Classical Music Reviews from The Arts Desk

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As the New Year gets going, The Arts Desk’s classical music reviewers are starting to glance ahead at what we can look forward to this year, but not forgetting, of course, to tell us what there is to enjoy right now. Taking the long view this week is Ismene Brown, who provides her comprehensive season’s listing of what’s on at the Barbican throughout 2012. And it promises to be a bumper season, what with the centre celebrating its 30th birthday this year and all eyes turning to London for the Olympics in the summer. Among the theatre, dance and new music on offer, the classical highlights at the Barbican in 2012 include appearances by Nico Muhly and Sufjan Stevens, an evening commemorating the sinking of the Titanic a century ago, a series of concerts by the visiting New York Philharmonic, an artist profile evening focused on Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Robert Wilson and Philip Glass’s groundbreaking 1976 opera Einstein on the Beach. Graham Rickson gives us his weekly summation of the latest classical CD releases. First up is a disc of Bach’s keyboard concertos with Alexandre Theraud playing piano alongside the Les Violons du Roy chamber orchestra. Together they produce a unique sound, and the technical skill and energy on display here often dazzles and delights. The flaw for Rickson was the rather emotionally cold feel of the recording.

Next is the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s disc of pieces by oft-overlooked composer Elizabeth Maconchy. Though a pupil of Vaughan Williams, Maconchy’s style is edgy, gritty and surprisingly un-English, and although she can occasionally be a bit too dour, there is still some fascinating and impressive stuff on this beautifully produced disc.

And finally Vaughan Williams himself gets a look in as Sir Mark Elder and the Hall Orchestra tackle his London Symphony. Rickson was of the opinion that this symphony shouldn’t really work – it’s episodic, unfashionable for the time and in parts is rather too indebted to Debussy – and yet it truly does, especially when played as well as it is here. The live performance is polished yet emotive, affectionate but never over-indulgent. The studio recording of the Oboe Concerto accompanying it is also beautifully played, with Stphane Rancourt bringing out its melancholy atmosphere and raising it above mere pastoral sentimentalism.

And finally Stephan Walsh flags up a modest yearly classical festival tucked away in Monmouthshire. In St Briavel’s Castle every January young professional musicians gather for the Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival. It’s the brainchild of pianist Daniel Tong and violinist Fiona McNaught, and began life as a pleasurable retreat from busy concert schedules for those who love playing chamber music. It soon developed into a fully-fledged festival and this year it runs from 14-22 January and includes talks, events and workshops as well as concerts, and will feature music by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Jancek and Thomas Ads. As always, says Walsh, it will be a warm and welcoming haven characterised by serious musical integrity. And even on the rare occasion when performances are not 100 per cent polished, there is always a freshness to the playing, and an admirable emphasis on reappraising both familiar and unfamiliar pieces. Though admitting a degree of partiality as a trustee of the festival, Walsh was also keen to emphasise his primary role as an appreciative punter just like everyone else.

Contributions Of R&b Music Artists

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Rhythm and Blues, popularly known as R&B music is a genre of music which has its roots in Afro-American culture. It is widely accepted as a fusion between two genres of music jazz and blues. It came into existence in 1940s, but was formally accepted by music enthusiasts in later part of twentieth century. R&B music exploded in the 1970s with bands such as the Jackson 5, Earth Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder and the popular Motown sound becoming the defining sound of popular urban culture. Later we would witness R&B superstars such as Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Usher Raymond and Chris Brown becoming genuine global superstars selling millions of albums and generating billions of dollars in revenue.

The introduction of music video channels such as MTV and BET Television saw the popularity of R&B music and R&B music videos grow even further. Where for the first time the public could watch live and recorded Hip hop music videos and R&B music videos of all of their favorite artists from the comfort of their own home. The King Of Pop Michael Jackson was just one of the R&B singers to benefit from the growth and popularity of R&B music videos. Other stars such as Chris Brown and Justin Timberlake would become global icons because of this exposure.

The advent of the internet increased the popularity of both Hip hop music videos and R&B music videos still further as it has seen dedicated urban music websites such as Urban-Natio.com showcasing some of the hottest Hip hop music videos and some of the best R&B music videos from the hottest artists around.
Of the modern day R&B artists many critics include R&B superstar Chris Brown as one of the biggest global R&B music icons. From his delicious debut single Run It with its amazing Chris Brown music video which became his first number one single to his current hit Deuces R&B superstar Chris Brown continues to dazzle his fans with incredible stage performances, stunning R&B music videos and incredible multi platinum selling albums.

R&B star Beyonce Knowles is another R&B artist who can claim to be a genuine global R&B music superstar. The talented R&B singer famous for her incredible stage performances; her infectious R&B songs and stunning R&B music videos has also had three platinum selling albums. Beyonce`s music videos for songs such as Crazy In Love have also dominated MTV`s playlists in recent years and with a new album planned in 2011 many critics are already suggesting that R&B superstar Beyonce Knowles will continue her reign on her throne as the true Queen Of R&B music.

R&B star Akon is another R&B artist who has achieved huge success over the last few years. Akon made his debut with his excellent Trouble album in 2004. He rose to prominence with the single Locked Up with its stunning Akon music video. His second album Konvicted was also a huge hit and it would appear that another global R&B superstar was born. Further R&B singles were released including the delicious Smack That which was also nominated for a Grammy Award and with Akon all set to release his brand new album in 2011 it seems that this talented R&B artist is all set to top the charts all over again.
There are many other prominent artists such as Brandy, Monica, Omarion, Usher, Justin Timberlake, and Mario who have achieved incredible success in the R&B music field and have continued the incredible popularity of this genre of music. And with more R&B artists appearing each year such as R&B star Ne-Yo, Ciara and Trey Songz this trend is set to continue well into the next decade.

How To Create A Successful Music Blog

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A popular music blog can spread the word about your band or insert your opinions on the current rock scene into the annals of pop culture. There are a few vital but easy to master steps you should take while setting up and maintaining your new music blog.

First things first, you need a domain name. While taking advantage of blog hosting sites is great for beginners, a professional blog requires its own distinct URL. Your band name or a singular catch phrase both makes memorable domain name bases.

Next, do your research. A successful blogger is one who is active in the blogging community. There’s something to be said for emulating the greats who came before you. Read other popular music blogs. Create a blog-roll, or favorite blog list, that displays on your page. Lastly, you need to comment. This will keep you relevant, knowledgeable and a mainstay in the blogging world. Also, writers who are gaining traffic based off of your site’s recommendation are more likely to send common readers your way.

The next step is becoming a master of your blogging software. A marketable and successful blog is one that is fully customized. Before worrying about boosting readership or content quality, a successful blogger in training needs to know how to customize and manage every aspect of their blog. Your page needs to grab a casual reader’s attention and stand out from your next door neighbor’s diary blog.

Post regularly- You should be updating your blog with a new post at least three to five times a week. The first step toward expanding your fan base is getting as much of your message out there as possible. Be sure to enable comments and tracking on your blog so your readers feel like a part of the experience. At the root of blogging is a deep rooted community of information seekers and feeders that function much like a virtual family.

Lastly, stay passionate about what you’re writing about. While good keyword saturation and advertisements will increase the revenue of your blog it won’t keep readers coming back. A successful music blog is one full of exciting, provocative and informative posts that educate and entertain readers.

Let Your Personality Dictate What Music You Have In Your Music Player

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Listening to music as a hobby can be a really pleasant activity.Most people are overwhelmed by how many genres they can find everywhere.They do not really know what they should listen to.This is why they tend to waste years listening to the wrong kind of music.

I believe that everyone has one or two genres of music that really resonate with their particular personality. Find the right ones for you and you will be a much happier person in the years to come.

The following are some of the best music genres that you should listen to:

1: Rap.

People who enjoy rap music like to display their individuality and superiority. They may be feel superior because of their higher intelligence, street smarts or because of they can outwit their opponents all the time.

2: Pop music.

Pop music, or popular music, is the right genre for the masses of people. People who listen to pop music are usually concerned with what other people may think of them. They like to be approved and praised by other people. They have a need to feel important and know everything about whats going on in the world. They do not want to be left behind.

3: R&B.

R&B is mostly liked by people who have a lot of life experience. Most of them listened passionately to other genres of music when they were young. They loved to listen to music in their early 20s and now they have a hard time forgetting their past.

These people tend to be more classical. They often use language and words that arent very popular but they used to be popular. Such people have many stories to tell. They love sitting, telling stories and just chilling out.

4: Dirty south.

Dirty south is also known as southern hip hop. Its an innovative style. The people who listen to this genre are either from the south of the United States or were really impressed with the new innovative style coming from the south.

The audience of Dirty south is usually made out of people who like to accept new genres and styles without caring that much about the approval of other people. They are innovative individuals who like to try new things out and see how they work.

5: Trap music.

Trap music started first as a means to determine who is who in a community.This genre is more likely to appeal to people from the south of the United States.

People who like power struggle games also like this genre of music. All people want to gain more power in their lives. A particular type of power is called social power. You can enjoy your social power when you are respected and feared by other people in your social circle. Humans, like animals, think in terms of social structures and hierarchies. So people who like a lot to play social games may also like this genre of music.

Start with the above genres of music and go from there. You will likely find among them the right genre of music that you should listen to all the time.

Listening to music can be a great vehicle to uncover your real personality. Listening to music helps you evolve, become better, gain more power and become more integrated as a person. Listen to your favorite genres of music when you are about to make big decisions in your life. It will help you tremendously.

How To Choose Quality Christmas Sheet Music

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In the digital world it has become much easier to find Christmas Sheet Music and download it immediately. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re getting quality sheet music.

Here are a few tips on how to choose great Christmas Sheet Music;

1. Make sure it’s original. The last thing you want, when choosing Christmas sheet music, is the same old arrangements that everyone else is playing. Find yourself some lesser known arrangements that are more creative than your standard arrangements. That is sure to impress your audience.

2. When downloading Christmas sheet music look for a sample recording of the arrangement. That way, you will know by the recording whether it’s something that has a difficulty level that you can handle and whether it’s an arrangement you like.

3. If possible, make sure the sheet music has good chord symbols. When you get comfortable with the written arrangement you will want to try different chord voicings.

4. Price is important. For good sheet music you should expect to pay anywhere from 5 to 10 dollars.

5. Free is not always better. Many people search for Free Christmas Sheet Music hoping to save money. However, you should know that you get what you pay for. The music that you will get for free is generally old worn out standard arrangements that will not impress anyone.

6. If possible, purchase sheet music that you can get right away. That means that you will be able to download it in PDF format as soon as you pay for it.

When should you be looking for Christmas Sheet Music? If you’re smart you’ll start looking around the beginning of October. This will give you enough time to practice the arrangement and even memorize it.

Because most people don’t start thinking about Christmas until Thanksgiving, that is much too late to find yourself some great sheet music, unless of course you’re looking to buy gifts for the musician in the family.

Christmas sheet music does a great gift so, if you are shopping for a gift, it’s very important that you pay close attention to the above tips on choosing the right music. The last thing you want is to buy a piece of sheet music that the recipient is not interested in.

What are some of the Christmas sheet music classics that make great gifts? Here’s a few suggestions; Carol of the Bells, Jingle Bells, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Sleigh Bells, Deck the Halls, The Christmas Song and even Silent Night.

Finally, a word of caution; there are so many websites now that sell Christmas Sheet Music. Therefore, try to narrow your search by choosing the exact songs you’re interested in. For example; type the following into a Google search box: Carol of the Bells Downloadable Sheet Music.

It will save you a lot of time if you know exactly what you’re looking for and knowing the name of the song is part of that strategy.