Filed under: Editor Picks, Keep It Classical | Tags: Chris Martin, classical music, Clocks, Coldplay, Live Earth, Persia, Qin Dynasty, Twelve Girls Band
Twelve Girls Band covers Western songs with Chinese instruments
Twelve is a significant number in Chinese culture. There are, as any restaurant placemat will tell you, 12 animals in the zodiac. There are 12 golden hairpins, or jinchai, that represent womanhood. Twelve “Earthly Branches” follow the planets’ orbits to determine months, seasons and hours. The lunar calendar is split into 12-year cycles. And Twelve Girls Band has—you know it—12 girls in it.
The classically-trained members Twelve Girls Band all hail from China’s top music conservatories. Chosen from 4,000 auditions, they play classical instruments such as the erhu, a two-stringed fiddle; the guzheng, a zither dating back to the Qin Dynasty; and the yangqin, a hammered dulcimer originating from ancient Persia. With these they inject some drama into traditional Chinese melodies as well as modern Western pieces—like Coldplay’s Grammy-Award-winning hit “Clocks:”
While they faithfully replicate Chris Martin’s stirring, minimalist piano riff, they also give it the distinctive voice and solo of otherwise-forgotten instruments that peaked in the lavish court ensembles of ancient Chinese royalty. The result is a stunning blend of the familiar—Western ears will recognize the opening notes at a Pavlovian level, while those from the People’s Republic will spot the dizi (a Western-style flute) solo in place of the vocals from a mile away—and the unheard-of, combining into something beautiful that proves to be greater than the sum of its parts.
Twelve Girls Band has toured America in 2004 and 2005, promoting two of their six studio albums. They’ve played Live Earth as well as striking it huge in Japan—and there should be no surprise to their popularity with songs like these.
– Blake Rong, Features Editor
Dizi
Filed under: Editor Picks, Keep It Classical | Tags: Bach, Chopin, Classics by the Sea, Debussy
Album merges classical masterpieces with ocean serenity.
PREVIEW: Download “Etude in A-flat Major” MP3
The sound of ocean waves can make anything tolerable — from screaming children to obnoxious Jersey mothers — but more importantly, it makes an iPod orgasmic. I’d like to meet the person who decided to take classical music masters (Chopin, Bach, Debussy) and set their flawless compositions amidst the ebb and flow of the ocean tide. Classics by the Sea – Chopin is genius.
You might half-expect to hear a seagull chime in, or a lifeguard’s whistle-blow; but mostly, the waves aren’t too overpowering. My favorite is “Etude in A-flat Major,” in which the crashing waves act as an orchestral instrument competing with the rapid build-up of the piano.
– Carly Wolkoff, Managing Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks, Features, Keep It Classical | Tags: Ben Harper, Lifeline, The Relentless7, White Lies for Dark Times
Ben Harper’s new album has got more blues and back-up singers than you want to hear normally, but Harper still keeps you around with his soul-gripping vocals.
Ben Harper is back with his new gang, The Relentless7, in “White Lies for Dark Times” set for release on May 5th. The new album isn’t as quaint as Harper’s last studio album, “Lifeline,” but still manages to revitalize good electric blues-rock.
It’s got some fast paced rock songs, but Harper’s voice is too special for this kind of sound. He’s best when he’s going solo, holding nothing but his acoustic guitar and a fresh-lit cigarette by his side. “Lifeline” seduced me like no other solo-acoustic album in a long time, and I was a little disappointed when I didn’t get it in “White Lies for Dark Times.”
That said, the album has some quality old-school, blues-rock songs like “Shimmer and Shine.” Harper may be an acoustic enchanter at heart, but he knows how to rock out too. I respect Harper’s spirit, so I thus respect this album.
If you really like Ben Harper, pick this album up, but for those looking for really good Harper, pick up “Lifeline.”
–Jett Wells, Co-Reviews Editor
Filed under: Keep It Classical | Tags: Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst (1874-1934) wrote his symphonic suite The Planets in 1915, depicting each known planet of the solar system, except for earth, in seven different movements. In 1930, with the discovery of Pluto, many people suggested that Holst should add on another movement for the new planet. Holst, however, refused, explaining that he felt that The Planets was already receiving too much attention in comparison to some of his other works which he felt were more worthy of praise. Or, perhaps, he foresaw the eventual revocation of Pluto’s planetary status in 2006, which would once again make the piece complete.
Filed under: Keep It Classical | Tags: Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Henry Fogel, WONO-FM, Hugo Alfven
Henry Fogel, announcer on the former classical music radio station in Syracuse, WONO-FM (now Hot 107.9!) and program annotator for the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra once wrote, “Hugo Alfven is cursed by history for having written one very popular work. By this he was referring to the fact that many people tended not to look past the most well known piece of the Swedish composer, the Swedish Rhapsody No 1, “Midsummer Vigil.” Actually, Alfven wrote many other works worthy of attention, including eight symphonies. The fourth of these symphonies was written in 1918.
Symphony No. 4 of Hugo Alfven is programmatic in nature, meaning that the music tells a story. In this case, it is a passionate love story. It begins with the first moments of attraction, when, as the composer explains, “two human beings find each other and the highest bliss of love reveals itself to them,” and concludes with the dramatic end of their relationship. While most symphonies have four movements, this is technically a one- movement work, although it still has four distinct sections. Each section depicts a different step of the doomed love story. The symphony also includes singers who vocalize on the syllable “Ah” rather than singing lyrics, an uncommon feature in the classical repertoire. (more…)
Filed under: Editor Picks, Keep It Classical | Tags: China, Classical, Tan Dun, YouTube
Last fall, YouTube called for musicians from all corners of the world to submit audition tapes for the honorary chance to be part of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. This is a project destined to make classical music more accessible to everyone by bringing it up to speed with the current (and future) digital age of music. The orchestra will have the chance perform a concert in Carnegie Hall in April, performing piece by Chinese composer Tan Dun. Need I say that it will be broadcast live on YouTube?
-Meredith Laing, Managing Editor
Filed under: Keep It Classical | Tags: Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Antonin Dvorak, Karl Husa, Philippe Quint, Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Being one of my very favorite orchestral pieces, I doubt weather there could be a performance of Antonin Dvorak’s New World Symphony that I wouldn’t like. With that said, the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra performance of the New World Symphony, which concluded their concert on Saturday night, was one of the weaker performances that I have seen them give. Besides a couple of noticeable errors in the brass section, intonation in the strings was sometimes questionable, and the ensemble was not always precisely together. However, the beautifully phrased flute solo in the second movement was a highlight of the piece, and there were other powerful moments which made it an enjoyable performance overall. This piece is always an audience favorite, and the overwhelming applause showed that Saturday night’s crowd was not phased by the few minor glitches.
Filed under: Keep It Classical | Tags: Edvard Greig, George Enesco, Jim Krehbiel, Li Li, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra is excited about its upcoming concert next Tuesday. The concert includes works by George Enesco, Edvard Greig, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The Romanian Rhapsody by Enesco is a high-speed, whimsical, and exhilarating piece, which highlights the technique and talents of the flute section. The Holberg Suite by Greig is a piece written for the string orchestra, and showcases the different colors that a string ensemble can create. Finally, the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante is, as the name would suggest, something of a mix between a symphony and a concerto, and features soloists Jim Krehbiel (my teacher!) on violin and Li Li on viola.
This promising concert takes place on Tuesday, March 3rd at 8:00 PM in the Setnor Auditorium of Crouse College. Hope to see you there!
-Meredith Laing
Composer Ludwig van Beethoven
A person’s life is often bound by expectations– whether from family and friends, society as a whole, or his or her own conscious. However, the most significant and memorable moments in life often occur when a person breaks free of those expectations. The same can be said for music. People naturally hunger for change, and because of this it is the composers who break the mold that matter most in the course of music history.
Composers during the Classical period in music, from 1670 to 1780, became extremely concerned with clarity of specific forms in music (i.e. a standard pop music form today is A-B-C-B-D-B, alternating between different verses and a repeated chorus). “Sonata form” became clearly defined during the Classical period as a work involving an exposition, a development and a recapitulation, with certain keys corresponding to each section, as well as standard ways of moving from one section to another. There were so many preexisting expectations surrounding sonata form that the process of composing became very rigid, almost like a “compose-by-numbers.” Ludwig van Beethoven was the composer who would eventually color outside the lines. In making alterations to standard musical forms, he was able to realistically represent life and how life changes over time.
Filed under: Keep It Classical | Tags: Edvard Greig, Ian Hartsough, Robert Schumann, Sergei Prokofiev, Steve Heyman, Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra
If you’re a Seinfeld fan like me, you may recall the episode in which Elaine is forced to invent a fake identity for a woman named Suzy at work, and subsequently fabricates a story about her death when the lie proves to be too much to keep up with. Such is the story of Lieutenant Kije, a man created when the Russian Czar misunderstands a conversation among a group of soldiers. He is under the impression that a lieutenant by the name of Kije exists, and no one has the courage to tell him that he has made a mistake.
This satirical story was written by Yuri Tinyanov, and then made into a film in 1934. Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev was commissioned to write the music for the movie, giving us the “Lieutenant Kije Suite” in five movements. The first tells of Kije’s noble “birth,” the second is a romance as the pretend Kije falls in love, the third a jubilant wedding (clearly involving plenty of vodka, as the movement often shifts into unexpected keys), the fourth depicts a sleigh ride, and finally the fifth movement is music for Kije’s burial, after he is supposedly tragically killed in battle.
The Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra will open with this piece at its third concert of the semester this coming Friday. Listen for the militaristic themes in the wind and brass instruments, as well as damn near impossible mandolin-like pizzicato passages in the violins.
Some pretty wild pizzicato can also be heard in the subsequent piece, “Tweak,” written by graduate student Ian Hartsough. With different sections given labels such as “intense” and “overwhelming,” this is an exciting piece filled with rhythmic complexity as well as some jazzy figures. The scoring also allows each instrument their own moment to shine in the spotlight.
The final piece on the program, however, is all about the piano. Setnor School of Music faculty member Steve Heyman joins the orchestra to play the very popular “Piano Concerto in A minor” by Edvard Grieg. Greig was Norway’s most famous composer, but this piece was heavily influenced by his studies in Leipzig, Germany, and especially by fellow composer Robert Schumann. This concerto, in fact, is often compared to Schumann’s own piano concerto. It features beautifully lyrical passages as well as extremely virtuosic cadenzas (free piano solos) which highlight Professor Heyman’s technical facility at the keyboard. Try something different this weekend and come see what the SUSO has to offer; the concert takes place this Friday at 8 PM in the Setnor Auditorium of Crouse College, and there’s even a reception to follow!
- Meredith Laing
