Orpheus in the Underworld

I believe that you must see a rally of dancers in a night gown playing Can Can in a certain opera house in Paris, and the rhythm accompanied this dance would not be strange to you. It is a selection from Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. Most people know Can Can, the most attractive show in Paris, but few people know where it was from, and who created such a rhythm with great passion and energy.







About the Composer
Jacques Offenbach was a Jewish born in Cologne, Germany (1819-1880) and moved to France. In 1833, his father took him to France to learn as a cellist, and he got a great chance to make a performance in front of the public by which he made his name known to Paris. What’s more, he started to produce operettas for the opera house. Through his life, he had composed almost 100 operettas, and the most famous one was Orpheus in the UnderworldIt was the first work that Offenbach composed a full-length operetta. However, he use the Greek Mythology to be the background of this story. All the horrible creatures, danger and difficulties that Orpheus met on the way to rescue his wife were in this piece of music.

The Music
In the underworld, everything was dark and mysterious, so Offenbach use clarinets a lot with bassoon and oboe to depict the atmosphere of mystery and anxiety. Besides, flutes and violins are the representative of danger as well as adventure. In the end, the rhythm, Can Can, shows up to take the audience to the climax with passion.

New World Symphony No.9 "Finale"

About the Composer
New World Symphony could be one of Antonin Dvorak’s most prestigious works in his life, and also the most familiar name for in our knowledge for classic music. Antonin Dvorak was born in Czech in 1841, a son of the storekeeper. He had started a great interest in music since he was a little boy; nevertheless, his father opposed to his dream of being a musician. Therefore, Dvorak was sent to his uncle to learn some skill to make living. When he was 16, he insisted on going to music school despite his parents’ disapproval. Since then, he begin to take the formal courses and education in music, and was tutored by Franz Liszt(李斯特) and Johannes Brahms(布拉姆斯)after he graduated from school.

How it started?
In 1892, Antonin Dvorak was invited to America to teach in National Conservatory of Music in New York City. At this time, he started New World Symphony in this new continent. In the U.S., he saw many immigrants form all over the world coming to this new world to start their new life here; that is to say, he was exposed to different kinds of cultures. Additionally, Dvorak noticed that American music was based on black people’s culture. Afterwards, he made his work consist different cultures, and become of a multi-culture style to depict this new world. By the way, he also put Czech culture in this piece of work to tell us about his homeland.



About the Music
In New World Symphony no. 9 “Finale,” Dvorak use Trumpets and French Horns to stand for the people from eastern Europe who boldly go to the west of the continent. No matter how difficult it is, they still stick to their American Dream. The strings represents the danger these immigrants met on their way to the west. Finally, the familiar rhythm comes out which means that the people settled down and started a brand new life. This is so peaceful and quite like everyone is happily home, enjoying the sweetness with their family.

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Do you still remember that Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra visited Taiwan on the Christmas day two years ago? I believe that most people has heard a lot about Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra since it has been viewed as one of the several top symphonic orchestra in the world. As a result, its great frame go through the west countries to the east, and to join or cooperate with this world famous orchestra become a milestone for many musician, such as Yo-Yo Ma. However, do you know what is inside it? How did this orchestra establish? Who is the super star in this orchestra?

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra which is also known as Berlin Philharmonic was established in 1882 by 54 musicians under the name Frühere Bilsesche Kapelle.
Aout it
The name known to us now was officially recognized in 1887. In this year, Berlin Philharmonic received the finacial support and conducted by Ludwig Von Brenner, its first conductor. Since then, the Berlin Philharmonic founded its organization and reputation in a very short time. Nevertheless, Ludwig Von Brenner was the first conductor but not the most prestigious one in its history. As a matter of fact, Herbert Von Karajan was the one who take Berlin Philharmonic to summit during 1955~1989. His cooperation with Berlin Philharmonis beomes the top seller in classic music recordings which was said to be the most successful combination. This orchestra is composed of 128 world-class instrument players, and there are 41 1st and 2nd violins, 14 violas, 13 cellos, 11 double basses, 4 flutes, 5 oboes, including 1english horn, 4 clarinets, 5 bassoons, 7 horns, 5 trumpets, 4 trombones, 5 tubas, 1 harp, and 6 for percussion. Besides its number of members, this orchestra own a concert hall in Berlin which provide them for practice and performance.


Special Feature
What’s more in Berlin Philharmonic? Here, I am going to introduce you to a wonderful flute player. The youngest principal in Berlin Philharmonic, he is Emmanuel Pahud. Pahud started to learn playing flute at age of 6. He had won hundreds of awards in the process of learning the flute, including several sololist prizes. Now Emmanuel Pahud has conqure a great many people not only by the flute but also his charm.

1812 Overture

I think most of you would not be strange to 1812 Overture, though you don’t really remember the rhythms, and can hardly match it with its name. However, you must heard 1812 Overture because we read a least a little of the background and general knowledge about this music piece in the high school history class. It can be a masterpiece and even represent to Russia remarkably.

Aout the Composer
1812 Overture was composed by a patriotic composer, Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), who was the greatest musician in Russian history; in addition, 1812 Overture may be the most famous work of Tchaikovsky besides his ballet Swan Lake. Furthermore, it takes approximately 17 minutes to make the complete performance. But, why did Tchaikovsky entitle it 1812? What is special in this name? And, what happened in 1812? It was the composer, Tchaikovsky, tried to tell us through the music. Each rhythm and note in the music sheets stands for a story in his country, and the image of Russia.

Take a look at this film~
(Part 1)


(Part 2)


Avout the Music
The whole piece of music is based on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812, when the French army struck Moscow. In the beginning, the violin accompanied with other strings and woodwinds make a great harmony, which help the audience form a vivid image of the pastoral lives in a wide plain in the north of Asia. Little by little, the picture emerge in your mind, which is so peaceful with the slow-paced music. After the soft part that depict the beauty of this country, the French army comes and it turns to be heavy and noisy since all the brass and percussion joined in order to present the feeling of excitement, invasion and rapid movement in the battle field. Nevertheless, the whole piece end up in the victory of Russia and the failure of the French army. It is the place that Tchaikovsky use La Marseillaise, the national anthem of France, together with the sound of cannoballs to symbolize the retreat of French army. In this part, an symphonic orchestra use a military band to enhance the power and the strength, and in the end chimes and bell ring, which means the Russian people all gather before the cathedral to celebrate the victory of Russia.

Introduction

It is my first time to set a blog and post my article in a formal way. As a student in Taiwan, I am not music major, but I play musical instrument since I was in the elementary school. Seeing that most people consider classic music uneasy to get close to, I plan to make the introduction to some classic pieces in a way that common people can accept. Besides, I also encouraged by the Japanese drama which successfully draw the attention of the audience in front of TVs to classic music. I found that there are many familiar rhythms around us; they appear on TV commercials, radio, or sound tracks. My purpose is to help people to appreciate the classic music in our daily lives.