Contrapuntist

Red Bull Flying Bach: Breakdancing Meets Ballet Performed to J.S. Bach Coming to Chicago

by Contrapuntist on March 7, 2014

Red Bull Flying Back

For regular readers of our blog, you know we love odd combinations and combining breakdancing, ballet and classical music is without a doubt an odd combination. After three seasons of sold out performances around the world, the celebrated and distinguished dance crew The Flying Steps will bring Red Bull Flying Bach to Chicago, making its debut in an exclusive U.S. engagement for six performances only downtown at the historic Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, June 20 – 29, 2014.

Based on the promotional video, it looks beautiful. Artistic, well-choreographed and performed to a great selection of music. With their interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, the four-time breakdance world champions The Flying Steps and opera director Christoph Hagel have cross cultural boundaries proving this blend of urban dance coupled with baroque music is a sublime combination in Red Bull Flying Bach. By combining Bach’s classical masterpiece with modern electronic beats and clever choreography, the audience of each performance truly experiences a powerhouse production invoking visual amusement with delightful sound.

In addition, Swedish ballerina Anna Holmström joins the seven male break-dancers of The Flying Steps, fusing key elements of urban dance culture with precision ballet.

Red Bull Flying Bach has sold out theaters around the world, such as Sweden, Australia, Germany, Iceland, Chile, Russia, Japan and Austria. The show itself is a beautiful blend of the minds of Artistic Directors Vartan Bassil (choreography) and Christoph Hagel (piano, musical director). The Civic Opera house, playing host to this one-of-a-kind performance, is eager to have the show debut on its famed stage later this year.

“We’re really excited to host Flying Bach for their U.S. premiere this June,” said Rich Regan, Director of Facilities at the Civic Opera House. “It’s a groundbreaking blend of traditional and contemporary entertainment that will be completely new to Chicago audiences.”

Tickets, ranging from $24 – $88, are now on sale by visiting Ticketmaster or by visiting the Civic Opera House box office. Red Bull Flying Bach will be performed over two weekends only: Friday and Saturday evenings, June 20, 21, 27 & 28, at 7:30pm, and Sunday afternoons, June 22 & 29, at 2pm.

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Guitarists Weep; Legendary Flamenco Guitarist Paco de Lucia Dies

by Contrapuntist on February 27, 2014

in World Music

1024px-Paco,_el_de_Lucía_(el_maestro)

Yesterday was a sad day for the guitar community. While on vacation in Mexico, legendary flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia died of a sudden heart attack. He was 66. A spokesman for the city hall in Algeciras, where de Lucia was born, confirmed his death on Wednesday and said the city had decreed two days of official mourning.

Mexican authorities later confirmed the guitarist had died on Tuesday at 7:15 local time while on holiday with his family along the Mexican Caribbean. Prior to his death, he was taken to a hospital complaining of pains in his chest.

De Lucia is attributed with revolutionizing flamenco by fusing jazz and classical music. Many fans will recall the acclaimed recordings and performances with Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin. Traditional flamenco fan will recall his albums, El Duende Flamenco de Paco de Lucia and Almoraima.

Wherever Lucia performed, he left audiences in awe with his ability to improvise complex syncopated flamenco patterns on the guitar with speed, virtuosity and grace. Technically, Lucia was largely untouched. Few players, if any at all, have been able to match the mastery and poise that de Lucia brought to the guitar.

Personally, he influenced how I approached learning flamenco or classical pieces that were inspired by flamenco music. Several of his recordings are part of my collection.

He is a guitar legend that will be missed. Hands down, one of the greatest guitarists ever.

, I’ve found a collection of videos featuring some incredible performances, which I’ve included below.

Image source: Stoned59 [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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Satisfy Your ‘Sherlock’ Withdrawal with the Sherlock Fan Orchestra

by Viola da Voce on February 24, 2014

in Pushing Musical Boundaries

Alas and alack, the oh-too-short third season of Sherlock has finished. So what’s a devoted fan to do? Why, check out a video by the Sherlock Fan Orchestra (SFO), of course.

Founded in January of 2012, the SFO is an online ensemble which performs arrangements of music from Sherlock. The orchestra came to fruition thanks to a trio of British teens – Alicia Mundy, Matthew Hines, and Elliott Beagley. “It was Alicia’s idea to start it,” said Matthew Hines in an interview on straitstimes.com . “I simply fuelled on the idea and did what needed to be done…”

The group is open to anyone who owns a good quality microphone and can sing or play an instrument. Participants receive click tracks and scores. After three months of practicing and recording, the musicians submit their audio and/or video. One month after that, a video is released.

When the orchestra debuted on YouTube in 2012 with, “Sherlock Main Theme“, the ensemble had 64 members. Its most recent video, “SHERlocked”, released on February 5, 2014, included 142 submissions from 108 members of the ensemble. The current roster of instruments includes strings, brass, woodwind, and percussion as well as untraditional instruments such as a ukulele and a zither.

The ensemble’s next piece will be the “Moriarty Suite”, featuring a medley of popular themes.

You can enjoy “SHERlocked” below.

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Dream Theater’s Mike Mangini Endorses New Tempo Advance 2.0 App for Advanced Musicians

by Contrapuntist on February 20, 2014

in Musical Gadgets

Mangini and Tempo Advance

Mike Mangini knows rhythm. If you’ve never seen or heard of Mangini, he’s awesome (Watch this), and is the drummer for Dream Theater. When I heard that Mangini had endorsed and was involved in the second generation of this app, it definitely caught our attention.

Tempo Advance 2.0 is a metronome app available on iOS on the App Store. Any musician can use this app, but it is designed for advanced musicians. Mangini worked with Frozen Ape on the update for Tempo Advance. He is a long time user of the app, which he has featured in his YouTube drumming tutorials. As a result of Mangini’s involvement of the app, new improvements include polyrhythms and a higher maximum of 20 subdivisions.

“Tempo Advance is and has always been the very backbone of my gig warm ups and practice sessions because it keeps my mind occupied and focused much more than using a stand-alone, single click,” said Mangini.

Frozen Ape has incorporated support for iPads and four inch Retina Displays. The app features a cleaner, more streamlined design. A customizable interface allows users to change colors with two styles – flat and skeuomorphic.

Tempo Advance 2.0 will be free to current Tempo Advance users. For the first two weeks after the app is released, new users can purchase it on Apple’s App Store at 50 percent off its regular price of $3.99. (Download App (iTunes affiliate))

I did send a request asking for information or details regarding other operating systems like Android, but I’m still waiting for a response. Frozen Ape was kind enough to send use a few download codes, so we will be testing the app ourselves and publishing a review after we’ve had ample time to test it out for ourselves.

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Playlist of the Most Romantic Songs from Movie Soundtracks

by Contrapuntist on February 13, 2014

in Cultural Improvisations

film_hearts

Depending on your style, movies and music are often at the heart of a perfect Valentine’s Day date. So my other half and I put our heads together to think of a list of iconic songs that might help make the perfect Valentine’s Day. We thought of many of our favorite romantic comedies and movies that we’ve grown to appreciate to create this sonic brew of love. Several of the films list below are part of our movie collection. We thought this might offer some inspiration for those couples in need of some last minute inspiration.

When Harry Met Sally – “It Had to Be You” by Isham Jones; sung by Harry Connick, Jr.

Ghost – “Unchained Melody” by Righteous Brothers

The Bodyguard – “I Will Always Love You” By Whitney Houston

Titanic – “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion

Dirty Dancing – “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

Other songs from romantic movies include:

Sleepless in Seattle – “When I Fall in Love” by Celine Dion and Clive Griffin
Don Juan Demarco – “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman” by Bryan Adams
Kate & Leopold – “Until…” by Sting
Moonstruck – “That’s Amore” by Dean Martin
Love Actually – “Turn Me On” by Norah Jones
Casablanca – “As Time Goes By” By Jimmy Durante
Love me Tender – “Love Me Tender” by Elvis
Jerry Maguire – “Secret Garden” by Bruce Springsteen
An Officer and a Gentleman – “Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes
The Way We Were – “The Way We Were” by Barbara Streisand

We’ve made easy for anyone interested in this list by making a Spotify playlist accessible below.

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Most Romantic Albums of All Time?

February 13, 2014

Giving the gift of music to a significant other is a beautiful way to celebrate the holiday devoted to love. Apparently, Valentine’s Day is one of the top holidays of the year for music gift-giving, according to the Music Business Association (formally NARM and digitalmusic.org). Last month the organization released a list of the “Most […]

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In honor of the Beatles, 50 years later

February 7, 2014

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the Beatles changes music history. Very few acts have had the kind of influence the Beatles have had since visiting the U.S. fifty years ago. After Elvis, it’s the Beatles. On February 7, 1964, the quartet landed at JFK in New York city. The ensemble knew their music was selling […]

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Dancing with the Stars’ Most Shocking Elimination: The Live Band

February 3, 2014

Dancing with the Stars has made its most shocking elimination ever – firing its live band. Slipped Disc cited a statement by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) on February 1, 2014 confirming that the Harold Wheeler Band and Singers will be replaced by pre-recorded music and a “small electronic band”. This is something I’ve […]

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Renée Fleming OWNS The National Anthem at Super Bowl 2014

February 2, 2014

Renée Fleming’s performance of the “Star-Spangled Banner” couldn’t have been any more perfect. From her beautiful round tone on the low note during the word “say” to the soaring high note in “the land of the free”, Fleming showed why she’s one of the best opera singers in the world. Oh, and by the way, […]

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Renée Fleming: The Most Buzzworthy Super Bowl Performer of All Time?

January 31, 2014

When you think of buzz-worthy Super Bowl performers, you might think of Janet Jackson’s 2004 wardrobe malfunction, M.I.A’s 2012 obscene finger gesture, or Prince’s 2007 “inadvertent” phallic symbol. But this year, one Super Bowl performer seems to be generating more buzz than any of these artists before even singing one note – opera superstar Renée […]