With the arrival of July 1st, here are two very different musical responses to the month. The first is an extract from Tchaikovsky’s popular cycle for piano, The Seasons – designating July to be The Song of the Reaper:
Then, with the weather here in the UK having been a little downcast this morning, a very different response from Bomb The Bass. Winter In July is a wonderfully moody song, with vocals from Loretta Haywood. It could only be from the early 1990s!
by Ben Hogwood
Unless you were under a rock all weekend, it won’t have escaped your notice that a certain music festival was taking place in the south of England. Glastonbury has lit up the music world since the 1970s, and even though it is bigger than ever before it seems to have retained a lot of the qualities that have made it so successful.
One of those qualities is bringing music of all genres to all people, crossing over all manner of boundaries – and one of the stages to do that most proficiently was the West Holts stage. With acts such as Young Fathers and Gabriels excelling earlier on Friday evening, the way was clear for Kelis to remind us just what an amazing vocalist she is. Here is just a snippet of her set, a powerful performance of Acapella, which you can watch as part of her full set on BBC Sounds:
by Ben Hogwood
As I’m sure you know, Elton John is headlining at Glastonbury on Sunday night, his first appearance at the festival. It has taken me a long time to appreciate his music, to be honest, but I find the further back I go the more there is to enjoy.
Best of all – in my mind at least – is the disco era he enjoyed at the end of the 1970s, capped by this wonderful, life-affirming song. Are You Ready For Love is a beauty, right from the harp introduction, dressed with strings, to the memorable chorus. What price Elton opening with it tomorrow?
by Ben Hogwood Picture courtesy ALMA – ESO/NAOJ/NRAO, E/O’Gorman/P.Kervella
A report on the Guardian website today asks why the great red giant star Betelgeuse is glowing so brightly and behaving so strangely. It is a fascinating read, and its remarkable conclusion is a reminder that the light we see from the star is actually 600 years old.
It brought to mind a setting by Gustav Holst of a great poem about the star by Humbert Wolfe. This is a highly unusual song, proceeding such a slow speed that the age of the star is never in doubt. Here it is, sung by tenor Philip Langridge with pianist Steuart Bedford:
There is only one tune to start the day with today…and it’s the Eurovision anthem – or, as it is known in classical circles, the Prélude to Marc-André Charpentier’s Te Deum. Written in the final decade of the 17th century, this bright opener has shown itself to be an incredibly versatile piece of music, capable of beginning a larger-scale sacred piece but equally well-suited as a fanfare for trumpet and organ, or organ alone.
You can hear it in its original context – followed by the whole of the Te Deum…
If you’d prefer, here is the Prélude on its own:
Now, though, it is treasured as the music we hear before a certain singing contest gets underway – so without further ado, let’s celebrate!
Arcana.fm 