#best violin piece! with ballet!

[leohtttbriar]

New Chamber Ballet performs the Chaconne

[dannysdcxdpblog]

Once Damian starts to get more comfortable with his family, he definitely started copying them and joining them for things.

Tim: he always wakes up and has at least one cup of coffee in the breakfast nook. Damian started joining him and pretty early on Tim noticed he Did Not like coffee. So one morning when Damian sits down in front of his mug, he's startled by the taste of hot cocoa on his tongue. He glanced at Tim who isn't visibly paying attention. (He is, he's just good at hiding it.) Every morning from then on, Tim makes a pot of coffee and a cup of hot cocoa. They don't mention it.

Jason: when Jason visits, you can find him in the library or one of the studies for at least an hour of his stay. (Three hours minimum if it's multiple days in a row.) Damian started sitting with him during these times. And then he started picking the books that Jason had already read. Jason noticed and started leaving stacks of books for the kid to read. They don't mention it.

Dick: he loves to use the gym when he's at the manor. Damian only used it for sparring or endurance. Dick uses it for acrobatics. Damian starts trying to recreate Dick's moves. Dick begins to move through his routines slowly so that Damian can watch and replicate. Sometimes he even gives a verbal run through of what he's doing disguised as him walking through for himself or a self evaluation. Damian starts receiving gymnastics and acrobatics videos in his email. They don't mention it.

Stephanie: she's a bit trickier for Damian to find something. Eventually he figures out she frequents the music room. Specifically the piano. He plays a multitude of instruments but his favorite is the violin. So he starts hanging out in there, looking at the music sheets. Eventually he starts playing alongside her on his violin. She starts keeping violin sheets for the songs she plays on her piano. They don't mention it.

Cass: she was easy to figure out, in the sense that there was one thing she spent her time doing. Ballet. She loved it. And Damian soon joined finding himself enjoying it as well. He learned the same way she did: watching someone else. Neither ever spoke any words their movements communication enough. They never mentioned it.

Duke: he was often doing puzzles in the media rooms. It didn't take long for Damian to slide into the space beside him. At first it was just watching, but eventually it was piecing them together. Duke always made sure to sort the pieces by shape and color before Damian joined him. Damian could never catch him doing it no matter how early he showed up. It was always relaxing. They never mentioned it.

Babs: he'd found that he liked sitting with her at the library, reading books she left for him or that Jason left for him. It was easy to relax beside her. Often times, he'd end up curled under the desk napping. Sometimes he'd sit with her during her Oracle time. They never mentioned it.

Bruce: it was harder to find something for Bruce. He was always working, either for WE or as Batman. Damian settled for doing his homework in the study with Bruce when he was working from home. It wasn't the best but he enjoyed it. They never mentioned it.

[j-a-n-e--d-o-e]

Popstar/Dancer au

Alhaitham was originally a ballet dancer who took part in street dance competitions to earn some extra cash to help pay for him grandmothers medical bills. He gets scouted by the Akasha record label to work as a background dancer for one of their singers, but his pretty face draws the managers attention, who decides to make him the next face of Akasha records.

Azar looks into him and finds the medical debts and uses it to pressure him into a contract. When that fails, he has a cop plant drugs on fellow dancer Nilou and offers to make it all go away if he just signs on the dotted line. He’ll even pull some strings to help with her future, isn’t that nice of him?

Alhaitham is a musician and plays guitar (he played a guitar, violin and clarinet to get a scholarship for private school before going Julliard) for one of their upcoming bands that quickly becomes internationally loved but after a falling out with Kaveh who goes on to break ties with Akasha records the band dissolves with most going their separate ways.

Azar keeps Alhaitham from leaving by threatening to use his contacts to blacklist Kaveh and destroy his career. Alhaitham doesn’t care about his own, his depts are paid, his grandmother has passed, and thanks to his time in a pop band he’ll never be accepted into any ballet company – but he does care about Kaveh. Azar originally intends to have him lip sync as a solo artist only to find out that Alhaitham actually has a decent singing voice and merely needs some coaching.

Alhaitham is considered a bad boy by the media due to his progressively harsher behaviour.

He’s technically pop, but his music tends to tread into any other genre that draws his attention.

Azar hates it but doesn’t say anything so long as it sells. Now that Kavehs career is secure, he could leave but doesn’t see any point as most of his friendships crashed and burned after he stayed with Akasha records, and he has a comfortable if toxic life now.

Nilou is aware of what Azar did and hates that she was used to manipulate Alhaitham. They aren’t close anymore - she can’t bair to watch him destroy himself - but she will always be there if he needs her. Dunyarzad was both of their patron before everything that happened, and one of the only people who knew everything. She had dreams of being a ballet dancer before it was discovered she had early onset Osteoarthritis, she would never dance again. Instead of letting this destroy her, she used her family money to support others who shared her dream. Her guilt over her inability to save Alhaitham from having his dreams stollen from him hurts deeply and doesn’t truly go away until she finally sees him happy again. Duny was the one who hinted to Nahida that there was something rotten going on in the company.

Alhaitham mentors Sethos, Cyno’s half-brother, who joins up with Akasha Records (instead of Silent Studios like Cyno) to try and get out of his brother’s shadow. Alhaitham does his best to protect the kid from Azars machinations, and once Sethos realises the danger he’s in, he helps him break from Akasha records. Sethos joins up with recently founded Rebirth Records, where he meets Nahida(the original owner of Akasha records who was ousted by Azar before she was old enough to even sit in the seat she inherited from her mother) and Wanderer.

Nahida and Wanderer both know bits and pieces of Alhaithams situation, Nahida from the records she managed to look at before Azar got rid of her (it was her investigation into AR hiring practises that caused him to target her), and wanderer from his time working at a ‘consultancy firm’ that handled issues for akasha records. So, when he asks them to help get Sethos out, they agree.

Alhaitham never considers joining RR because he knows that Kaveh has been looking into them and that the other would never join them if they were associated with him. He wants Kaveh to have the support and safety net of having a label behind him rather than just a patron like Dori.

Wanderer introduces Alhaitham to Arlecchino, the head of ‘the Hearth’ an international multibillion dollar media company at an award ceremony, mostly to piss Azar off. Neither he nor Azar actually expects anything to come from it, but Arlecchino knows a drowning man when she sees one and has a grudge against AR over them, destroying her childhood friend. Arle blames them alongside Clervie’s mother for her suicide and is more than happy to make them miserable.

She steals Alhaitham.

He leaves Akasha for the Hearths music label ‘Crimson Moon Studios’ but only starts to drag himself out of what he now realises was depression when Arlecchino has him begin working with her wife ‘Furina’ to bring Ballet and other forms of dance to the big screen with modern adaptations of well-loved stories. This is also how he and Nilou grow close again.

Things are starting to look up for him, only for a reporter to get a hold of Akasha records private data, including all the blackmail and threats he and other artists were subjected to.

[hayleylovesjessica]

Drop some classical recs, babe!

Okay, this is very weird and idiosyncratic on my part, but one of the first pieces of classical music to get me into that whole genre was String Quartet No. 8 by Dmitri Shostakovich, the preeminent composer of Soviet Russia. In his youth in the 1920s, he was an idealistic communist, but by the 1960s, he was incredibly jaded with the Soviet state. So, as an elder statesman of Soviet cultural life, when he was, at long last, forced by the state to join the Party, he wrote this piece as a su*c!de note. (BTW, the biographical and historical contexts are so important with Shostakovich's music. With him, you can't separate the personal and the political.) The four-note motif that recurs throughout consists of his initials in German musical notation (D-S-C-H), and there are lots of self-quotations from earlier works of his throughout. In the event, he didn't unalive himself, which is a good thing, but in some sense it doesn't matter: It's an absolutely haunting work that's a great intro to Shosti in particular and to chamber music in general.

The recording of Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 made back in the early 1990s by the Kronos Quartet is the greatest that I've ever heard. In fact, the entire KQ album that it appears on, Black Angels, where all the pieces are in some sense about war and atrocity, is fascinating. What's more, all the classic KQ albums from the early to late 1990s are completely worth hearing because they're all thematically conceptualized in some way -- one is an African album (Pieces of Africa), another is a late/post-Soviet album (Night Prayers), one is a medieval and early Renaissance album (Early Music (Lachrymæ Antiquæ)), another is an American album (Howl, U.S.A.), etc.

It's also well worth hearing Shostakovich's large-scale symphonic works, which are vital parts of the 20th-century repertoire, particularly Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, 7, and 10. They've all been recorded so many times. So, for these four symphonies, I recommend the recordings by Neeme Järvi (Nos. 4 and 5), Yuri Temirkanov (No. 7), and Herbert von Karajan (No. 10). Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 is practically a symphony in construction, and most violinists consider among the greatest ever composed, alongside those by Beethoven and Brahms. There are awesome recordings of it featuring the violinists Lisa Batiashvili, Maxim Vengerov (my personal fave), and Nicola Benedetti.

Along with Shostakovich, the other two great 20th-century Russians, Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky, were my point of entry into classical. (I'm leaving out Prokofiev because I just don't think he was as strong, but by God he wrote some great pieces: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3, Violin Concerto No. 1, Romeo and Juliet, Piano Sonatas Nos. 6-8.)

With Rachmaninoff, it's all about two things: The first is his Symphony No. 2. There are great recordings by Ivan Fischer, Mikhail Pletnev, and Andre Previn/London Symphony. His Third Symphony and Symphonic Dances are also really good and worth seeking out. The second thing is his piano concertos, especially Nos. 2 and 3 and the work known as the Paganini Rhapsody. These are the Mount Everest of pianists in the classical music world. The best recordings, IMHO, are Krystian Zimerman in No. 2 with Simon Rattle/Berlin Philharmonic, Martha Argerich in No. 3 with Riccardo Chailly/Berlin Radio Symphony, and Daniil Trifonov in the Paganini Rhapsody with Yannick Nézet-Séguin/Philadelphia Orchestra.

As for Stravinsky, most people would say that the four great ballets (The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring, and Apollo) are the must-hears. They're all SO different from one another, and at the same time, they're all so unmistakably cut from the same musical cloth. I would also add another less-well-known ballet, Les Noces (The Wedding), which was written for chamber choir, four pianos, and lots of percussion (awesome textures, a really cool and fun piece), and the Symphony of Psalms, which is Stravinsky's statement on humanity's relationship with God, mortality, and faith. I'm agnostic, but I find the work extremely moving, as well as endlessly compositionally interesting. Pierre Boulez, who was probably one of the two greatest composer-conductors of the 20th century after Mahler, made what are probably the best Stravinsky recordings. Some prefer his early recordings for Columbia, which later became Sony Classical, but I've always preferred his later recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. With Les Noces, there are two standout recordings, those led by Valery Gergiev and Teodor Currentzis.

Mahler's music is life-changing, period. Bernstein, who was the other greatest post-Mahlerian composer-conductor, is king in this repertoire. Like Boulez and Stravinsky, he began his recording career with Columbia and then moved to DG. I'm just not a big fan of his Columbia Mahler recordings, though mainly because the engineering just doesn't do these works justice. DG's engineers create a sound picture that really lets the glory of these works come through. I started with Mahler's end, his Symphony No. 9, and I have no regrets. It's emotionally and spiritually epic, and at times, its beauty is shattering.

As I said, Bernstein is the way to go when listening to Mahler, but there's one exception, Das Lied von der Erde, a kind of song-symphony that's basically sui generis in the repertoire. Pierre Boulez made a gorgeous recording with the Vienna Philharmonic, Michael Schade, and Violeta Urmana. Better singers have sung the six songs that comprise this work, but no orchestra-conductor tandem has ever played it better, and the way the last chord just hangs in the air, a C major chord with an augmented sixth that never resolves, like a glimpse onto eternity... I have no words...

Jaycee, I could do another post just as long on solo piano music (Bach! Beethoven! Chopin! Liszt! Debussy!), in addition to a long-ass post on OTHER orchestral works. Let me know if you want 'em!

[jarenka]

I've already shown you Tatar opera (I am still waiting someone to upload Kavi-Sarvar*, (good recording of**) Love of the Poet and Sujumbike on youtube) and Tatar ballet.

Here is Tatar composer Ilyas Kamal, who also wrote opera, but the short one (as far as I know he is writing opera for Bashkir National Opera Hall right now, and I am willing to go to Bashkortostan to see it).

Ilyas Kamal is a Tatar composer was who born in Saint-Petersburg and moved to Kazan to be closer to his roots. Initially he is a violoncellist but now he also plays kyl-kubyz, traditional musical instrument of Turk people, including Tatars and Bashkirs.

Here are some of his pieces I like (also go straight to the last piece it's sounds cool and it has instruments you are most likely never heard before):

lyas Kamal – «Dance» performed by chamber orchestra «La Primavera» and Ilyas Kamal, kyl-kubyz.

Other ones are under the cut as usual:

lyas Kamal – «Lullaby» from «The Burkhan’s house» play performed by chamber orchestra «La Primavera» and Ilyas Kamal, kyl-kubyz.

lyas Kamal – «Song without words» performed by chamber orchestra «La Primavera» and Rustem Abyazov, violin

lyas Kamal – 2 movements from suite "Idel-Ural": IV - Agidel, V - Bayik performed by chamber orchestra «La Primavera»

Ilyas Kamal - Kypchak's ouverture performed by chamber orchestra «La Primavera». This piece has a very cool sound effect of horses running made solely by string instruments.

Ilyas Kamal - "Mysterious journey" performed by chamber orchestra «La Primavera».

Here is Kamal's chamber opera "My Taqtaş". It's about Hadi Taqtaş, Tatar poet, and his last days before death. If I had i nickel for every opera about Tatar poet dying I would have three nickels. Not a lot but it's even more than the meme expect you to have. Also, it doesn't have any subtitles, and that's sad.

And finally an excerpt from Kamal's concert:

0:29:23 - 0:39:23 Ilyas Kamal - Fantasy for kurai and orchestra performed by chamber orchestra «La Primavera and Artur Gaysarov, kurai. Spoiler: he doesn't play only kurai (local type of flute), just listen to it, it sounds super cool.

*honestly this is one the the best operas I've ever heard, it deserves to be performed in the best opera houses around the world.

**it isn't my favourite Tatar opera, but is has some very cool arias, and existing recording is very bad.

[duncebento]

you have such wonderful taste in so many things and i'm so appreciative that you cultivate this space and share it ❤️ could you please recommend another lovely piece of orchestral music?

oh LOL i'm glad you liked it, thank you!!! i was just giving it as an example of a piece that's a bit more technically advanced.

orchestral hmm? well the piece i recommended before was a concerto, which is a solo-ish piece with accompaniment written in-- in that case, a violin concerto accompanied by an orchestra. i find that most of my favored orchestral pieces are concertos rather than pieces written just for orchestras, perhaps because you get the best of both worlds?

first i'll recommend this DOUBLE concerto by brahms; we're in vienna in 1887. i had actually only heard the third and final movement of this piece but the recording is of all three movements and it's fucking incredible. quite long, of course, since most concerto mvmts are between 7-15 minutes i'd say, but so very worth it.

like, just listen to the very first solo, when the cello takes the stage-- how much character development there is in the first minute. this cellist (who is "acting" in the same way that actors are given a written script but decide what to DO with it) makes it easy to imagine a whole narrative-- vengeful, sexy, the cheeky switch to pizzicato (plucking as opposed to bowing.) crazed.

next is a piece from cinderella. it should begin at 37:55. now we're more modern, the bolshoi theatre in 1945, and this orchestra would not be on the stage but in a pit at the foot of the stage, providing a backdrop for cinderella to waltz with the prince before running away. i adore the (very russian) character of this piece because prokofiev paints a whimsical, scary ball rather than choosing to focus on the sweeter romantic aspects of cinderella's meeting with the prince. (and i do think she would've been scared and completely out of her element!) the piece gets more and more frantic until the movement right afterwards, "midnight," where the waltz ends and all we hear is the doom of the foreboding clock.....

now back in time again to 1905! ravel, another impressionist, lived in paris but many of his pieces have obvious spanish influence. he wrote this as part of a 5-movement piece with each movement dedicated to a different member of his artist's collective, which i think is really cute. you can definitely hear that this is a more modern orchestral piece due to its rulebreaking-- this era definitely influenced the compositions for BOTW if you happen to be a fan of that soundtrack as many are.

i'm also gonna link the spotify playlist where i compile the vaguely classical pieces i like-- sorry; it's not curated in any sense, i just add them as i like them. i'd say they're mostly in minor keys because i'm edgy and like musical angst (even the major key ones i like often manage to be angsty...) furthermore there's a focus on cello because i'm a cellist, so pieces that i've played or would like to play (in my dreams...) make their way in often. maybe same with ballet cos i spent a decade and a half in a ballet troupe. otherwise i'd say it's well-rounded enough!

here u go!! and like with any music, if you find something you like, the easiest way to get more of it it by looking at the other movements of the piece/other works by that composer or their contemporaries.

[free-for-all-fics]

Phantom of the Opera AU Prompt inspired by Death Upon an Austrian Sonata: A Dana Knightstone Novel! This was written with the Mystery Legends: Phantom of the Opera hidden objects game in mind, but other versions could work, pick whichever you like. Pls tag me if you’re inspired by this and I’d love to read it! 🎻🤎

A clairvoyant and up-and-coming novelist has the ability to see and speak to ghosts. This has proved very useful in building a successful writing career, as they’ve used their skills to investigate unsolved mysteries involving ghosts and the past tragedies that befell them in life. They often focus on the people, places, and circumstances surrounding strange and unusual deaths to piece together a series of events. Thanks to them, many restless spirits have finally found the peace they’ve long sought after. The novelist has been busy putting their pen to paper and, while the ghosts move on, their life stories become bestsellers. These ghosts may be gone, but they won’t ever be forgotten. The clairvoyant receives a letter from their distant cousin, Marguerite, the Baroness de Castelot-Barbezac, seeking their help.

In her letter, Marguerite explains that she’s been hearing eerie violin music in her Paris manor and a terrified woman haunts her dreams every night. In said dreams, the ghost played her violin beautifully in front of a captivated audience at the Paris Opera House, while the Phantom gazed at her longingly from afar in Box 5. Why did he have such a passionate interest in this violinist? She asks her cousin to come visit her as soon as possible, all expenses will be paid. The baroness is a woman who adores having her own way and her request cannot be denied. According to her, the ghost's music and her death are connected. The clairvoyant needs to speak to their cousin in person to find out more.

But what they see in Marguerite’s room changes everything. In her letter, she mentioned she was terminally ill, but they hadn’t realized her condition would be this bad. A woman of thirty-five and she’s already bedridden most days. Servants tend to her at beck and call while her husband is away, but none of them seem to notice you, the ghost devotedly sitting at her bedside! Although you’re a ghost, you still seem to care greatly for her! A living person! The mistress of the grand house was a dear friend to you in life, back when you both performed in the Paris Opera House. Before she was married and became The Baroness Marguerite de Castelot-Barbezac and a great lady, she was simply Meg Giry, a ballet girl who was your best friend and closest confidante.

She let you possess her body to write the letter in her hand and sign it with her name since her illness rendered her unable. Even after your death, she’s still loyal to you and wants to help in any way she can. She points to a picture frame on her nightstand and it’s a portrait of you! And standing beside you in the photo is a man - your teacher, perhaps? His face can’t be seen since he’s turned away from the camera. He’s only a silhouette in the background.

“Thank you for coming. I know you must have many questions, so let’s not waste time. Just like you, I can sense ghosts. The ghost that’s with us now is a musician. She was a famous violinist in the Paris Opera House, but both her violin and compositions went missing shortly before her untimely death. Almost everything got burned up in the Opera House Fire of ‘96, so this is the only surviving photo I have of her. As beautiful as the music she played, isn’t she? Here, take it. It’ll help you. In my dreams, I saw my dearest friend hiding away something valuable…Music sheets. Of her own composition. And then she was running - running away from someone, fearing for her life. Perhaps she fell, or was pushed…But she drowned in the lake. I don’t know who was chasing her. It happens too often; I know they’re not just dreams. Her music continues to haunt me. It’s beautiful, but fragmented. When I have my strength, I try to transcribe what I hear, in bits and pieces. She wants me to find her music, but with my current condition I can’t move much. It seems that she hid her violin and music from someone. What happened to her? What's the connection between her music and her death? I need to find out, but I can no longer do this alone.”

But while digging up your secrets, the clairvoyant may find themself falling headlong into danger while they play detective. The Opera House has been abandoned for years, condemned and left to rot ever since a great fire engulfed it following the last performance of “Don Juan Triumphant”. Its walls are filled with so many memories for you, most of them still painful. It feels like you just escaped from there and left behind all the horror, the tragedy, the death, everything. You’re very reluctant to return to that cursed and godforsaken place, but Meg urges you to go back. She knows you’d be of great help, so you accompany her cousin to the abandoned Opera House, apprehensive about what you may find inside. But you must do this. You’re so sad and weary, but you won’t be able to Rest In Peace until your violin and music sheets are found and the truth behind your death is made known.

The Opera House was once something truly beautiful, full of grand parties, music, and laughter. But now it’s burned to ash, black and decayed - It’s little more than a charred coffin, and there’s a ghost who’s lingered over this coffin and made it his eternal resting place. Forever alone in death just as he was in life, Erik haunts his Opera House. Neither of you can see him but he uses ventriloquism to throw his voice around the hollowed halls.

“Welcome to my Opera House. Welcome to your destiny! The time has come to be reunited with your Angel of Music. Do you remember our last meeting? Let me show you…Ah, I see you’ve brought a guest. Welcome, stranger, to my Opera House!”

“Who are you?”

“I am Erik. I am the Angel of Music. I am Don Juan Triumphant. I am the Phantom of the Opera! Come, prove your love to me! Bring me a black rose, and I shall show you everything!”

The Phantom has asked for a black rose! These black roses could represent his obsessive, dangerous love for you. It was a warm spring or summer day when you were at Meg’s, but the outside of the Opera House has suddenly been covered in a blanket of deep snow, and parts of the building are frozen. If Meg’s cousin set one foot outside, the blizzard would have them broken and bloody over a cliff! This can only be Erik’s doing, willing his personal Hell to literally freeze over. You’re both trapped here until either the storm passes and the snow melts, or Erik lets you both go. Meg’s cousin can’t wait around for the former, so time is of the essence before they either starve to death or succumb to Hypothermia.

As you and Meg’s cousin investigate and explore the Opera House in search of the black roses, you share with them your precious memories of the time you spent in each room. When you first came here, you had heard tales being whispered about an Opera Ghost, a creature, spirit, or man who roamed the halls and possessed the talent to disappear before your very eyes. Unbeknownst to you, he had been hiding behind the mirrors, always watching you whenever you rehearsed and played your violin. With all of these stories from the ballet girls and Joseph Buquet running through your head, you were prepared to scream and fight for your life when he first made himself known to you. But when he looked down at you, you could see a sort of sadness that you had never before seen in any other adult. You looked into his piercing yellow eyes and were not afraid, but entranced. Instead of hate or fear, you showed him compassion. That was the day your tragedy was set in motion.

“My only dream was for the world to hear my music, but he took that away from me. He wanted me to only play music for him, threatening to destroy everything I loved if I disobeyed. He could take my life but not my passion for music. I had to protect what was left of me now - my precious violin and my music. I had hoped that one day, someone would find all the sheets that I had left behind in those music boxes. I’m very grateful you’re here now. If anyone can find them, it’ll be you! But it’s been twenty years since my death and I can no longer remember where I put them!”

You both search for clues, evidence, anything that may be useful in finding your violin and sheet music. You wish you could be of more help, but you’ve been dead and trapped in limbo for so long that it’s taken its toll on your mind. Your memory is very foggy, all scrambled up in bits and pieces - 1896 feels like ages ago! You remember that Erik demanded the managers pay his monthly salary in order to prevent accidents from occurring, and even gave them orders as to how the Opera House should be run. Everything he asked for was done without question, and should someone challenge him, terrible things occurred. Just then, Erik’s disembodied voice echos throughout the Manager’s Office.

“The Managers were fools! They thought they could disobey me! I showed them just how real my cruelty could be. The managers would come to understand payment of my salary was worth every penny, if they hoped to continue their productions without incident! Do you remember how you played for me? I was always watching. Your music rang through the concert hall. The audience, obviously enraptured, stared on in plain view. I reflected from the shadows on how well I had taught you and how you had given yourself over to me, your Angel of Music!”

You find a note written by Joseph Buquet, the stagehand. In it, he describes seeing a man lurking in the caverns below the Opera House. Despite his own ambivalence, Joseph had plans to expose the man. You discover his corpse in the Actor’s Alley, stashed away in a sarcophagus stage prop by the Phantom. The small viewing window only allows you to see his sickly green hands clutching a black rose. The glass in the mirror cracks just as Meg’s cousin carefully takes the black rose from Joseph’s decayed fingers, careful not to touch him or gag from the putrid smell. Erik’s waiting behind the glass, holding out his gloved hand for the black rose expectantly.

“So you saw Joseph? I did what I had to, for our love! The stagehand thought he could capture me? His curiosity was his undoing. The stagehand should have stayed in his place. Now a threat to my plans, I would not allow him to pursue me any further. The scene for his demise was set. My only regret is that Joseph’s suspension spoiled your violin concerto. You played your solo so beautifully before he dropped in on your performance, unannounced.”

You go from room to room in the Opera House, helping Meg’s cousin avoid not only the still-active death traps Erik has left lying around, but the environmental dangers such as loose electrical wires, icy floors, flooded rooms, etc. You closely inspect anything that stands out as you uncover more and more dark secrets. Erik’s voice follows you everywhere you go. He’s always watching, always waiting. Every mirror you pass, he’s there. However, it’s your old dressing room that confuses you. Or rather where the door to your room should have been. Instead there’s a wall made of red brick that has elegantly carved designs on it, making it the most beautiful brick wall you have ever seen.

Why would Erik put a brick wall all the way down here? Meg’s cousin cannot tear down the wall or follow you inside, so you tell them to wait right there while you pass through and take a look around, alone. Erik is there, waiting for you. He’s been in your old room this whole time, using smoke and mirrors and ventriloquism to make you both believe he was following you and hiding behind the glass of every mirror you passed.

“I taught you how to play in this very room. Do you remember? I’d been trying to get your attention but you were just so preoccupied with those concerts of yours. All I wanted was to spend some time with you alone. Why did you run from me? Was this how you repaid your Angel of Music? Wasn’t it I who made you famous? Was it too much to ask you to play music only for me? Why were you so stubborn? Why did you have to die?”

For a few fleeting moments, he shows emotional vulnerability to you and only you, his love (or object of obsession). He lets you see the man behind the mask, his voice raw and thick with longing and remorse, as if he’s on the verge of crying for you but cannot will any tears to be shed. But it’s gone faster than you can blink, and he once again dons a mask of impassivity.

“You’ve come quite far. Are you ready to descend into my realm? Let me take you there. The Angel of Music is waiting for you! Prove your devotion and bring me another black rose! You will find what you need when you look for it in the cold. Come to me. I am waiting.”

No one except yourself and Christine had ever been down there and, for Christine, it had been a nightmare. For you, the House on the Lake was paradise, and you wished more than anything that you had seen it one last time before your death, though you never had the heart to return until now. You could still remember the glow of the wax candles, the sound of Erik's music filling the air as he sang, all of it mixing so wonderfully with the waves lapping on the shores and the boat in the lake. To you, it had been the most magical place in the world. For a time.

His lair by the lake is frozen over, everything covered in a thick shroud of frost, each individual snowflake creating an illusion of white lace with a unique pattern. Everything in the room itself is encapsulated by ice, even Erik’s beloved organ and monkey music box. Candles that had once made the underground cave glow with warm yellow light are permanently gray, wet, and snuffed out. You come across a pair of wooden mannequins hanging from the ceiling, dressed in wedding outfits. They appear to be in a lover’s embrace. Erik has created a mannequin in his likeness! But is the bride meant to be you? What sort of nightmarish puppet show is this? Why would the Opera Ghost hold you in an eternal wedding waltz like this? You don’t know what compelled him to put so much effort into this disturbing and intimate display, but it makes your stomach churn. Erik has written a riddle on the wall in what you hope is red ink: “When the girl fell, his world shattered."

Something needs to fall. Perhaps those figurines of you and your former maestro? When the mannequins fall into a heap on the ground, the wall collapses, revealing a hidden passageway to a secret room deep within Erik’s lair. Inside is a crypt holding only a single black coffin that’s sealed shut. There’s an inscription in the stone of his grave. It reads, “Here Lies the Angel of Music”. Is this where Erik is buried? Could it be that Erik had set fire to the Opera House while he sealed himself alive in this very tomb of his own making?

“I had reached the depths of my despair - it was all over. The shadow of my death drew near. You were the light in the darkness of my existence. I was your Angel of Music! But you left me. I couldn’t save you. All was lost. The time had come to end it! My house would burn but my spirit would not rest. One day, God willing, I would have you again!”

Upon opening the crypt, there it is - your priceless violin, clutched by Erik until his final breath. Beside his skeletal remains are the music boxes containing your music sheets and his “Don Juan Triumphant” encased in a red folder tied with black ribbon. Erik couldn’t be buried in the cemetery with you, no matter how much he may have wished it. He couldn’t be laid to rest beside you in such a public place where anyone could dig him up, but he was desperate to hold onto the only thing remaining of you. After your accidental drowning, he stole your music sheets so your final compositions would be buried together alongside him. Erik’s final lament is written on his music scores of “Don Juan Triumphant”, presumably in his own blood based on the reddish-brown tint to the ink:

“What have I done!? Forgive me, my love. I didn’t mean to...”

You don’t want to leave your violin and compositions here to rot away underground with Erik for all eternity, so you make a trade. Holding the final black rose, you kiss its soft petals before laying it in Erik’s grave. You place the blossom in his corpse’s hands so that he may still hold onto something of you eternally while you take back your violin and music. What manner of sorrow could rob a rose of its very color? Accepting your gift, Erik bids you a soft and heartfelt farewell before he dissipates into thin air. Whether he ascends into Heaven or descends into Hell, he will welcome his fate. You showed him mercy and granted him forgiveness. You freed him from his self-inflicted Purgatory, even if he didn’t deserve it. Whatever awaits him on the other side, he’s very grateful to you for helping him move on.

You turn over your violin and music sheets to the person you do care about: Meg. Knowing that you’re going to leave soon, she fulfills your final wish and musters up her strength to dance to your beautiful music while her husband accompanies her on your violin for the whole world to hear, in what will be her last ballet variation. After her performance is over and she takes her final bows, you’re finally freed from the shackles that kept you bound to the mortal plane. You feel the invisible force that had been weighing you down for many years finally lift, and you feel lighter. You can move on. Your weary soul can rest.

As the stage lights shine down and nearly blind her from their brightness, Meg vaguely sees you blow her a kiss and wave goodbye before you fade away into the warm yellow light. No. It isn’t a goodbye, but rather a see you soon. Wherever you are, Meg hopes you’re happy and that you’ll be waiting for her to join you when it’s her time. She hopes you’ll be there to escort her to the afterlife. She’d love to hold your hand and walk with you once more, like you used to when you were young girls. It won’t be long now, Meg can feel it. She has dealt with ghosts before in her life, both real and man-made. She’s not afraid. She’s ready.

It was a sad day in Paris when Meg’s husband and cousin laid her to rest. Her cousin was all set to go home, knowing they had helped Meg with her last wish, when they felt a chill down their spine. Like they were being watched. They knew that feeling well - another ghost, another mystery. Who else was haunting Meg’s manor? Could it be…?

[symphony-in-a]

People STILL weren’t happy so this is the last time guys I swear… okay

[magpie-masterpieces]

Theme Breakdown for the Demons/Angels Universe (Part 1 of ???)

Someone suggested I do this, here’s a break down of how I chose all the themes for the Sins + Virtues. The reasons will range from “something extremely deep” to “haha instrument go brrrr.” I’ll do more characters from this universe in the future.

I compile everyone’s themes for this universe in this playlist!

Invidia: String Quartet No. 3, BB 93: Seconde parte: Allegro – Béla Bartók

Starting off strong with a not that deep reason, the opening trill from the second violin has always reminded me of a snake. Invidia’s design draws inspiration snakes given that she’s canonically the Serpent of Eden.

This is a very musically technical piece, I like how it all comes together to sound very layered and barbaric. I think that fits Invidia, she’s got a lot of pent up emotion underneath her cold exterior.

Ira: Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93: II. Allegro – Dmitri Shostakovich

Supposedly this is meant to be a musical portrait/representation of Joseph Stalin.

Heavy brass evokes imagery of marching armies. Reminds me of John Williams’ work for the original Star Wars trilogy.

Acedia: Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta, Sz. 106, BB 114: I. Andante tranquillo – Béla Bartók

This was a bit of a fine line I had to walk, I wanted something peaceful but still sinister.

I find that Bartók walks that line perfectly in this movement, it’s simultaneously tranquil but there’s a darker tone to it.

Superbia: Ruslan and Ludmilla: Overture – Mikhail Glinka

Overtures are usually the openings to operas, ballets, etc. They’re typically very flourishing and bombastic. I find that this specific overture is the right amount of bombastic I wanted for Superbia’s theme

Luxuria: Samson et Dalila, Op. 47, R. 288: Bacchanale – Camille Saint-Saëns

In music, bacchanales are typically meant to depict drunken revels/orgies.

The opera is based off of the story of Samson and Delilah from the Old Testament. In many interpretations of the tale, Delilah is meant to be a sinful, sexual woman.

Gula: Symphony No. 1 in D Major "Titan": II. Kräftig Bewegt, Doch Nicht Zu Schnell - Trio: Recht Gemächlich - Tempo Primo – Gustav Mahler

I found the extremely long title of this movement really funny lmao

There’s a playful, joviality to this piece. I think that fits given Gula’s the more optimistic one of the Sins.

Avaritia: The Marriage of the Figaro Overture – W.A. Mozart

Historically, operas have been associated with the upper class and wealth. Many operas were commissioned by nobility

Mozart is the best of the best, it’s only fitting that Ava’s theme would be the best of the best as well

Camael: Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 “Enigma”: VIII. W.N. (Allegretto) – Edward Elgar

All of the movements of Elgar’s Enigma Variations are inspired by various friends and loved ones of the composer.

More graceful and lyrical melody in contrast to Invidia’s barbaric and savage theme.

Zadkiel: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor: III. Scherzo: Molto Vivace – Antonín Dvořák

You’ll notice that Michael and Zadkiel’s themes are similar. Both are from the same composer (Antonín Dvořák), both are the third movement of a symphony, and both are scherzos.

It ties into Zadkiel being Michael’s successor. Not just literally, but his musical theme (symphony 9) being a successor to Michael’s theme (symphony 7).

Gabriel: Piano Quintet in C Minor: II. Scherzo (Allegro non troppo) – Alexander Borodin

Scherzos are usually short, fast paced and playful pieces.

Raphael: Petite Suite (orchestrated by Henri Büsser): IV. Ballet – Claude Debussy

Very happy and playful piece, easily fits her personality

Uriel: String Sextet in D minor "Souvenir de Florence", Op. 70: II. Adagio cantabile e con moto – P.I. Tchaikovsky

Very innocent and romantic vibes, contrasts with Luxuria’s boisterous bacchanale

There’s a viola solo in this piece. And I feel like there’s a viola joke to be made here with Uriel being the most uptight, pretentious asshole, but I’m blanking out on one >:(

Jophiel: Double Concerto in A Minor: III. Vivace non troppo – Johannes Brahms

A big motif I keep with Jophiel is balance, their theme is no different.

The piece starts in a minor key and ends in a major key. The concerto is meant for a solo violin (the upper register of stringed instruments) and a solo cello (the lower register of string instruments), along with the orchestra.

Michael: Symphony No. 7 in D Minor: III. Scherzo: Vivace – Antonín Dvořák

I already talked about how Michael and Zadkiel’s themes mirror each other, so I won’t copy and paste it all here lmao

I became obsessed with this particular piece during the early days of the COVID pandemic. I’ve always associated this piece with enduring things despite the hard times.

[justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms]

hi! could i get a howl's moving castle, bungou stray dogs and stranger things matchup please?

general info

lu, nonbinary, pansexual

looks

tall (6'2), androgynous, short black curly hair, black eyes, extremely pale skin, dressing in goth lolita and ouji style

personality

intj, mix of a kuudere and himedere, brutally honest, introverted, calm, quiet, reserved, sophisticated, polite, snarky, witty, sarcastic, blunt, apathetic, intimidating, mysterious, morbid, unfazed

hobbies

science, learning new things, knitting, gardening, cooking, baking, playing chess, taking long solitary walks to secluded places, reading, writing, drawing, sculpting, taxidermy, making clothes and jewelry

likes

plants, animals, insects and bugs, philosophy, thanatology, criminology, anthropology, psychology, mythology

history, forensics, horror media, serial killers, witchcraft, classical, goth and vkei music, classical and gothic literature, dancing, art, poetry, fashion

dislikes: people in general (i tolerate only few chosen ones), noises, mess, unannounced guests

love language

quality time and acts of service

random stuff

i have morbid sense of humor

i'm ballet dancer and figure skater

i sew most of my clothes myself

i like to sing when i'm in the mood

i can play on violin, church organ, cello, piano, guitar, and harp

people hate watching movies/cartoons with me because i'm overanalyzing everything

i like making jewelry

thanks for your time

Hi Lu! Thank you for your request! Sorry it took so long. I hope you like your matchups!

In Howl's Moving Castle, I match you with...

Howl appreciates your honesty even though he may not act like it sometimes. He values your opinion and knows you’re always speaking the truth when you offer your thoughts.

Loves cooking with you. He likes the peaceful atmosphere and the tasty meals and snacks that you get to share at the end are an added bonus.

He’s a naturally messy person but he’ll do his best to clean up since he knows you don’t like mess. No promises though; it’s a hard habit for him to break.

You may have to force him to help you tidy up once or twice a week. But he doesn’t mind; he actually likes being able to spend those moments with you.

Please make jewellery for him! Especially matching pieces that you can wear together. He loves those sort of things and will wear whatever you make him all the time. It’s his way of staying close to you even when he’s far away.

In Bungo Stray Dogs, I match you with...

Poe enjoys your company more than he can ever express. He loves that you’re both quiet people with hidden sarcasm and morbid fascination.

You can avoid interacting with people together. If Poe has anything to say about it, you and Ranpo will be the only people he interacts with from now on.

Please read his writing. Poe loves hearing your feedback on his latest novel and will incorporate your suggestions into his next draft.

He would also be more than willing to read your writing as well and give you feedback. Mind you, his feedback is usually nothing but praise. He just really likes your writing (and you). But if you ask him to give you constructive criticism, he’ll try his best.

Will take long walks with you. Poe especially likes walks in nature where you can enjoy each other's company without distractions.

In Stranger Things, I match you with...

Robin loves your sarcastic side so much. She especially loves it when you open up enough around her to reveal that side.

She seems like someone who would enjoy pearling about witchcraft and things like tarot. Please teach her, she's a good student.

Definitely one to sing and dance with you. Maybe not when there are a lot of people around (she does have a "cool" reputation to uphold) but in a more private situation, she'll let herself have fun.

True crime enthusiast! Robin would definitely listen to podcasts if they were as prolific in the 80s as they are now.

She likes talking to you. Doesn't matter what it's about, she just likes hearing your voice and having a conversation with you.

[fbfh]

dad!Robert and sister!Sophia Quinn + Quinn!reader hcs - the fosters

wc: 1.5k

pairing: dad!robert quinn + sister!sophia quinn + quinn!reader

warnings: vague allusions to reader having a rough life before living with the quinns, sophia has bpd, robert and sophia both adore you, jill hates you, sibling shenanegins with sophia, robert is trying to be a good dad, brief mention of playing just dance while your parents divorce, I think that's it??

genre: familial fluff with hints of crack and angst

a/n: hey girl I'm hyperfixating on the fosters again! daily reminder that you're faves live in disbelief of how loveable you are! as with the previous fosters hcs if you don't know why you were tagged its bc of the domestic/found family trope!!

@youkissedareaderinthedark @girlfriendwhoseawitch @mrscarolscaramoucheplease

Okay assuming you have a backstory somewhat similar to Callie's

Meaning you didn't know your dad was actually Robert Quinn until recently and through a variety of circumstances he's fighting for custody of you 

It's going to be…… interesting 

Honestly Sophia is messy enough for her own tlc show 

And Robert is so desperate to make up for lost time and be worlds best dad

And Jill?????? Jill detests you 

So there's obviously going to be some silly antics 

Shenanigans if you will 

When Robert first sees you he has to try so hard not to cry

You look so much like your mom, the love of his life

She really was the one that got away 

He feels like he has a piece of her back now

And he is so determined to be there for you now

He’s not letting you slip through his fingers again

You now have more emotional and financial support than you ever did before

Once you’re comfortable enough for it to not be weird he will absolutely give you a credit card for literally whatever you want

One of his love languages is gift giving so when he sees you and Sophia going on shopping sprees together 

When he gets texts from you asking if you can get something you want or food or something

Even though he’s reassured you a million times you don’t have to ask

He gets so happy

He’s so happy to know he can take care of you and provide for you now

He wishes so badly he could have been doing it from the start

But he’s just glad he found out as soon as he did instead of another ten years later

Also if there’s anything you ever wanted to do and didn’t have the money or opportunity to

Surprise

Robert has already signed you up for figure skating and ballet and your violin will be arriving at the end of this week

He just loves spending time with you and Sophia

He loves spending time with both his kids

It makes him happier than he ever thought he could be

And oh my god Sophia??????

She always wanted a sibling

And now she has one

And it’s literally the fucking coolest person in the world?????

She is so desperate to be just like you

For you to think she’s cool too

She wants to be like super mega close sibling bffs with you

She wants to have sleepovers and share secrets 

She doesn’t really realize that that requires a lot of work and time to achieve and you can’t really jump straight there with enough enthusiasm 

You might need to be a little patient with her and set some boundaries 

But she’s just really excited to finally have a sibling yk

Roberts parents (and probably Jill) will accuse him of being a little obsessed with you

But he’s just trying to make up for lost time yk

Sophia however actually is a little obsessed with you 

They all but explicitly stated she has bpd 

You can probably tell pretty soon that she’s a little mentally ill right off the bat

Like you’re not really one to miss red flags yk

One good thing about how much they both care about you and how much influence you have in your new family is that if you tell Robert you’re worried about Sophia

He will take that totally seriously 

Even if Jill doesn’t or thinks he’s overreacting or Sophia is  being dramatic 

Robert will start watching her a little more closely and realize you’re right

He’ll get her into therapy so she can get help before things get worse

He’ll get you in therapy too if you want/need it

That’s one of those moments that really solidifies in his mind that you’re meant to be part of their family

His kids looking out for each other yk

Also once her she starts getting better and some of that obsession burns away

You’ll be able to have a really great relationship with her

It’s so fucking hard for her to not copy everything you do

Like once you move in she wants to decorate her room like yours

She always wants to borrow your clothes and copy your style

She thinks whatever you like to do is absolutely the elite hobby/extracurricular 

And oh my god if you like horses too????

Her two favorite things have just combined

Robert would absolutely get you a horse so you two can go riding together 

She brags to all her friends at Archfield about how fucking cool you are

Eventually you end up getting to have all the classic sibling experiences you didn't have with each other 

Late night talks about life and mental illness and existentialism 

"Can I borrow your top" "No" "Please :(" "Fine"

Basement just dance battles to the death while Robert and Jill are divorcing upstairs 

You show up to all each others events and hype the hell out of each other 

Your texts are half just sending each other tiktoks 

"You" "dad" "dad and Jill" "us" "your horse"

She sends you a lot of astrology memes and incorrect quotes of your signs 

She gets so excited whenever you consult her about your personal life 

You send her a screenshot of texts asking if it passes the vibe check 

It does not 

She loves talking mad shit with you

About people from your schools and extracurriculars 

Sometimes about Jill

Robert is trying to make it work with her 

He really is

But she fucking hates you 

She refuses to even give you a chance

And you know he's never going to pick anyone over his kids

Especially not after everything yall have been through 

You and Sophia both sort of know it's a matter of time at this point

Jill is one of those handful of almond moms who will antagonize you for almost anything 

You can't even swear around Jill bc she doesn't like it

She won't even let Sophia say oh my god 

So whenever you swear around Robert and Sophia it's like a little inside joke 

Even when you let out a long string of substitute swear words when Jill is there they still find it hilarious 

Because they know what you'd be saying if she weren't there 

"Butt…muncher on a pogo stick!"

They find it hilarious 

Jill is not amused

Sometimes Sophia looks up your old neighborhood on Google maps and imagines what your childhood was like

What it would have been like if you were raised together 

There are tons of trees she imagines you'd climb together, sidewalks to ride your bikes on, places to play hide and seek 

Sometimes Robert looks at your old neighborhood and has to try not to cry

His baby was that close this whole time and he had no idea??

They're both just really glad they have you now 

That you have each other 

Also your birthday????

It's practically a national holiday 

Sophia bases half her gift planning on your birth chart and the other half on every piece of information she's retained about you 

Robert is lowkey celebrating the whole month 

He feels like he has a lot to make up for and he's not going to let this day be anything less than spectacular 

God help you if it's your sweet 16

He is going to to so fucking ham people are still talking about it years later

Sophia gets so fucking excited if your birthdays are close together 

Like so fucking excited 

She has a little count down on her phone to "quinn siblings birthday season" 

It becomes a tradition for each of you to team up with Robert to plan the other one's birthday 

Instead of the standard birthday parties Jill would throw and invite half of Sophia's class

And a bunch of adults to network with

This year you and Robert surprise her with a day full of horseback riding and shopping and devil's food cake and all her other favorite things

And a Fiona apple concert over the weekend 

If this is what birthdays are supposed to be like she thinks she's been missing out

And for your birthday?????

They plan a whole week full of surprises 

Sophia's been making careful mental notes of all the stuff you want to do and go see 

Suffice it to say it's the best birthday you could have wished for 

For Robert's birthday you and Sophia plan to surprise him with a bunch of crafts and handmade presents  he probably would have gotten from both of you if you'd found each other sooner 

You make craft paper turkeys and macaroni necklaces and casts of your hand prints

You buy white ties and color them in with paint markers 

You even mark your heights on the doorway of his office 

He cries so fucking hard

He loves it

He loves his kids

It's the second best present he's ever gotten

The first will always be you and Sophia 

[ileenhaddockhawkins]

I've tried to think of mundane things John and Sherlock would do together out of 221b. Not easy considering Sherlock doesn't find much interest out there other than crime scenes.

I recently watched TPLoSH and we have this scene where Watson drags Holmes to the ballet. Except that Holmes states pretty clearly that he hates it.

(Note that I haven't yet read ACD novels so I don't know if they give hints about any other of Holmes' interests/disinterests in artistic and cultural events.)

Well, starting from this, maybe modern Sherlock doesn't like ballet either (though I would find it hard to believe since the pirouette in TSoT -he obviously likes some sort of dancing) but I can't possibly imagine Sherlock wouldn't like listening to live music itself. Especially if it's violin.

Now, one of my headcanons is John treating Sherlock to a live music concert for his birthday or during the Christmas season. The concert would star Hilary Hahn, whom Sherlock of course admires since she's a reknown violinist (one of the best really) and she would play some classical pieces (including Bach) as well as contemporary ones.

Yep, that could definitely be an evening Sherlock would enjoy. I can totally see him as the extra attentive listener who lives the moment with every fiber of his being (I mean, live music is just magical), each note renewing the air in his body and the satisfaction of seeing someone play with such perfection filling him with contentment.

If someone out there feels inspired to write a ficlet based on this, please let me know! (or I could as much do it myself but let's say I don't feel confident enough for now).

[sporadiceagleheart]

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Famous memorial

Birth: 7 May 1840 Votkinsk, Udmurtia Republic, Russia

Death: 6 Nov 1893 (aged 53) Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg Federal City, Russia

Burial: Свято-Троицкая Александро-Невская Лавра, Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg Federal City, Russia

Plot: Tikhvinskoye Cemetery (The Artist's Necropolis)

Memorial #: 1512

Bio: Composer. Pyotr Tchaikovsky was a prolific 19th-century Russian composer who has been recognized as one of the most popular all-time composers in the world. He composed seven symphonies, 11 operas, three ballets, five suites, three piano concertos, a violin concerto, 11 overtures, four cantatas, 20 choral works, three string quartets, a string sextet, and more than 100 songs and piano pieces. Many of his pieces have held the test of time and are performed in the 21st century. Born one of six siblings in Kama-Votkinsk, Vyatka Guberniya, in the Ural Mountains of the Russian Empire, he began piano studies at age five and, before he was ten, could read and write French and German. His early musical talents were well-noted. In 1850, he was sent to an all-male school, the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in St. Petersburg, and after graduation in June of 1859, and with his father's support, he was appointed as a clerk in the Ministry of Justice. In 1862, he resigned and enrolled in the newly founded Saint Petersburg Conservatory as one of the school's first students. By 1866, he had relocated to Moscow to accept a professor of harmony position at the Conservatorium of Music in Moscow. With all being well-received, his first symphony, "Winter Daydreams," was performed in Moscow in 1868, his first opera, "The Voyevoda," in 1868, and his second symphony, "Little Russian," in 1872. After retiring from the Conservatory following mental health issues in 1877, one of his best-known ballets, "Lebedinoe Ozero" or "Swan Lake, debuted at the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre. Although for years, there had been questions about his sexual orientation, in the summer of 1877, he married Antonina Milyukova, a young and naive music student, who had declared her love for him. With homosexuality being illegal in Russia, any mention of his intimate lifestyle was censored in Russia to protect his career. The marriage was over in less than three months, leaving him again mentally and emotionally drained and unable to work. The details of this time are well-documented in his younger brother Modest's three-volume 1902 biography "The Life of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky," along with his own letters being published at a later date. After that experience, Tchaikovsky lived as a bachelor for most of his life. He came under the thirteen-year patronage of Madame Nadezhda von Meck, who gave him a yearly allowance, which allowed him to devote his time to composition. Although he never met her physically, his fourth symphony was dedicated to Madame von Meck. From 1878 to 1885, Tchaikovsky traveled extensively and was well-regarded in Europe as well as in Russia. He presented the "1812 Overture" in 1880. After Nikolai Rubinstein's 1881 death, he composed "Trio in A minor, Op 50", a piano piece "dedicated to the memory of a great artist." In 1893, this piece was used as part of his own funeral. In 1888, Russian Tsar Alexander Alexandrovitch Romanov III granted him a yearly pension. His highly-regarded ballets, "The Sleeping Beauty" and the Christmastime favorite, "The Nutcracker," debuted in 1890 and 1891, respectively. A few days after conducting the premiere of his Sixth Symphony, "Pathétique," Tchaikovsky reportedly died of cholera as his mother did. In the 1980s, many scholars stated that his death was, in fact, a suicide, which was caused by deliberately drinking a glass of contaminated water during a cholera epidemic or ingesting a poison. He was elected in 1892, and sculptor Mark Matveyevich Antokolsky were the only Russians in the French Academy of Fine Arts. In 1893 he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in music from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.

Tchaikovsky is buried near the northern wall of the cemetery, near fellow composers Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Modest Mussorgsky. His grand upright grave marker is adorned with Ivan Vdovin's two angel sculptures and the bust of Tchaikovsky.

Family Members

Parents

Ilia Petrovitch Tchaikovsky 1795-1880

Alexandra Andreïevna Assier Tchaikovskaya 1812-1854

Spouse

Antonina Ivanovna Miliukova Tchaikovskaya 1848-1917

Siblings

Nikolai Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1838-1911

Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1850-1916

Maintained by: Find a Grave

Added: 1998-04-26T00:00:00.000Z

URL: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1512/pyotr_ilyich-tchaikovsky

Citation: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1512/pyotr_ilyich-tchaikovsky: accessed November 6, 2024), memorial page for Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (7 May 1840–6 Nov 1893), Find a Grave Memorial ID 1512, citing Свято-Троицкая Александро-Невская Лавра, Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg Federal City, Russia; Maintained by Find a Grave.

[bellagoths-lobotomy]

𝓜eet, Violette. Violette was born Irina Romanovna T. to Queen Cordelia in 1911 in the Simviet Union, Sulssia. Her only daughter, she was sent to Champs Les Sims at age 17 to have her name changed to Violette and be married to the heir to the throne to forward the royal lineage and strengthen relations between the nations. ...Except, this storyline was depressing. Violette was the first heiress to the Royal Legacy I attempted ages ago, but watching this little girl grow up and autonomously -- albeit demurely -- rebel against the chains that bound her sortttt offffff broke my heart. She was a genius; she enjoyed unconventional music; she maxed out her manners and empathy boxes; mastered piano, violin, ballet, athletics, logic, rocket science, knitting, crochet, horseback riding, and painting; she received the best marks in her classes...all to be...married off? I couldn't bring myself to let her become the broodmare of another sim and abandon her and all of her dreams. I decided that if anyone could figure out how to build and use an interdimensional-travel device, it would be her. So...that's exactly what she did. To the ignorance of her maids, advisors, and endless list of doter-on-ers, Violette built her teensy-tiny piece of technological freedom.

...Only, the fall of technology -- particularly the pedestrian cobbled-togethers of a teenager in the early 1900s -- is that it is persnickety at best. In her only scrap of privacy, in a secret chamber beneath the library where she snuck off to during her lessons, she turned her device on for the first time, and was transported to three separate universes where she had her wish at long last: to be like other girls. The circumstances she began with in all universes were largely the same: she was transported to an abandoned trailer, in a reality where her parents and her were low-income and died in a tragic car accident the night before, slipping into ''her'' place seamlessly. But the way she's navigated each life has varied across the stars. In Pleasantview, year 2000, she fell in love with the equally-broody and proper Alexander Goth, where she now raises their vampiric daughter Briar-Rose on their large Veronaville estate after a long and decorated career as a ballerina. In Bridgeport, year 2011, she accidentally rose to stardom in her pursuits as an actress (''best girl'') where her old-Hollywood charm and eyes reminiscent of Liz Taylor captured to gaze of Matthew Hamming. Of course, as he does, Hamming left her heartbroken and thrust into the limelight after a failure to commit (or further her career). This kicked off a series of toxic entanglements with athletes like Richie Striker and and a career as a model. With a lifelong love for fashion, she made do with this new career path and eventually found true love with Yousef Nagi, a fellow explorer she met on an adventure to Al-Simhara. The two are settled in Northern Bridgeport and are expecting their first daughter. But now, in Willow Creek....? While her story continues in all realities, I'm taking it the slowest in TS4 and will post the most of her from this timeline. Originally, she fell in love once more with Alexander Goth, who's intellect and etiquette ensnared her once again. But it seems their names were not written side-by-side in the stars after all, as this Alexander is... different. Maybe it is the presence of his mother and a life that never lacked love, maybe it is the era, whatever the case may be, he'd gone wrong. Their relationship quickly became physical, with him losing friendship for her at every friendly or quirky interaction she used with him as opposed to romantic. When she graduated and went to Uni early -- answering an add to live with the polar-opposite Pleasant twins -- he went to prom without her. These resentments boiled over when she came home from finals to see Alexander in the dining room foyer, flirting with Lilith. She, of course, broke up with him and naturally, adopted a kitten thirty sim-minutes later. And that's where she is presently! ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ She is pursuing a degree in Fine Arts at Britechester Uni (which may be a bit too close to home...) in the hopes of becoming a famous runway model afterwards, like the idols of the 90s and 2000s she looked to for maternal guidance in this strange new world. But she may change her mind and decide to be an astronaut later. She has the time and the freedom to be everything she wants to be, she feels. She adores Barbie, the message that a woman can be everything she wants -- to see princesses and lawyers and models and doctors exist within the same woman -- resonated deeply with her. She loves fashion and dressed in her mum's gowns as a young girl, and has taken full advantage of all of the fun she can have with her style when there is no one around to fuss with her hemlines and colour co-ords. She developed a like for metal music and hates the colour yellow. Her kitten Duchess is her only family and truest confidant. With her 20th Birthday and new year at Uni approaching, I can't wait to see where life takes this bright girlie!... ♡₊˚

[vendettavalor]

@valorums said: 🖌️ - Do they have any hobbies? [ ALFIE ]

⚔️ Misc Asks Meme // ACCEPTING ⚔️

// She does! When she's not training and preparing to take over as Chief of her people, Alfie enjoys unwinding in a bunch of different ways.

// She enjoys making armor, clothes, and accessories. It's something of a hidden talent she has. She's exceptionally good at leather working and fabric-making. It's a survival skill she was taught from young age. But over the years, she's found herself enjoying designing and decorating clothes and armor far more than she needs to. But by far, her favorite thing to do is make accessories like jewelry. Kid's a whiz with metalworking, finding, and cutting stones. She knows how to treat bone for shaping and usage in accessories. And the best way to know that you are loved and treasured by Alfie is for her to handmade and gift you a piece of jewelry or an accessory.

// Alfie's also really good at music. Specifically, string and wind instruments. It might be a surprise to many people that she can play things like guitar, violin, lyres, and harps really well. Even more so that she's good at things like flutes and ocarinas. All of which are instruments she handmakes herself. Yet still, the most impressive thing about her is her voice. Alfie sings beautifully. And it's a talent she keeps even as she gets older.

// And keeping in line with musically driven hobbies, Alfie is also a really good dancer. She's not one for ballet or ballroom dances. She can't tango or waltz. But she's an incredible performer for dances that involve twirling. Baton twirling, flag twirling, saber dancing - and especially fire dancing. She is incredibly quick and graceful with it, and she will mesmerize any audience with how incredible she is at twirling a flaming baton and spitting flames in various shapes and patterns. It's mostly something limited to ceremonies. But if she really trusts someone, she'll dance for them.

[werewolvesandaccordions]

3. Reinhold Gliere (1875-1956) Gliere was from Kiev. He was a violinist, teacher and composer and I really like his chamber works. He may not have been innovative but he sure was inventive. In 1894 he studied violin with Jan Hrimaly and composition with Anton Arensky and the great Sergei Taneyev at the Moscow conservatory, where he later became professor. Earlier, between 1901 and 1913, he taught at the Gnesin Institute, Moscow – where his pupils included Myaskovsky and Prokofiev – and between 1913 and 1920 he was professor at Kiev Conservatory. He is probably best know forhis 3rd symphony (Ilya Muromets), but he wrote all sorts including songs, concertos, ballet music. I however, love his smaller scale music, in particular the string works and piano music, and I encourage anyone, who like myself, loves beautiful tunes to listen to these pieces. So, what to choose…..OK, I’ve made up my mind. I mentioned earlier the inventiveness, so I have chosen the 12 Duos for 2 Violins. Some other works for violin duo: 8 Violin Duos op.55 by Robert Fuchs Ten Old Dances for Two Violins, op. 91 by Johanna Senfter Theme and Variations for Two Violins by Alan Rawsthorne David Pulsford, @lesser-known-composers

musicainextenso: 3. Reinhold Gliere (1875-1956) Gliere was from Kiev. He was a violinist, teacher and composer and I really like his chamber works. He may not have been innovative but he sure was inventive. In 1894 he studied violin with Jan Hrimaly and composition with Anton Arensky and the great Sergei Taneyev at the Moscow…