Hell, yeah!
I've been listening to lots of Andreas Scholl and Philippe Jaroussky of late. Great music for the cold weather, especially this song from Purcell:
"… I can scarcely move nor draw my breath,
Let me freeze again to death …" Yay!
This one's on Andreas Scholl's glorious "O Solitude" CD which I recommend you go and buy today. Your life will be immeasurably more splendid for doing so.
Ever wondered where Laurie Anderson found the inspiration for O Superman?
9 comments:
I always thought that stuff came from her own spiky head.
There's nothing much new in the world, Petrea. Purcell probably got the idea from some plainchant or other, which was in turn influenced by something tribal, and so on back into the stone age. Andy Kershaw (one of Radio 3's world music presenters) was over in Nepal and Mongolia last week and played some field recordings he'd made of throat singers who sounded pretty similar.
I must admit to being a huge fan of Laurie Anderson's spiky head.
Bravo! Wonderful stuff!
It took me for a while to realize he was singing in English.
Neetzy, there used to be just Dellar and Nomi but suddenly the world seems full of countertenors. I wonder if it's something they put in the water.
Vanda, he's German but he speaks better English than most Brits.
What great drama he presents without being over the top. And his breathing is so physical! You know what I mean, not just snatching a breath but seriously grabbing it for full power.
He's the man, Robyn.
He's quite probably the greatest countertenor to have ever lived. Make the most of him while he's at the peak of his powers.
Ditto Philippe Jaroussky: that rarest of gems, a natural male soprano.
I love the way he builds the song over the first couple of minutes and then suddenly lets rip with passion and power. Those first "Let me"s leave me breathless.
Very scary. Hmm. Perhaps one needs to be a singer to appreciate all that control.
It's a chilling piece of music, isn't it.
I just like to hear castrato arias sung by countertenors or natural male soprani like Philippe Jaroussky. Luckily for me the current fashion in classical music is to do just that and I am awash with great new recordings.
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