I was introduced to a new to me genre. My Dear Son IV, Roy, gave me the gift of awareness of KLINGON OPERA.
According to RVRGEEK, “‘u’ (meaning Universe in Klingon) is part of the first full length Klingon opera performed on earth.
“Klingon opera is based around the principle of musical combat, the impact of two opposing forces.”
For your listening … entertainment:
Klingon Opera ‘u’ in Haus der Kulturen der Welt Berlin
5min. 30sec.
uploaded by Drongo
Komposition: Eef van Breen
Libretto: Kees Ligtelijn and Marc Okrand
Künstlerische Leitung: Floris Schönfeld
Produktion: Theater Zeebelt/ Den Haag
“Part of the very special opera ‘u’ by Floris Schönfeld, directly from the Netherlands.
They tell us the story of Kahless and how he lost his brother and father to the underworld, only to follow and rescue them.
“Here we see Kahless (the wonderful Taru Huotari) fighting together with his love Lukara (Jeannette Huizinga). After the Master of the Scream (Michael Mason) tells us more about the battle at the river, Kotar from the Underworld (Ben Kropp) is looking for the two stolen souls (father and brother of Kahless) and will be convinced by Kahless to join the battle against Molor.
“Saw it in the 2013 special “Unmenschliche Musik” at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin.” http://www.hkw.deDrongo
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My Mother had an exceptional opera quality contralto that she used occasionally as a young teen. Mother sang solos, by invitation, in large Atlanta churches, during and just after WWII. She never needed microphones or other enhancement. When she sang, a cappella, the Pater Noster with Doxology, her long dark deep red hair glistening in sunlight streaming through stained glass, even the most calloused, hardened veterans, and harshly bitter, destroyed elders would shiver and weep.
Mother married at sixteen. When she was nineteen I was born. Her magnificent voice was silenced, except to sublimate her longings into entertainment for her children.
Bali Ha’i, recorded the year I was born, is a song my Mother used to sing. Though she longed to travel across the oceans and visit exotic islands, she also longed for personal expression. She never did have the opportunities or circumstances for either. The lyrics of this beautiful song express longing for more than a particular geographic place. The Lord’s Prayer, or Pater Noster, we all know.
Bear … 12.12.2014
ⓒ Bearspawprint2014
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OUR FATHER, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.
PATER NOSTER, qui es in cœlis;
sanctificatur nomen tuum:
Adveniat regnum tuum;
fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in cœlo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie:
Et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris:
et ne nos inducas in tentationem:
sed libera nos a malo.
Quia tuum est regnum, et potestas, et Gloria,
in saecula.
Amen.
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Pater Noster — Peteris Vasks
Latvian Radio Choir-
Sinfonietta Riga-
Sigvards Klava
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Bali Ha’i
Most people live on a lonely island,
Lost in the middle of a foggy sea.
Most people long for another island,
One where they know they will like to be.
Bali Ha’i may call you,
Any night, any day,
In your heart, you’ll hear it call you:
“Come away, Come away.”
Bali Ha’i will whisper
In the wind of the sea
“Here am I, your special island!
Come to me, come to me!”
Your own special hopes,
Your own special dreams,
Bloom on the hillside
And shine in the streams.
If you try, you’ll find me
Where the sky meets the sea.
“Here am I, your special island
Come to me, Come to me.”
Bali Ha’i,
Bali Ha’i,
Bali Ha’i!
Someday you’ll see me floating in the sunshine,
My head sticking out from a low flying cloud,
You’ll hear me call you,
Singing through the sunshine,
Sweet and clear as can be:
“Come to me, here am I, come to me.”
If you try, you will find me
Where the sky meets the sea.
“Here am I, your special island
Come to me, Come to me.”
Bali Ha’i,
Bali Ha’i,
Bali Ha’i!
Bali Ha’i — Bloody Mary solo: Juanita Hall
Columbia Masterworks Record# ML 4180 (green label) from 1949.
Composer: Richard Rodgers.
Lyricist: Oscar Hammerstein II.
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This was the dramatic rendition of Carl Orff’s most famous piece of music, how he wanted it to look but seldom performed as such nowadays. It was finally filmed by West German TV in 1975 with the close co-operation of Orff in honour of his 80th birthday. The various stories of young lust and gluttony are playfully and skillfully brought to life. This version of Orff’s masterpiece of the sacred and profane was hard to find in Germany. Not so strange, it was banned there for decades, most likely because of its almost literal interpretation of the texts Orff put music to. I first saw this when I was 12-13 years old at the Goethe Institute in Bergen, Norway, with my father, sister and mother. Someone had managed to get hold of an 8mm film roll with it and had a secret screening. This was in the 1980s and, believe it or not, there were strong forces opposed to what they considered blasphemous content in films. The mixture of Christian and pagan imagery is completely consistent with the lyrics, which were found in a monastery, and are a mixture of sacred and profane songs, but were obviously too tough to swallow. Copies of the film were destroyed, but luckily, art prevailed ernal ulse
Requiem – Mozart KV 626 Gregory Carreño Simon Bolivar Orchestra of Venezuela
Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela
Simon Bolivar National Youth Choir of Venezuela
Samia Ibrahim, Soprano
Katiuska Rodriguez, Mezzo-Soprano
Robert Giron, Tenor
Alvaro Carrillo, Bass-Baritone
Gregory Carreño, Conductor
Sala Simón Bolívar, Centro de Acción Social por la Música
“Carmina Burana” am Wiener Westbahnhof, 23. April 2012 mit Solistinnen, Chor und Orchester der Volksoper Wien Produziert für die Volksoper von ppm 2.0, http://www.ppmzweinull.com
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
One of these mornings
You’re going to rise up singing
Then you’ll spread your wings
And you’ll take to the sky
But till that morning
There’s a’nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
Annie Wiggings Brown Summertime Aria — Porgy and Bess — George Gershwin
“Introduction” and “Summertime” From the Opera, “Porgy and Bess” Music by George Gershwin Lyrics by Du Bose Heyward and Ira Gershwin Featuring Anne Brown, soprano Accompanied by the Decca Symphony Orchestra Directed by Alexander Smallens Recorded May 15, 1940 Decca 29067A
George Gershwin’s “American Folk Opera” Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway on October 10, 1935, in the middle of the Great Depression and closed after only 124 performances on January 25, 1936. In May 1940, Decca Records assembled some of the members of the original cast, including Todd Duncan and Anne Brown, who had played the title characters, for a recording session that produced a 78 rpm album of selections from the score.
Anne Wiggins Brown (born Annie Wiggins Brown August 9, 1912 – died March 13, 2009) was an African American soprano who created the role of “Bess” in the original production of George Gershwin’s folk opera Porgy and Bess in 1935. She was also a radio and concert singer. She settled in Norway in her 30’s and later became a Norwegian citizen.
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