The Ship Song

The Ship Song is an iconic and beautiful ballad sung by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.



In 2010 the Sydney Opera House sought Nick Cave's permission to record a version of the song, and he agreed.

Many musicians and dancers were involved in the production of the song:

Neil Finn, Kev Carmody and The Australian Ballet, Sarah Blasko, John Bell, Angus and Julia Stone, Paul Kelly and Bangarra Dance Theatre, Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Opera Australia, Martha Wainwright, Katie Noonan and The Sydney Symphony, The Temper Trap, Daniel Johns and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Sydney Opera House CEO Richard Evans:

“We set out to create a tribute to the House’s role in the global creative community – a love song to creativity if you wish.”

“We wanted to give people everywhere the opportunity to experience the creative genius that makes this place tick, to get a taste of the artists, venues and other spaces that power the heart that beats beneath our soaring white sails.”

The result was the wonderful evocation of the song below:




Here is Nick Cave's view of the lyrics:

I wrote the song because Anita and I would argue at a constant pace and I would always tell her to unleash the dogs and burn the bridges as a way of saying you can say what you feel but forget the past and let's move forward. In an argument one always has to stand down until the other quits. This cleans off the slate. The first verse contemplates arguing all night long until one gives in and they embrace each other and start over. This was not one of my "dark" songs. I write what I feel and I was not feeling "dark". If you want "dark" then immerse yourself into murder ballads.

The comment can be found here.

Lyrics

Come sail your ships around me
And burn your bridges down.
We make a little history baby
Every time you come around.
Come loose your dogs upon me
And let your hair hang down.
You are a little mystery to me
Every time you come around.

We talk about it all night long
We define our moral ground.
But when I crawl into your arms
Everything comes tumbling down.

Come sail your ships around me
And burn your bridges down.
We make a little history baby
Every time you come around.

Your face has fallen sad now
For you know the time is nigh
When I must remove your wings
And you, you must try to fly.

Come sail your ships around me
And burn your bridges down.
We make a little history baby
Every time you come around.
Come loose your dogs upon me
And let your hair hang down.
You are a little mystery to me
Every time you come around

Who is Ryuichi Sakamoto?

The world of Ryuichi Sakamoto is characterised by stark contrasts and by contradictions -- both apparent and real. He has an obsession with synthesizers and the latest music technology, and as a member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra he was one of the inventors of techno-pop. Yet some of his greatest and most well-known work has used the vehicle of that centuries-old mainstay of Western classical music, the orchestra. (Source of quote).

In the video below Sakamoto discusses his approach to music, and confirms its eclectic nature.



Follow this link for his some of his classical western music.

Follow this link for some of his music in more popular genres.

Here is an interview that he gave to Fader Magazine.

Ryuichi Sakamoto - pop mode

For an introduction to Sakamoto follow this link.

He also writes and performs in a western classical mode, examples of which can be found at this post.

From his Beauty album:





With Yellow Magic Orchestra:





Neo Geo

Ryuichi Sakamoto - classical mode

For an introduction to Sakamoto follow this link.

This post features some of Sakamoto's music making in western classical mode, including some of the music that he wrote for film.

He also makes pop music which can be found at this post.

Syd

Here is a post of mine that contains some of my favourite Pink Floyd songs.

The videos below are a documentary on Syd Barrett and his association with Pink Floyd.

Pink Floyd

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

This is one of my favourite pieces of music and the best that Pink Floyd created.

There were two parts that book ended the album Wish You Were Here.

Here is Part 1 of the original version:



Here is part 2 of the original version:



A link to the live performance at Knebworth in 1990.

Here is a link to the live performance at the Syd Barrett Tribute Concert.

The song was dedicated to Syd Barrett, who was born 6 January 1946 and died 7 July 2006. Barrett was one of the founders of Pink Floyd. He left the band in 1968, " ... as the other members felt they were unable to go on with Syd, due to his erratic behavior, assumed to be caused by his overindulgence in LSD". Source of quote the Pink Floyd Website.

Here is Wikipedia's take on Barrett. A website dedicated to Barrett can be found at this link.

A documentary on Syd and the Pink Floyd can be found at this post.

The full lyrics can be found at this link.


Great Gig in the Sky

Beautiful writing and instrumentation by the band and a truly great vocal by Clare Torry. A high point on The Dark Side of the Moon album

Without a word she tells us about the emotions of love, sex, anger, happines, calmness and acceptance.




Wish You Were Here

This is the title track to a full album tribute to Syd Barrett.



Find the lyrics at this site.

Comfortably Numb

This is taken from The Wall album, thich is about the psychic disintegration of a rock star - probably another reference to Syd Barrett, though also Roger Waters' expeiences played an important part in the development of the album. The video has some confronting images.



Another Brick in the Wall, part 2

For a bit of fun, instead of a direct Pink Floyd video, here is a mashup of with the Bee Gees Stayin Alive



Astronomy domine

There are videos with better sound quality but this one has Syd performing!

Mashups

To quote Wikipedia, a mashup is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another.

Here are some that I found on YouTube.

Who would have thought that Pink Floyd and the Bee Gees would go so well together ...



... or AC/DC and the Ghostbusters theme ...



... or The Beetles and Guns N Roses ...

Madama Butterfly

The Love Duet - the most beautiful music and the most poignant scene in all of opera!



Un bel di vedremo:



And Pinkerton's shocking betrayal led to this:

Flash Mob Opera

I expect that you have heard of flash mobs , well here is the opera version:



Here is another one:



Here is a Christmas one:

Down Under

This song always reminds me of Hong Kong, as I heard it at an international show on my first visit to Hong Kong in the early 1080s.

Cat Stevens

Last Saturday Margaret, Michelle, Jonathan and I went to a Cat Stephens tribute show at the Werribee Cultural Centre.

Here are some of the songs that were sung:

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass

This is a stunner!

The question, "why is he covered in red paint?" is answered at the end.

(If you find that the video stops and starts as it downloads from YouTube the best way to watch it is to start it up, go away and then come back and play it through when it is completely downloaded.)

Turn on your sound!



What a brilliant idea for a Video Clip!

Here is a brief video describing the origin of the idea and how it was executed.



This is a link to an article with many pictures of the band setting up the "machine".

They also produced a more standard, but still entertaining, version shown below:

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.

To find out more about the band go to their website.

Muppets do Queen

Muppets do one of the great songs of all time.



Inspired!

I enjoyed it even more the second time through!

Gonzo as Freddie!

"Nothing really matters, but moi"

Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors

This talk is summarised in the following way:

An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate leadership challenge: creating perfect harmony without saying a word. In this charming talk, Itay Talgam demonstrates the unique styles of six great 20th-century conductors, illustrating crucial lessons for all leaders.

To find out more about Talgam check out his website .

Sound of Music

I generally post on serious topics on this blog, but this morning two of my friends, John Tweedley and Peter O'Connor emailed me a link to the video below.

A feel good post is a must once in a while.



The event is described in YouTube as follows:

More than 200 dancers were performing their version of "Do Re Mi", in the Central Station of Antwerp. with just 2 rehearsals they created this amazing stunt! Those 4 fantastic minutes started the 23 of march 2009, 08:00 AM. It is a promotion stunt for a Belgian television program, where they are looking for someone to play the leading role, in the musical of "The Sound of Music".

Pentatonic Scale

Turn on the sound and click the play button on the video below, this is cool:



If you are interested in the details of the Pentatonic Scale follow this link . The fact that this type of scale is used in a wide variety of cultures may explain the natural, intuitive way the audience reacted in the video. Here is a post about McFerrin's technique for "teaching" the scale to the audience - don't be put off by the name of the site. And the World Science Festival site can be found here .

Enough of the intellectualizing already! McFerrin is most famous for Don't Worry Be Happy which you can see at this link (embedding is disabled, unfortunately) but clearly there is much more to him than just that great song.

Here he is singing Ave Maria at a Jazz Concert.



If you want some more, here is a link to his YouTube channel.

The Magic Flute

Yesterday I attended Australia Opera's presentation of Mozart's The Magic Flute. It is aptly named as it was a magical performance. Opera has a reputation in the wider community of being high brow and pretentious - a view that I don't accept. Certainly this show was very accessible, partly because it is in the form of a singspiel, "characterized by spoken dialogue, sometimes performed over music, interspersed with ensembles, popular songs, ballads and arias".


While Mozart wrote the music Emanuel Schikaneder wrote the libretto. He also took the role of Papageno at the premier. Schikaneder also may have given advice to Mozart concerning the musical setting of his libretto. The dramatist Ignaz Franz Castelli tells the following tale:

The late bass singer Sebastian Meyer told me that Mozart had originally written the duet where Papageno and Papagena first see each other quite differently from the way in which we now hear it. Both originally cried out "Papageno!", "Papagena!" a few times in amazement. But when Schikaneder heard this, he called down in to the orchestra, "Hey, Mozart! That's no good, the music must express greater astonishment. They must both stare dumbly at each other, then Papageno must begin to stammer: 'Pa-papapa-pa-pa'; Papagena must repeat that until both of them finally get the whole name out". Mozart followed the advice, and in this form the duet always had to be repeated.

An interesting story, though not necessarily true.

Mozart wrote the music with the initial cast in mind, as only two of them (The Queen of the Night and Sarastro) were professional singers. The other parts were taken by actors who could sing a bit. Most characters thus had string introductions so they could find their pitch. Mozart conducted the first two performances before falling ill

The opera premiered in Vienna on September 30, 1791.

This was just two years after the start of the French Revolution, before the revolution spun out of control, murdering its own during the Terror (led by Robespierre and Committee of Public Safety) .

Wordsworth later said of that time:

Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,
But to be young was very Heaven!" (The Prelude, x, 690-4.)

Mozart, of cause was not a revolutionary, but he was a Freemason. Freemasonry, at that time - quite different to its current incarnation - was about brotherhood and the rights of man. The producer of the Opera Australia production was aware of the Masonic connection as the photo below, from a scene in the Melbourne production, shows Masonic imagery in the background.



Another innovation was that the Magic Flute was sung in German.

As Nicholas Yardley wrote in his review:

The audience didn’t stream out of the Melbourne Arts Centre in 2009 crying, “liberty, equality, fraternity,” or “How wonderful it was sung in German rather than Italian.” Think of fairy floss. It melts away to sweet, sticky nothingness in your mouth. That’s how The Magic Flute is to a modern audience. It’s fairy floss. It’s not about enlightenment. It’s like a Marx Brothers musical with Zeppo as Tamino singing love songs, upstaged by Harpo as Pappageno, who on this occasion sings, and sings very well. It mustn’t lecture – it’s a fantasy.

And that is why the Melbourne production works. The opera opens in an enchanted forest and stays enchanted. The difference between then and now is that the cast can sing, and not just a little bit. Director, David Freeman and conductor, Jari Hamalainen are at their best and Andrew Goodwin as Tamino, not only sounds good, but looks the part. The same can be said of Daniel Sumegi as Sarastro. He towers above the others and looks truly regal. Lorina Gore as the coloratura Queen of the Night is spectacularly suspended by wires high above the stage, sharing the space with a huge, golden crescent moon. Sarah Crane as a tearful Pamina and Andrew Moran, as a boastful Pappageno also perform well.

I particularly enjoyed Moran's performance - Pappangeno as an ocker.

The show was visually spectacular, as the photo below shows:



A great addition was the use of an physical theatre group - Legs on the Wall - to play the animals, which can be seen in the photograph.

Below is a slide show of photos from the production:



And, the music is of cause wonderful. Here is one of the famous arias (though not from the Australian performance) ...



Here is a synopsis of the plot:

Act 1

Scene 1

Tamino, a handsome prince who is lost in a distant land, is pursued by a serpent. He faints from fatigue and three ladies, attendants of the queen appear and kill the serpent. They all fall in love with the prince and each plans to be alone with him. After arguing, they decide that it is best that they all leave together.

Tamino recovers to see before him Papageno, arrayed entirely in the plumage of birds, who sings of his job as a birdcatcher and the fact that he is longing for a wife. (Aria: Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja) Papageno jokes with Tamino but says that he brings the birds that he catches to the Queen of the Night's servants, who give him food and drink in return. Papageno also claims that he has saved Tamino and strangled the serpent with his bare hands. At this moment, the three ladies appear and punish his lie by paying for his birds with a stone instead of food, water instead of wine and placing a padlock over his mouth. They tell Tamino that they were responsible for saving him. He deeply appreciates them and they show to the prince a miniature of a young maiden, Pamina, with whom he falls instantly in love. (Aria: Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön / This image is enchantingly lovely, Like no eye has ever beheld!")
The arrival of the Queen of the Night. Stage set by Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781–1841) for an 1815 production

The Queen of the Night now appears, demanding that Tamino free her daughter, the original of the picture, from the hands of Sarastro, promising that he can marry Pamina in return. (Recitative and aria: O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn / "Oh, tremble not, my dear son! You are innocent, wise, pious"). The ladies give Tamino a magic flute that can change men's hearts, remove the padlock from Papageno, and present him with a chime of bells to protect him. Papageno accompanies Tamino, and they set forth, guided by three boys. They escape all danger by the use of the magic instruments. (Quintet: Hm hm hm hm)

Scene 2: A room in Sarastro's palace

Pamina is dragged in by Sarastro's servant Monostatos, a Moor, who is persecuting her. (Trio: Du feines Täubchen, nun herein!) Papageno, sent ahead by Tamino to help find Pamina, arrives. Monostatos and Papageno are each terrified by the other's strange appearance and flee the stage. But Papageno soon returns and announces to Pamina that her mother has sent Tamino to her aid. Pamina rejoices to hear that Tamino is in love with her, and then offers sympathy and hope to Papageno, who longs for a Papagena to love. Together they sing an ode to love (Duet: Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen), then depart.

Scene 3: Grove and entrance to the temples

The three boys lead in the prince. As Tamino reaches the temple, he is denied entrance at the Gates of Nature and Reason, by invisible voices singing "Go back!". But when he tries the Gate of Wisdom, a priest appears and gradually convinces him of the noble character of Sarastro. After the priest leaves him, Tamino plays his magic flute in hopes of summoning Pamina and Papageno. The tones of his magical instrument summon first a group of magically tamed beasts, then the sound of Papageno's pipes. Ecstatic at the thought of meeting Pamina, Tamino hurries off.

Papageno appears with Pamina, following the distant sound of Tamino's flute. The two are suddenly apprehended by Monostatos and his slaves. Papageno then works an enchantment on them with his magic bells, and they dance, blissfully and involuntarily, off the stage.

Papageno now hears the approach of Sarastro and his large retinue. He is frightened and asks Pamina what they should say. She replies, "The truth! The truth! Even if it were a crime," and with her words a triumphal march begins (Chorus: Es lebe Sarastro); Sarastro and his followers enter.

Sarastro conducts an impromptu judicial proceeding. Pamina falls at his feet and confesses that she was trying to escape because Monostatos had demanded her love. Sarastro receives her kindly and tells her that he will not force her inclinations, but cannot give her freedom.

Monostatos then enters with Tamino captive. The two lovers see one another for the first time and instantly embrace. The chorus sings "What is the meaning of this?" and they are separated. Monostatos tries to point the finger of blame at Tamino. Sarastro, however, does not believe Monostatos' dastardly trick. He punishes Monostatos for his insolence and leads Tamino and Papageno into the temple of Ordeal.

[edit] Act 2

Scene 4: A grove of palms

The council of priests, headed by Sarastro, enters to the sound of a solemn march. They determine that Tamino shall possess Pamina if he succeeds in passing through the ordeal, as they do not wish to return her to her mother, who has already infected the people with superstition. Sarastro, echoed by his fellow priests, then sings a prayer to the gods Isis and Osiris, asking them to protect Tamino and Pamina and to take them into their heavenly dwelling place should they meet death in the course of their trials. (O Isis und Osiris)

Scene 5: The courtyard of the temple of Ordeal

Tamino and Papageno are led into the temple. Tamino is cautioned that this is his last chance to turn back, but he states that he will undergo every trial to win his Pamina. Papageno is asked if he will also concede to every trial, but he says that he doesn't really want wisdom or to struggle to get it. The priest tells Papageno that Sarastro may have a woman for him if he undergoes the trials, and that she is called Papagena. Papageno says that he wouldn't mind a look at her to be sure, but the priest says that he must keep silent. Papageno finally agrees.

The first test is that Tamino and Papageno shall remain silent under the temptation of women. (Duet, Speaker and Priest) The three ladies appear, and tempt them to speak. (Quintet, Papageno, Tamino, Three Ladies) Tamino and Papageno remain firm, though Tamino must constantly tell Papageno, "Silent!"

Papageno confronts one of the priests and asks why he must undergo tests if Sarastro already has a woman that wants to be his wife. The priest says that it is the only way.

Scene 6: A garden, Pamina asleep

Monostatos approaches and gazes upon Pamina with rapture. (Aria: Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden) When the Queen of the Night appears and gives Pamina a dagger with which to kill Sarastro (Aria: Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen / "Hell's vengeance boileth in mine heart"), Monostatos retires and listens. He tries to force Pamina's love by using the secret, but is prevented by Sarastro, who allays Pamina's alarm. (Aria: In diesen heil'gen Hallen)

Scene 7: A hall in the temple of Ordeal

Tamino and Papageno must again suffer the test of silence. Papageno can no longer hold his tongue, but Tamino remains firm, even when Pamina speaks to him. Since Tamino refuses to answer, Pamina believes he loves her no longer. (Aria: Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden)

Scene 8: The pyramids

(Chorus) Sarastro parts Pamina and Tamino. (Trio, Sarastro, Pamina, Tamino) Papageno also desires to have his little wife, and sings of this with his magic bells. (Aria, Papageno: Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen). At the first ordeal, an old woman had appeared to him and declared herself his bride. She now again appears and changes herself into the young and pretty Papagena. However, the priests send her away with thunder and lightning. She vanishes, frightened, and Papageno is miserable.

Scene 9: An open country
Tamino and Pamina undergo their final trial; watercolor by Max Slevogt (1868–1932)

The three boys see Pamina attempting to commit suicide because she believes Tamino to be faithless. They prevent her from doing so, and take her to see him.

Scene 10: Rocks with water and a cavern of fire.

Two men in armor lead in Tamino, and in the musical form of a Baroque chorale prelude give him advice, then reassurance that Pamina lives. Sarastro appears and sends Pamina in. Pamina arrives and is overcome with joy to find Tamino, who is now allowed to speak to her. Both pass unscathed through the final ordeal of fire and water with the help of the magic flute, which Pamina tells him was carved by her father from an ancient oak tree. They emerge from their trials to the sound of an offstage chorus singing "Triumph!".

Papageno wishes to take his own life because he can't stop thinking about Papagena, but at the last minute the Three Boys appear and remind him that he should use his magic bells. The bells when played indeed summon Papagena, and the happy couple is united, stuttering at first ("pa … pa … pa") in astonishment. (Duet: Papageno! Papagena![10])

The traitorous Monostatos appears with the Queen of the Night and her ladies to destroy the temple (Nur stille, stille), but they are magically cast out into eternal night.

The scene now changes to the entrance of the chief temple, where Sarastro bids the young lovers welcome and unites them. The final chorus sings the praises of Tamino and Pamina in enduring their trials and gives thanks to the gods.