Back when Vinyl was King after school activities and weekends at the house would lend itself to exploration of things and gadgets. One of the things I remembered was discovering a vinyl record of the Beatles. When the black circular disc was played what came out was something different. The music that came out of those wooden speakers were indeed from Lennon and McCarthy:
Eleanor Rigby
Ob-La-Di,Ob-La-DA
Hey Jude
With a Little Help From My Friends
Yellow Submarine
I Want to Hold Your Hand
A Hard Day’s Night
The Fool on the Hill
Yesterday
Michelle
A hard Day’s Night
Except … that instead of hearing the words and music from John, Pauel, George and Ringo what came out was the full force of orchestral music of the Boston Pops conducted by Arthur Fiedler.The album was called Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops play The Beatles.
Full Orchestra Music is something worth listening to and often we hear it and enjoy it. Es[ecially in movies – like the John William’s Imperial March , which was said to be inspired by Holt’s Planet – Mars the God of War. On the other hand even without movie the orchestral piece can stand out from Redentor Romero’s take on Filipino songs. Or George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue which eventually found its way into the animation Fantasia II where you will also find a great number of orchestral pieces interpreted in animation.
Listening to the works of Mozart (Eine Kleine Nacht Musik) and Bizet’s (Toreador and Habanera) was enjoyable and revealing. On one hand one could feel the power and beauty of different musical piences working together – composed by the genius of Mozart, on the other hand one could also feel the beauty and power of the human voice – in Bizet’s Carmen.
To think it all started with that vinyl record. The last time I saw the record was twenty thirty years ago. My Grandparents went back to Laguna and took with them the vinyl record and record player. Since then there have been tapes and walkman; Compact Discs, and digital music.
Now you can carry with you nearly an endless number of songs. But then again what you carry is ehat you found interesting from the classics to what is played on the airwaves – an assorted gallery of music that one has developed a taste for.
I am reminded of this because due to rainy night and uncooperative car I ended up not going to the anniversary concert of the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra which started out its Tenth Season Friday – July 30, 2010. Sayang. it was also the launch of Koro Filipino – a 200 voice choir.
Oh well till the next time I guess.
Meanwhile, thanks to technology one can still play Habanera; Webber and Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar; Alexander Borodin’s Polovstian Dance from Prince Igor; Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture; The Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody; Tom Jone’s Sex Bomb and Villame’s Butsekik.
