World Music Exploration - Virgenes del Sol

This week's clip is the Kinsa Trio from Belguim.  Their latest video is based on a popular Peruvian melody composed byJorge Bravo de Rueda.

It starts rather classically on the piano before it switches to the cheery melody:

Great Performances - Dietrich Fischer Dieskau Sings The Erlking

This chilling performance by baritone Dietrich Fischer Dieskau and pianist Gerald Moore has been hailed on Youtube as one of the best interpretations of this German lied.

Franz Schubert based this "Der Erlkönig" (The Elf King or "Erlking") on a poem by Goethe of the same name.

In a nutshell, the singer portrays four characters: the narrator, a young boy, his father and the Erlköning. Dieskau superbly captures the nuances each character while Moore gallops through those triplets with an enviable pinnache. They paint us a soundscape of a young boy as he rides on horseback in the dark and of his encounter with the Erlking.

The duo are completely in sync, which is a feat considering I read once that the two hated each other. Dieskau's word painting is stellar. Every time I listen to this, I get shivers when the Erlking becomes forceful and the young boy meets his fate.

World Music Exploration - Traditional Peruvian Music

For October, my students and I are heading to South America to explore the music of Peru. Peruvians have several traditional instruments, including:

• Panpipes: also referred to as "siku", "antara" and "zampoña". Traditionally., these were played in pairs.

• Simple notched-end flutes: known as "quenas". These were made of fragile bamboo.

• Tarkas: vertical flutes

• Bombos or wankaras: deep-sounding, double-headed drums.

Here's a lively clip that features quite a few of these traditional instruments:

(c) 2011 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

Great Performances - Ella Fitzgerald in Berlin

Here is a fantastic example of how to handle those performance glitches. This is from jazz singer's Ella Fitzgerald 1960 performance in Berlin. Partway through, she completely blanked out on the lyrics. True to form, she improvised flawlessly. She was rhyming, she made up lyrics that really made sense. She didn't lose her cool and just went along with it - and it sounded just fine. More than fine.

World Music Exploration - R.E.M.

And here I thought I would have a tough time choosing a pop/rock music selection for this week's entry. R.E.M. made it an easy decision for me. On September 21, 2011, the American band R.E.M. announced that they would be disbanding after 31 years of music collaboration.  The band formed in 1980 in Athens, GA and was comprised of Michael Stipe (vocals), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass) and Bill Berry (drums). The band is credited for having a profound influence on the development of alternative rock.

I couldn't decided between The One I Love  or Losing My Religion, so here's both:

(c) 2011 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.