Collection of music videos

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) was a Russian pianist, conductor, and composer; for many critics, the most important of the 20th century . In his long life he composed a large number of works addressing various styles such as primitivism , neoclassicism , and serialism . Eventually, Stravinsk i's musical future was directed by Sergei Diaghilev , director of the Ballets Russes in Paris , who hired Stravinsky to write a ballet for his company, which would be The Firebird ; Stravinsky left Russia for the first time in 1910, to attend its premiere in Paris by the Ballets Russes . During his stay in that city, he composed two more works for the Ballets Russes : Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913).

The ballets reveal the stylistic development of the composer: from The Firebird , whose style shows the powerful influence of Rimsky-Kórsakov , whose student he was, to Petrushka with its strong bitonal emphasis, to finally arrive at the wild polyphonic dissonance of The Rite . of the spring As Stravinsky mentioned about his premieres, his intention was to "send everything to hell" (and he succeeded: the premiere of The Rite of Spring in 1913 was probably the most famous scandal in music history, with fistfights between members of the public and the need for police surveillance during the second act). For many, these daring and innovative ballets practically reinvented the genre. Later he traveled to the USA in 1939, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1945 and where he continued to live until his death in 1971.

Stravinsky also wrote for various types of ensembles in a wide spectrum of classical forms, from operas and symphonies to small piano pieces and works for jazz ensembles; but not only did he achieve fame as a composer, but this also followed him as a pianist and director, frequently, of his own compositions. He was essentially a cosmopolitan Russian, one of the most influential composers and artists in 20th century music, both in the West and in his homeland; He was also considered by Time magazine as one of the most influential personalities of the 20th century .

Tango is a musical genre and a dance, characteristic of the Río de la Plata region and its area of ​​influence, but mainly of the cities of Buenos Aires (in Argentina) and Montevideo (in Uruguay). Six main musical styles left their mark on tango: the Andalusian tango, the Cuban habanera, the candombe, the milonga, the mazurka , and the European polka . The tango revolutionized popular dance by introducing a sensual dance with an embraced couple that proposes a deep emotional relationship of each person with their own body and of the bodies of the dancers with each other. Musically it usually has a binary form (theme and chorus) or ternary (two parts to which a trio is added). On September 30, 2009, UNESCO declared it Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Isaac Albéniz (18601-1909) was a famous Catalan composer and pianist, disciple of Felipe Pedrell . Thanks to the help of Guillermo Morphy , Count of Morphy, composer and patron of the arts, he obtained a pension to train at the Brussels Conservatory in 1876, finishing his studies in 1879. Being a virtuoso piano composer, Albéniz also composed music for other instruments and dedicated more than a decade of his almost forty-nine years of life to writing themes for the theater, such as his most successful work Operatic Pepita Jiménez, who also dedicated herself to interpreting concerts or recording her opera Merlin During her career she wrote more than two dozen songs, as well as several orchestral and chamber numbers.

Asturias was composed in the 1890s, a time when Albéniz was residing in London . Despite its name, the theme has no relation to the musical tradition of Asturias , being rather related to Andalusian flamenco. Upon its publication, Albéniz conceived it as a prelude to the Chants d'Espagne collection. Years later it would become the fifth movement of the Suite española , published after Albéniz 's death under the current title and subtitled Leyenda in 1911 by the German publisher Hofmeister .

The version that we offer today is arranged for accordion and symphony orchestra with the world-renowned accordionist from Gipuzkoa, Iñaki Alberdi as a soloist accompanied by the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra conducted by maestro José Luis López Antón .

The Cantata is a musical piece written to be “sung”, by one or more solo voices with instrumental accompaniment, generally articulated by several movements and sometimes, with a choir. The oldest type of cantata , known as cantata da camera , was born towards the end of the 17th century, composed for solo voice on a profane text, while the religious cantata was created for religious rites. These cantatas were generally articulated with an initial chorus in which the sopranos began the musical theme, completed by a succession of arias , recitatives , and chorales , sometimes with passages by solo instruments that played the melody prepared for the voice. The fundamental difference with the oratorio is that it has an argument that supports it.

The Weddings (French, Les noces ; Russian, Свадебка, Svádebka ) is a danced cantata or ballet with soloists to music by Igor Stravinsky . As a ballet it premiered on June 13, 1923 at the Théâtre de la Gaîté in Paris , by the Ballets Russes . Stravinsky first conceived of writing this cantata in 1913 and finished it in an abridged score by October 1917. During the long gestation period, the orchestration changed drastically; Initially conceived for an enlarged symphony orchestra, due to various incidents, it ended up establishing the following complement: soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and bass soloists, a mixed choir, and two groups of percussion instruments, including four pianos. Today's version is conducted by the eminent Russian teacher Valeri Guérguiev (1953).

Paul Dukas (1865-1935) was a French composer. In 1881, he entered the Paris Conservatoire in Théodore Dubois 's harmony class. In 1884 he heard the orchestra for the first time in its Ouverture pour Götz von Berlichingen . The following year he was admitted as a composition student of Ernest Guiraud and in 1886 he won first prize for counterpoint and fugue. In 1888 he won the second Prix de Rome for his Cantata Velléda , but the following year he was denied the first Grand Prix ; He then left the Conservatoire and devoted himself seriously to his work and to the study of César Franck and Richard Wagner on the one hand, and the symphonic impressionism of Claude Debussy on the other. Skilled orchestrator, one of his most important works is The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

L'Aprenti sorcier (The Sorcerer's Apprentice), which we present today under the baton of the Finnish teacher Dalia Stasevska , is a symphonic poem composed in 1897 by Paul Dukas based on the ballad of the same name Der Zauberlehrling (in German) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe . It is an orchestral work that belongs to the program music style and represents the story of an apprentice who, without permission, enchants a broom to help him carry water. The popularity of the piece grew with the Walt Disney film Fantasia (1940).

Lisa Ekdahl (Stockholm, 1971) is a Swedish singer, who preferably uses English in her jazz works and Swedish in others. It is characterized by a high-pitched and very soft voice. In the 1990s he became one of the leading figures in Swedish pop . In 1994, her self-titled debut album came out in Sweden and her single "Vem Vet" made her a superstar in Scandinavia at the age of 23. The singer's first English-language effort was 1998's When Did You Leave Heaven , which was also her first jazz record and the first album to come out in the US , becoming a critical and best-selling success in Sweden and throughout Europe . The following year, she published her second album in English, Back on Earth , which has since established her as one of the great contemporary jazz singers.

Jane Birkin (London 1946) is an Anglo-French actress and singer who has lived in France since the late sixties. After his film beginnings in the UK , notably in the film A Midsummer Morning Wish , he began a career in France , where he met his later mentor, composer and partner, Serge Gainsbourg . Her weak voice became her trademark and was used wisely. One of their first collaborations was the song Je t'aime... moi non plus , which became an international hit. In the late 1980s, she performed in a series of concerts in Paris performing the repertoire that Gainsbourg had written for her. In 2017 he published his thirteenth studio album, "Birkin-Gainsbourg le symphonique" .

Petrushka , is a ballet in one act and four scenes with choreography by Michel Fokine , music by Igor Stravinsky , libretto by Stravinsky himself and Alexandre Benois , and sets and costumes also by Alexandre Benois . It was composed during the winter of 1910-11 and premiered in Paris , at the Châtelet Theater by Sergei Diaghilev 's Ballets Russes , on June 13, 1911 and under the musical direction of Pierre Monteux . Petrushka is a puppet made of straw and sawdust with a buffo and mocking character, who comes to life and develops the ability to feel. The work is characterized among other things by the so-called Petrushka chord , consisting of a chord of C major and F sharp major played simultaneously ( polytonality ), which usually accompanies the appearance of the Petrushka character almost as a leitmotif.

Scene I (0´34´´)

In 1838, in the Admiralty Square of Saint Petersburg, the carnival fair, the Maslenitsa, is held. In the square there is a small theater where the Magician presents a show. When the curtain opens, three dolls are seen that, at the Magician's command, begin to dance. The Moor and Petrushka are in love with the Dancer, but the latter clearly prefers the Moor. Petrushka in a jealous rage attacks the Moor and the Magician stops the presentation.

Scene II (10´34´´)

Locked in his room by the Wizard, Petrushka protests the cruelty with which he is treated for showing his feelings. The Ballerina appears and Petrushka, excited, expresses his love for her brusquely. The Ballerina leaves, frightened by Petrushka's rudeness, leaving him in sadness and despair.

Scene III (15'05'')

In the Moor's room. Although El Moro is also a prisoner, he is happy with his situation. The Dancer enters and the Moor flatters her, she is pleased with the deal and allows herself to be embraced by him. At that moment Petrushka enters who threatens El Moro, he defends himself with his scimitar and makes Petrushka flee.

Scene IV (21'43'')

The carnival fair on the square in St. Petersburg. People have continued with the celebrations without realizing what is happening inside the theater. The party is interrupted when Petrushka leaves the theater followed by El Moro. The Moor kills Petrushka. People are scared thinking that a murder has been committed, the police arrive and question the Wizard, but on the floor there is only a rag doll. The party comes to an end, everyone leaves and the Magician takes Petrushka to the theater but Petrushka's ghost appears threateningly from the ceiling.

Ugandan dance . One of the best traditional African dances performed by young people we have ever seen. The Sanyu Boys' Choir rehearses one of the most popular dances of the Baganda tribe in their village of Katooke in Mubende District - Uganda. This was a great after school program for these kids, but due to lack of funding after supporting them for a couple of years, we had to close this program. It was very painful for everyone and we hope that one day God will provide the means to support this program in the future. (Extracted from the comment at the bottom of the video).