Food for the ears
Tuesday, 18 January, 2005
I am sitting here at my kitchen table listening to what is arguably the most beautiful music in the world—Katie and Maggie Noonan's Two of a Kind. I unearthed it in Soundgarden, Hurstville, for $15 yesterday, secondhand (I guess it wasn't what some poor soul was expecting). What I love about is the gorgeous blend of opera and jazz—two genres that I am quite fond of. I love Katie Noonan's range and versatility (the track where she sings the letter duet from The Marriage of Figaro with her mum is divine). Her voice is more suited to jazz but it's also sweet to listen to when she's doing arias. Her mother is also good but tends to be a little flat on her high notes and that full-bodied soprano sound isn't completely up my alley (I've always preferred Kiri Te Kenawa or Kathleen Battle, though the latter's diva temper tantrums have always tainted her singing).
I've never understood why people dislike opera. Sure, sitting through three acts of recitative can be a little tiresome (though it's better in Italian than English—I once saw The Marriage of Figaro sung in English and it was ghastly) and it may seem a little fake and affected when these strange people, chosen more for their vocal skills than for their acting skills, break out into song out of nowhere, but it's the MUSIC that is the main thing—the soaring harmonies, the emotion it evokes, those notes and runs that ordinary mortals normally cannot reach. The ultimate singers are operatic. But I guess you cannot appreciate what they do until you try to do it yourself and realise just how hard it is.
Blinks:
A way of funding writing in the future: pitch and idea and get people to support it.
Place where you can hire play equipment for parties, etc.
How to recalibrate the home button on your iPhone.
Unsolicited manuscripts accepted by Pan Macmillan with certain conditions.
Thought Balloon is a group blog in which the writers tackle a new theme every week? month? with one-page scripts. This URL is for their Phonogram ones.
How to sew a zipper on a knitted garment.
Issues organised by tale.
|
|
Disqus comments
Other comments
I love opera and always have - particularly the use of violin. I love the way the violins sound in ‘Who am I?’ from Les Mis. If you like jazz, then you oughta know that there’s a jazz festival in Parra Park on Australia Day from 6pm and it’s FREE! FREE, I tells ya! MWA HA HA HA HA HA…
Oh, dear. Jane is back on-line.
Yes, ‘tis a worry, isn’t it! ;P
Yes, Jane has come back to take over our blogs by proxy again
Jane, why don’t you start your own blog?
I never know what to write and am poorly motivated. Besides, when badminton starts, I don’t think I’ll have the time…I talked to Ben about it but I can never seem to get it past hot air. Also, people write such insightful things whereas mine would be something like ‘What colour nailpolish do I wear today?’