Multiculturalism, i.e., my iTunes Top 10

I was recently told that I had a very multicultural iTunes library. Indeed, there are at least 5 nationalities represented in the top 10 most-played songs.

1. Billy Joel – Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
2. Lev Leschenko – Not a Moment of Rest (Ни минуты покоя) (YouTube video is not of the original performer)
3. Dean Martin – On an Evening in Roma
4. Joe Dassin – L’Equipe a jojo
5. Dean Martin – You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
6. Bee Gees – Secret Love
7. Sublime – Santeria
8. Alejandro Fernandez – Sueño Contigo
9. Michael Peterson – Drink, Swear, Steal, and Lie
10. Mika – Stuck in the Middle

The only thing that they all have in common (besides the fact that James doesn’t like any of them!) is that they are fairly upbeat. Not necessarily something you’d dance to, but something that you could bop your head to — which I do all the time. And that, in a nutshell, is my musical taste.

Of course, this makes me wonder about my favorite bloggers’ Top 10…

 

New iTunes additions

This week’s Concert on the Square was not as exciting as I had hoped, much to my regret. However, thanks to last week’s performance, I’m still — okay, I’m always — in the mood for some good Viennese waltzes and polkas, so I picked up a nice CD to add to my playlist, along with a few other unrelated CDs Yes, I still use CDs. The whole iTunes Store trend never quite caught on with me.

Here are the goodies:

Neujahrskonzert 2003, Wiener Philharmoniker. Highlights: Strauss’ Scherz-Polka and Kaiser-Walzer, along with Strauss the Elder’s Radetzky-Marsch. Mm, so good. Makes me want to get up and dance.

Spanish Songs, José Carreras. Highlights: José Padilla’s Valencia and Augustin Lara’s Granada. I love José Carreras (possibly more than Pavarotti, though I know several people who would probably kill me for saying that), and Granada is one of my favorite Spanish songs. Put the two together, and you can’t go wrong. Observe:

So good, right?

Slavonic Dances/Hungarian Dances, Dvorak/Brahms. Highlights: Brahms’s Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G minor. I cannot believe that I didn’t have it on my computer until now, even though I probably listen to it twice a week! (I rely on YouTube an awful lot for music, you see.)

Lotte Lenya sings Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins. Highlights: Let’s just say that Kurt Weill’s music is what makes Bertolt Brecht semi-bearable for me.

The Complete Tom Jones. Highlights: What’s New Pussycat, She’s a Lady. What, no Sex Bomb? Wait, the CD was released in 1992. Too bad. So here it is, as interpreted by Evgeni Plushenko:

 

Viennese summer nights in Madison

Yet another Concert on the Square has come and gone. The weather yesterday was nothing short of perfect; in fact, I put out our blanket a few hours early and did some of my work outside. I was lucky enough to get a great spot that was very close to the stage. This is a rarity, as the two lawns adjacent to the stage are usually completely fully by 3 or so. (The general rule is that one can’t put out blankets before 3 in the afternoon, otherwise they’ll be removed. However, most people interpret that as a ban on unattended blankets before 3, put theirs out around 2 or so, hang out until the clock strikes 3, and then leave.) It was the closest I’d ever been to the stage. The audience normally surrounds the entire Capitol building, and there are speakers set up on all sides, but there’s something to be said for being right in the midst of things and seeing the orchestra and the conductor.

The blankets patiently await the return of their owners.

After taking a quick break to fetch my picnic basket from home, I took advantage of the late afternoon to catch up on some reading. I’m currently working on Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited, upon the suggestion of The Monarchist. Now that I’m about 100 pages in, I’m not at all surprised that it’s his favorite book.

Amanda and Jordan joined me shortly before the concert started, and we had a jolly good time people-watching and discussing the program. Deep thought of the night: writing a symphony for your sweetheart is terribly romantic but could come off as creepy if you do it before the relationship reaches a certain level.

The concert featured dancers from the Madison Ballet. After all, what is a Viennese waltz if there is no waltzing?

Some other highlights of the night included the Blue Danube Waltz (of course, can’t have a Viennese-themed night without it), the Thunder and Lightning Polka, and the Overture to Die Fledermaus. Those people sure know how to tickle me pink.

After the concert, not wanting to let a breezy evening to to waste, I went for a jog along Willy Street and came across these lovely bike scenes:

A good way to remind the public of bike rights.

This tree sure is feeling some bike love. Group hug?

And, on my walk home along the Monona bike path, I saw a copper-colored moon rising above the lake. Sadly, the scene did not lend itself to iPhone pictures.

 

Hip-hop picnic

We recently discovered that the Olbrich Botanical Gardens host summer concerts — much like the Concerts on the Square, but in a more intimate setting. Or so we thought.

Since the botanical gardens are not within walking distance from my place, the concert tonight presented the perfect opportunity for the Bike Picnic event of LGRAB’s Summer Games.

Armed with wine, cookies, a fruit salad, and utensils, I set off on Carmen along the Lake Monona bike trail (I’ll be honest: I have no idea what the trail is actually called. Lakeshore seems to be reserved for Lake Mendota, so I’m at a loss).

Carmen, fully equipped with a wicker basket in the front and a picnic basket in the back.

Sure enough, the setting at the botanical gardens was much more intimate. However, we felt a bit out of place, as most of the concert-goers seemed to be families with young kids. Tonight’s performance was advertised as “family friendly hip-hop and world beats,” featuring Magic Mama. We assumed that “family friendly” meant free of swear words. Little did we know that Magic Mama would be singing about little piggies going to the market, peace pirates, and Cheese Puffs. Not quite what we were expecting.

Although the concert was not well-suited to a group of recent college grads, I must say that if I had a young child, I would definitely consider taking him or her to such a performance. Magic Mama emphasizes environmental education, and it’s never too early to introduce children to Earth-friendly concepts. Also, I fully love the idea of “organic” hip-hop, created and recorded live with a loop machine.

These little piggies were a bit old for the concert.

Next week, swing music!

 

A little bit of soul

I can’t get enough of these songs lately, ever since I heard them on the radio at work and remembered how much I liked them.

Freddie Jackson – Jam Tonight

Luther Vandross
I’m torn. When it’s performed by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, this song seems more heartfelt and brings a sad smile to my face. But when I’m in the mood for something a bit more uplifting and with more flair — as I usually am, and as I am tonight — I opt for the Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey version. Mariah’s wild gesticulations sure do get to me, though.

Lionel Richie – Hello
Mmm, I love me some Lionel. I heard through the grapevine that this song was featured in this week’s episode of Glee, so I promptly searched for it on YouTube. Surprise, surprise, I was underwhelmed. The two singers harmonized quite well, but the male voice lacked the kind of emotional depth and soul that I expect to hear in a song like this. Back to Lionel we go!

 

A swordsman’s honor

One might wonder why I have this odd fascination with a certain type of culture and social values. Behold, a couple of particularly memorable songs/films from my childhood:

Достояние республики/The Property of the Republic (1971). When I first saw this movie, I was too young to fully comprehend its message, nor was/am I a fan of A. Mironov. This song, however, stuck with me. Шпага многим показала, что такое прах и пух…

Гардемарины, вперед!/Naval Cadets, Charge! (1987) Never liked the movie much, though the book was quite good. But the theme song, the theme song…

And, of course…

Три мушкетера/The Three Musketeers (1978). To date, this remains one of the best screen adaptations of my favorite book (the other one being the French version). Fabulous cast, fabulous soundtrack, and, of course, this little gem, which is still one of M. Boyarsky’s staples. Love.

 

Ja so ein Teufelsweib

Surely, I have some Gypsy blood in me somewhere. Between my mother, who had to perform many a Gypsy dance on stage, and Leslie, who is, well, Leslie, I’m not surprised that I’m as drawn as I am to Gypsy melodies. (Never mind that there’s certainly no genetic connection between my mother’s dancing and my musical taste; much less between Leslie and me.)

Current obsession: Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, specifically No. 5. Thank you, Mel Brooks and Leslie Nielsen, for reminding me about this treasure cove.

Obsession for the past month or so: the csardas/czardas in general, as a result of watching too many scenes from Kalman’s Die Csardasfürstin.

 

L’amour est le plus fort

Charles Aznavour’s “Bon anniversaire” (also available as “Happy Anniversary” for those who don’t speak French; the lyrics are just as good) is such a touching song. It has a charming touch of reality to it, and perhaps I am foolish for thinking this way, but if I’m ever lucky enough to settle down with one special man, that’s the kind of reality I want. All too often we hope for some kind of dreamy, idealistic future, with a perfect wedding and equally perfect anniversaries: a fancy frock, a delicious dinner, a thrilling trip to the theater. All that complemented with flowers, wine, candlelight — in short, the things that we’re taught to associate with romance.

But that’s not how life and love work. Things go wrong on even the most special of occasions, as Aznavour points out. The lovely dress gets torn, those new shoes are too painful to wear, and you miss that show that you’ve been dying to see. And yet, you end up strolling back home hand-in-hand and thinking how lucky you are that your “love is much stronger than time.”

Do I like to get dolled up for a five-star meal and front-row seats on opening night? You bet. (Though flowers, wine, and candlelight are a different story.) But that’s not what I want in a relationship. At the end of the day, no matter how badly our plans may have been thwarted, I want us to be able to look at each other, smile, and realize that we’re not at all disappointed by the lack of that perfect anniversary celebration. Love, after all, isn’t measured in anniversaries.

Of course, although it’s probably somewhat non-conventional, this is nothing but my version of a dreamy, idealistic future — and that’s why I say that I am perhaps foolish in anticipating that sort of life.

 

You’ll always be my friend

Despite the particular fondness that I have in my heart for The Phantom of the Opera, I’ve never been a big fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The same goes for Sarah Brightman and her three-octave range. Amigos Para Siempre, however, is one of the most beautiful songs that I’ve heard in a long, long time. José Carreras, I adore you.

 

At first I was afraid, I was petrified to hear this…

I’m normally not terribly fond of modern takes on good old classics, but I have to to admit that the Puppini Sisters’ jazzy version of “I Will Survive” is pretty damn fabulous. It’s also pretty damn good at distracting me from my Crim readings.