#Grammophone Singer

[yoramkelmer]

More pre-partition posters, yet again

[gentlemean]

I recently watched Phantom of the Paradise and just had to cover one of the central songs!

Creative notes and YouTube link under the cut!

For everyone who doesn't know the Phantom:

It's a 1974 rock musical that tells the story of a young singer who's trying to get his first musical piece produced by a big producer. The musical piece is a retelling of the story of Faust, with faust reimagined as a musician. As these things turn out, our singer finds himself trapped in a story that combines Faust, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Over the course of the movie, our protagonist loses his voice, but gets a replacement via faustian bargain, that has been sampled of many singers into a monstrous synthetic sound.

This new voice inspired me. My rendition is, until the end of the second refrain, very similar to the original. Solo voice, accompanied by a piano. I gave my voice the sound of something played on an old grammophone or radio, because I found the way my voice strains against the limits of its medium quite fitting.

After the second refrain, when our Faust looses his hopes and dreams, my voice is joined by four robotic doubles, who shift and fight to sing the song for me. These are all created by putting the recording of me singing through various effects, primarily a vocoder. Only in the very end, when Faust begs for the relief of a sweet dream for the last time, his voice returns back to normal and fades away.

If you have any questions as to how I made this or need help with making music yourself, please ask! I'm happy to talk!

Anyway: I'ts on YouTube as well:

[hadescavedish]

You'll probably love this. Btw the Greek mezzosoprano Agnes Baltsa is one of best opera singers I've heard. (She's famous for doing Carmen but she is also particularly good at Rossini) She had a full Carmen recording through the label Deutsche Grammophon)

@gaytobymeres

[hayleylovesjessica]

Okay, with Mahler, you can never go wrong listening to Lennie, but in the case of Das Lied, the best recordings are with different conductors. Bruno Walter conducted the premiere in 1911 shortly after Mahler died, but he lived a long time, well into the stereo era. His NYPO recording with Mildred Miller and Ernst Haefliger is criminally under-rated, and anyone who likes the piece should hear Walter conducting it. Otto Klemperer's 1960s recording with the (New) Philharmonia Orchestra and Christa Ludwig and Fritz Wunderlich is probably the best sung performance captured on tape, and the orchestra sounds amazing, though Klempeper brings an "objectivity" to bear on the work that might leave you a little cold. There's a 1970s recording with Jascha Horenstein leading the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra (which I think is now the BBC Philharmonic) with Alfreda Hodgson and John Mitchinson, and it's really interesting. The performance is maybe 10 minutes longer than average, but that's because Horenstein's conception is more dramatic, almost operatic. He, the soloists, and the orchestra make it work! Lastly, the best contemporary recording is the one with Pierre Boulez, Mahler's own Vienna Philharmonic, Violeta Urmana, and Michael Schade. The singers are good, but the Vienna Phil is glorious, Boulez got the most beautiful transparent textures out of the orchestra, and Deutsche Grammophon's engineering team did brilliant work. Back in the day, I gave it to friends who love classical music as a birthday present two or three times. Anyway, I'd bet that the all four of these recordings are available on Spotify or YouTube.

"my goal is currently to listen to every single one of his symphonies live" -- That was my goal, too! I achieved it a few years ago. I think the last one I heard live was No. 7, which is in some ways the most unusual of Mahler's symphonies and, thus, the least programmed and performed. Due to the size of the forces necessary, No. 8 is also infrequently performed. I'm lucky I got to hear it with Sir Simon Rattle and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain 20 years ago. It was shattering.

Oh I love that for you!!!!

[half-a-tiger]

AGNES OBEL - “Camera’s Rolling”, off her new album ‘Myopia’, out now via Deutsche Grammophon.

Director: Alex Bruel Flagstad

Starring: Woody

[basshitter]

Music🎶🎵 @recordingacademy @grammyfdn #music #sound #grammophone #recording #song #lyrics #album #record #songwriting #artist #composer #singer #musician #dance #entertainer https://www.instagram.com/p/B3z9RCQhuWI/?igshid=f8luh739ft60

[wolfiemozart1787]

In 1991, Philips Classics released The Complete Mozart Edition, 45 themed volumes and, if put together, made up Mozart’s complete compositions, from KV 1 to 626. It was originally released in 45 different volumes, which I’ll list now. 

Vol. 1: Early Symphonies

Vol. 2: Symphonies 21-41

Vol. 3: Serenades for Orchestra

Vol. 4: Divertimenti for strings & wind

Vol. 5: Serenades & divertimenti for wind

Vol. 6: Dances & Marches

Vol. 7: Piano Concertos

Vol. 8: Violin Concertos

Vol. 9: Wind Concertos

Vol. 10: Quartets, quintets etc. for wind

Vol. 11: String Quintets

Vol. 12: String Quartets

Vol. 13: String trios and duos

Vol. 14: Piano quintet, quartets, trios etc,

Vol. 15: Violin Sonatas

Vol. 16: Music for 2 Pianos/Piano Duets

Vol. 17: Piano Sonatas

Vol. 18: Piano variations, rondos etc.

Vol. 19: Masses and Requiem

Vol. 20: Litanies/Vespers

Vol. 21: Organ Sonatas & Solos

Vol. 22: Cantatas, oratorios, Masonic music etc.

Vol. 23: Arias, vocal ensembles & canons

Vol. 24: Lieder & Notturni

Vol. 25: Theatre & ballet music

Vol. 26: Apollo et Hyacinthus

Vol. 27: Bastien und Bastienne

Vol. 28: La finta semplice

Vol. 29: Mitridate, re di Ponto

Vol. 30: Ascanio in Alba

Vol. 31: Il sogno di Scipione

Vol. 32: Lucio Silla

Vol. 33: La finta giardiniera

Vol. 34: Die Gartnerin aus Liebe

Vol. 35: Il re pastore

Vol. 36: Zaide/Der Schauspieldirektor

Vol. 37: Idomeneo, re di Creta

Vol. 38: Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail

Vol. 39: L’oca del Cairo/Lo sposo deluso

Vol. 40: Le nozze di Figaro

Vol. 41: Don Giovanni

Vol. 42: Cosi fan tutte

Vol. 43: Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute)

Vol. 44: La clemenza di Tito

Vol. 45: Rarities & Surprises

These volumes are performed by many of the world’s greatest ensembles, orchestras, vocalists and instrumental soloists. Up to 2016, Philips Classics was the only label that had recorded Mozart’s complete works, either completed or fragmented. That was, until 2016 when Decca and Deutsche Grammophon merged together and formed Mozart 225: The New Complete Mozart Edition. This was a major breakthrough, because it contained newly discovered works by Mozart, including a notturno for soprano and fortepiano, co-written by Italian composer Antonio Salieri. In 2000, Philips Classics released the Complete Compact Mozart Edition, a large richly illustrated box containing 180 CDs, which in total were all 45 volumes from the earlier release. They were compacted into 17 different boxes, ergo it’s called the Compact Edition. The order goes like this:

Vol. 1: Symphonies

Vol. 2: Serenades/Dances & Marches

Vol. 3: Serenades & divertimenti for strings/solo wind

Vol. 4: Piano Concertos

Vol. 5: Violin/Wind Concertos

Vol. 6: Quintets, quartets & trios

Vol. 7: String Quartets & Quintets

Vol. 8: Violin Sonatas/String trios & duos

Vol. 9: Piano Music

Vol. 10: Masses & Requiem/Organ Sonatas & Solos

Vol. 11: Litanies/Vespers/Cantatas, oratorios, Masonic Music

Vol. 12: Arias, vocal ensembles & canons/Lieder & Notturni

Vol. 13: Early Italian Operas

Vol. 14: Middle Italian Operas

Vol. 15: Late Italian Operas

Vol. 16: German Operas

Vol. 17: Theatre & ballet music/Rarities & Surprises

Philips also released a 25 CD set entitled “The Complete Mozart Edition: Highlight”. This is a set of 25 CDs containing highlights from individual volumes. 

Some of the notable performers in the Mozart Edition are as follows:

The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, London Symphony Orchestra, Mozarteum-Orchester Salzburg, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsche Bachsolisten, Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Beaux Arts Trio, Quartetto Italiano, Grumiaux Trio, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields’ Chamber Ensemble, Holliger Wind Ensemble, Netherlands Wind Ensemble, Leipzig Radio Chorus, Choir of the Royal Opera House, The Ambrosian Singers, London Symphony Chorus, Alfred Brendel, Henryk Szeryng, Iona Brown, Irena Grafenauer, Heinz Holliger, Anthony Pay, Jack Brymer, Klaus Thunemann, Peter Damm, Maria Graf, William Bennett, Arthur Grumiaux, Arrigo Pelliccia, Gerard Poulet, Blandine Verlet, Walter Klien, Isabelle van Keulen, Ronald Brautigam, Ingrid Haebler, Ludwig Hoffmann, Paul Badura-Skoda, Mitsuko Uchida, Ton Koopman, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Edita Gruberova, Lucia Popp, Thomas Moser, Elisabeth Cooymans, Elly Ameling, Dalton Baldwin, Margaret Price, Brigitte Fassbaender, Barbara Hendricks, Jessye Norman, Luciana Serra, Ingvar Wixell, Wladimiro Ganzarolli, Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Colin Davis, Leopold Hager, Herbert Kegel, Daniel Chorzempa, Sir Alexander Gibson.

[wehavethoughts]

I Am Hera Review!

Album title: I Am Hera (more info here)

Singer: Hera Hyesang Park

Label: Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

Release date: November 2020

 Rating: 5/5 Hotteok’s

Summary: A debut album by soprano Hera Hyesang Park. The album includes songs written by Gluck, Pergolesi, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Puccini, Bellini, and especially, two Korean songs by Joowon Kim and Un-Young La. 

No content warnings apply.

Note: I’m not that knowledgeable in classical music so I won’t be commenting on any musical technicality or quality in the review, but rather, will be focusing more on introducing the artist and talking about the impact the album had on me personally.

Review: As many other people did, I spent most of 2020 alone in my apartment. To pass time, I tried to stream many virtual live events, ranging from book readings and workshops to ballet and musical performances. Among them was a live concert by Hera Hyesang Park to celebrate her signing with the classical music record label Deutsche Grammophon (DG). Unfortunately, the event is not available for replay but DG did post one song from the event on their Youtube page, if you’re interested in listening.

The classical music sphere is heavily centered around white musicians in Europe and the field has a long way to go to be inclusive. Hera is the first Korean singer to sign with DG (and the second Korean musician to sign with DG; the first was pianist Seong-jin Cho) and I’m so proud of her. The fact that she is trying to be herself, as her album title “I Am Hera” suggests, is hopeful to me. She said in an interview that when she first went to the US, she tried to assimilate and act like an American, but she realized that she needs to love her own identity. She picked the album title from that transformative experience. It’s something that most expats in the U.S., including myself, can relate to.

Besides the traditional classical music by Gluck, Pergolesi, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Puccini, and Bellini, the album also includes two Korean songs: Like the Wind That Met with Lotus (연꽃 만나고 가는 바람같이) and Psalm 23 (시편 23편). In DG’s 120+ years of history, it is the first time that Korean songs were included. It was refreshing and exciting to see Korean songs representing our existence, in the same album with songs by classical artists whom people conventionally think of. At the live event I mentioned earlier, she sang Like the Wind That Met with Lotus and another Korean song, Leaning On Time (시간에 기대어). I couldn’t find a video of Hera singing it, but here is one sung by Haewon Lee. It’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard and when I saw non-Korean-speaking listeners commenting on the beauty of these songs during the live event - I must say, I welled up a bit.

I would like to briefly note something about Like the Wind That Met with Lotus. It is a poem made into a song. The original poem was written by Jeong-ju Seo (서정주). He worked for Imperial Japan while Korea was colonized by Japan and also wrote poetry praising Japanese Imperialism. This serves as another reminder that while I was happy that she chose to include Korean music to be able to express her true self, complicated, painful, and unresolved bits of history are entangled in that song. It makes me think about the work that needs to be continued regarding decolonization and reparation.

I will leave you with Hera’s performance in a traditional Korean house. Her singing Purcell in a place surrounded by the kiwa architecture is a quite pleasant juxtaposition.

Happy listening,

CoreaMod

[princesssarisa]

“The Magic Flute” recording reviews

Since I saw that today I gained some new followers who love opera, I thought I’d share some reviews I’ve written of the various recordings of The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte). These can be found on “The Temple of Wisdom,” a blog I created devoted to Mozart’s last opera in all its iterations, which I hope to eventually use to promote the YA novel retelling of its story I’ve written, An Eternal Crown.

Unfortunately, the blog has been dormant since the coronavirus pandemic started – like so many people in these past few months, I haven’t had enough emotional energy for creative writing. But I have faith that little by little, starting now, I can find the inspiration to write again. So expect to see more reviews and other posts from this blog in the near future. In the meantime, enjoy this handful of reviews.

Sound Recordings

1955, Deutsche Grammophon, cond. Ferenc Fricsay

1964, EMI, cond. Otto Klemperer

1964, Deutsche Grammophon, cond. Karl Böhm

1970, RCA Victor, cond. Otmar Suitner

1984, Philips, cond. Sir Colin Davis

1991, Decca, cond. Sir Georg Solti

Video Recordings

1975, Ingmar Bergman film (cond. Eric Ericson)**

1978, Glyndebourne Festival Opera (cond. Bernard Haitink)**

1982, Salzburg Festival (cond. James Levine)**

1989, Drottningholm Court Theatre (cond. Arnold Östman)**

2003, Covent Garden (cond. Sir Colin Davis)^

** Unfortunately, this production leaves Monostatos as a black man performed in blackface by a white singer.

^ This production changes Monostatos’s ethnicity.

[opera-ghosts]

Born: November 24, 1888 - Warsaw, Poland Died: December 3, 1970 - Vienna, Austria The Polish-born soprano, Hedwig von Debitzka (real name: Jadwiga Dębicka), studied singing at the Conservatory of Warsaw; then with the conductor and teacher Stermich Pietro de Valcrociata (1868-1938), whom she married in 1916. Jadwiga Dębicka made her debut in 1910 at the Deutsches Theater in Prague as Butterfly. From there she went in 1914 to the Wiener Hofoper, and in 1915 to the Volksoper in Vienna, to the roster of which she belonged until 1924. Here she appeared in 1920 in the premiere of Puccini's "La Rondine". From 1924 to 1929 she was a member of the Berliner Staatsoper, where she had great successes and where she still regularly performed until 1936. In 1920-1923 she was a permanent guest at the Staatsoper in Vienna, and could also be heard in Amsterdam, Budapest, Basel, Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Lvov (Lwów) and Warsaw. She was particularly popular at the Theater of Poznan (Posen), in which her husband was working as director in the years 1922-1929. Her main stage roles were Konstanze in "Entführung aus dem Serail", Pamina in der "Zauberflöte", Mathilde in Rossini's "Wilhelm Tell", Gilda in "Rigoletto", Traviata, Desdemona in Verdi's "Othello", Mimi in "La Bohème", Isabella in "Robert le Diable" by Meyerbeer, Marguerite in "Faust"  and Eva in "Meistersingern" and Sophie in Rosenkavalier. After World War II, Jadwiga Dębicka lived as a teacher and concert singer in Rome; in 1950 she was a professor at the Wiener Musikakademie. The beautiful voice of the artist as well as her praised colaratura and lyrical soprano, can be heard on Grammophon and Polygram labels: among others, as Marguerite in an abridged version of  "Faust", arias by Bach, Mozart, Bellini and Verdi (1925, 1929); also Polish Pathé recordings (including duets with Joseph Mann); Odeon-Platte (Berlin, ca 1913).

[art-now-israel]

Lenin in jerusalem, Nekoda Singer

From the artist's book "Grammophone" based on his novel "Drafts of Jerusalem"

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Lenin-in-jerusalem/415837/1562903/view

[justfangstvdto]

Open Coffin | Chapter 13: “Dark Before Dawn”

Pairing: Kol x SalvatoreSister!Reader

Chapter Summary: The search for Y/N is in full swing as she herself comes face to face with someone from her past, who is more or less involved in her current situation.

Warnings: blood and very brief gore at the beginning, fluff, a tiny tinge of angst, typical violence, plot divergence (as always)

Word count:3256

Tags & Author Note at the bottom. Feedback is welcomed and appreciated.

Open Coffin Masterlist

Your name: submit What is this?

You wake up to the sound of blood rushing through your head. You look around in panic, vision still laid with a filter of darkness. You see nothing but trees beyond trees as the restrains in your arm burn your delicate skin.

Vervain no doubt.

“Ah, you´re awake. Finally.” Heavy boots land on small, brittle branches, breaking them in half with their weight, as the familiar voice echoes in the endless woods.

Not a moment later you come face to face with the last person you expected to be visiting Mystic Falls.

Her.

Monterey, California 1912

You catch a glimpse of him through a broken set of windows, the wind howling through the cracked openings. The flickering street light illuminates the blood splattered, wet with rain cobblestone.

Stefan bites into the exposed and neck of his victim while another one is already headless on the floor.  

You´ve been following him for the last weeks, witnessing his uncontrollable ripper need. He already made a name for himself as the Ripper of Monterey in the short time he's been murdering his way through town.

He lets his victim fall to the ground, head in his hand, carelessly walking away, leaving his mess behind.

You follow him, hidden in the shadows for a few miles under the night sky as a melody catches your attention. Out of whatever reason, it draws you in, the carefully arranged notes and words pleasing you so much you decide to follow it.

You can catch up with Stefan later. The trail of bodies will easily lead you to him.

You reach a busy parallel street, surrounded by numerous of houses down the road. Some resident has placed their Grammophon near an open window, the sound of the muffled singer´s voice draining out of it, onto the street. You hum along to the soft tunes of a fairly new song.

To your left clicking heels on the cobblestone are heard, and a woman rounds to the corner of a nearby house, her beaded, crimson dress flashing in the streetlights momentarily as she passes under them.

A couple, dressed in evening clothes passes her, going to great lengths to avoid her at any cost, whispering and glancing at her. They seem terrified.

Who is she?

She scoffs at them, shaking the weird looks off like she's done it a thousand times. As she comes nearer you can make out her tanned skin, shimmering with the slightest golden tone, as well as her dark hair, cut in a much shorter style than it is fashionable right now.

Your eyes cross and she stops, turning her head to where the music comes from.

“Oh, what a delightful tune. Sadly it will be forgotten in the generations to come. What a shame. Mortals are so fickle.” ”She says, her fiery eyes, illuminated by the streetlamp above.

Mortals. Huh. So she must supernatural.  With the way she´d scoffed at them, it would've been a surprise if she wasn't.

You're uncertain as to why she decided to stop, but engaging in some small talk should be harmless right? The last time you really had someone to talk to was weeks ago when your brothers decided to send you away.

“With the way they look at you, it's no wonder you don't like them.” You say.

“Well, if you don't terrify people at least a little bit then what's the point, right?” She says, her eyes scanning the surroundings nonstop.

Is she waiting for someone?

“Now tell me Humminbird, you care for letting loose at a party?” She asks and fixes a loose strand of hair “This lurking is nice and all, but nothing beats a nice bloody midnight snack. ”

Mystery solved. She's a vampire.

“No thanks. I´m not one for parties.” You decline, the song coming to an end, the Grammophon crackling.

“Oh come on now, a little party never killed nobody.”

Only the thought of people squished together in a room reminds you of the cold and closed walls in the basement. There's not a doubt in your mind that a party is the last thing you want to do.

“Might kill me.”

“If you say so.” She shrugs and looks over her shoulder again. “Then to another matter; You know you could put your stealth to better use other than stalking that fellow back there.”

“So you've been following me, great.” You sigh weirdly enough not at all bothered, even with the vibe she gives off, “Okay, I´ll play, how exactly should I put it to better use?”

“You could work for me.”

“Sorry, but I don't work for anyone, especially because I don't know who the hell you are. Besides, I don't follow orders very well as it is.”

“Name´s Maeyra Cain, short Mae. See? Now you know me.” She smiles "And you wouldn't need to follow orders, only suggestions. You can follow or deny whatever you see fit.”

“Give me one good reason why I should even consider working for You? I’m not gonna be your cannon fodder"

“For starters, you would be among your kind. The abandoned and forgotten, outlaws that slip through the cracks - a community of like-minded souls.” Mae says and looks at you fully for the first time “You wouldn't be lonely anymore.”

Ouch. A dull ache rushes through, her words echoing shortly.

She didn't say alone. She said lonely. And there's a big difference in being without company, and feeling like there's not a single person in the world that cares about you. And, as it seems, Mae spotted that you, unfortunately, are the latter.

“Great sales pitch.” You face away from her, swallowing down the sadness creeping up “You should run for office. God knows we could use someone else than Taft up there.”

“Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine?”

“A ray of pitch black would fit better, but sure. It´s a family trait. “ You shrug her off, with the curiosity of her proposal still lingering.

Perhaps a change of scenery would do you good? But should you really trust someone you just met that lets people quake with fear? And what about Stefan? You would feel guilty if you'd leave him alone now, even if he doesn´t even know you´re there.

“Let's say I agree, hypothetically, what would I have to do?” You ask her.

“For now, observe a very powerful and dangerous family,” Mae says

“Let me guess. They killed someone you love and you want revenge? How cliche”

“Now don't get ahead of yourself. They didn't have any part in that,  I did that all by myself.” She shakes head, a brief flicker of sorrow washing over her as quickly dying as it surfaced.

“What is it then?”

“I have a personal interest in knowing where they are and what they might be plotting. That's where you come in. You could be my eyes and ears, working in the shadows.”

“A spy?” You scoff, the image of you in a trenchcoat as it is fashion for spies in this day in age, too ridiculous to comprehend, let alone to become “No thanks.”

“Very well.” Mae nods, acknowledging your decline “If you happen to change your mind, come to New Orleans. I'll know when you're there.”

“You´ll know? How?”

“I am good at what I do, Y/N Salvatore.” She says and your heart drops into your stomach at her surprising use of your name

“How-”

“Like I said, I'm good at what I do.”She says and turns to leave “Have a good night, hummingbird.”

“Wait.”You call after her and she stops “Why me? Why do you want me to join?”

“Because you remind me of myself. I know you search for a purpose. Something to live for. I can give that to you. You'll just have to trust me.” She says, looking over her shoulder briefly before turning away “Take a leap, Y/N! You won't regret it! “She calls out into the starry night, disappearing into the dusky shadows she emerged from.

Mystic Falls | Present time

Mae reaches in the side of her boots, grabbing one of her knives hidden there. She skillfully twists and turns it in her hand, the blade shining in the daylight.

“You've been ignoring my calls, Y/N.” She sighs “ What t am I supposed to with you”

“I was busy.”

“I know you were.”

“Of course you were spying on me you crazy bitch. By the way what the fuck is this? Vervain ropes, really?"

“Just a safety precaution. I know you punch first and ask questions later, and I don't particularly want tobe introduced to your right hook again.” Mae squats down and cuts the vervain ropes with the knife, the skin on her left hand sizzling with the vervain contact.

“Where the hell are we?” You look around the lush forest, no evidence of where she dragged you.

“About 2 hours outside of Mystic Falls. Had to get away from those prying eyes and ears. You know how it goes.”

You do know how it goes. If it's one thing you learned while working with her, is that there's always somebody watching. No matter where you are or what you do.

“Why are you here, Mae?”

“Can't I just visit my good ol´ Hummingbird?”

“First of all, stop using that weird ass codename or nickname or whatever it is at this point, and second of all; you hate leaving New Orleans. Or your house.”

“What can I say?” She innocently throws her arms in the air “I hate people. All of ´em. Except for food, of course.”

“Mae. What's going on?” You ask her impatiently, the die'sire to put as many miles between you and Mystic Falls still imminent “Tell me, I have placed to be.

“Fine. I need your help. I heard through the grapevine that a particular, very VERY old witch just woken up from the dead and I, well, I need you to steal something of hers.”

“Look, I want to help. I do. But I need-  Wait did you say woken from the dead?”

“And guess who it is. Mama Mikaelson.”

Esther Mikaelson alive? Could that mean that Kol….

No. It´s just another false flash of hope and you couldn´t survive another of those. 

“Wait a minute. I thought… didn't Klaus kill her?” You ask her, remembering how Kol told you about his family´s history.

“Apparently it didn't stick.” Mae shrugs.

“How-”

“Doesn´t matter. The only question I need answered right now is are you willing to help me? You still owe me for the tip a few weeks ago, you know?”

“Great tip by the way. Led me right to a decoy.”

“But you did find your shiny diamond, now didn't you?”

“Fine.” You breathe out, pulled back into helping her once more “I'll help you. But then I´m gone.”

“Ah, you might want to reconsider. I have a surprise for you.”

Please don't tell me it includes breaking bones like your other surprises.

“Come on now, isn't that your usual Friday night anyway?" She jokes, but only earns an eye roll from you. "Trust me, you´ll like this one. Oh, that reminds me.” She says and rummages through her jacket pockets, pulling out a key “Here's the key to a safe house nearby, now that you don't want to go home anymore.”

“You already knew I'd accept, didn't you?”

“Of course I did.” She throws the key in your direction and you catch it easily “Now tell me, do I need to send someone to beat up your brothers? I heard they both were exceptionally mean at that dinner of yours.”

Boarding house | 1 hour earlier

Kol had to flee to your room, the overwhelming desire to knock some sense into your brothers itching in his fingers.

Stefan and Damon had been trying to reach Bonnie, on that device called a cellphone he learned, in order to perform a locator spell. But she hasn´t answered yet.

Tipping against the walls, uneasy and nervous, one because Kol is worried sick about you, and second because he still feels like an intruder in this century. When he was last awake, people could´have only dreamed of such technology. It's fascinating, even though he feels like a time traveller from another universe.

In many ways, he is just that.

He unzips your bag he found on the front porch, the sound of zipper echoing in your room. He picks up a shirt on top, and brings it to his nose, your familiar scent running through every amber f his body, intensifying his worry and desperation.

He needs to find you.

Scratch that.

He will find you. No matter what it takes. He'll burn the whole city and beyond to the ground if he has to.

He folds the shirt back to its original state, his hand brushing over a book bound in leather as he lays it down. He grabs it and flips it over, fingers brushing over your initials imprinted on the side.

It must be one of your diaries. It looks fairly familiar, but he can't put his finger on why that is. He hasn't seen any of your diaries before. At least he doesn't think he has.

Should he take a look inside,  just a little peek?

No.

He shouldn't read it without your permission.

He places it back into the bag and zips it up, hauling it over his shoulders.

“What on earth is taking so long?”Kol says as he rejoined Stefan and Damon in the living room “I'm growing impatient. You don't want to see me impatient.”

“Bonnie´s not picking up.”Stefan comes in, his phone in his hand.

“Find someone else then.”

“We don't have someone else.” Damon says “How about you

“I don't care if you have to force every witch in the vicinity, you will find her, understand?”

“He´s a  real charmer, isn't he?” Damon says to Stefan, who´s dialling Bonnie's number for the 50th time today.

“Listen to me very carefully,” Kol drops your bag and takes step after step towards Damon, his voice dangerously calm “You are still breathing just out of consideration for Y/N. Don´t think for a second I wouldn't tear out your insides and decorate your walls with them. Because I want to. I will, if I hear as much as a-” The sudden high pitched tone of your phone Kol stored in his pocket startles him. 

He pulls it out, trying to understand how to, well, answer it.

“Give it,” Damon demands annoyed clicking on the message.

“Coordinates,” Damon says shortly. “Y/N´s coordinates. It's a few miles out of town.”

Kol grabs the phone looking at the map attached to the message and speeds off, grabbing Damon´s car keys on the way out. It would've been way too far to vamp speed there.

“Wh-Hey! GET BACK HERE !” Damon calls after him, worried already about his car “Get your keys, Stefan. Now! I hate this guy!”

Virginia Woods | Present Time

“Y/N?!!” Kol calls out into the echoing woods.

But there´s no answer.

He feels defeat running through his veins, its cold sensation covering his skin. What if this is the wrong area? What if it was a joke and you´re already gone?

“Y/N!!!” He calls again, with all the force his voice possesses

After another agonizing second, he finally gets an answer

“Kol?!”

His heart fills with peace solely by you uttering his name, and he races away, his vampire speed seemingly too slow for his liking. He stops on a clearing to were your voice came from, blooming flowers under his feet, as you step out of the shadow of a large oak tree.

His Heart Skips A beat by the sight of you. Your hair is illuminated by the halo of the golden sun and eyes shining so bright with wonder he swears he could see them from there.

Not a second later you both collide with each other like two planets crossing orbits

“I love you. I love you. I love you.” He plants kisses from your cheek utter these words, travelling to your forehead to your lips, all his sorrows washing away.

“Ho- How are…..I thought…I'm dreaming, right?” You stumble over your words, thoughts spinning in a circle.

Kol laughs and shakes his head “This is very real.”

“God, I missed you so much.” You press him against you once more, tears of joy and relief filling your eyes.

This. This is the moment you have been dreaming of for the last 100 years. And this time, unlike the dream you had where you ran through his ghostly shell.

This time it's real and you can't even begin to fathom the happiness that´is pouring out of you.

“Ain't that sweet,” Mae says, perfectly ruining the moment.

“You.” Kol growls, more than ready to rip your kidnapper apart.

You pull him back by placing a hand on his shoulder, and he looks back wondering why you would protect her.

“She's a friend.” You explain, and Kol relaxes slightly, still reaching for your hand, interlacing your fingers with his Mae steps closer,

“Mae, how did yo-... How is he here?” You ask her, holding Kol´s hand with no intention of letting go ever again.

“Wasn´t me. That was all him.” Mae looks at someone behind you, and you turn looking into the blue eyes of your oldest brother; Damon. And next to him, Stefan.

“Damon..” You begin, searching for the best way to thank him.

“I didn't do it for you.” He says bluntly, sharp with hatred still and you can feel Kol´s hand tightening around yours, itching with the want to collide it with Damon's face.

You look at Stefan who hasn't said a word, and he doesn't still. But he gives you a nod, almost unnoticeable and that's all the good fortune you need.

Maybe there's hope after all for him to forgive you. In time.

“Let's go.” You look at Kol and start walking, heading to Mae´s safehouse but Damon blocks the way before you get far.

"Keys." He says, directing his demand at Kol. 

Figures. Of course, Damon is only here because of his car. 

Kol rummages through his pockets, dangling the keys in front of Damon´s face. When he´s reaching for it he throws them into the depths of the woods

 "Have fun searching." Kol smiles at him, his smile not reaching his eyes. 

There is laughter heard from behind as you and Kol walk away,  as well as footsteps, as Mae joins your brothers. 

“Ah, look at them. Long lost loves reunited again. How poetic.” Mae sighs, looking at you and Kol walking away “Good plan by the way, including Elijah in your scheme” She says and claps Damon on the shoulder.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Name´s is Maeyra Cain. My friends call me Mae. And you're hummingbird's brothers. Good to finally meet you in person.”

“Hummingbird? Who the hell are you talking about?”

“You really are just the pretty one, huh? What a shame. Anyway, gotta run. See you around, boys!” She says and waves over her shoulder, walking away.

Once out of hearing distance, she dials a number too familiar to her “Y/N´s on board. Starting phase 2.”

A/N: THEY FINALLY REUNITED!!! WOHOO! That sure as hell was a long time coming. I am really curious to see what you think of the new original character. Maeyra (spoken may-ra) has been a dear character from another fanfictionI´ve been storing in the back of my mind for several years so I brought her along to this one.

Do let me know what you think though! Your replies and thoughts really fuel my like nothing else!!

Open Coffin Tags (crossed outs are not taggable anymore, let me know if you want to be re-added with your new username:  @shadyladyperfection @thegoddessofvampire @newurleans @originalbish98 @christinalibertymikaelson @acourtofhopeanddreams @bonniebird @imnoaingeal @onlygodcanjudgeme-sh @vaniileiinkeks  @relmi-llorrac @piercethepottorff @maliae14  @5-seconds-of-animals @captain-amelia-bradley  @rock-n-magick @flymeawayworld @givemesomehybrid @mikealsonlover @nuteller28 @fandoms-fandoms-everywhere99 @drkplum @fandooomqueenforyou @free-the-fangirl @clockworkballerina @twisted1ginger @superwholocksociopath474   @pacifyprincess @mustachio1616 @thealyana @sandyclaws @unicorntrooper @buckysummers @sanity-is-overratedxp @akshi8278 @lunna-star-8 @graysonmalfoy @woodworthti666 @elenavaldez02 @lilulo-12 @selmasemlan @thelostallycat @characterobsessed @cococola-cocaine @crazyinternetgirl @tvdplusriverdale 

[allmymusic]

No 31 Bach Arias

This collection of Bach arias is the first album released by Kozena under her Deutsche Grammophon contract.

This album was made and released some eight years before the Mozart album, and voice-vise, the singer on this album could be someone else. Kozena is 24 here, and you realise the DG must have been really excited to discover her - the booklet states boldly that “a star is born”. Bach is one of my absolute favourites, but for a new recording star with no known background as an academic Bach singer, he’s not an obvious choice. It is one that works though - this album is stunning. Kozena sings with a style that is just right, clean and unadorned (Bach really has already done all the work, there’s no need to try to “make” Erbarme dich, mein Gott any more emotional than it is).

Favourite tracks: no 1 (Et exsultavit spiritus meus from Magnificat in D) is wonderful, as is Erbarme dich (no 4), but I’ll pick no 9, Zerfliesse, mein Herze from St John Passion.

Bach Arias Magdalena Kozena, mezzo Musica Florea, playing period instruments Marek Stryncl, conductor

[perfectirishgifts]

Musicians Jon Batiste, Wyclef Jean, Sam Smith Join Lang Lang In Free, Virtual Concert Today Celebrating Pianist’s Foundation

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/musicians-jon-batiste-wyclef-jean-sam-smith-join-lang-lang-in-free-virtual-concert-today-celebrating-pianists-foundation/

Musicians Jon Batiste, Wyclef Jean, Sam Smith Join Lang Lang In Free, Virtual Concert Today Celebrating Pianist’s Foundation

The Lang Lang International Music Foundation this afternoon at 3 p.m. EST will host its first, free, virtual concert, “Reaching Dreams Through Music.” The concert will premiere on the pianist’s YouTube channel, be distributed through media partners worldwide and remain online for one month. 

Pianist Lang Lang and his wife, pianist Gina Alice, both will perform in today’s free, virtual … [] concert, which will aim to raise funds for the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.

In addition to Lang Lang, the virtual concert will feature his wife, pianist ​Gina Alice​; jazz musician and television personality Jon Batiste; ballet dancer Misty Copeland; Grammy Award-winning opera singer Renée Fleming; Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard; Grammy Award-winning rapper Wyclef Jean; Grammy Award-winning jazz musician Diana Krall; Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Sam Smith; and the Young​ People’s Chorus of NYC​.

The concert also will raise funds for the foundation, which aims to educate, inspire and motivate the next generation of music lovers and performers. 

Most performers in today’s concert record for labels owned by Universal Music Group, including Lang Lang, who records for Deutsche Grammophon. It was recently announced that Howard will direct a new film based on Lang Lang’s 2008 memoir, Journey of a Thousand Miles: My Story, which was co-written with David Ritz.

In​ the concert, the artists will discuss how music shaped their childhood and lives. Many will perform songs that have influenced them, shaped their careers and hold deep personal meaning.

The concert also will highlight the impact of music on the lives of children around the world and advocate for equitable access to music education.  

Its grand finale will feature Lang Lang playing virtually alongside over thirty young pianists from around the world, accompanied by the​ ​Young People’s Chorus of NYC. 

Speaking from Shanghai earlier this week, Lang Lang said the creation of today’s concert was influenced by last April’s Global Citizen and WHO’s One World: Together At Home, a Live Aid-style event curated by Lady Gaga that celebrated healthcare workers around the globe and supported the U.N. Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund.

He said students participating in his foundation’s programs “get a huge benefit from learning music. It changed my life, made me much more interesting, influenced me to become a more powerful musician. Other kids should have a chance to learn music, get inspired.”

He also said he hoped today’s virtual concert would “open new doors for classical music” and introduce it to new audiences. 

Founded in 2008, the Lang Lang International Music Foundation offers programs that encourage music performance at all levels as a means of social and emotional development.

It works with almost 30,000 children annually in over 60 Title 1 schools in ten states across the United States.

More from Arts in Perfectirishgifts

[kirionline-dame-kiri-te-kanawa]

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa: 'It's tougher for today's young opera singers'

Viva la diva: Te Kanawa in La Fille du Regiment at the Royal Opera House in 2014

Ben Lawrence | 30 MAY 2017 

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is a small but forceful bundle of charisma. I expect her to be a diva, of course, and there is an element of imperiousness in her bearing, but there is an earthiness, too, and she has a joyously pragmatic attitude to her industry.

“Some people say: “Oh, I think I am going to try singing now. I think, don’t even bother. Don’t even start.”

This comment is surprising given that Te Kanawa is patron of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, the UK’s biggest singing contest and an important stepping stone for many international stars. (Previous winners include Finnish soprano Karita Mattila, while Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel was awarded the Song Prize.)

Kiri Te Kanawa with Placido Domingo in Otello at The Metropolitan Opera New York 

 Yet Te Kanawa is not, I think, advocating cruelty, but realism. In any case, the Cardiff singers have already been heard by several expert singers. It’s not as if they are walking on to a stage for the first time à la Britain’s Got Talent. She shudders at the very idea. “This is not a gladiatorial contest. I’m not sure what a TV talent show for opera would achieve. It’s a tough enough profession without having someone like me being mean to them. I would not like to see a bunch of singers shouting at each other. Sometimes there is rivalry among our competitors at Cardiff, but often there isn’t and it’s never a competition of egos.” 

Te Kanawa believes that the opera singers of today are more nurtured, but also that they have it tougher in many ways. “There are more pressures and less opportunities. More is demanded of them and there is more that they have to conform to. “There’s more to it than simply getting up and having to sing. They are given opera after opera to study, recital after recital – it’s a big workload. I was able to do things more gradually.”

Te Kanawa with Leo Nucci and Luciano Pavarotti following a performance of Otello in 1991 

 At a glance, however, it looks like Te Kanawa’s fame was acquired very quickly. She arrived in London to train in 1966 – “I came, I saw, I conquered” – and within four years had appeared at Covent Garden. Yet, she had already achieved a certain fame as a singer in her native New Zealand, where she had been encouraged by her adoptive parents and by the nuns at her convent. At the time she was untrained and made a brief and unsuccessful foray into acting – in a film called Runaway Killer about a psychopath who is described on the film poster “as a young man in a hungry hurry”.

 Te Kanawa laughs at the memory. “Oh goodness, that was so long ago and I didn’t really know what I was doing. It was just a silly thing.” Acting for her, nevertheless, has retained a residual appeal and her rare gift of combining technical ability with gut-ripping emotion has always hinted that she could have been a great classical actress. Would she have liked to play the great Shakespearean roles? “Of course!” she says, sounding slightly indignant. “What else is there?”

She says that she was too preoccupied with the stuff of life to give much thought to acting back then, too busy going from one role to the next – the Countess, the Marschallin, Mimi, Arabella. Indeed there is a breezy professionalism to Te Kanawa and only now, she says, does she realise that she was never properly guided, and she is determined to do better by her Cardiff Singer protégées. 

“I was never nurtured. I remember my friend [American mezzo-soprano] Frederica von Stade saying to me: ‘You and me, we were just thrown into the bullring.’ And she was right. We just had to survive.”

Part of Te Kanawa’s survival technique was to analyse her strengths scrupulously. “I would like to have been a spinto, rather than a lyric soprano, but I had to settle for what I had and I never tried to take on roles that I knew I couldn’t do.” This included Wagner. It never suited her, she says, and she found it hard to push against the strings which followed an aria.

Te Kanawa is greeted by Prince Charles following a production of Otello at the Royal Opera House in 1992. She had previously sung ant his wedding in 1981 

There have been many highlights in her career. In 1981, she sang Handel’s Let the Bright Seraphim at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul’s Cathedral and was seen by 600 million people worldwide. I ask whether an opera singer would be granted the same platform today. “Well, at Prince William’s wedding everyone was asking where the wedding singer was. I felt it needed some sort of spark.” 

Te Kanawa has achieved a level of fame that is rare for most classical musicians. She is aware of her privileged position and, at the age of 73, retains an air of toughness you often find with people at the top of their profession. Certainly she has had to be tough. She has worked with some hard taskmasters, including Sir George Solti, Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein, who, during the notorious Deutsche Grammophon re-recording of West Side Story in 1984, constantly tore Jose Carreras to shreds for failing to master the complex rhythms. 

“Oh,” winces Te Kanawa at the memory. “There he was [Bernstein] with this glass of water that was actually vodka. But, you know, he was a brilliant man and when you’re dealing with brilliance you’ve got to cope with brilliance. He was incredibly demanding but I didn’t mind because he helped me achieve things that I’d never done before. I realised that he’d made my voice sustain a note much longer than I thought I could.”

Today, Te Kanawa lives in Sussex (she has two children with her ex-husband Desmond Park) and dedicates much of her time to her foundation, which provides financial and mentoring support for singers from her native New Zealand. It’s a force for social good and a sign that Te Kanawa has not forgotten where she came from. 

“If you know where I started, you’ll know that I’m really not posh,” she says. “I’ve played many queens in my life, but really I was living out a fantasy.” And for a split second, this no-nonsense diva looks rather nostalgic. 

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World begins on June 11 and will be broadcast on BBC Four and Radio 3.

- The Telegraph

[whileiamdying]

Carlo Maria Giulini - Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon Discover the Limited Edition: https://DG.lnk.to/GiuliniComplete Subscribe here - The Best Of Classical Music: http://bit.ly/Subscribe_DG Carlo Maria Giulini (1914–2005) started his career as a viola player, headed La Scala, Milan, and worked with the world’s greatest orchestras. By the end of the 1960s, Giulini had turned his back – not on opera itself – but on the world’s opera houses, irritated by jet-lagged singers and a rising generation of stage directors for whom the theatrical “concept” was all. Opera’s loss was the concert hall’s gain. It is to this final phase of his career, when he returned to the great orchestral and choral repertory which had been his principal love as a young instrumentalist in Rome, that his distinguished legacy of Deutsche Grammophon recordings belongs. This 42-CD original jacket edition brings together Guilini’s Complete Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Recordings. ___ Find Deutsche Grammophon Online Homepage: http://deutschegrammophon.com Facebook: http://fb.com/deutschegrammophon Twitter: http://twitter.com/dgclassics Instagram: http://instagram.com/dgclassics Newsletter: http://deutschegrammophon.com/gpp/index/newsletter ___ 最高のクラシック音楽―登録はこちら: http://bit.ly/Subscribe_DG 最优质古典音乐 – 此处订阅: http://bit.ly/Subscribe_DG Лучшая Классическая Музыка - Подписаться: http://bit.ly/Subscribe_DG La mejor música clásica - Suscríbase aquí: http://bit.ly/Subscribe_DG Le meilleur de la musique classique. Pour vous abonner cliquez ici: http://bit.ly/Subscribe_DG #ClassicalMusic #Giulini #Orchestra