Alma, Corazón y Vida (means soul, heart, and life) is a traditional Peruvian waltz. Here it is a rare instrumental version played by the Serbian Latin-American music band Pachamama.
Continue reading “Alma, Corazón y Vida (Pachamama)”R.I.P. Paco de Lucía
Paco de Lucía, one of the greatest flamenco guitarists in history has died at age 66. A great loss to Andalucía, Spain, and
It is reported that he died in Cancun (Mexico) of a heart attack while playing with his children on the beach.
Continue reading “R.I.P. Paco de Lucía”Bach: Air on the G-String [Voices of Music, with original instruments]
Early music ensemble Voices of Music performs the second movement, Aria, from Bach’s orchestral suite in D Major, BWV 1068, popularly known as the “Air on the G-String” with original instruments from the time of Bach.
Air on the G String is German violinist and teacher August Wilhelmj‘s (21 September 1845 in Usingen – 22 January 1908 in London) arrangement of the second movement in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068.
Continue reading “Bach: Air on the G-String [Voices of Music, with original instruments]”Britten: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra [All-Star Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz]
Conducted by Gerard Schwarz, All-Star Orchestra performs Benjamin Britten‘s “The young person’s guide to the orchestra“.
Continue reading “Britten: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra [All-Star Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz]”Ah! Mes Amis (La Fille du Régiment): Flórez and Pavarotti versions
The best versions of Ah! Mes Amis from Gaetano Donizetti‘s La Fille du Regiment. Juan Diego Flórez sings in Vienna (2007), and Luciano Pavarotti’s version is from 17 February 1972, at New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
La fille du régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment) is an opéra comique in two acts by Donizetti. It was written while the composer was living in Paris, with a French libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard.
Continue reading “Ah! Mes Amis (La Fille du Régiment): Flórez and Pavarotti versions”Juan Diego Flórez sings Granada
Peruvian operatic tenor Juan Diego Flórez sings Granada, the famous Mexican song written in 1932 by Agustín Lara. The song is about the Spanish city of Granada, the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain; and has become a “standard” in music repertoire.
Continue reading “Juan Diego Flórez sings Granada”Pink Martini – La Soledad
La Soledad is a Latin ballad, recorded on Pink Martini’s first album Sympathique (1997). It is one of the songs which is sung by the guest singer Pepe Raphael on the album.
The band’s leader Thomas Lauderdale is a brilliant pianist who does justice to the classical pieces that he sometimes incorporates into their music. One such piece is the Andante Spianato, opus 22 by Chopin, included in “La Soledad” (means “the loneliness” in English).
Another such example is the song “Splendor in the Grass“, the opening passage of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 is mixed brilliantly within the song.
Continue reading “Pink Martini – La Soledad”Charles Aznavour: La Bohème
Four different versions of “La Bohème” from the French-Armenian singer, lyricist, actor, and diplomat Charles Aznavour (22 May 1924 – 1 October 2018). I don’t know from what year the first version is (black/white), probably the late 60s. The second version is from 1968 and the third version is from 2004. And the fourth one is the German version.
La Bohème is a song written by French songwriter Jacques Plante and Armenian-French artist Charles Aznavour.
Continue reading “Charles Aznavour: La Bohème”Inti-Illimani Histórico with Diego El Cigala – “La Tarara”
“La Tarara” is an antique Spanish song. Here it is played by the popular Chilean group Inti-Illimani Histórico and sung by Diego El Cigala, the famous flamenco singer.
Continue reading “Inti-Illimani Histórico with Diego El Cigala – “La Tarara””Pink Martini – ¿Dónde estás, Yolanda?
“¿Dónde estás, Yolanda?” is a beautiful Latin American song, from Pink Martini’s 1997 album titled “Sympathique”. It is sung by the guest singer Pepe Raphael.
“¿Dónde estás, Yolanda?” is a song composed by Puerto Rican musician Manuel Jiménez Fernandez and made popular in the 1960s by Afro-Cuban singer Orlando Contreras and the Mexican group Sonora Santanera (an orchestra founded in 1955, still active and playing tropical music from Mexico with over 55 years of history).
Continue reading “Pink Martini – ¿Dónde estás, Yolanda?”