Ave Maria - Lady of the Lake

So far I haven't featured any composition from operas, which are integral to classical music. But unfortunately, my own knowledge of operas is rather limited, and I don't have a great ear for it yet. The piece showcased today however, has been transposed for various instruments, my favorite being Liszt's version for the piano.

Contrary to common misconception that the piece was composed to accompany the traditional Roman Catholic prayer Ave Maria, Franz Schubert originally composed the song as one of seven set to the epic poem The Lady of the Lake. In the poem, a woman named Ellen Douglas is singing a prayer to Virgin Mary before Roderick Dhu goes into battle in rebellion against King James. The opening words of the song Ave Maria, combined with the subsequent popularity of the melody set to the traditional prayer caused this generalization.

This piece has also been featured in many movies and tv shows including: The Hangover III, The Intouchables, Glee, Psyche, 28 Days Later... the list goes on and on to a total of 210 titles on IMBD. 

Ave Maria (Op. 52, No. 6 - Ellen's Gesang III) - Composed by Franz Schubert

Performed by Mirusia Louwerse

And as mentioned earlier, my favorite instrumental version would be Franz Liszt's arrangement, performed below by Andre Hamelin

Film score - The Lion King

Happy Friday!

As music has evolved over the past decades, movies feature more digitally created sounds, but surprisingly in every movie there is still the traditional symphony embedded somewhere in the music score. I found a great video of the music score from The Lion King. The added chorus makes the theme incredibly powerful, and I can immediately picture Simba running through the field chasing after the fading Mufasa in the clouds.

This is one you don't want to miss!

The Lion King - All that The Light Touches
Composed by Hans Zimmer

"The Pianist" - Chopin Ballade

For those of you who have not seen the movie "The Pianist", a 3 Oscar award winning movie including Best Actor and Best Director,  you are missing out on the hauntingly beautiful scene below. Although the movie only features the shortened version of the piece, the set up of the scene makes the performance dramatically powerful. Based on a true story, Szpilman is a Jewish concert pianist on the run in Poland from the Nazi regime during WWII. When he scours an abandoned home in Warsaw for food, he is confronted by the German officer Hosenfeld. Miraculously, Hosenfeld suggests Szpilman play the piano after learning of his past profession, and is so moved by the performance he does not reveal Szpilman and allows him to hide in the attic.

The piece played by Szpilman in an desperate attempt to save his life is the Ballade No. 1 in G Minor Opus 23, composed by Chopin. (What does underlined gibberish mean? See previous post here and here). A Ballade is like a waltz, but more complex and rich in variations. Chopin was a master of romantic music, and while this piece is not as popular as some of his other mainstream compositions (Fantasy Impromptu, Nocturne opus 9 No. 2) I think it provides the right mood for a once outstanding pianist, now with decrepit fingers, to pour out his emotions of sorrow, misery, his passion for life, and the will to survive.

Enjoy!

Soundtrack from the movie "The Pianist"
Ballade No. 1 in G Minor Opus 23, composed by Frédéric Chopin

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

Today's Friday and to head off an exciting weekend, I want to share a piano solo piece by one of my favorite composers, Franz Liszt.

Liszt was a rock star of his time, immensely popular, and endured relatively little hardship compared to some of the other great composers. It has been said that when during his concerts, he would slowly take off his long white gloves, and ladies in the audience would swoon over how handsome the act was.

Of all of Liszt's compositions, the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 is undoubtedly the most famous. He wrote total of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies, and No. 2 was such a fun piece that it's been popularized by pop culture.

See it featured in this award winning cartoon short of Tom and Jerry, winner of the 1946 Academy Awards for best Cartoon short.

Similar to the Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin in the previous post, a Rhapsody is a single movement piece that is free flowing and encompasses various different tempos and moods. Think of it as interpretive dance, where one minute it's calm and peaceful, and the next moment it's wild and crazy. You will definitely hear that in Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.2, written in 1851. What's more unique about this particular piece is that there is a Cadenza ad libitum, where each performing artist chooses to add something special and unique into the piece. Kind of like in the middle of performing a song, the singer chooses to sing a melody from a different song or one they made up as a tribute to their performance. In the recording below, I've chosen pianist Marc Andre Hamelin's cadenza in the performance below.

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor, composed by Franz Liszt

Performed by Marc Andre Hamelin

Rhapsody in Blue - Contemporary Classical Jazz

Ever rode on an United Airlines flight and watched the opening safety video? Remember the hit movie from earlier this year The Great Gatsby? What the two have in common is a clip of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which can be heard in the grandiose scene where the audience meets Gatsby for the first time, starting at 0:32.

Leonardo DiCaprio's introduction in The Great Gatsby

The Rhapsody in Blue is a contemporary classical piece written in 1924 for piano and jazz band, later orchestrated for a full symphony. It was immensely popular right after it premiered in New York City, and solidified George Gershwin's reputation as a serious composer. It is a piano concerto (piano solo accompanied by full orchestra) with one major difference in that a Rhapsody is one continuous movement, whereas piano concertos typically have three separate movements. This piece has been interpreted as the 'musical portrait of NYC', and featured in several other movies such as Disney's Fantasia 2000 as well as performed at the 1984 Olympics opening ceremony in Los Angeles and the 50th Grammy awards.

Here it is now in it's full glory. Enjoy!

Rhapsody in Blue - composed by George Gershwin
Performed by Lang Lang

Contemporary - Howl's Moving Castle

This may be a bit of a stretch, but this next piece is so wonderfully melodic and written for a full symphony that I thought I'd include it as my piece showcasing contemporary classical music. It is the theme from the movie Howl's Moving Castle, an animated picture following the adventures of a young girl cursed by a witch into an old lady, and the love story between her and Howl, the owner of the floating castle. The symphony suite is composed by Joe Hisaishi, and in the live recording below he is both the piano soloist and the conductor. 

Howl's Moving Castle (Main Theme) - Composed by Joe Hisaishi

As a bonus, here is an amazing rearrangement for guitar performed by Sungha Jung. He mainly does rearrangements of pop music in US and Korea, but occasionally there will be a soundtrack gem. Enjoy!

Howl's Moving Castle (Main Theme) - Composed by Joe Hisaishi, arrangement by Sungha Jung