Ari @ariange69 - Tumblr Blog

ok like. i know there is absolutely no fanbase for this but kurt weill is such a great composer.

theres just something so different about everything he makes… something that really sets him apart from other composers, even contemporary or expressionist ones. there are so many subtle dissonances that everything sounds a bit off-kilter, but that’s what so good about his music! He knows how to set an atmosphere, and i feel those strange chords work well with especially Bertolt Brecht’s text concerning his pessimism towards human nature and capitalism and greed.

There’s also such a drive in many of his works. Of course other composers also have energizing music, but with Weill, it’s constant. every second work of his makes me so motivated and energized and excited to exist, its amazing. like have yall ever really listened to the first few scenes in the second act of Mahagonny?? Like?? Sir, how did you compose this absolutely amazing piece of art criticizing modern society and greed and vice and make it sound so good??

The instruments he utilizes are also unlike any other composers, imo. The Threepennyopera only uses winds and bass, which is ofc an arrangement normally only seen in jazz but juxtaposed with the serious subject matter. it also modernizes the whole threepennyopera, set in victorian or elizabethan england, together with Brecht’s 1920s Berlin slang, which really gives the whole piece such a unique vibe.

even in full orchestra arrangements, like Mahagonny, Weill prefers composing for the winds. I love violins more than anything, but they carry almost every melody in every piece of classical music, and that can get a bit monotonous. but when kurt weill starts one of his win solos!! Holy shit!! A leading clarinet!!

and the beats!! those hits on the quarter and or eighth notes give the whole piece so much drive and whomp, its amazing

anyway thats my appreciation post for a fairly unknown composer who died in 1956… maybe give him a listen if you’re up for it, he didn’t only compose operas, after the nazis took over power in germany he came to the usa where he made some quite successful musicals which are also worth a listen.

Gonna add some more since I‘ve listened to Happy End and A Touch of Venus since making this post!

Although I do feel Happy End is a bit less polished than his later work, there are so many absolute fucking bangers in it. Like Mandelay Song. Surabaya Johnny. Bilbao Song. Hhhoooollllyyy shiiiiiit that is some good stuff. Of course I love the drive in Mandelay Song (and how it was later repurposed in Mahagonny) and just how the feeling of the song shifts from verse to chorus. It‘s such a great song.

Something about Happy End also has this longing and wistfulness to it, I can’t quite explain it. But eg in Bilbao Song, Bill is contemplative because he can’t remember the words to the song, he seems to almost sigh the melody. In Surabaya Johnny, Jenny is thinking about a lover leaving the narrator of the song. It’s this melancholy dripping from every song, again underlined by Weill‘s preference for winds.

I‘m very fond of Venus because I was actually involved in a very professional production of it (not to brag :p), but despite my favoritism, it‘s still an extremely good musical with so many bangers. The longing in West Wind and Foolish Heart. The intrigue in Doctor Crippen. The Jazz in I‘m a Stranger Here Myself. The tenderness in Speak Low. I could go on.

But what makes Venus a real masterpiece is the orchestral, non-verbal intermissions. (If you wanna listen to a recording, you gotta make sure the recording includes these small intermissions!! It‘s soooo much better.) Because similar to what Weill did with the Leitmotive in Mahagonny, he does with the chorus melodies in Venus. He takes the relevant melodies from the songs in Venus and uses them in other sequences, offsets them (or doesn‘t), changes the instrumental arrangements or the rhythm (or doesn‘t) and it‘s all so genius. The piece is so very cohesive at the end of it.

Oh my god I love Weill… of course these other pieces also have that beat I was talking about earlier, where the eighth notes are hit alternatively low and high. Most notably, in Happy End the Bilbao Song and in Venus Doctor Crippen.

(I‘ve also made a Spotify playlist with my favorite Kurt Weill songs, if anyone wants it, just ask :))

Being an actor keeps me sane. Yeah I have to work a day job but know what? When my day job is stressful and I want to scream I get to go hey wait. I have a scream scheduled at 7:30 tonight. Gotta save up. And then I go back to what I was doing.

I have a scream scheduled, I have a kiss scheduled, I have an argument scheduled, I have a making up scheduled, I have a sing and dance scheduled, I have a get slapped in the face scheduled, I have a cry scheduled, whatever. It’s all good.

Something something the Greeks were right about catharsis.

ohhhhhhhhhh my god and when you argue you always have a comeback, and when you make up there’s no lingering anger, and when you scream you don’t have to hold back, and when you get slapped in the face you know you’re safe, and when you cry you know all will be well.

Oh and if it doesn’t turn out and your character dies or something well then you can go to the greenroom and have a snack and that’s good too.

Everyone saying “oh like bdsm” or “oh like larping.” Yes. Humans thrive on imagination and play in many ways.

@pages-and-potatoes @ariange69

maidthings

A girlfriend is a type of improv partner who's twice as annoying as the normal ones

maidthings

I take her out to a lovely dinner. afterwards we go for a walk down the lake. when I get to a nice quiet spot lit by moonlight, I get down on one knee and ask the question. She says yes, and

wastehound-voof-deactivated2024

@ariange69

ariange69

@puddingbean can i say something crazy...will you be my improv partner?

Little old Italian lady: Do you have zucchini?

Me: Yes, right here.

Lady: Is how much?

Me: $2.99 a pound.

Lady: It's usually $1.49.

Me: Yes, in the summer.

Lady, pauses, then grabs two: I put it in a soup.

Me: Oh nice, what kind are you making?

Lady: You will not fantasize about my soup.

And then she walked away. "You will not fantasize about my soup" will be in my head forever. I love you, little old Italian lady.

sighinastorm

It’s really funny when people who enjoy content that’s easy consume think they’re somehow oppressed for this preference even tho the entire entertainment industry caters to it

You’re not oppressed for reading mediocre romance books that can be found on the “As seen on Booktok” table ar Barnes and Nobles or enjoying MCU movies. You’re actually the core audience that keeps these million dollar monopolies afloat.

I wanna live in the world where these people are actually oppressed lmao. Imagine going to the movie theater and there’s like a tons of thoughtful mid-budget movies made and all the romance novels at the bookstore contain intricate narratives and complex characters. Come on now

Some guy says he likes MCU movies and he instantly gets beaten to death by a gang of pretentious snobs that roam the streets like wild animals

judgejudyofficial

Your vision for the world is beautiful

fandomgalore-blog

Let ppl enjoy things whether it’s Marvel or an indie film or whatever.

Well I enjoy hating on marvel fans or whatever

fandomgalore-blog

That’s fine, but keep the negativity to yourself pls