Non più andrai, farfallone amoroso

Cherubino is the Count's page, and he has an "over-infatuation problem" with all women. He gets discovered in amorous attitudes with too many women at court, and as a punishment, the Count sends him on army duty to Seville. In this aria, Figaro (the Count's valet) mocks him about how his new "womenless" life:

"You won't go any more, amorous butterfly

Fluttering around night and day

Disturbing the sleep of beauties

Little Narcissus and Adonis of love"

Debut!

This is the debut concert of a lovely mezzo-soprano from Sibelius Academy: Melis Jaatinen. Only students who graduate with honor can possibly access the chance to perform this kind of concert, and if they do, they will do the planning of the repertoire and the overall coordination themselves. I chose this performance also because, Kiki, if you go to 01.02.05, you'll see a familiar face :-)

Ensikonsertti, Melis Jaatinen

Phantasy!

So Kiki, this is the Fantasia Corale that I was speaking to you about. Beethoven used it as a laboratory for the super-famous "Ode to joy" (4th movement of 9th Symphony): can you recognize the seed of the theme? :-)

3rd and 4th movements

5th and 6th movements

Playful and funny, sympathetic and moody

On Thursday I went to a concert, and this trio was played. It is actually one of the first important chamber music pieces I faced as a cellist. Beethoven composed it just before beginning his string quartet repertoire, and I think he thought of each instrument as a human character, making their interactions at times playful and funny, at times sympathetic and moody. Many say that it doesn't sound like Beethoven at all...with which authority I don't really know :-)

II Movement

III Movement

Dedicated to Avital

I was in Israel last week, in the backstage of a violin and piano concert (Valeryi Sokolov and Evengy Izotov) during the intermission, and my friend Avital mentioned to the musicians that she loves this piece. As a personal gift, Valeryi started playing the first movement for her. You'll probably recognize it, as it was recently brought to the big audience by the movie "The Concert". Here is one of the versions that I prefer, starring Ivry Gitlis.

Second Part

Third Part

Fourth Part

Scottish trip

33-year-old Felix Mendelssohn had a trip to Scotland in 1840s, and history wants that a painting impressed him so much that he wrote this symphony as inspired by it. Here is the joyful second movement, possibly recalling some Scottish folk popular song.

Open up!

Brahms Violin Concerto was one of my first suggestions in this blog...but the occasion like the one we have tonight doesn't happen everyday: the young, talented, beautiful soloist Janine Jansen is playing with the warm-hearted Orchestra Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. What to say? Open your hearts tonight!

Janine Jansen, Antonio Pappano e Orchestra di Santa Cecilia

Was it worth?

Dvorak was a successful composer and his friends and cellist colleagues asked him a million times to compose a concerto for cello and orchestra. He always refused, claiming that on the high register, the cello has a nasal voice and he didn't like it. Then, in 1894 while we was in New York, he surprised even his own self in writing this piece. Do you think it was worth the effort?

Second part of First Movement

Second Movement (1)

Second Movement (2)

Third Movement (1)

Third Movement (2)