Many people are familiar with the visual art of the Impressionist movement – the Monets and Manets. Impressionist Music retains a strong place in the history of Art Music – so much so, that it is now considered a linking era between the romantic and modern eras. As I spend a week’s vacation near the seaside, I continue my oceanic thoughts with one of the most famous Impressionist pieces of all time – Claue Debussy‘s La Mer. The first movement is titled “From Dawn Until Noon on the Sea.”
It might be bloody miserable blazing outside, but at least the humidity is only 95%. It’s the kind of hot where the air feels so thick that going outside feels like walking into a curtain of steam.
If you haven’t seen the movie Lawrence of Arabia, I cannot recommend it enough. The exotic story, the gripping characters, and naturally, the brilliant film score by Maurice Jarre (who also wrote the gorgeous music of Doctor Zhivago.) Everything about that movie makes me feel hot to the core – but you can watch it indoors, in the AC, with a cool drink in your hand.
In this video, there are two very contrasting main themes – the wild, exotic sounds of Arabia, and the sweeping, lyric sound representing the legendary Englishman who became so powerful there. Try to ignore the fact that it isn’t politically correct, and just enjoy the music.
Maurice Ravel wrote “La Valse” as a commission by the famous ballet choreographer, Sergei Diaghilev (who also commissioned the Rite of Spring, and many other famous early 20th century pieces.) Diaghilev rejected the music, saying “It’s a masterpiece, but it’s not a ballet. It’s the portrait of a ballet.”
Indeed it is a masterpiece. There’s plenty of clichéd waltz material here, but it’s presented as a parody. It doesn’t play like the countless standard 18th century European waltzes. It’s more like a drunken dream about going to a posh party and getting swept up in the music and dancing. Imagine approaching a large European manor home. You can hear the distant music inside, you see the fancy dresses and carefree partygoers. You enter the home and are overwhelmed by the music and the rhythm. You dance and dance, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, sometimes with your lover, sometimes by yourself. Eventually the champagne kicks in, and everybody starts getting wild and out of control. The music, and the party, end abruptly and you are thrown out the front door. 9/10 would waltz again.
A piece of music, written about a piece of music? That’s sooooo meta …
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