The Soundtrack of My Life | Classical, Jazz and Showtunes

Oh, it’s been too long since my last Soundtrack of My Life Post.
Let’s see – I’ve posted about the Early Years, The Middle School Years, High School Anthems, Love Songs and a Cappella Songs. It’s time for Jazz, Classical and Show Tunes!

I know it may seem odd to have a selection of Jazz, Classical and Show Tunes, but [one] being a violinist, I played in many orchestras and pit orchestras for musicals, [two] I sang in Jazz Choir and [three] I dated a guy in my high school Jazz Band.

Classical Music – I’ve blogged about some of these selections before, but I have to include them again...

Gustav Holst’s Jupiter from The Planets Suite
It brings back so many memories - in high school, I was fortunate enough to be a member of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the same Eiji Oue in the video. This was the last piece we performed during our finale concert of a tour in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. I vividly recall that emotional last performance - I was a senior and it would be the last time I performed in an orchestra - the music starting at 3:00 still bring chills down my spine. Eiji's love of music hasn't ebbed over the years - he was as animated 25 years ago as he is now [and he hasn't aged, either].


Aaron Copeland’s Fanfare for the Common Man
This piece is written for brass and percussion only - french horns, trumpets, trombones and tympani - so each time it was performed, I could close my eyes and just listen. It was another selection from the orchestral tour in Yugoslavia. For one of our concerts in the coastal resort of Dubrovnik, the brass section performed it a top of a castle in Dubrovnik, way above the orchestra and audience. I still recall watching the trumpets and horns interact with the tympani on the ground. So very powerful.


Tchaikovsky's Symphony #5, Movement 2, Andante Cantabile that features a fabulous French horn solo. It is such a romantic piece.



My Classical list wouldn't be complete without some outright violin solos:

Beethoven's Romance number 2 in F Major - my first "advanced" solo piece. I still enjoy playing it now.


Franck Violin Sonata - I especially like the first movement, which is simply gorgeous.


Next - Show Tunes

Any song from West Side Story, but specifically The Quintet and Something's Coming. Leonard Bernstein is pure genius. Side note - I had the opportunity to play one concert in 1983 under his conductor's baton as we played Copeland's Lincoln Portrait. It was amazing.



I Could Have Danced All Night and On the Street Where You Live from My Fair Lady. The context of the songs are full of wonder and new found love - Eliza, who just experienced a magical night and Freddy Eynsford-Hill who just met Eliza and pines for her outside her home.




I Get a Kick out of You from Anything Goes. (Sorry, I couldn't find a suitable YouTube Video)

Finally, Jazz Tunes

Four Brothers, a classic jazz standard composed by Jimmy Giuffre and performed by the Woody Herman Orchestra. It's a mainstay of any high school jazz band.

I also like the vocal version, but sometimes old school is the best.

Route 66, another classic jazz piece, rooted in Americana, whose lyrics take you on a tour from Chicago to LA. I particularly like The Manhattan Transfer Version:


Misty, another horn solo piece that my high school jazz band played. Instead of featuring a fugel horn, we had a french horn player on the solo, which is pretty unusual. The fugel horn is in the video.


Any of Linda Ronstadt's versions of torch songs from her What's New / Lush Life albums, performed with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. I remember how different these recordings were from the Top 40 stuff on the radio in the 80's. It was a breath of fresh air for this music geek. The video below is Linda singing Someone to Watch Over Me.


Whew, that's a lot of music for one post. Next time, I'll keep it shorter. I'll be moving into the college years and partying down!

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Trying to Shake It In April - In the Picture

I flew back to the chilly cornfields of Illinois Friday morning into a whirlwind of activities. It's now Sunday evening, I still haven't finished my laundry but I am taking time out now to post the self portraits I took in April. Christy, aka Urban Muser challenges us with an optional theme each month - this month was "shake it out", inspired by the eponymous song by Florence and the Machine. With lyrics encouraging you to shake off the negative thoughts of the past, it is now one of my favorite songs.

I managed to incorporate movement into a couple of my April selfies:

At a wedding (yup, taken in the bathroom):


Working up a sweat after 30 minutes on the eliptical:


We moved the horse to a new stable and there are lots of interesting things to photograph, including my long legs (yeah, right!):


My shake it out photo - shaking it out before playing my violin. I didn't realize how much I fling my hair around!


The corner of my mind:


A windy day, watching my daughter's soccer game:


Soaking up the sun on the beach in Florida:


That's it for April - If you are interested in jumping in and starting your own self portraits, check out the {in the picture} details. I've had a blast these last four months.

All photos taken with my iPhone 4s.

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It's All in the Details: iPhone vs DSLR?

Macro shots of my violin, taken with my Nikon and my iPhone:















Can you tell which were taken with the iPhone? I used the Olloclip macro lens, which I love. But it does require a good light and a steady hand. You have to get really close to the item to get it in focus. But talk about shallow DOF - something I didn't think I could get out of my iPhone....

Edited to add - the 2nd and 6th photos in the collection were taken with the iPhone - the others were taken with my D300.

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Something Old, Something New to Scavenge

Just when I thought I didn't have the photos for this week's photo scavenger hunt, I got a little creative and I dug into my archive.

Here's a doughy smile:

I made Chinese Dumplings today and arranged a rope of wrapper dough into a smile.

Stand Alone:

Caesar, our horse, standing in the cross ties at the stable.

Rusty or Something Old:

The scroll of my violin - it is an antique French violin, made by Amati Mangenot around 1930.

Artificial:

I went into my archives for this one - some silk flowers I have in my office at work.

Repeating Pattern:

A belated good luck symbol for Chinese New Year. Taken with the Fisheye attachment of the Olloclip on my iPhone. Chinese New Year was about a week ago, but we're still celebrating a little here with traditional Chinese food.

I had a fun time finding this week's items - next week's items: Strike a Pose, Footwear, Hobby, Shiny and Color Me Green.

I hope you have a fabulous Sunday evening!

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Camera Phone Friday - Recital Hall

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of performing in a beautiful concert hall on campus.

Inside, on the large stage, the acoustics are so wonderful, I couldn't even imagine such a beautiful sound coming out of my instrument. I almost lost my place in the music as I became lost in the melody swirling around me.

The details on the ceiling - reliefs of lyres, horns and other musical elements - designed specifically for the love of music.

I managed to play without getting too nervous - for this recital, I played Schubert's Violin Sonata, D 574 in A Major, Massenet's Meditation from Thais and the Bach Double Concerto, which was performed with a group.

I hope I get to play there again.

Today's photos taken with my iPhone 4s.

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The Love of Music

We interrupt the normal photo-centric nature of this blog with a music video, which was linked by one of my old friends on Facebook. It's a performance of Gustav Holst's Jupiter, from his Planets Suite.

Jupiter by Gustav Holst, performed by the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Eiji Oue.

Unfortunately, I can't embed the video - but the link will bring you to this powerful performance. My favorite part - starting at 3:10 on the video, through 5:00. It will send shivers up your spine.

It brings back so many memories - in high school, I was fortunate enough to be a member of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the same Eiji Oue in the video. This was the last piece we performed during our finale concert of a tour in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. I vividly recall that emotional last performance - I was a senior and it would be the last time I performed in an orchestra. Eiji's love of music hasn't ebbed over the years - he was as animated 25 years ago as he is now [and he hasn't aged, either].

I urge you to go and watch, listen and be moved.

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Violin and Music

I love music, I love listening to music and I love to create music.

I don't always like performing for others. Because there's that self imposed stress that accompanies the desire for perfection. I know it holds be back from trying things that are hard, things I don't like. But I take lessons, I practice and I force myself in front of an audience. And when the performance is over, I feel satisfied that I've done a good job.

Last Saturday I performed the first movement of Mendelssohn's violin concerto, Opus 64. It's a piece I wouldn't have chosen to play, but it challenged me and I'm glad I did.



Process using Pioneer Woman's Soft and Faded Action.

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No Internet! Catching up Days 342-344

Our internet service went down Saturday morning and wasn't fixed until today. Talk about withdrawal!

I knew something was afoot when I saw the AT&T service truck in our cul-de-sac early Saturday morning. Then Scott couldn't get on the internet. I picked up the phone to call - and no dial tone - the phone was dead. Since the DSL signal comes across the phone lines, I knew we were sunk.

The feedback this morning from the AT&T repair guy - "There was another guy out here on Saturday, and while doing his work, he pinched off your terminal". Gee, Thanks. Oh well, at least I still had my iPhone and could receive email via that data link.

So it's catch up time!

Friday, December 10, Day 342/365 - Look what arrived in the mail tonight, from mpix.com – our 2010 Christmas Card.
And I know the picture on the front looks familiar to everyone.


As usual, the quality of the 5x7 card from Mpix is excellent – this is our 4th year using them. I create the entire card in PSE – the front, back and even the center portion. Now to get them out in the mail before Christmas!

Saturday, December 11, Day 343/365 - – Violin Recital
I admit – I hate performing as a soloist. Even accompanied, there’s so much pressure to play all the notes perfectly. But really, the pressure is self imposed and simply a pride thing. I don’t want to sound bad because it might reflect poorly on me.
So I try to let it go, and do the best I can. It won’t be perfect, but it will be fine.


I managed to get through my performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto without too many issues. I am glad my teacher, Ms Kim, pushed me to learn this piece. It certainly challenged me.

Sunday, December 12, Day 344/365 - Inclement Weather
We ventured out for church this morning and that was it. Erica’s horse riding job canceled all classes, so we all stayed home after church. Because outside it’s snowing and the winds are blowing to near white out conditions and the temperatures are dropping to the teens and into single digits again.

That doesn’t deter the kids from going outside to play, and Erica took Sammy out with her.


Then went down the slide together.


While the kids played outside, I made my signature Christmas cookies.


I plan to post the recipe and entire cookie making process this week. By stating that now, it has a 50% chance of actually getting accomplished.

To cap off our snowed in day, we received word late Sunday night that school had been canceled for today. That news set the kids off, high-fiving and jumping for joy. I have to be at work by 7am so no snow day for me. How I wish....

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141/365 - Recital

Today's big event (for me) - the violin recital where I performed the First Movement of Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, Op. 14. Held at the Smith Memorial Hall on campus.



I tend to shy away from solo performances, as they bring out severe jitters and nerves for me. But I know that I will never overcome these jitters if I don't perform. So I do it and each time it becomes easier.

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113/365 - Saturday Afternoon Practice

I confess, I routinely don't practice on the weekends.

But since our schedules have been crazy and the kids' homework has required my help, I haven't been able to get my normal practicing in during the weekdays. So a little Saturday afternoon music was added to our agenda today.



I'm going to perform the first movement from Barber's Violin Concerto in 4 weeks, so I need all the practice time I can get. I imagine I'll play tomorrow afternoon, too.

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I ♥ Faces - Hands-On-Fun

This week's challenge theme is "hands-on-fun" and no faces are required.

I took several music themed pictures over the weekend, so staying in that theme, I am submitting a picture of my hands (or fingers) playing violin:



There are so many fabulous entries at I ♥ Faces - go check them out and enter one of your pictures!

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Mosaic Monday - Music

For those who know me or have been around my blog know that I love music. I gathered up several pictures of music, my violin and piano for this week's mosaic.



Mary at This Little Red House hosts Mosaic Monday. Go and check out her beautiful mosaic of vintage greens, along with the other participants of Mosaic Monday.

Hope you have a day filled with beautiful music.

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Weekly Gratitude - Music

I post frequently about my love of music. It's one of those universal that spans cultures, languages and generations.

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POTD - Hanging By the Scroll

It's been a while since I took pictures of my violin, so I hung it precariously off the music stand, something I haven't done since my orchestral days.



I used two textures from Skeletal Mess' Heavenly Vintage Texture Set

I've just started working on Barber's Violin Concerto:

In December, I was given a list of potential pieces, and I went to YouTube to listen and decide. I chose the Barber Concerto based on the opening theme - very beautiful.

Here's a link to Hilary Hahn's performance on YouTube. If only I could play it so beautifully!

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No 12on12 - Old GBYSO Sticker Instead

I realized around lunch that today was the 12th, which meant I had already missed out on the morning's opportunity for my 12 on 12 photos. I took a couple pictures and then decided not to participate today - I'm just going to "Relax" instead and maybe take more pictures tomorrow or the next day.

But I'll share one picture what would have been included - my violin case in my office at work. Tuesday afternoons, I leave directly from work to my violin lesson, and my violin doesn't spend time out in the cold car, so I bring it to my office.



I studied violin from 3rd to 12th grade growing up, and this is the "real" violin my parents purchased for me in high school when I was auditioning for various orchestras. I've kept the original case and sticker from the youth orchestra I played in - I can't seem to let that sticker go. The Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra still exists, although they've "rebranded" to the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. The logo seen here no longer exists, either, and I have googled for it and always come up empty. So that's my excuse for keeping the sticker and I'm sticking to it!

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284/365 - Afternoon Practice

Another cloudy, rainy day.

I took Rascal and Hannah to the vet these past two days for their separate yearly check ups. Each received a clean bill of health, along with several shots. Erica is working at the Stables tonight, as she is filling in for the worker who covered her usual Sunday shift last weekend. Scott picked up goodies from the apple orchard - apple pie, apple cider, honeycrisp apples, apple cider donuts and pumpkin pie. Plenty of sweet stuff for the next week.

Today's picture - I'm working on the 3rd Movement of Franck's Violin Sonata.

Have a great weekend!

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10 on July 12 (and 196/365)

OK, I only got about 10 pictures taken today. I think I was worn out from yesterday's blueberry picking and all the photos I took there!

But here is a quick recap of our July 12th:

Morning:
Breakfast with those blueberries, with vanilla yogurt, sliced peaches and rolled oats. So yummy!


See the time? Even on Sunday we get up pretty early. And my phone has been giving me fits recently - the battery won't stay charged and I bought a replacement battery with the same results. Yeah, the replacement battery might be a dud, too, but at this point the phone is 3 years old and I am thinking about upgrading.... to an iPhone. Erica wants a phone, too, so we spent time on-line checking out different phones / plans, and by the end of day I had a huge headache because of the phone situation.


Rascal was enjoying a morning snooze by the window. It was a beautiful morning, with a cool breeze. Sorry the picture is blurry - but Rascal always gets up when she sees me, so I was lucky to get even this shot.


Hey, it's me again with a self portrait, taken right after I dried my hair. Why do I think of Vanna White when I look at this picture?


It's afternoon now, and Brian decided he wanted to rearrange his room. Brian outlined all the changes and Scott did the heavy lifting. Here is the result:


But, as part of the rearrangement, Brian purged many of the kids' / baby books he had in the bookshelf. I need to sort them and put them in the garage sale pile now.


I practiced violin (something I haven't good about all week long) - I am working on the Franck Violin Sonata in A Major. A nice romantic piece.


A day doesn't pass without some sort of Slip-N-Slide [SNS for short] action. See that strip of matted down and brown grass? That's where the SNS has been used. Brian is setting up a *NEW* SNS (I bought TWO new SNS's today - at the request of my children, who read the Sunday Sale ads, noting many are on sale).


This SNS features a swirling spray of water onto the slide. Note - the arch falls over due to the back pressure of the water. Brian later dubbed this the "Useless SNS".


The kids gave up on the two new SNS's and spent the rest of the day watching old Harry Potter movies, in preparation for Wednesday's premiere of the Half Blood Prince. We plan to go on Thursday.


So there you go - 10 pictures from our day. Hope yours was great, too!

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