Friday 24 June 2011

Gustav Holst - The Planets Op.32 Mars, the Bringer of War


From Wikipedia:

The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst. With the exception of Earth, which is not observed in astrological practice, all the planets are represented.

From its premiere to the present day, the suite has been enduringly popular, influential, widely performed and the subject of numerous recordings. However, it had a protracted birth. There were four performances between September 1918 and October 1920, but they were all either private (the first performance, inLondon) or incomplete (two others in London and one in Birmingham). The premiere was at the Queen's Hall on 29 September 1918, conducted by Holst's friend Adrian Boult to an invited audience of about 250 people. The first complete public performance was given in London on 15 November 1920, with theLondon Symphony Orchestra conducted by Albert Coates.


Another Version:



Rimsky Korsakov: Flight of the Bumblebee



From Wikipedia:

"Flight of the Bumblebee" is an orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, composed in 1899–1900. The piece closes Act III, Tableau 1, during which the magic Swan-Bird changes Prince Gvidon Saltanovich (the Tsar's son) into aninsect so that he can fly away to visit his father (who does not know that he is alive). Although in the opera the Swan-Bird sings during the first part of the "Flight", her vocal line is melodically uninvolved and easily omitted; this feature, combined with the fact that the number decisively closes the scene, made easy extraction as an orchestral concert piece possible.

Thursday 16 June 2011

Carl Orff: O Fortuna


From Wikipedia:

"O Fortuna" is a medieval Latin Goliardic poem written early in the thirteenth century, part of the collection known as the Carmina Burana. It is a complaint about fate, and Fortuna, a goddess in Roman mythology and personification of luck.
In 1935/36, O Fortuna was set to music by the German composer Carl Orff for his cantata Carmina Burana where it is used as the opening and closing number. It opens on a slower pace with thumping drums and choir that drops quickly into a whisper building slowly into a steady crescendo of drums and short string and horn notes peaking on one last long powerful note and ending abruptly. A performance takes a little over two and a half minutes.
Orff's setting of the poem has become immensely popular and has been performed by countless classical music ensembles and popular artists. It can be heard in numerous movies and television commercials and has become a staple in popular culture, setting the mood for dramatic or cataclysmic situations.[1] "O Fortuna" topped a list of the most-played classical music of the past 75 years in the United Kingdom.[2]

Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra


From Wikipedia:

Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (Thus Spoke Zarathustra or Thus Spake Zarathustra)[1] is a tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed during 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical treatise of the same name.[2] The composer conducted its first performance on 27 November 1896 in Frankfurt. A typical performance lasts half an hour.

The work has been part of the classical repertoire since its first performance during 1896. The initial fanfare – entitled "Sunrise" in the composer's program notes[3] – became particularly well known to the general public due to its use in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The fanfare has also been used in numerous other media productions.

Extended Version:

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Bewafa Sanam: Achha Sila Diya Tune Mere Pyar Ka




Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Spring


From Wikipedia:

The Four Seasons (Italian: Le quattro stagioni) is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season. For example, "Winter" is peppered with silvery pizzicato notes from the high strings, calling to mind icy rain, whereas "Summer" evokes a thunderstorm in its final movement, which is why the movement is often dubbed "Storm."

The concertos were first published in 1725 as part of a set of twelve concerti, Vivaldi's Op. 8, entitled Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (The Contest between Harmony and Invention). The first four concertos were designated Le quattro stagioni, each being named after a season. Each one is in three movements, with a slow movement between two faster ones. At the time of writing The Four Seasons, the modern solo form of the concerto had not yet been defined (typically a solo instrument and accompanying orchestra). Vivaldi's original arrangement for solo violin with string quartetand basso continuo helped to define the form.


More on Vivaldi here.

Zain Bhikha: My Mum is Amazing

More on Zain Bikha.

Richard Wagner: The Ride of the Valkyries



From Wikipedia:

The Ride of the Valkyries (German: Walkürenritt or Ritt der Walküren) is the popular term for the beginning of Act III of Die Walküre, the second of the four operas by Richard Wagner that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen. The main theme of the Ride, the leitmotif labelled Walkürenritt, was first written down by the composer on 23 July 1851. The preliminary draft for the Ride was composed in 1854 as part of the composition of the entire opera, which was fully orchestrated by the end of the first quarter of 1856. Together with the Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin, the Ride of the Valkyries is one of Wagner's best-known pieces.

More on Richard Wagner here.

Tuesday 14 June 2011

John Williams:War of the Worlds


Conducted by John Williams.

Harry Potter Theme Song

Also known as Hedgwig's Theme.

Greensleeves: Vaughan Williams

From Wikipedia:

"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song and tune, a ground of the form called a romanesca.

A broadside ballad by this name was registered at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580[1] as "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves". It then appears in the surviving A Handful of Pleasant Delights (1584) as "A New Courtly Sonnet of the Lady Green Sleeves. To the new tune of Green sleeves."

The tune is found in several late 16th century and early 17th century sources, such as Ballet's MS Lute Book and Het Luitboek van Thysius, as well as various manuscripts preserved in the Cambridge University libraries.

I like the Vaughan Williams version.

Monday 13 June 2011

Karz: Dard-e-dil

Superman Theme Song



Karl Jenkins: Palladio


The word 'palladio' means highly original and much imitated Italian architect (1508-1580)

Magnificent Seven Theme




The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 American western film directed by John Sturges about a group of hired gunmen protecting a Mexican village from bandits.

The film's score along with the main theme is by Elmer Bernstein. The score was nominated for an Academy Award in 1961. The original soundtrack was not released at the time until reused and rerecorded by Bernstein for the soundtrack of Return of the Seven.

Friday 10 June 2011

Levi's Jeans Advertisement


The final commercial:




The original soundtrack:


Director Jonathan Glazer directed the filming in a conference centre in Budapest, with his Academy Films team including producer Simon Cooper, executive producer Nick Morris, and director of photography/camera Daniel Landin.

Arwen's Song: Lord of The Rings

Maher Zain: Allahi Allah kiya Karo

Dance of the Knights: Romeo and Juliet

Short version:
Extended version:

Thursday 9 June 2011

Indian: Mile Sur Mera Tumhara: Old and New versions







Pehli Nazar Mein - Race & The original Korean song

The original Korean Song, 'Sarang hae yo'

Insha Allah - Maher Zain

Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Marches, No. 4



From Wikipedia: In the United States, the Trio section "Land of Hope and Glory" of March No. 1 is sometimes known simply as "Pomp and Circumstance" or as "The Graduation March", and is played as the processional tune at virtually all high school and college graduation ceremonies.