Merry Christmas, Buffalo, and Monteverdi

[theholyinnocent]

Mitch Miller wishes you Merry Christmas from the Great Beyond: Buffalo!

OK. I mentioned to stargazer1960 that I was planning on doing a holiday music post: I was going to upload some holiday songs and whatnot and post a link for downloadage, but I kinda dropped the ball on that. However, I did stumble upon some indie Canada holidaze music that you can download: Ho-Ho-Ho Canada. Enjoy! And nothing's preventing me from YT spammage, obviously.

But here's a true confession: I like classical music. Some of you probably know that already. And something about the holidays makes me want to listen to more Renaissance/Baroque music than usual; it's strange, but it feels very seasonal. Even some opera does as well. One of the first operas I ever saw was Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea,which remains a favorite. The love duet at the end between Nerone and Poppea is awesome...particularly when Nerone is played by a mezzo-soprano (i.e., a lady, so you have two ladies singing a passionate love duet). Alas, I could find no YT clips featuring two women singing the role that pleased me both visually and musically, so I settled on this clip with Nuria Rial (soprano) and Philippe Jaroussky (countertenor); they sound lovely together, and there is a nice little period-appropriate musical intro before the duet. And if you like, you can close your eyes and pretend it's two ladies.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Comments

[sravenk.livejournal.com]

Yay! Holiday music posts. I also like opera, but I like it all year. Michelle, on the other hand, hates it, so I rarely listen to it. I don't think she hates classical, but I am not sure she would like me playing that either. I do agree that it seems fitting for cold wintery days, though.

But what really caught me was Mitch Miller. Sing Along With Mitch! That was my favourite album when I was a kid, because it had all of the lyrics and I could screech along. Consequently it was also my parents' least favourite Christmas album. But they liked Boney M, so there's really no trusting them for taste.

Happy Holidays to you, too!

[theholyinnocent.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I do like opera; I feel woefully ignorant about much of it, but it can be a lot of fun to experience. We listen to a lot of classical music at home too.

Oh God, Boney M. GAH.

I don't think my parents had any Mitch Miller in their music collection. My mother was partial to doe-eyed Johnny Mathis and, later, Englebert Humperdinck. I didn't sing along at all but I did deface mom's favorite Mathis album with a red marker. So I had critical opinions even then. :)

[phryneateleusis.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm, Monteverdi. As far as the ladies go, I'm quite fond of the Della Jones-Arleen Auger recording from '88. Probably because that was the CD set I had in high school (nerd trap: sprung!).

Happy Christmas!

PS: this is the amusing spell check LJ offers me:

[theholyinnocent.livejournal.com]

Oh dude, that's major nerdiness! If perchance you had mentioned Monteverdi to my high-school self, I would've thought you were talking about a Ford sedan.

(Glad to see you posting more! I've been reading.)

[mantaraggio.livejournal.com]

I don't know what Stark means, I quite like classical music. But it's true that I don't like opera. Not a fan of the singing style. And also, sopranos give me headaches and they're always the stars of the show. Also also, I don't like when things are in languages I can't understand. Sorta kills the story for me. Furthermore, I hate how they're always about some virgin/whore that has to die in the end. But... I have had this weird urge to see the Ring Cycle lately... so what do I know?

Thanks for the link!!

[theholyinnocent.livejournal.com]

And also, sopranos give me headaches and they're always the stars of the show.

Heh. Yeah, that's why I like Poppea, because it's more of an ensemble thing; so many different, strong roles. Maybe you need to focus more on trouser role operas...you get the drag king element and a mezzo-soprano with a significant role.

I would love to see the Ring Cycle! I think it would be fun. I know that sounds crazy.

[llmeant2b.livejournal.com]

Happy holidays to you, too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQBoLDEf5rw

[theholyinnocent.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's a really cool vid! Thanks. I've never heard of that guy!

[phryneateleusis.livejournal.com]

It's no cello piece, but it's loads of fun

[wprincessnerd.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, opera. Kiri Te Kanawa is my favorite. In fact, in the spirit of the season, here Kiri sings Ave Maria (Schubert): http://www.wat.tv/video/schubert-ave-maria-kiri-te-m777_2gspl_.html (Sing Along With Kiri! lol)

Happy Holidays, all!!