performance the encores had almost doubled its performance time."

How could you ever go wrong with Pavarotti performing Mozart? A match made in Heaven. Love it.

 

[LadyLocust]

 

[Weedygarden]

 

[Haertig]

This is a fun demonstration of different composers styles, with a neat and interesting twist at the end.

 

[Lenny]

This is my favorite. The first time I heard it was after I took a service call on an ATM in a bank in some mountains in New Mexico in the 1990s. Big snowflakes were floating down with beautiful pine trees on the background as I was driving down winding a road:

 

[Weedygarden]

This is my favorite. The first time I heard it was after I took a service call on an ATM in a bank in some mountains in New Mexico in the 1990s. Big snowflakes were floating down with beautiful pine trees on the background as I was driving down winding a road:

I have a list of morning music that I like to play through. I am going to add this!

 

[Lenny]

I have a list of morning music that I like to play through. I am going to add this!

Great! It's upbeat. I'm glad I could help.

 

[kenv1950]

I'm not a classical music guy, but I ran across this

 

[Weedygarden]

The ending especially is familiar to me, after about 1.5 minutes. This is another piece that I heard on the radio today. It is from the opera, Carmen, by Bizet.

I heard this on the radio again the other day. It is always a familiar piece, but I don't always remember who wrote it and what it is.

 

[Weedygarden]

I'm not a classical music guy, but I ran across this

You know it is good music when men and women are crying in the audience!

 

[Morgan101]

She does a beautiful job.

 

[LadyLocust]

An extraordinary piece spanning the generations. Domingo is 82(?) years old. And if you’re not familiar with Dimash, I will attempt to load one of his pieces also

 

[LadyLocust]

 

[Ekatarina]

HAUSER - Adagio (Albinoni)​

 

[Ekatarina]

2CELLOS - Cavatina [OFFICIAL VIDEO]​

 

[Ekatarina]

Note :
Debussy "Clair de Lune" for a gentle female elephant called Ampan.

Ampan is 80 years old and lives with us as Elephants World in Thailand.

She is blind in one eye and can barely see with the other.

80 years old is very old indeed for an elephant, it’s about 10 years past the natural life span of an elephant in the wild.

 

[Jen]

Listen to this fabulous little dude! Amazing. I listened for mistakes and there was one in the second half of the music in the "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" part on the repeat. He flubs with his left hand, glances at the camera comes out of the mistake without pausing then stares at the camera for a bit. SO COOL. He didn't let it phase him but he gave a tell.
There was a bit of fat fingering (as if) throughout, but I didn't count those as mistakes.

See if you can find what I am referring to. You'll love it. He is great!

 

[Jen]

I would have preferred to post Rachmaninoff himself playing this but it wasn't live and it's better when you watch the person play. I have played this one (after a fashion) with far more mistakes than this young man. It's one of my favorites.

@Camper. Maybe you will enjoy this .... ???

 

[Haertig]

Listen to this fabulous little dude!

The problem I have with these "child prodigies" (there are an awful lot of them on the internet, almost always Asian) is that the poor things are basically slaves. Forced into performing for reasons that are not to the child's benefit. They go into training where they don't get to do anything else but train. I love classical piano music. But seeing things like this makes me sad. Personally, I consider it child abuse. This child in particular got to me. Especially when he occasionally looks to the side at the camera. Those eyes make me think of a sad robotic puppy who can't wait to finish what he's doing so he can get the doggie treat they throw his way afterwards. He flies off the bench at the end before he's even lifted his hands off the keys. That is not how a pianist who loves what they just performed finishes a piece.

 

[OldSchool]

I would have preferred to post Rachmaninoff himself playing this but it wasn't live and it's better when you watch the person play. I have played this one (after a fashion) with far more mistakes than this young man. It's one of my favorites.

@Camper. Maybe you will enjoy this .... ???

Actually, piano sounds good sometimes but I've never been a huge fan. I good probably get in to piano sometimes, when the mood strikes me and playing softly in the background, but that's too intense.

I'm more a of stringed instrument fan, always have been. The cellos sound good. The 'big band' sound is alright too.

 

[Jen]

The problem I have with these "child prodigies" (there are an awful lot of them on the internet, almost always Asian) is that the poor things are basically slaves. Forced into performing for reasons that are not to the child's benefit. They go into training where they don't get to do anything else but train. I love classical piano music. But seeing things like this makes me sad. Personally, I consider it child abuse. This child in particular got to me. Especially when he occasionally looks to the side at the camera. Those eyes make me think of a sad robotic puppy who can't wait to finish what he's doing so he can get the doggie treat they throw his way afterwards. He flies off the bench at the end before he's even lifted his hands off the keys. That is not how a pianist who loves what they just performed finishes a piece.

I hadn't thought of that. You're right. I feel terrible.

 

[Jen]

Fur Elise. One of my favorites. I taught all my kids piano and two sons got far enough to play this one.

 

[Jen]

Heard this on the radio today. I remember that we used to hear it on Tom and Jerry cartoons when we were kids. The part where he says, "Figaro, Figaro, Figaro," is the part that I remember hearing and imitating when I was a kid.

"Composed just five-and-a-half years before his untimely death, The Marriage of Figaro (in Italian Le Nozze di Figaro) premiered at the height of Mozart’s 35-year career. Mozart based the opera on the highly controversial play, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro by Pierre Beaumarchais, which had been allowed its first public appearance only two years earlier. For this opera, Mozart enlisted the help of librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. He also worked with Da Ponte on other well-known operas, Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte.

The opera itself shares characters with its prequel, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (written 30 years later). Surprisingly, at the time of its Viennese premiere in 1786, The Marriage of Figaro, was only moderately successful. Although, by the third performance the encores had almost doubled its performance time."

I learned a lot of Classical music from cartoons. Bugs Bunny played Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2 and I had to get the music so I could learn it.

 

[SLADE]

breath taking.

 

[Weedygarden]

I learned a lot of Classical music from cartoons. Bugs Bunny played Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2 and I had to get the music so I could learn it.

I think this is true for many of us, heard our first classical music from cartoons.

 

[Haertig]

I hadn't thought of that. You're right. I feel terrible.

My piano teacher would point things like this out to me. I would often tell her how I yearned to be able to play a whole repertoire of pieces like that. And she would reply, "Are you willing to practice for 10 hours every day, rarely with even one day off? That's what it would take. You have the desire and the skills, but that does not make you play like this (referring to adult artists who I admired). That takes lots and lots of work and practice, practice, practice."

So as it turned out, I was able to play pieces like this child did in the video above (at one time, but not now, as I have backed off quite a bit). But learning that one piece to performance level would take me many months. I was never able to juggle more than a handful of pieces at this difficulty level, in performance shape. Scratch that - I could only juggle "a small handful". And even that took a lot of practice and dedication. People may be born with a musical aptitude. And they may put in the years that it takes to learn the skills needed to play at this technical level. But that is not enough. I admire the people that take the next step and dedicate their lives to performance. I used to want to be them. But now I don't. I am happy playing for my own enjoyment these days. I don't do "show pieces" anymore. Now I play pieces that are technically much simpler, and are more dependent on emotion to perform well. Claire de lune is a great example. Technically, this piece is fairly simple to play. But difficult to play well, and really draw listeners emotions into it. A technically perfect performance of Claire de lune - where you hit every note, and your timings would make a metronome blush - sounds absolutely awful.

 

[LadyLocust]

Listen to this fabulous little dude! Amazing. I listened for mistakes and there was one in the second half of the music in the "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" part on the repeat. He flubs with his left hand, glances at the camera comes out of the mistake without pausing then stares at the camera for a bit. SO COOL. He didn't let it phase him but he gave a tell.
There was a bit of fat fingering (as if) throughout, but I didn't count those as mistakes.

See if you can find what I am referring to. You'll love it. He is great!

I'm not a big fan of piano, but that's awesome. He is an old soul - you can hear and see it in him