Igor Stravinsky has one very particular distinguishing characteristic which can hardly be found in any other not even composer, but artist. He has composed in many different styles and totally different kinds of music. Though he’s most famous for his early pieces which are categorized as polyphonic modern classical music, but his works expand from Baroque to serialism and even Jazz and rag music!
Here you can to his Italian Suite, no. 3 for Cello and the Piano as played by Laffranchini and Rebaudengo. Even in this Baroque style piece you can hear his very brilliant innovations. I like this piece a lot, especially those parts the music changes in a very special way kill me!!

5 Ecce gratum (Chorus) (Behold, the pleasant spring)

Ecce gratum      Behold, the pleasant
et optatum      and longed-for
Ver reducit gaudia,      spring brings back joyfulness,
purpuratum      violet flowers
floret pratum,      fill the meadows,
Sol serenat omnia.      the sun brightens everything,
Iamiam cedant tristia!      sadness is now at an end!
Estas redit,      Summer returns,
nunc recedit      now withdraw
Hyemis sevitia.      the rigours of winter. Ah!

Iam liquescit      Now melts
et decrescit      and disappears
grando, nix et cetera;      ice, snow and the rest,
bruma fugit,      winter flees,
et iam sugit      and now spring sucks at summer’s breast:
Ver Estatis ubera;      a wretched soul is he
illi mens est misera,      who does not live
qui nec vivit,      or lust
nec lascivit      under summer’s rule. Ah!
sub Estatis dextera.

Gloriantur      They glory
et letantur      and rejoice
in melle dulcedinis,      in honeyed sweetness
qui conantur,      who strive
ut utantur      to make use of
premio Cupidinis:      Cupid’s prize;
simus jussu Cypridis      at Venus’ command
gloriantes      let us glory
et letantes      and rejoice
pares esse Paridis.      in being Paris’ equals. Ah!

Uf dem anger

6. Tanz (Dance)

7. Floret silva nobilis (The woods are burgeoning)

(Chorus)
Floret silva nobilis      The noble woods are burgeoning
floribus et foliis.      with flowers and leaves.

(Small Chorus)
Ubi est antiquus      Where is the lover
meus amicus?      I knew? Ah!
Hinc equitavit,      He has ridden off!
eia, quis me amabit?      Oh! Who will love me? Ah!

(Chorus)
Floret silva undique,      The woods are burgeoning all over,
nah min gesellen ist mir we.      I am pining for my lover.

(Small Chorus)
Gruonet der walt allenthalben,      The woods are turning green all over,
wa ist min geselle alse lange?      why is my lover away so long? Ah!
Der ist geriten hinnen,      He has ridden off,
o wi, wer sol mich minnen?      Oh woe, who will love me? Ah!

Well, after a long period not updating here, this page is updated with one of my favorites. Two pieces from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. Orff is probably the greatest German musician of third Reich era.
Carmina Burana was his first major work, based on Latin and German poems of before 13th century, found in a chapel.
Here you can listen to Ecce gratum, it’s fifth part and Tanz and Floret silva nobilis it’s sixth and seventh parts.
Poems are as follows:

5 Ecce gratum (Chorus) (Behold, the pleasant spring)

Ecce gratum      Behold, the pleasant
et optatum      and longed-for
Ver reducit gaudia,      spring brings back joyfulness,
purpuratum      violet flowers
floret pratum,      fill the meadows,
Sol serenat omnia.      the sun brightens everything,
Iamiam cedant tristia!      sadness is now at an end!
Estas redit,      Summer returns,
nunc recedit      now withdraw
Hyemis sevitia.      the rigours of winter. Ah!

Iam liquescit      Now melts
et decrescit      and disappears
grando, nix et cetera;      ice, snow and the rest,
bruma fugit,      winter flees,
et iam sugit      and now spring sucks at summer’s breast:
Ver Estatis ubera;      a wretched soul is he
illi mens est misera,      who does not live
qui nec vivit,      or lust
nec lascivit      under summer’s rule. Ah!
sub Estatis dextera.

Gloriantur      They glory
et letantur      and rejoice
in melle dulcedinis,      in honeyed sweetness
qui conantur,      who strive
ut utantur      to make use of
premio Cupidinis:      Cupid’s prize;
simus jussu Cypridis      at Venus’ command
gloriantes      let us glory
et letantes      and rejoice
pares esse Paridis.      in being Paris’ equals. Ah!

Uf dem anger

6. Tanz (Dance)

7. Floret silva nobilis (The woods are burgeoning)

(Chorus)
Floret silva nobilis      The noble woods are burgeoning
floribus et foliis.      with flowers and leaves.

(Small Chorus)
Ubi est antiquus      Where is the lover
meus amicus?      I knew? Ah!
Hinc equitavit,      He has ridden off!
eia, quis me amabit?      Oh! Who will love me? Ah!

(Chorus)
Floret silva undique,      The woods are burgeoning all over,
nah min gesellen ist mir we.      I am pining for my lover.

(Small Chorus)
Gruonet der walt allenthalben,      The woods are turning green all over,
wa ist min geselle alse lange?      why is my lover away so long? Ah!
Der ist geriten hinnen,      He has ridden off,
o wi, wer sol mich minnen?      Oh woe, who will love me? Ah!

Igor Stravinsky! My beloved musician. I have a mysterious devotion and respect for him so I wanted his appropriate post to be a very complete and special one.

This has caused in nothing! As I’ve not updated here for a long time (mostly because of lack of audiences/viewers) in my new attempt I prefer to put two of his works. The long post I want to write about him will be for his Rite of Spring ballet which is about 34 minutes long!
Now I invite you to listen to Russian Dance and Petrushka from Ballet Petrushka, by Igor Fedorovitch Stravinsky, one of the most talented musicians of history.

Russian Dance- Petrushka Ballet, Igor Stravinsky

Petrushka- Petrushka Ballet, Igor Stravinsky

Maurice Ravel, as many say, was the most connoisseur orchestral arranger of history. Ravel, born on 7th of March, 1875, in Sibor Pirne, was thirteen years younger than Debussy, the other great musician of his age and this caused some consider him as Debussy’s impersonator and yet competitor! But this two has affected each other mutually.
Ravel started learning the Piano since he was seven. In his fourteen entered Paris Conservatory and finished his education two years later in 1901. From 1920 he lived in his beautiful house far from society with some Siam Cats, some true friends and a collection of mechanical toys. Yet his fame made him to have a lot of tours around the Europe and United States. In 1932 he debilitated in a taxi accident, and this caused lingual, muscular and mental problems in him. He lost his memory day after day, and couldn’t work anymore. At last he died after a surgery without coming out of unconsciousness.

Besides some wrong considerations about his imitation from Debussy, and yet competing him, there’s another erroneous consideration about him:” He has a mechanical device as his heart and prefers insects to women!” But they forget his love to children and they fail to remember that he considered himself to be belonged to children. *

Here I’ve chosen you ‘Alborda del gracioso’ from Mirrors.

Sergei Prokofiev was born on 11th of April, 1891 in Ukraine. His mother, as an amateur pianist, found his musical talent very soon and six years old Sergei, played the piano and made experimental little pieces for the instrument. He studied in Saint Petersburg Conservatory with teachers including Nocolai Rimsky Korsakov and Liadov. Achieving a lot of fame in this time as a virtuoso, after 1917 revolution he left Russia, not for political reasons but just to find a good job opportunity. He spend next fifteen years mostly in United States and Paris, though he had many travels around the world, including Japan, Cuba, Canada and many European cities. At last, tired of a great fame as a virtuoso he came back to his country and lived there until his death in 1953.

Though his music is made on strict formal structures, yet folkloric and Western Europe avant-garde elements are involved. So there exist elements and techniques range from expressionism to Atonality in his music. The very especial characteristics of his music are lovely melodies, brilliant structure and strong dynamics.
Prokofiev has arranged many of his orchestral works for the Piano. Here I’ve chosen “Montagues and Capulet” for Romeo and Juliet ballet suit for you to hear, played by Lev Vinocour, thirty and four years old Russian virtuoso who’s one of the great talents among his generation.