Category: Elise

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Piano Concerto #1, 2nd movement (Tedd Joselson, piano)

From the CBC’s feature on Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto (1866): “It’s among the most popular works in the entire classical repertoire, a favorite of concert pianists headlining with symphony orchestras the world over … The concerto was an immediate success and has been a staple of the repertoire ever since, its penetration into pop culture later being confirmed by its use on The Simpsons, Mad Men and numerous films. Its most famous performance happened at the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958 — the height of the Cold War — when pianist Van Cliburn played it in the final round. It took approval by then Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev for the jury to award the first prize to an American.”

Radio Free Europe reports that after Russia’s name, flag, and anthem were banned from all major sporting competitions from 2021 to 2023 by the World Anti-Doping Agency due to violations, Russian nationals competing in the Olympics instead heard a fragment of the Concerto when Russian athletes at those events won a gold medal.

After pizzicato strings and a soaring flute begin the piece gently in Db major, the piano states the theme. After an early transition section starts at 1:08 with a mischievous sense of mystery, we land in D major at 1:24 for a full feature by the woodwinds. Thereafter, plenty of other dramatic shifts continue, with the orchestra refusing to take a back seat to the piano in most sections.

Cats UK | Luton Airport

Luton, a borough of just over 200,000 less than 30 miles from London, made its name as a center of hat manufacturing. Its arts center, the Hat Factory, was exactly that during the industrial revolution. So its residents were probably a bit surprised when a single named after its airport, released by the all-female band Cats UK, reached #22 on the UK Singles Chart in 1977.

The tune was inspired by the 1977 Campari television commercial: a woman answers the pickup line “Were you truly wafted here from paradise?” by saying “Nahh, Luton Airport!” (The Scotsman).

There’s a whole-step modulation at 2:37.

Pat Metheny | In Her Family

“Pat Metheny’s love of Brazilian music comes into full bloom on 1987’s Still Life (Talking); it’s not the only stylistic element at play here, but it’s the most striking one,” (Apple Music). “The band is highly polished and coupled with Metheny’s crystalline production, the sound of the title track — and the rest of the album — sparkles.” Sierra Music describes “In Her Family,” the album-closing track, “one of Pat’s most haunting, pensive, and beautiful ballads.”

After a start in Ab minor, a simple, largely stepwise melody is greatly magnified by a bridge which takes flight over sweeping multi-key terrain (1:22-2:12). At 2:12, we’ve reverted to the original key, with short melodic phrases once again allowing the harmonies to take center stage.

Jonah Nilsson | Diamond Ring

Jonah Nilsson’s management agency, AGI, provides this bio of the Swedish vocalist/keyboardist: Jonah’s “life changed overnight after he and a couple of long-time friends (Dirty Loops) uploaded their own covers of huge pop hits, like Lady Gaga’s ‘Just Dance’ and Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby,’ to YouTube.

The unique funk-pop covers spread like wildfire in the music community, garnered them millions of views, and got them the attention of many acclaimed artists, namely 16x Grammy Award winning producer David Foster … (he) has acquired a significant fan base of high-profile musicians, including music impresario Quincy Jones: ‘He’s different though, he’s got the perfect balance of right brain creativity and left brain music theory. It’s in his blood,’ says Jones. ‘He’s got soul, with one of the biggest ranges I’ve ever heard.’”

Nilsson’s “Diamond Ring” (2021), featuring the legendary Steve Vai playing “Stunt Guitar,” finds Nilsson out from behind the keyboards, thoroughly embracing the role of frontman. After starting in C# minor with a full funk groove, 2:19 brings a quiet interlude in D# major; at 2:43, we’ve climbed to E major. At 3:00, another transtion: the sole accompaniment is the band clapping en masse on beats 2 and 4, along with some beatboxing(?). The cherry on top is Vai’s appearing via green screen for a culminating solo in A Dorian minor as the tune’s volume — but never its intensity — fades.

Ornella Vanoni | L’Appuntamento

“Born in 1934, to a Milanese family, Italian singer Ornella Vanoni spent most of her twenties alternating between theater and music … She started by singing “le canzoni della mala,” or songs about the underworld, but after meeting Gino Paoli in 1960 (with whom she wrote “Senza Fine,” one of her biggest hits) she began exploring the more sentimental sounds of pop” (AllMusic). She became known as the First Lady of Italian Music.

She later “branched out — both in terms of audience and style — from her homeland, exploring Brazilian music as she sang Italianized versions of Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho as well as of Erasmo Carlos’ ‘Sent Ado A’beira Do Caminho,’ retitled ‘L’Appuntamento’ (a song which, incidentally, after its inclusion in the 2001 film Ocean’s Twelve, started a resurgence in Vanoni’s popularity stateside). She has also sung with jazz players like Herbie Hancock, Gil Evans, and Beppe Quirici.”

“L’Appuntamento” (1970) features half-step modulations at 1:50, 2:50, and finally 3:49 for the wordless outro. The tune hit #2 in Italy and enjoyed a wave of popularity after its feature in Ocean’s Twelve.

Benjamin Britten | Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

UK composer Benjamin Britten’s classic educational work, “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” originated “in an educational film titled Instruments of the Orchestra,” (LeoQuirk.com).  “Following World War II, initiatives to better the British people included introducing public secondary schools, health and food support for underprivileged children, and widespread democratization of high art, with the goal of nourishing a moral and productive populace. To this effect, the BBC, the primary radio station of the time, maintained relatively high percentages of classical music on the air. They created such programs as orchestral concerts and music talks for schools, preceded with introductions of each instrument and their sound for recognition during the piece of music.

Britten chose to use Henry Purcell’s Rondo theme from his Abdelazer Suite as a basis for the work and, though some thought this was an easy way out of composing, his choice to reference a British composer was praised by others as a demonstration of his skill in the art of variation, and a link as being the greatest British composer since Purcell. Here is Purcell’s original theme.”

The University of Kentucky breaks down the careful introduction of each instrument family — many of which are accompanied by key changes. “The theme is first played by the full orchestra, then by the various families of instruments (woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion, and full orchestra again). Next, Britten shows off the individual instruments by having them play a variation of the theme … There are thirteen variations. Finally, the composition ends with a new tune, first introduced by the piccolo and then played in a fugue (a sort of counterpoint that Britten called “a race between the instruments”) by each of the other instruments of the orchestra until the brass instruments again play the main theme to close the work.”

The original 1946 short film, Instruments of the Orchestra:

Comedian John Hodgman came up with a new take on the piece’s narration in the 2010s. An excerpt from his performance with The Boston Pops:

Sanford Townsend Band | Smoke From a Distant Fire

The Sanford Townsend Band formed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama but later found great success on a national level and beyond on the strength of its 1977 single “Smoke from a Distant Fire,” which reached the top 10 in the US. Band member Johnny Townsend: “‘We had landed a publishing deal in 1974 and made demos with a lot of the great players of the day that again, caught the attention of another big time New York producer, Jerry Wexler” (Songfacts). “It was Wexler’s idea to take the band to (Muscle) Shoals to record … The experience was incredible … What can you say about Jerry Wexler (alias Tex Wex) that hasn’t been said. He discovered Ray Charles … He took Aretha from a so-so history at Columbia Records, signed her to Atlantic, and helped create some of the greatest popular music ever recorded … When the opportunity to work with him came up we didn’t bat an eye. He was a god to us.'”

Ritter Records reports that the band, unable to duplicate its 1977 success, broke up in 1980, returning to work as session musicians and songwriters. “Sanford went on to co-write Michael McDonald’s debut solo hit ‘I Keep Forgettin” in 1982, while Townsend also worked with Michael McDonald, Jackson Browne, and Gregg Allman (among others),” along with solo releases.

The shuffle-driven hit features stacked backing harmonies that locked from start to finish. The tune has funk feel and a saxophone hook but also features a southern rock sound around the edges. In A major overall, the bridge modulates to F major from 1:28 – 1:49.

Marcela Mangabeira | Para Ti

Born in the Brazilian city of Recife in 1981, Marcela Mangabeira “participated in the first European tour of the group Bossacucanova in 2001, passing through Spain, Denmark, Germany, France, England, and Wales,” the Brazilian website Som13.com reports. “She moved to Rio de Janeiro in 2003 … Her first album, Simples, was released in 2005 in Japan, where it had a great reception.” According to her own website, Mangabeira has released two other albums: Colors of Rio (2011) and Closer Project (2017); her music is also part of 40 compilations worldwide.

“Para Ti” (For You) was released on Simples. Its breezy contemporary sound rolls along beautifully as the Mangabeira finishes the first section. A wordless vocals section from the backup singers begins at 1:33; a half-step modulation catches us by surprise at 1:36, right in the middle of a phrase. At 2:42, an amorphous outro floats onward until the tune’s end.

Boney M. | Rasputin

“Although they never had much success in America, the Euro-disco group Boney M. were a European phenomenon during the ’70s” (AllMusic) “Fronted by German record producer Frank Farian, the group also included four West Indian vocalists who had been working as session singers in Germany … In October 1978, ‘Rasputin’ became one of the band’s UK Top Ten hits. Their music continues to sell well in Europe, with a compilation hitting the U.K. Top Ten in 1994 … Farian went on to create the late-’80s dance sensation Milli Vanilli.” The band was late-70s mainstay on the UK TV show Top of the Pops.

“Rasputin” (1978) certainly takes a unique approach towards Russian history. Dangerous Minds reports that “the Soviet Union banned the song, which probably didn’t bother Boney M. too much.” The lyrics from the chorus set the tone:

Ra ra Rasputin
Lover of the Russian queen
There was a cat that really was gone
Ra ra Rasputin
Russia’s greatest love machine
It was a shame how he carried on

At the 0:40 mark, the key falls approximately a quarter-step to B minor: an unusual way of working its way out of an intro!

Key + Peele | The Power of Wings

When it comes to comedy duo Key and Peele, “the title comedians are surprisingly good singers,” (Screenrant). The sketches on Comedy Central’s Key & Peele series “ran the gamut from touching on politics or race to skits on famous movies or TV shows. The pair also had some spot-on parodies of music artists, from the hilarious ‘Ray Parker Theme Songs’ – where the Ghostbusters singer reveals a catalog of horrible, unused themes for other movies – to ‘Outkast Reunion,’ where Andre 3000 and Big Boi awkwardly cross paths. Key & Peele remains a treasure trove of great sketches, with the show coming to an end back in 2015. While Keegan-Michael Key has continued to act, Jordan Peele has mostly retired from performing to step behind the camera, reinventing himself as a horror auteur with movies like Get Out.”

Wendell, a nerd and comic book fan of the highest order, is a recurring K+P character. But “Wings” took him to the next level of fantasy: If a Lord of the Rings Fandom Con had a baby with a power metal band, this video might be the result.

Unfortunately, the video’s modest budget is drained very visibly to zero dollars just before the bridge. Thereafter, even the half-step modulation at 1:53 and an “E for Effort” aren’t enough to save Wendell.