This music was written for the 1944 film version of Henry V, starring Laurence Olivier. We’ll finish up with a film score by English composer William Walton. We are such stuffĪs dreams are made on, and our little life Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolveĪnd, like this insubstantial pageant faded, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, The cloud-capp’d towers, the gorgeous palaces, These our actors,Īnd, like the baseless fabric of this vision, Here Audrey Luna sings a haunting and vocally demanding excerpt. Notice the way Tchaikovsky introduces the love theme of Miranda and Ferdinand, following 8:18, suggesting their initial shyness:Īlso listen to incidental music for The Tempest by Jean Sibelius. English composer Thomas Adès’s recent opera, which premiered in 2004 at the Royal Opera House of Covent Garden, offers a uniquely twenty-first century take on the play. Listen for the sudden ferocity of the storm (5:37). Tchaikovsky’s tone poem The Tempest begins and ends with the musical depiction of a calmly undulating sea. Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves! The Tempest Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger: It is the green-ey’d monster, which doth mock Read the translated text here. Here the aria is sung by Renee Fleming: In Act 4 of Verdi’s opera Otello, just before she is strangled by the jealous Othello, Desdemona sings a quiet prayer for all who suffer ( Ave Maria). Our means secure us, and our mere defects King Lear Overture has all of the romantic, schizophrenic drama of Symphony fantastique. The dissonances following the 9:00 mark would have sounded even more jarring in the 1830s. I love the noisiness of this piece and its slightly deranged quality. Throughout his innovative career, Berlioz was interested in expanding the orchestra and combining instruments in shocking new ways. You might have noticed the influence of the recitative music from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in the opening. We hear Lear’s increasing insanity as his theme merges with the storm music (10:49). In his memoirs, Berlioz outlined the program he followed while writing this overture, from the introduction (representing the entrance of the king) to the fast allegro section (the storm). Also notice the musical depiction of a braying donkey (3:07):Ĭould you hear the stubborn, proud character of King Lear in Berlioz’s music? Maybe you also sensed the pure Cordelia in the oboe solo in the introduction (2:47). Listen for all the subtle tricks and surprises in the fairy music, such as unexpected, “wrong” chords and out of place voices. We hear the magic of the forest and the scurrying fairies who interfere hilariously in the lives of the other characters. Mendelssohn’s overture captures vividly the atmosphere of the play. Sixteen years later, he composed incidental music for the play, which included the Scherzo, Nocturne and Wedding March. The Merchant of Venice A Midsummer Night’s Dreamįelix Mendelssohn was 17 years old when he wrote the famous A Midsummer Night’s Dream concert overture in 1826. The motions of his spirit are dull as night Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, With measure heap’d in joy, to the measures fall. Play, music! And you, brides and bridegrooms all, Now let’s celebrate with some more music inspired by the Bard of Avon: A few months ago we heard Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet tone poem. Throughout history, Shakespeare’s plays have been a rich source of inspiration for composers. Historians believe that today marks the 450th birthday of William Shakespeare.
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