Category — Music

Due to religious reasons, I was unable to attend the class where the guest, Amanda, came to introduce the art of opera to us. Therefore, my perception of the opera before that Thursday made a complete 180 degree change once I actually saw it. I expected to watch a single woman dressed in an elegant attire sing “opera” for three hours straight without any interaction with other characters. I thought the ONLY pre-requisite to perform in the opera was to just be able to sing with a distinctly powerful voice. But I was so wrong.

When the curtain was raised, I was confused to see multiple men on stage. Already I knew that this performance was not going to meet my expectations in any way. There were so many aspects that I appreciated at the end of the show- the acting, the obvious vocal talent, the scenery, the costumes, the dances, and most importantly, the perfectly captured emotions. I enjoyed my time in the opera more than I thought I would. I really appreciated that the venue provided us with subtitles in front of us because without them, it would have been way too difficult for me to understand what was going on. However, our seats were rather high and so I didn’t have such a great view of the actual performance.

[The woman who played] Carmen’s ability to show her emotions was undeniable. Even though we were so high up, I still felt her passion. She was a little too provocative for my taste (giggle), but she was really able t0 insert so much drama into the performance. Don Jose bothered me a little with his constant mentioning of his homeland and his mother, but he too was able to give his character the appropriate emotion he deserved.

In class we discussed how the opera being in French obstructed our understanding of the content. I definitely agree with that concept, but would like to just add that this language is so beautiful that I think if it were to be in English, it wouldn’t be as audibly pleasing.

I honestly don’t think I’ll be running with excitement to my next opera experience because of its length and my preference of broadway shows. However, it feels incredible that I can say that I’ve been to an opera at all. It’s something that I’ve always been curious about and I feel very accomplished that I did it. I feel more cultured in a way and it’s really awesome. Thanks Professor Ugoretz!

The American Ballet Theatre was absolutely beautiful. From the sets, to the dancers, to the music, everything was beautiful. Every single “act” brought something new to the performance and I enjoyed every single one.

The first act, “Sinfonietta,” seemed to be about symmetry. There was no real set during this act, which made me think that the focus must really be the dancing. The choreography seemed to alternate between one, to two, to a group of dancers. The dancers did a lot of running and jumping in this act. I noticed that they made the choreography look so easy, when I know it is not. I know that the dancers have to be in control of almost every muscle in their body during the dance. I cannot imagine the work and hours of practice that went into each practice. However, something I did notice that bothered me was the actual sound of the dancers shoes hitting the stage. For some reason, the sound of the ballerinas coming down on their feet distracted me from the actual dancing and the orchestra too. I know it is foolish to be bothered by it because these dancers are coming down on their feet with their full body weight and coming down after being so high off the stage. Still, the sound bothered me and I found myself paying attention to it often. The music in “Sinfonietta” was high-spirited and mimicked the high-energy dancing. I was heavily relying on the orchestra for some kind of story line, but then again, I think this act was meant to focus more on the actual dancing and choreography and not on a story line.

The second act, “Jardin aux Lilas,” was the most emotionally touching act of the entire night. This act’s story line was taking place in a garden, which was beautifully created on the stage, where there is a farewell party. The garden party is meant to celebrate or focus on a soon to be married couple, however, it ended up focusing on the tension between lovers. The bride appeared to be set up, or arranged to marry a much older gentleman, whose costumes varied much differently from the rest of the dancers. There was a longing between the bride and the man she truly loved and wanted to be with. The audience is left hoping and expecting a final kiss between the bride and the man she wants to be with. Unfortunately, this final, farewell kiss never comes. There is also tension and a different sense of longing between the groom and his mistress. The theme that rang through this act was yearning and longing. I also thought that this choreography told the story of how unfortunate life can be. Both the groom and the bride seemed to be aware that they would not be happy in this forced union and wanted to be with other people. This specific act, more so the scenery and set, reminded me of Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Nights Dream. I actually think someone(s) in the class mentioned it during the act. Something I think that is important to notice is that the title of this act, “Jardin aux Lilas,” means “Lilac Garden” when translated into English. The thing to note is that lilacs represent the emotions of love, which I see very fitting for this act. The dancing obviously mimicked longing and orchestra played softly. The music made me feelsad and almost depressed.

The third and final act, “Fancy Free,” was my personal favorite. This specific act seemed to be more along the lines of modern ballet, not that I would know (this was my first time seeing a ballet). The story was about three, humor-filled sailors. The sailors were spending “a night on the town” when they started competing for the attention of two dames. The sailors were competing for their attention and almost asking the women, “Pick me, pick me, pick me.” Their dancing was high-spirited. I almost forgot that I was watching a ballet when one of the dancers jumped on the bar table and jumped back off. The choreography of the dancing captured the humor between the sailors. At one point the sailors burst into fighting each other in a very sill manner that was hard to take seriously. The orchestra, of course captured this silliness. The music was light-hearted and I think it was also meant to capture the time period in which this story would take place, perhaps the 1940s or 50s. The way the act ended was neither woman choosing a sailor, I think they just walked out of the bar and in the middle of their fighting, the sailors did not notice. However, a third woman comes out and the cycle starts again.

     I definitely see myself going to another ballet in future. The only things I did not like about the ballet were the actual sound of the dancers shoes hitting the stage floor and the amount of clapping the dancers received. I did notice that the curtain was lifted around three times and the clapping continued for quite a long time. I thought this was basically feeding the dancers’ egos. However, after I thought about it, I think they deserved it. They made each movement and motion look so graceful and beautiful. I cannot imagine the amount of energy that went into each performance and I think that it is appropriate that their hard work be appreciated with a few rounds of clapping.

THE BALLET

The ballet was very surprising to me. I was of the impression that ballet was stiff, boring, and only for old people. When I saw Fancy Free about the sailors having a night on the town, I was totally impressed. Although it wasn’t the traditional form of ballet and reminded more of regular dance, it was funny, lighthearted and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My favorite though, was the Lilac Garden. The dancers played their parts so well and it was incredibly easy to follow the story even though there were no words. The end was really sad when she ends up actually going through with the marriage. The only thing that bothered me was the wardrobe for the women. They were all wearing long dresses that went down to their ankles. I though this took away from the grace and technique that characterizes ballet. All in all i though it was great. I would have never expected to enjoy it. Ballet is definitely a beautiful form of art.

THE OPERA 

The opera was actually a really interesting experience. The opera house itself is the largest of the three buildings in Lincoln Center. The sheer size and look of the building was really beautiful. The day Amanda came to teach us about opera, when she sang it was amazing. Her voice reverberated throughout the entire floor of the building. Our seats were really high up and the singers’ voices did not have the same power and effect as that day in the classroom. Even so I was very impressed at the various elements that are incorporated into an opera; singing, acting, and even dancing were a part of the show. I honestly think it was a bit long however. The story seemed to drag on in various parts and by the end I was getting a bit restless. Nevertheless Carmen was a really great show the emotion that is so characteristic of opera is what made me fall in love with it. I will definitely go back if I ever get the chance

Before Thursday night, when I thought of ballet, I would think about those dreadful lessons I had as a 7 year old.  My mother forced me into ballet, so I unfortunately didn’t have such great memories of the art. I unfortunately quit ballet, and moved on to hip hop for the next 10 years of my life. I really do love the art of dance; but, ballet was simply not for me. As Alex said, it’s one of the more strict forms of dancing. All I remembered was commands such as, “point your toes,” or “fix your posture!” However, I went into Lincoln Center very excited because

1) I am no longer 7 years old

2) I am not the one that has to point my toes this time (thank gd)

3) I’ve never been to Lincoln Center before

4) Ballet truly is a beautiful art form and this time, I get to enjoy it in the audience!

The first act, while beautiful, was very traditional and simply met my expectations. I went in knowing that I would be in awe at how long the dancers were able to support themselves on literally the tips of their toes. Their elegance was lovely and fluidity through their bodies was incredible. It actually made me wish I was a good ballet dancer when I was younger. I enjoyed this act very much but was excited to see the next because Professor Ugoretz had mentioned that it incorporated a story. The dramatic love triangle drew me into the relatable story and performance. It really captured my attention and helped me to appreciate the emotion behind the performance. The third act was definitely my favorite! I never expected a comedic ballet performance and I was so happy to have seen it. For a few seconds, I actually felt like I was watching a Broadway play (minus the singing of course). It was the perfect entertaining I needed to end off the night. I laughed hysterically and  was still able to notice the incredible talent of all 5 dancers!

In the end, I realized how perfect the setup of the show was. It started with a traditional elegant performance that’s purpose was to reveal the raw talent of the dancers. The second brought about a relatable dramatic story that caused the audience to be emotionally invested. The third brought laughter throughout the theater and lightened the mood after such serious performances. All three performances balanced each other out perfectly, making it an amazing night for everyone in the audience!

Okay so disclaimer ahead of time.

I find this song/music video to be beautiful due to the history i have with it. It is very beautiful in a comedic way, not so much in an emotionally moving sense. If you listen to this song on it’s own it however does sound beautiful (even though it is just repeating) but watching this video will also make you laugh, or feel creeped out…

Also this is an opera type piece so don’t listen to it if you don’t like it. I also forgot what the lyrics mean, but it has something to do with fire and ice… something along those lines… It’s in italian so maybe someone will know.

[quicktime]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSZtAV4W8JE[/quicktime]

I really love the version of this song. The acoustic version really brings something out of the song that the original does not. I feel like everything about it represents beauty: The instrumental tune, Sam Smith’s voice, the lyrics, and the memory it reminds me of. This song really enraptures me (pun intended!) and I could definitely listen to it on ‘Repeat’ for hours. Hope you all enjoyed it!

I know that someone is probably going to roll their eyes and say, “What a corny song!” but this is my beautiful song because of how amazing the words are. The words are so real and it gives the song just amazing meaning. When I listen to the words she’s singing, I just get engulfed and never want it to end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9ayN39xmsI

The Ecstasy of Gold is from the score of the movie The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, which is an awesome western.  It’s called Ecstasy of Gold because it is taken from a scene where one of the characters is hurriedly looking for the gold he knows is hidden in a certain grave in a huge graveyard. This version is from an album in which Yo Yo Ma plays Ennio Morricone’s music from many of his movie scores (which includes the movie this is from).

I feel that this song expresses the feeling of striving to reach any goal, starting out slow and then gaining momentum until it reaches its peak, symbolizing the final attainment of whatever the person set his/her mind to.  I think this song works with any goal, physical or theoretical. I personally enjoy jogging to it. I know, exercising to classical music sounds weird, but this song really pumps me up when it accelerates.

Is it beautiful? I think it is. It has so many parts and while it starts out low and slow with an instrument or two, as it gains in tempo and crescendo, more instruments are added until its a full fledged orchestra. It sounds stunning. If you pay close attention you can hear all the individual parts yet also the bigger picture. Also, it has a lot of string instruments which tend to add soul to music and Yo Yo Ma plays the cello amazingly which is a real bonus.

Hear it for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI6zLayBeJQ

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqBBTm4Bh3k[/youtube]

Justin, I love your taste. I also chose a song by Lecare. Lecrae is a gospel rapper who grew up in the inner city of Atlanta. Lecrae is one of my favorite artists because of the message he conveys through his music. Lecrae’s commentary is mostly on popular hip hop which he believes is devoid of any meaning or substance. This song titled “Nuthin” explains his belief that hip hop artists communicate through their songs but they fail to communicate the right things or anything resembling a positive influence. This song is art because it uses hip hop to create a new culture within the genre. You would think this is another one of those meaningless raps but its the complete opposite. (Listen carefully to the lyrics.)