Best Wishes from Musicphile!

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Bernard Herrmann's New York

Even a devoted Athenean in love with his hometown cannot escape the magic influence of the greatest city in the world - New York! As a tribute to this city, I created a little music slideshow with pictures representative of its beauty. The music is by Bernard Herrmann ("Taxi Driver").

What Ever Happened to Baby Jennifer (Lawn)?

The only bit of information about her on IMDb reads: "Attended Tulane University" (the field of study is not even hinted at...). Under her Filmography, there is only one title: "Sophie's Choice"... This is all that remains from a very impressive performance of 1982, by a little girl whose name was Jennifer Lawn. Those who first saw the famous "choice" scene toward the end of the film, where the Academy Award winner Meryl Streep was holding terrified little Jennifer in her arms, must have foreseen a bright future for this kid actress who might easily fool the viewers into believing that she was actually living the scene, rather than just acting it!

"A future Oscar winner in the arms of a present one", one might have prophesied back in 1982. Unfortunately, this prophecy never came true...

Parsifal: Did Wagner foresee Einstein's Relativity?

It was Richard Wagner's last music drama. First performance took place at Bayreuth Theater in 1882 - one year before the composer's death - under the musical direction of Hermann Levi. Here is an excerpt from Act 1 of Parsifal, including the beautiful Interlude. James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Parsifal: Siegfried Jerusalem. Gurnemanz: Kurt Moll.

Incidentally, note the intriguing line sung by Gurnemanz:

You see, my son, time here becomes space (!) 

Is it possible that Wagner actually foresaw Einstein's Theory of Relativity?

Vertigo: Let the Music Speak!

It is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. But a major part of the greatness of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo must be credited to the mesmerizing music of Bernard Herrmann. It is fair to say that this movie would not have been the same without Herrmann's music!

Here are a few scenes from the film, emphasizing Bernard Herrmann's superb music scoring.

The Queen of Spades: Finale to Acts II & III

Even when composing operas, Tchaikovsky was still a symphonist. A good example is The Queen of Spades which, in a sense, is a symphony in disguise, reminiscent of the large Mahlerian structures. This "symphony" in three parts (acts) and seven movements (scenes) is built on three cyclically used themes which act as Leitmotiv at the operatic level. (This is in contrast to Wagner's operas, which use a large number of unrelated themes thus cannot formally be regarded as "symphonies".) Here I have selected the endings of acts II and III of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece. In the former scene, all three Leitmotiv are heard and, toward the end, the contrast between the "love" theme and the "card" theme symbolizes the divided heart and mind of Herman's. At the finale of the opera (end of act III) the love theme is heard again, this time in its purified form, following the final catharsis. Valery Gergiev superbly conducts the Kirov Orchestra at St. Petersburg. Herman: Gegam Grigorian. Liza: Maria Gulegina. Countess: Ludmila Filatova.

Welcome!

This is a blog for people who share with me the belief that music is a part of every human experience. If in the background of every picture, every thought or every memory, you can hear the sound of music, then you are at the right place! In the very limited time that my teaching duties allow, I will try to communicate with you some of my ideas regarding the art which is closest to my heart. Your comments will always be welcome and much appreciated! 

Costas J. Papachristou

https://sites.google.com/site/cjpapachristou/