Friday 20 July 2007
Tosca
What a triumph! I had a splendid evening and although I cannot say 'I Went To A Marvellous Party' in the words of Noel Coward due to the fact I have not been to an actual party, I certainly felt like saying it at about 1 o' clock this morning when I returned home. The Royal Opera house in Covent Garden was packed for a beautiful performance of one of Puccini's best operas, Tosca. A good first act, and breathtaking second and third acts ensured a standing ovation for a terrific cast, excellent orchestra and beautiful sets. I attended the performance with Victoria, my cousin Lizzie and her boyfriend, my school friend Lee. We had a box on the left hand side which for the first act caused some discomfort for Lee and myself as there was a distinct bias to stage-right and we were always craning to see what was going on. However, come the second and third acts, that had been forgotten and we fell deep into the tragic story of the beautiful but doomed opera singer, Floria Tosca. The Vissi d'arte aria was exquisite. Cavaradossi's E Lucevan le stelle was very well executed, but his finest point was the Recondita armonia in the first act. I adore Puccini's melodies. They have such passion in them, but they are delivered in a way which does not feel overdone. When you think the cascading notes will fall predictably into a minor key, they then fall into a major key which prompts a little unexpected smile. It is wonderfully subtle. Although heavily conversational, Tosca has that strong musical quality to make one remember, and last night, I was transported back to the streets of Rome, to nights in the Piazza Navona and walking along the Corso. Bliss.
Thursday 12 July 2007
Words You Wrote To Me - Music by Winston Chesterfield
Quite a simple song but it came to me as I was messing about on the piano. The title refers to a couple of lines I was singing as I was playing it. I think it's got a 'Phoenix from the ashes' positivity about it...I may put all the lyrics on here soon!
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Gung-Ho Suite - Music by Winston Chesterfield
I was inspired to write this when I returned to my family home in Dorset recently. At about 11.20pm, I went to fiddle around on the piano and this melody came out. I recorded it on my phone so I would not forget the feel of the piece. Then I recorded it on the Yamaha here in London. I hope you like it.
Recent Posts
The recent posts I have made on this blog are recordings of me performing on the piano, playing some well loved tunes. I will post more as the days go by so watch this space! I will also be posting recordings of the music I have written myself for my readers to sample. I might even post some recordings of me singing along as I have recently started practicing again. Hopefully my faithful readers are enjoying the music. Who knows? I might even make a full digital recording one day!
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