What Are You Listening To?

[Sylph]

Alvin, have you been listening to any world music recently? Like some Bollywood stuff, for example?

[EricMontreal22]

This has been a massive flop for Xenomania and their new label, but I still love the song even if the lyrics make no sense--gorgeous production (reminiscent of their best Girls Aloud track, the massive hit Call the Shots)

[Bright Eyes]

Synesthete Song - CONOR OBERST

Synesthete, can I confide in thee?

The color is the sound

The screams were orange

My footsteps silver

Secret plan, man, I'll tell you if I can

The evils of this world are at your doorstep

Let me enter, friend, understand

We have come to the convergence

Now all the paths combine

[EricMontreal22]

So now we have two songs from the Scissor Sisters' new album--which they promised would be "dark dance/disco" and a return to their unapologetically gay and sexual roots, like Electrobix their first single (Jake Shears actually admitted that their last album, Ta Dah, left their image neutered--I liked lots of that recor but I would have to agree, and I'm glad they've dropped the tinkly honky tonk piano/falsetto/Mika stuff which got old fast). Stuart Price produced, while doing the final mix for Kylie, and I admit I'm a bit mixed on the single. It's a good, solid, Summer song, but it doesn't really have any of that quirk or surprise factor I'd want from a Scissor Sisters track--though thank God Shears kept to his no falsetto promise. The biggest complaint for me is it could be The Killers--I love The Killers, but it's almost like SS asked Stuart Price to make a song similar to Human. Still, the song has stuck in my head and it sounds like a good opening to the album (which is meant to get progressively darker with each track). If the album is as dark and dancey as they claim, it was also probably smart to release a single that isn't so much as the lead, to still cash in on some of their Soccer Mom audience that made their last album such a huge UK hit. Also love that they used another Mapplethorpe image for the single, in keeping with their theme.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Ss94ny0fo

And of course the far more interesting album track Invisible Light has already been leaked by them, and I think it's pretty awesome (equal parts dark 70s Italian synth disco--think Fear or Walk the Night with 80s Trevor Horn style work like Frankie Goes to Hollywood--plus a Thriller-esque spoken bit by Ian McKellan and a killer final build).

[quartermainefan]

Recently I was listening to this, and I don't remember what link to link to link brought me to it. People get the label of "diva" just because they tell people they are fab, but Kathleen Battle is/was a true diva and rumored to be hell on wheels to boot. However, she had the talent to back up her diva rep.

I don't think any other name ever written on this site compares to Kathleen Battle for the diva crown. She was so difficult I think the Met let he go at the height of her powers even though she was better than everyone else.

And here is another side to her, in a gown that probably costs $10,000 but being the supreme diva she looks like she belongs in it:

[EricMontreal22]

Summertime was almost ruined for me by the American Idol takes on it (where you almost lose Gershwin's gorgeous melody! What's the point?) and I've never liked Janis Joplin's admittedly iconic take.

My fave version is from a 60s recording of Porgy and Bess I have. Even though Bess doesn't sing the song in the opera (it's a nameless citizen of Catfish Row at the opening if I remember right) Leontyne Price, who was Bess, got to sing it on the recording. But I admit, Kathleen Battle's less agressive take on the song, which I hadn't heard till you posted, is gorgeous too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbhy3m4gFic

[Sylph]

They have a difficult diva now too. So difficult she got rid of Leonard Slatkin (La Traviata fiasco). And her name is Angela Gheorghiu.

Edited May 14, 2010 by Sylph

[EricMontreal22]

Well that La Traviata production sounds awful--though I respect the new Met director for trying these new productions (and I'm glad he's kept a few of the old Zefirelli warhorses, etc)

[Sylph]

It's a shame that it turned out that way for Slatkin. He was partly to blame, but the cast and orchestra sabotaged him too. He is, after all, Morel's student and La Traviata he should conduct in his sleep.

I actually wanted to see him conduct The Ghost of Versailles by Corigliano, but Met pulled the production at the last minute. I was so looking forward to it. So they cancelled that opera and gave him La Traviata.

And the rest is history.

Edited May 14, 2010 by Sylph

[EricMontreal22]

The cast was difficult and miscast, but I'm curious--how did the *orchestra* sabotage him? Certainly Ghosts of Versailles is a vastly different opera in terms of music and tone (I actually don't know it, just know about it) than Trav... LOL

[Sylph]

I have to correct myself first: the Met didn't cancel The Ghost at the last minute; Slatkin agreed to that project over a year ago. He has also written on his blog that he "feels" he was "thoroughly prepared", studied the score, listened to various recordings (and was confused by some of them), read books about Verdi, performance practice etc. You have to have in mind that he was given only a week and a half to rehearse the orchestra, two casts and a chorus.

Before opening night he got to conduct it only twice from beginning to end with all the singers; there was also one piano, in which he wasn't allowed to stop for corrections, and one dress rehearsal. Gheorghiu skipped the dress rehearsal. He also noticed different players in the orchestra, people he never saw before that in that same rehearsal.

All this wasn't helped by articles written by Tommasini.

[EricMontreal22]

I have to admit nearly all I know about this is brief mentions in the New Yorker, and one article about the season in general--I had no idea he had a blog, would make a fascinating read. Had Slatkin never conducted La Trav before though? I *know* if you hadn't in years, and are working with a new group and production it's almost like conducting another show--but I still would have expected him to be more familiar with the opera. Then again I know his career is hardly built around being an opera conductor so I guess he wouldn't necesarily have experience with all the rep warhorses.

[Sylph]

Check the April ones:

http://www.leonardsl...com/notes.shtml

No, Slatkin never conducted La Traviata. From the Italian repertoire he conducted La Fanciulla del West (at the Met). He also took Samson et Dalila at the Met and agreed to Ghosts, all operas more complex than La Traviata. He obviously had the chops, but conditions under which he worked were less than ideal (and that's an understatement).

He has also excellently recorded Barber's Vanessa and Gounod's Roméo et Juliette.

Edited May 14, 2010 by Sylph

[Bright Eyes]

Brand New - Daisy

I'm a mountain that has been moved

I'm a fugitive that has no legs to run

I'm a preacher with no pulpit

Spewing a sermon that goes on and on...

[EricMontreal22]

I think this is gonna become my fave dance tune of the Summer, and I suspect a breakthrough hit in the UK (though of course never in the US), by the mysterious UK new duo Monarchy (they did an excellent Gaga mix of Dance in the Dark), who rumour says is a team up of Stuart Price and Starmith.

The video is awesome too, though I hate that they interupt the music with sound effects--a music video nono in my books (and it's the radio edit which cuts the great last part when the beat comes back in)