Anna Netrebko Day....

This beautiful Russian lady sings a very romantic  aria with one of the great baritones of his generation,

Dmitri Hvorostovsky       "E allor perche, di', tu m'hai stregato"  from Pagliacci 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36vm2VoXuXA

(The same aria done live by Teresa Stratas.... never pass up a chance to showcase this gorgeous soprano!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtyeeX1rgBg

Anna Netrebko having fun Placido Domingo and Rolando Villazon  in another (oh my gosh!, not opera!...yes, Opera!)  Franz Lehar's beautiful   Dein ist mein ganzes Herz  from The Land of Smiles
BTW, note that 110,000 people spread out over 2 football stadiums enjoying these spectacular  sounds...but alas, its Europe, not America that this is taking place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa58TdbRGJ4

Let's leave with Anna and Rolando singing  another gem from  the Berlin 2006 Concert.
O soave fanciulla - Anna Netrebko - Rolando Villazon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_UtIy5VEz0&feature=related

Everyone loves Puccini's O Mio Babbino Caro and so does Anna and the 120,000 people listening!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTltPfALLL8&feature=related

....and  "My Lips Kiss with Fire"  from another Franz Lehar Operretta....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_kaOYC_Fww&feature=related

Children's Day.... on the piano. Wow, you won't believe these kids!

I am going to start with a little 7 year old Chinese boy playing what I believe is the finest performance of Chopin's beloved Fantasie Impromptu in C# minor.  The fluidness and dynamics of this childs rendering of this work surpass anything I have heard.  I mean Yundi Li can match it but Horowitz is left in the dust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuQDV5TCn5Q&NR=1

Saint Saens Piano Concerto #2 by 11 year old George Li
1st Mov:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqlADlXDZKU


George Li:  Flight of the Bumblee Encore after the Saint Saens Piano Concerto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF3hrp3qcps

His Carnegie Hall performance of Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody # 11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSMJ1gGOzhU&feature=related

Derek Wang, whose feet can barely reach the floor, plays this Moskowski Etude #6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMh1ykwiXBQ

Derek plays the popular Chopin Fantasie Impromptu in C#minor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngVPImaTXAQ

Lets end with 74 Seconds of pure virutosity from Lang Lang.  He is following in the footsteps of Franz Liszt int that each of these kids before him have been helped by him in many ways... he's quite a generous guy and good will ambassador for piano!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrM0gAXXMs4&feature=related

...more to come

All Pianistic roads really lead to Liszt- via Lisitsa...Valentina that is...

So many beautiful virtuoso pianists and so little time.... we heard from Yuja Wang now its Valentina Lisitsa from Russia (with love).  The superlatives used to describe this woman and her playing continue to pour in even from the harshest of critics.  She possesses a fluidity of style that seems to say to all the different schools of thought, this is the way it should be played!


Lets begin this session with a wonderful video tribute and introduction to Valentina Lisitsa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1VnAdqEjRs&feature=related

Franz Liszt, the greatest virtuoso pianist/composer that ever lived provides the brilliance and difficulty that only someone of Lisitsa's calibre can truly handle.  Excellent video here to prove my point about this wonderful young lady.  Liszt's famous La Campanella from his Paganini variations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD6xMyuZls0&feature=channel

Here is his Wagner Spinning Song arrangement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_7_FPtG0Mk&feature=related

Liszt's most difficult Hungarian Rhapsody, #12 is performed here by Valentina:
yes, Liszt could sometimes sound a little bombastic as, maybe, in the first 3 minutes of this one but, oh my, after that its all pianistic glory as only he could render!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBhRm9p5hig&feature=channel

Liszt 1st Piano Concerto as performed by Valentina Lisitsa   part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb6i0KQTWic&feature=related
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFuiozEGjIY&feature=channel

Lisitsa performing  the famous Horowitz Carmen variation by Bizet.  Its amazing to me that she plays this considerably faster than Horowitz in the most difficult places with not a hint of loss of articulation!

One thing about the super-virtuoso class of pianists.  There are only a few of them around in any generation.  Their repertoire is vast and consists of the most difficult music to which they perform it flawlessly and at a level above.  Russians Valentina Lisitsa, Evgeny Kissen, who we will visit later, and a few others are members of this class of pianists.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPB0K-RCJQE&feature=related

Rumsfeld's Plague... the unleashing of poison (Aspartame) upon an unsuspecting populace

This article contains verifiable medical and scientific facts regarding the  real and insidious plague that was unleashed upon us when Don Rumsfeld was able to single-handely overpower the expert witness and data presented by the medical community as it tried to stop Aspartame from being approved by the FDA.

Anyone with children or women hoping to conceive must use wisdom and become informed.  Please read this article and google articles like it.  The pervasiveness of adverse effects from this poison is stunning.

I, personally, conducted experiments on myself several years ago when involved in an intense phase of a design of some complex electronic circuits with additional  software tasks needing to be written by me.  I proved over and over that brain fog, short term memory loss and blurred vision followed immediately, within minutes, of my drinking a 20oz Diet Pepsi or Diet Dew.  Every single time I went from a mentally focused, high energy state, mentally, to one of confusion, lethargy and unable to remember what I had just read.  It was stunning!

After 2 hours, I was back to my old self.  If these were the only symptoms it would be bad enough but these are the least serious symptoms and God only knows the long term effects of this poison.  Please read this article and act accordingly.  If you care about people, you don't just sit there and watch them topple over the dam in their comfortable little raft, do you?

http://www.naturalnews.com/026849_aspartame_poison_health.html

The Flight of the Bumblebee (and more).... Yuja Wang

Unbelievable virtuosity displayed by this beautiful little Chinese gal.  Cziffra's arrangement is a sound to behold!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alxBofd_eQ&NR=1

and while we are visiting Yuja be sure to check out her improvisation of Mozart's Turkish march!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1fgo7hp-Ko&feature=related

....gosh, let's not leave out her Carmen Fantasie as created from the mind and  fingers of the late Vladimir Horowitz.  A real crowd pleaser. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MiyBuHciY0&feature=related

Anna Moffo- a voice from the past...unbelievably beautiful.

Another gift from the classical repertoire....

Songs of the Auvergne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJo_Y-S01sw

Moffo's voice can not be adequately described.... the voice can only be described in superlatives:

Milky, Rich Cream, Honey, Pristine,

just beautiful singing throughout.... as one person has attempted to describe.  Enjoy

"Out of the mouth of babes I will get praise...." (Jesus Christ) - Jackie Evancho sings like an angel!

When those praising the very God who created heaven and earth were being shouted down by the religious leaders of the day... he made  that statement to them.  These 'babes' visit us still and Jackie Evancho is one of them.  At 2:40 she seems to find that angelic vibrato and tonal beauty and we then experience something never known in the pop culture of today's music.   Pie Jesu by Jackie Evancho from AGT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auApVKWYAHE&feature=related

Of all the gals singing this most beautiful aria of Puccini, I really think Jackie owns this one:
She starts singing around 1:45 into this clip if you are in a hurry.  (Now, aren't you sorry you had that silly attitude toward 'Opera' all these years?)  (Just kidding, I think)  ....and Don't forget those headphones.

O Mio Babbino Caro by Jackie Evancho on AGT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPITHzdUUDk&feature=related

Another gem from Mirusia and Andre Rieu.....

This is so beautiful guys!  I know you will agree.  Is there anything more gorgeous than the sound of lyrical soprano.  This, actually, is a Chopin Etude put to words (German, in this case)  She is just an Angel!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR1aLQzUltM

The Australian angel continues with one of my favorites of Andrew Lloyd Weber, Memories from Cats.
BTW, everyone of Andre Rieu's concerts draw over 100,000 people!..... in Europe and Australia anyway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2y6KKMatuI&feature=related

And the Angels sang and shouted for joy....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igyn1rRk--U&feature=PlayList&p=CDFA7424B6775466&index=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8aUx3s2has&feature=related

Andre and Mirusia bless us again.  Albert Bierstadts's painting of the beautiful Yosemite National Park serves as the background for my home page.  Is Mirusia's voice reminiscent of the angel's song while surveying God's Creation on day six, the final day?

Andrew Lloyd Weber and his gift of beautiful sounds

Andre Rieu and his wonderful  orchestra has been featuring an Austrailian angel by the name of Mirusia Louwerse.
Here she sings Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Wishing you were somehow here again" and "All I ever ask of you" both from Phantom.... Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA2a2KV23mE&feature=related

Andrew's new work has produced yet another gem, "Lover Never Dies" featuring another beautiful soprano from the world of Opera --- Katherine Jenkins.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4NKzakqauo&feature=fvw

...and don't forget those headphones for maximum sound quality!

The amazing power of music...

Yes, the melodies are important but music, for me, is all about sound- especially beautiful sound.  Next to the human voice, piano (especially accompanied with full orchestra) offers a vast array of gorgeous sounds that can carry you into a very beautiful world.  Its hard to imagine God, Himself, is not at work here!

I have only recently discovered the glory of sounds created by Camile Saint-Saens, a 20 century virtuoso composer and good friend of the greatest pianist ever, Franz Liszt.  But, certainly Liszt, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev have their moments that are unequaled anywhere.

Take for example the breathtaking  ocean sunsets  at Santa Cruz. There are  passages within the Saint-Saens  Piano Concertos that are perfectly matched, acoustically, to the spectacular visual beauty of such a sight as these!  The opening of his Piano Concerto in Eb Major offers a perfect example of what I mean.  Here is the first couple of minutes, let me know what you think.
link::
Thanks for stopping by!

Let me be the first....

Hopefully, you will leave my blog feeling better than when you came, blessed by the music I offer, smiling from the my attempts at humor, encouraged and inspired by the knowledge imparted..... Rick Allen