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Voice doesn’t get any more perfect than this.
From Lakme, an opera I’ve never heard sung live, and one which I’d pay a thousand dollars to fly across the world for, especially if it was sung by these two.
The singers are Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanca. Netrebko is the one with the darker hair… Both of their voices kill me.
La Llorona is a Latin American folk tale of sorts. It is the story of a woman who drowned her children in a river and pays for it by forever mourning for them. If you listen, you can hear her wailing in the rain…
Her story has become a popular song that has been recreated by countless musicians. Here is a version sung by Chavela Vargas, one of my all-time favorite divas:
Vargas’s story is worth looking into on its own. She had an affair with Frida Kahlo way back in the day. Vargas recalls singing to Frida on her sick-bed as Diego Rivera watched for hours in silence. What I would give to be a fly on that wall….
Andrew Bird has been a favorite of mine for quite some time now, though I have no idea what got me started on his music. His style is incredibly dynamic and evocative. I adore the emotion behind his music.
I randomly came across a breathtaking performance featuring him with Annie Clark (St. Vincent). It’s what seems to be an impromptu jam session type of concert recorded in a Parisian hotel room in April of 2009. Not only is the music fantastic (of course) but the video was beautifully filmed. About half way through, Annie Clark steps in… and her voice somehow reminds me of butterflies. Anyway, watch it here.
Time to start writing about folks a bit closer to home. Andreas Kapsalis is one of the most talented people I have ever met. He’s incredibly determined and (thankfully) music obsessed. His compositions inspire me because it is so obvious how much of his own vulnerability is exposed through his playing. Here is a clip of one of his tunes:
This song was my very first introduction to Rembetika, Greek music from the 20’s-40’s which was born out of blurred cultural boundaries of Greece and Turkey around the time of the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
I danced to this song in an “opium den” inspired performance:
Here’s another, live and sung version…
I fell in love with a bad bad man
Ever since I met him I’ve been sad sad sad
June faded into bloom
The September moon waned and grew
Your perfume haunted me long after
I saw the swing of heaven’s gate opening towards me
Luxurious in your arms
Your smile is a cool sun in the dark
Misery rejoices when you’re near
And fever, no sign of sickness
Keeps me burning down in my heart
Winter melts, she shies away
Quiet like the silence a dying star makes
I’m a jailbird to your music
A criminal in your prayer
I watch you in your sleep
Even when you’re not there
Picture this:
Your lips on my lips
A mirror has to do for now
‘Cause you vanished like a cloud
Rainbows wept color
All over the streets
When you went away
Maybe one day we’ll meet
Oh woman you’re callin’ me
Haven’t slept a wink since 1916
I wasn’t born then
But sure feels time’s been tickin’
Shadows parade outside my door
I wish we were dancing across this old floor
Car horns honkin’ down that dirty street
Wish you were yellin’ time time to wash my feet
Lipstick I’d wear for one million years
Just to stop the tears
Your eyes from fallin’, fallin’….
Antony of Antony and the Johnsons reads this poem in the background of Coco Rosie’s “Tekno Love Song”. I like this for its starkness, disconnectedness, and the atmosphere it creates in my mind. I’ve looked for more poetry by Antony and haven’t found anything I like quite so much, which makes me think that maybe it’s not an original, though I’ve been told that it is.
Fierce:Fragile 