Handel for shopping

I went to the shop to buy myself clothes (socks) this afternoon, somewhere close, not a big shopping center. Yet I find the experience always tiredsome. I ended up food shopping too, so it was more exhausting and much longer than I expected. I don't like shopping, in sum, except book shopping. But I found this clip on Youtube, which I have decided to put here, which almost makes me at peace with shopping, at least before the Christmas season. Basically, it is a flash mob singing the famous (too famous?) Hallelujah of Handel's Messiah. Sure, it is not the greatest interpretation, but it is still fresh and full of energy, and the source material is obviously much, much, much superior than the usualy rubbish we find in shopping centers usually. And it is the right music for an end of November that is coming into the Christmas season but is not quite there yet.

Now as my readers know I am very much a Godless man. I am fairly sure the singers in this flash mob are not (well, maybe some). But I appreciate the aesthetic and the music. I do not hear angels singing like Handel alledgedly did, but it certainly makes me transcend the mundane and the trivial of a grim shopping afternoon.

Mozart and a commemoration

On the 5th of December, I usually blog about The Legend of Saint Nicholas. I still might later on. But Mozart`s Girl reminded me that today is Mozart's death anniversary. And to my great shame I don't think I ever commemorated it here. So here it is.

I blogged about Mozart fairly often, especially about the special relationship I have with his operas. It is through his lyric works that I mainly know and love Mozart. Back in 1991 (I think it was in May), when I was a teenager, my family and I visited Austria, which was therefore during his 200th death anniversary. We visited Mozart's world more than Austria this year, and spent many evenings going to concert, operas, etc. I was hooked for the next Summer. A few years later I got sick of it and listened to other things, mainly XIXth century composers. I got hooked again a few years later. Now his operas are my favourite to sing. I put a lot of his music here and I wanted to put some more to commemorate his death. I thought of his Hallelujah from Exultate Jubilate, but I could not find a good enough version on Youtube to embed here. Most of them simply had an awful sound. But I found this interpretation which is very nice, although I cannot put it here you can follow the link and enjoy it there.

Singing at work

I guess I should ask a Muse to help me with this post, most likely Euterpe. So Euterpe, bring me inspiration.

I did not have such a good day at school, but I do not want to come back to it for the time being. Yesterday was much nicer, and I lived one of those little happy moments that makes me feel that all this is worth it. It doesn't take much really, to make a day good or bad. It was at lunchtime, where one of my colleagues, a veteran teacher, was encouraging some of the students, mainly girls, to sing. Many were shy at first, but they quickly gained confidence. Some had absolutely beautiful voices. I thought it was a sweet idea anyway. I told them I could sing opera, or used to, and two girls said "call it". So I had to sing a little bit of opera, Deh vienni alla finestra from Don Giovanni. Yes, Mozart again. I don't know if they liked the song, but they enjoyed seeing/hearing a teacher singing. Two girls sang Hallelujah, I told them that Leonard Cohen was from Montreal, they did not know he had written the song and did not believe me he was Quebecker, because the song was in English. Oh well, they still have a lot to learn. I decided to put the song here, I got the song in the head since yesterday.

Hallelujah

Anybody care for a religious song, since it's that time of the year? I am not refering to the Handel song from his oratorio (you know which one), but the immortal song from the immortal Leonard Cohen. There are at least two versions written by Cohen, but the original one is my favourite. The way Cohen mixes Biblical references with shall we say carnal themes is a stroke of genius. Many artists interpreted it, but none have the coarse voice of Cohen, which is perfect to simply state the words. This is poetry, it does not need an interpretation, just the words as they are, which have their own musicality. I got outraged when those wannabe stars at the X Factor sang Hallelujah. That was nothing short of blasphemy (Simon Cowell you filthy, worthless douchebag). As a mean of exorcism and hopefully a bit of epiphany in the meantime, I give you the original. This is pure, simple, bare beauty: