Humongous Music Dork

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

Week 12.5: Honorable mentions!

I felt the need to make another post before next week acknowledging some other Music that means a lot to me, but I don't feel these need separate posts.

First is a composer I very recently discovered, but haven't had a lot of time to look into everything he's done yet, and that is Howard Goodall. In specific, his Requiem - "Eternal Light" is the main thing I've had a chance to look into, and it instantly became my favorite Requiem ever. His great knowledge of Latin texts and harmonies is so incredibly shown in this work, and I'm just speechless through every moment of the Requiem, and want to either perform or direct it at some point. His setting of "Lead, Kindly Light" is absolutely phenomenal and in my opinion captures the beauty of the lyrics better than the standard tune I'm used to hearing. This Requiem is dedicated to the struggles of life rather than a dedication to the dead, and for that reason I love it even more. I've listened to the entire work probably about 5 times in the past month.

Thomas Bergersen has some other works which I absolutely adore but frankly, don't have time to post about as in depth as I'd like to. His albums "Sun" and "Seven" are my favorite of his works besides the Humanity Saga. And "Seven" was my introduction to his Music, so it still holds a special place in my heart. I really can't describe how I feel listening to both of these because the experience is beyond anything else I've listened to, which is why I love them so much. I was first drawn into listening to "Seven" because of the phenomenal album cover when I saw it on my YouTube recommended.

And in general, just a shout out to Voces8. Which is my favorite vocal ensemble because of the vast variety of Music they perform and record. Their album "Enchanted Isle" features some excellent arrangements of some folk songs that mean a lot to me.

Ēriks Ešenvalds is another composer who's choral works are fantastic. "Only In Sleep" is probably my favorite, and it is one of his more performed works, and I understand why. But his other Music is just as phenomenal.

Adam Young's scores for historical events are another favorite. You may know Adam Young for what he's most popular for, as Owl City. He took several years off from that to compose these "scores" for significant events in human history. In my personal opinion his scores are better than anything he's released as Owl City and wish they'd get more attention. My personal favorite is "The Endurance" both because it's great Music, and because the story behind it is one of the most miraculous events in history.

"Fresh Aire" is a series of eight albums by Mannheim Steamroller (Chip Davis). And it has some excellent songs throughout it, and I remember listening to at least one or two of the albums growing up, so it has a special place in my heart. It's also one of the more upbeat things I listen to in a lot of places.

Keane is one of my favorite bands that's actually a lot more popular than a lot of other stuff I listen to, and I think they deserve it, because they've actually made some excellent songs. "Under The Iron Sea" and "Hopes And Fears" are my favorite of their albums.

They Might Be Giants has been a constant since my early childhood, and is without a doubt currently my favorite band. I listened to their albums for kids growing up, and have since discovered the rest of their discography, which is even better. "Glean", "John Henry", "The Spine", "Flood" and "Nanobots" are my personal favorites. They're songs are so incredibly random, and often hilarious, but at times there's a strange element of authenticity and lines that make me actually think.

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

Week 12, second to last!

This week I'm highlighting my favorite two singers ever! Tommy Körberg and Sissel Kyrkjebø, both of who's vocal talents are beyond anything else I've ever heard.

It was early 2024 when I first discovered Chess, and that's what led me to Tommy's Music, even though it took a while for me to find his other Music. I've already posted about Chess, so I don't feel a need to go super in depth about that, but in the 1989 concert in Skellefteå, Sweden, Tommy and Sissel played alongside each other for what I believe is the best performance of the show, specifically "Endgame", which transcends what I thought the human voice was capable of.

Tommy Körberg has rapidly become my favorite male singer ever throughout my listening to his Music. "Är" is my very favorite of his Music, and is entirely in his native tongue of Swedish. I listened to the album probably twenty times within the space of a month when I first discovered it, and his Music inspired me to want to learn Swedish, which at this point I know a fair amount, about enough to understand probably about 1/5 of the words. "Är" has some of the most amazing songs I've ever heard, with songs composed by a variety of different people. "Stad I Ljus" is likely his most popular song, at least in Sweden, and it makes sense, it's a great song! Which translates more or less to "City Of Light". The rest of the album is in my opinion just as amazing, and his voice shines in every single song. One thing about Tommy Körberg that amazes me is that he's in his 70s, and is still performing constantly, and he still sounds amazing! I want so much to see him at a live concert at some point. His voice in the 80s was phenomenal, and in some ways, I can't explain it, but his voice, and the style of his Music is strangely nostalgic in a way that nothing else is for me, which doesn't make a ton of sense because I wasn't born until 2006, but there's just something... His voice takes me to a whole other world every single time I listen to any one of his songs, original or otherwise.

Another thing that I love that he does is covers of popular songs, either translated into Swedish, or his takes on Music with English lyrics. "Rakt Upp Och Ner" is another one of my favorites of his that was released in 2007, which was a concert where he took his well known songs and alongside those, he mixed in songs that aren't very well known, like "Glimmande Nymf" by Carl Michael Bellman, which is one of my favorite songs ever, and his take on it is so... different. "Glimmande Nymf" was written in the late 1700s, and hasn't gotten near enough attention, I can't find modern sheet Music for it, or the orchestration Tommy had in his version, but I want to perform the song so much because, first of all, it's in Swedish, and second, because it's not well known. In my life I want to make some sort of impact on the fine arts community as a whole, by performing and producing underperformed and not well known works to give them the attention they deserve, and "Glimmande Nymf" is one of those.

I've already said this so many times, even if not on here, that "Anthem" from Chess is one of my favorite songs of all time, and I've already performed it twice. But I know my voice will never compare to Tommy's, because he was the original, it's HIS song. In my opinion, the best he has ever performed the song was in 1992, live in Stockholm, in this rendition he went beyond what he had before, and in the 80s and 90s his voice hit its highest point, so of course this is one of his best times singing it. The song itself means so much to me, especially as I'm entering a new part of my life, and Tommy's voice just makes the song ten thousand times better, as he does with all of his Music.

One honorable mention is the Swedish version of Les Miserables, where he played Jean Valjean, I love hearing his take on the character, and the Swedish language brings something different to the Musical that I can't explain. In this case, I can't exactly say I "prefer" one over the other, but I find the Swedish version on par with the 10th anniversary concert with Colm Wilkinson and Philip Quast. And another honorable mention is when Tommy sang "Beauty and the Beast" with Celine Deon and knocked it out of the park, I wish he'd been on the actually movie credits instead of who they have.

And, moving onto Sissel's Music, while still focusing on Tommy, is "Julen är här", one of my very favorite Christmas albums of all time, and it features both Tommy Körberg and Sissel Kyrkjebø, who's voices blend so well together. I know it's a bit out of season, but this album last year was on constant repeat for me during Christmastime, along with Ola Gjeilo's "Winter Songs". To me, Swedish, and other Scandinavian languages are the most beautiful languages on Earth, and hearing these Christmas carols that I've heard all my life, along with new ones in a language that I've come to love more than any other just brings me a sense of peace that I feel strongly at that time of year.

Sissel has performed with so many different people and groups over the years, and I have loved looking into what I have. She's performed with The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, she's performed in many Musicals, and with some amazing people. Her interpretations of so many songs that once again, I've heard all my life, is something that I'm surprised took me this long to discover, specifically her rendition of George Gershwin's "Summertime" and Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Climb Every Mountain" (or "Se Over Fjellet", in Norwegian) stand out to me, and her voice shines with a splendor that I can't explain.

And just like Tommy Körberg, she has one album from the 80s that I adore, which is her debut album "Sissel", which is almost entirely Norwegian Music that reminds me that life is beautiful, and while I don't understand as much Norwegian as Swedish, I still appreciate the Music so much. Part of me wonders if this connection I feel to Scandinavian Music has something to do with my ancestry, I know I have Danish and Swedish ancestry. There's just no way to express how much I love this Music. And there's something in the Scandinavian voice that is just heavenly.

One more recent song of hers that stands out to me is "O Store Gud", which she sang with The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Which is the original Swedish tune, which means more to me than the English version ("How Great Thou Art"). Something about hearing tunes in their original languages makes me feel a deeper connection to God, and to my ancestors. I feel a similar way about German tunes, and the German art songs I've performed, and I wish I could feel that way about all art songs, but some just don't resonate as deeply with me, which is why I want to perform songs in underappreciated languages like Swedish rather than the standard French and Italian. Don't get me wrong, I love singing no matter what, but something feels different when I sing a language that resonates with me deeply, which in some circumstances has even been English.

Thank you all for reading these posts, if you have, or if you're reading them while I'm gone out of the country, thank you. These things mean so much to me. I'm probably going to make an honorable mention post of recently discovered Music and things I love, but I don't feel deserved their own post. Next week the final post will be on Musicals.

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

Week 11: Star Wars Music Mega Appreciation Post!!

This week I finally decided it's time to talk about the saga that started it all for me. Literally in every way possible, Star Wars has, and continues to shape my life.

First off, I need to give so, so much credit to John Williams, who is one of the greatest composers of all time, and who pioneered Music in the film industry. His Music is beyond iconic, and for good reason! Star Wars is in my opinion his greatest work ever. His contributions to this amazing saga are limitless. My favorite of the films are Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi, and a huge reason behind why I love those two so much is the emotional depth John Williams put into the soundtrack. From ROTS, specifically "Anakin's Betrayal" and "Battle of the Heroes" are my favorite, and are some of the best pieces of film Music ever, and I really love General Grievous' theme too. And in ROTJ he does phenomenal as well, the Emperor's theme is great and the Music during Luke's fight with Vader is heartwrenching and gets me every time, and the Ewok theme is just incredibly nostalgic. Others from the saga that stand out to me are Yoda's Theme, Duel of the Fates (obviously), the battle droid/clone march Music, and so many others. John Williams is a genius.

But what really, REALLY sells me on Star Wars is what current composers are doing with the themes and ideas John Williams set forth, and somehow, through some miraculous way, are making the new Star Wars Music even better.

The #1 spot of my favorite piece of Star Wars material in all ways possible is the video game Jedi Survivor, which is in my opinion a masterpiece in every aspect. The soundtrack makes me feel like I'm out of this world in a way no other Star Wars does. Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab have done heavenly things with the soundtracks to both this one and Fallen Order. Survivor would not be the same if anyone else had done the soundtrack. There are so many new things I notice when listening to the Music while I play the game that make me fall deeper in love with it, whether that's new character themes I've never noticed before, or even just the use of an instrument in a certain spot. Even the basic world Music used in the vast majority of the game is beautiful beyond what I can express through words. Every theme is so well thought out and captures the emotions of the scene so well. The overall theme of the game "Fields Of Dusk" is quite possibly my favorite singular song ever. It is a pure masterpiece with sections that sound somehow simple while maintaining complex patterns and emotions, and has soaring high points that represent the characters in the game so well. The themes for the characters are equally as beautiful. Unrelated to Music, the characters in this game series are so incredibly authentic and relatable in ways that no other piece of media has, at least for me.

Kevin Kiner is another addition to Star Wars that isn't near appreciated enough. He's scored pretty much all of the animated shows, which are actually some of the best Star Wars material ever in my opinion because they are directed at larger audiences than a lot of people realize. Kevin Kiner has brought so many amazing new themes into existence through Clone Wars and The Bad Batch. Cad Bane's theme is one of my personal favorites because it shows how cold of a character he is. Savage/Maul's theme gives me chills every single time I rewatch the show and is what I would love for more of Star Wars to sound like, and we are getting Maul: Shadow Lord soon, so I'm sure Kevin Kiner is going to score that too, and knock it out of the park by improving his themes even more! In The Bad Batch he takes themes like the Kamino theme which hadn't been used since Attack of the Clones really and makes it into something completely new. In both Bad Batch and Clone Wars he uses his clone theme so incredibly well and it is such a magnificent representation of the clones as people. Bad Batch has some of the best pieces of Kevin's in my opinion, as he has had a lot more time to hone his composition skills and he really shines with his themes, particularly in seasons 2 and 3. Bad Batch is sometimes overlooked in the bigger picture of Star Wars and it makes me so sad because it's one of the best shows they've ever put out, with extremely real characters, and I feel the same way about the Jedi games.

Honorable mentions go to Andor, The Mandalorian, Rogue One, Solo, and literally everything else in the whole saga because the Music is all amazing and is the primary reason why I love Star Wars so much. I can't wait to see where the Music of Star Wars goes next!

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

Week 10: Dreamweaver by Ola Gjeilo

This week has been one I've been looking forward to since I started these posts. This work is beyond any doubts my favorite choral work ever, and it's for so many reasons. The entire album is phenomenal and I love The Road as well, but I love Dreamweaver with all of my heart so I'm going to only talk about it.

This work is based on Norwegian folklore with lyrics by Charles Anthony Silvestri and so many beautiful passages of both Music and text which blend together better than any other work I've ever listened to.

There is no other piece of Music that makes me feel like this does. I mean it when I say it's definitely my favorite choral work, and is one of my favorite works period. Every single time I listen to it I fall deeper in love with it, and there's only so much I can describe. I would give ANYTHING to perform or direct this, and intend to do my best to make that come to pass at some point somewhat soon, if even several years or decades down the line.

I love every single song in this equally, particularly because they flow so well together, and it begins and ends with the same theme. A vast majority of the themes in this work are directly influenced by Ola's Piano piece The Crossing, which is also beautiful. And that's what I love about his Music, he's able to take themes from past compositions and build on them and make then somehow different while still maintaining the same beauty as the original, and in a lot of cases, making it better somehow!

The Bridge and Dominion are particular songs that give me goosebumps beyond what I thought was possible. The Bridge uses 5/8 time signature, so of course I love it, and the lyrics are beyond beautiful. Dominion makes me feel like I'm literally in Heaven, and I do believe that there was some sort of spiritual influence on this work, both because of its lyrics and transcendent melodies that go beyond my comprehension.

It feels like this work was written to make my life better, and it has. I have loved getting to know it and studying the vocal score while listening and playing it's parts on Piano. I love this work beyond anything human word can say. It is quite possibly my very favorite piece I've ever heard. Ola Gjeilo is a genius who is able to put his entire soul into his Music through ways that not many others can, and that's what makes him one of my favorites. As I said in my Piano post, he's wonderful and I love playing his Music, and have spent countless hours doing so. I can pour my own emotions into my playing of his Music in ways that I can't with any other composer's work.

I have every single one of his solo Piano books and the vinyl record of Winter Songs, which is another one of my favorites of his, and is the best winter album EVER! And I would post about it as well but I only have so many weeks to post these so I'll just say a bit about it here as a bonus: Winter Songs has a fantastic collection of both Gjeilo's arrangements of Christmas Hymns and his original winter works that fits so well together and feels more like "winter" than any other album I've listened to. Across The Vast, Eternal Sky is one of my favorite of his which I had the pleasure of singing my senior year of high school. And so, so many thanks to my friend Drew for introducing me to his Music!

Ola Gjeilo is without a single doubt my favorite classical composer ever, past and present.

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

Week 9: The Little Prince by Rachel Portman

Earlier in these posts I mentioned there was only one thing more nostalgic than Enya's Watermark for me, and this is it.

The Little Prince is an adaptation of the book of the same name into Opera, and is without any doubt my favorite Opera ever. It also is severely underrated, which breaks my heart because I think it's one of the best pieces of Music that has ever been composed. The book version is already amazing, and turning it into an Opera is a flawless transition that no other work can compare to.

It was first performed in 2003, and has since not received the recognition it truly deserves, and throughout my life I'm going to try to change that to the best of my abilities by producing or performing in it as much as I possibly can, and even performing solos from it, which I've already gotten a fantastic start on! People at ISU may recall last semester when I learned and performed Prologue: The Pilot for my voice studio, which is such an amazing introduction to this story, and sets the mood so incredibly well.

There's no reason to keep this a secret. I want with all of my heart to play The Pilot in at least one production of this in my life and to bring my own experiences and emotions into the role, and to tell this amazing story as it needs to be told. The Pilot is one of my #1 role models in every aspect, his ability to comprehend the mind of a child, or at the very least, learn to do so is something I long for very much, and he is the closest thing to a "father" character that the Little Prince has. I hope to eventually be that father figure to my own children as best as I can, and I'm so glad to have so many amazing examples of fathers both in my life and in art, through Musicals, Plays, and this Opera, as well as certain books I've read. Along with being a phenomenal character, the part vocally fits my voice better than almost anything, and having already had the chance to work on it a bit has proved that point to me.

The plot of this show is definitely fictional, but there are countless lessons and thoughts we can take away from this show to apply in our own lives. It brings me to a realization of how beautiful the little things in life are, and what they truly mean to each of us.

I loved growing up and listening to this Opera, and am so grateful to my parents for raising me on it. As I've grown, I've realized even more how beautiful this masterpiece truly is. Through its Music, emotions, and actors who portray the characters in the original recording it brings me so much joy every time I listen to it.

Originally, growing up I primarily enjoyed the first act the most, and didn't enjoy the second as much, but I've realized the second act holds some of the most beautiful things in the show.

Every single song in this show is a brilliant masterpiece, and I am choosing not to highlight a single one, rather the whole work. There are probably more times in this Opera than any other work that I get goosebumps, and it is definitely the most nostalgic Music I can think of, and reminds me of my childhood, and I eventually want my kids to experience that too.

Possibly the best thing about this Opera is that it is absolutely child friendly, and can be a fantastic introduction to the art that it is, it sure was for me! It runs a lot shorter than most other Operas which makes it more approachable, even for adults! And the casting of this show makes it even more apparent, with a boy Soprano as the Little Prince and a children's chorus. Above all, this show is for all ages in every single way.

If you listen to any of the Music I post about at all, let it be this one! I could not recommend something more. There is a phenomenal recording of the original cast on YouTube, and I would highly recommend taking the time to watch it.

To say that I adore this Opera is possibly the biggest understatement ever, it is one of the best works in existence.

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

Week 8: Christopher Tin

This week I'm going to talk about another one of my favorite composers ever! Christopher Tin started out primarily composing video game music, and that's where his career took off, particularly after writing Baba Yetu for the Civilisation series. I've actually had the opportunity to meet him, and performed in a choir directed by him in Carnegie Hall last year in June, which was a phenomenal experience that I'll never forget! I can't only highlight one of his albums, so I'm going to talk about all four.

The first album of his I listened to was The Lost Birds, only about a week after it was released in 2022, it just showed up on my YouTube recommended page, and I listened first to The Saddest Noise, which instantly made me fall in love with Chris's music. I was probably recommended the song because I was already following Voces8 for some time beforehand, and I'm really glad it happened. In this album there are so many amazing tracks I can't pick favorites, but for each of these I'm going to try and pick just one. For The Lost Birds I'd say it's There Will Come Soft Rains, which is towards the end of the album, and makes me feel so much every time, as it reprises several themes from other songs, it's a phenomenal piece. This album is a dedication to extinct species of birds, and uses lyrics from poetry by Emily Dickinson. I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to his music.

Next is Calling All Dawns, which was Mr. Tin's first album release, and WOW what a start it was!! It took me the longest to getting around to listen to, but when I eventually did, I was blown away. It starts off with Baba Yetu, and ends with Kia Hora Te Marino, and every single time I want to listen to the whole album again because the end can lead perfectly back to the beginning. There are both upbeat songs and slower songs, and it works so incredibly well how it's put together. My favorite song from this album, and possibly my favorite of his works period is Hymn Do Trójcy Świetęj, which is an absolute masterpiece that brings me to tears every time I listen to it. It's a quieter piece, but it has such a magnificent effect through his use of incredibly soft dynamics and excellent use of the Polish language, I can't say enough how much I adore this piece. (Bonus: this album has the only French piece I actually want to sing! Rassemblons Nous)

To Shiver The Sky is a celebration of humanity, the good and bad. It is based on Christopher's second contribution to the Civilisation series, Sogno Di Volare, which uses text from writings of Leonardo DaVinci. Other songs in this album draw text from historical events, like John F Kennedy's Apollo 11 speech, which is used in We Choose To Go To The Moon. Words by Copernicus are used in my favorite song from the album Astronomy. This song is also in Polish, and another slower song. I love that Christopher Tin has gotten the recognition he deserves, but his slower songs are so underrated and I love them so much. Astronomy has one of my favorite Piano and Organ accompaniments ever!

And finally, The Drop That Contained The Sea. This album is another beautiful one that I also can't describe, and it features a song written in the style of Bulgarian folk music in 7/8, so of course I love it. In this album there's once again a perfect balance of dynamically different songs, and all are equally amazing, but the one that stands out to me in particular is Waloyo Yamoni, which manages so many different dynamics and themes so well, and was my favorite song we sang in Carnegie, in fact, before that experience I didn't appreciate the song near as much as I do now. Now it makes me remember that experience and I know the song so well now that I am in awe of how complex and amazing it is. And I understand why he says it's his best work, because it basically is.

What solidifies his place on my favorites list is how incredibly unique he's able to make every single song, yet still maintain similarities, and how he pours his soul into both his composing and conducting. I'm so glad I was able to meet him. I can't choose a favorite of his albums, believe me, I've tried. I've decided to love them all equally.

[sonnydreams]

Obi-Wan 'i'm confusion' Kenobi Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

That's... why I'm here...?

[sovereignarchitect-deactivated2]

I got a diary but I wanna hear someone speak my language for once.

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

Week 7: Paul Smith

This week I'm highlighting some of my favorite choral music EVER. Paul Smith, is a vocal GENIUS, and the CEO of the Voces8 foundation and co-founder of Voces8, which is my favorite vocal ensemble. There are so many of his pieces I could highlight, but I'm choosing his main two albums "Renewal?" and "Reflections", which were my first introductions to his music, and are still probably my favorite, and are the main things he's actually released recordings of. He's currently in the process of releasing another. These albums are mostly Paul's music, but have some songs that are written by other people, like "The Twelve" by William Walton, which is another piece I adore, but I'm mainly going to talk about the music Paul wrote. But even the other music is so brilliantly put together in these albums and it flows so well. "Renewal?" Is probably my favorite of the two, and has some beautiful tracks that make me feel so much, and there are some songs I really want to perform or direct them eventually, but most of them haven't been released as sheet music yet.

Specific songs that I love, and feel a need to address in particular are, from "Renewal?": "Alone", which uses text from the poem of the same name by Maya Angelou, and has a melody which is both comforting and heartbreaking at the same time. "Distant Earth Renewal" is so hauntingly beautiful in so many ways and is the main piece I want to perform. "The Soul, Like The Moon" is a beautiful solo that has an equally beautiful piano accompaniment. "February" and "Darkness Dawns" are primarily piano pieces, but being "just piano pieces" doesn't limit the amount of emotion that can be poured into a piece, at the beginning of the album "Darkness Dawns" is immediately followed by "Darkness" which is a choral piece that starts the album off so well, and builds incredibly well on the emotions already experienced in the song before it. "Renascence" is one of my favorites that I always forget about, mainly because I forgot to put it on my main playlist, but I adore it. and "Keeping Quiet" has such an amazing message in its lyrics that perfectly explains my feelings about humanity. There's so many continuous songs in this album that I adore, and it's so hard to choose which pieces to highlight.

And from "Reflections": "Dido Is Broken", which is actually an arrangement of "Dido's Lament" from "Dido And Aeneas", and what he does with it is absolutely insane, and it works so well, he implements electric violin!! "Reflections" is so incredibly intricate and builds on the same theme through the whole piece to an intense climax that gives me goosebumps every time. "Waves And The Boy" does a similar thing. "The Lake Isle Of Innesfree" is also amazing, and I enjoy it just as much as Ola Gjeilo's setting of the text. And "In Paradisium: Iayyo" is so peacefully and simply beautiful.

He also has several other songs in both albums that I would love to say more about, but I have to leave some element of surprise for anyone who wants to go listen to his music, which you SHOULD! Especially because he doesn't have many views/listens on either album, the main pieces that have gotten attention are those that Voces8 released a video of.

I also would talk more about "A New World", which is kind of the opposite situation where there is sheet music out, but no professional recording (there is a live version), but I've only just discovered it and haven't had time to really grow to love it like I have these, but it's a beautiful set of songs as well.

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

Here's my honest opinion on the live action How To Train Your Dragon.

As far as live action remakes go, this is without a doubt better than anything Disney could ever hope to produce. But does it beat the original animated version? Overall, absolutely not.

I enjoyed the film, will I be watching it again? Probably not. But it was good. The redeeming factor that make me rethink things was how phenomenal some of the acting was. Gerard Butler and Nick Frost absolutely KILLED it at their roles, and I would go as far as to say I liked Stoick better in the live action version because of the presence Gerard brought to the role, and also he played Stoick in the animated version, and at this point he's followed the entire story of Stoick and actually has an even deeper understanding of the character, which is something Butler does great at! I know this is a controversial take (and somewhat unrelated), but I adore Gerard Butler in The Phantom Of The Opera, and think he's the best person to ever play the role. Nick Frost brought a different perspective to Gobber that I loved, I don't know that it's better than Craig Ferguson, but his performance was such a different take on the character that I can't compare them. Mason Thames did great as Hiccup too, but I didn't like a lot of his scenes because of the actress for Astrid. But he still brought so much to the character, and didn't just copy the original. The scenes with him and Stoick were in some ways better than the animated. Overall the Vikings felt more like actual Vikings than in the animated.

Things I didn't like: Astrid, Ruffnut, and Snotlout. They did good, but were just copying the characters from the animated versions, either that, or were trying too be too different and unique. The way they changed the dragons' designs was atrocious, with the exception of Toothless and the Red Death, the latter I actually liked better than the original. In some ways this movie is better because it's heavier, but sometimes it was too much for me, especially because I grew up watching the original. I would love this movie if there were some simple changes made, but as it is I'm conflicted because I adored several of the actors' performances, but hated other aspects.

Overall I give this movie a generous 7/10

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

Synthetic Spiders (Andor YTP)

I made a stupid video

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

I'm going to say it. This is my favorite animated movie ever. I just watched The Croods again for the first time in a few years and loved it even more than I remembered, which I didn't think was possible. I still haven't watched the sequel because to me there is no way to top this and I don't want to be disappointed. This movie is a masterpiece in literally every way and is twelve years old! The 2010s had some of the best movies to ever come out in my opinion. This movie is so beautiful, specifically because it isn't actually about cavemen as much as someone might think, it's about family, with some of the best family dynamic writing ever.

I know there are so many memes about Grug going around right now, which I feel is making people forget how much of an amazing character he is. In reality, Grug is possibly my favorite father character in anything. He cares so deeply about his family and does everything to protect them, and eventually realizes that accepting them for who they are (Eep specifically) is the best thing he can do to protect them, and when I eventually start a family I want to be that kind of father. When Grug basically sacrifices himself for his family brings me to tears every single time, because he cares so much about them to do so.

Additionally, Alan Silvestri takes the emotions from this masterpiece and puts them into the soundtrack so well, and it wouldn't be the same without it. I think it's one of the best film soundtracks ever. And it even has references to well known pieces like the 1812 Overture. And ending the movie with Owl City and Yuna singing "Shine Your Way" is absolutely amazing, and it uses the main theme from the soundtrack so well.

Also, this movie is likely the most nostalgic movie for me in particular because I first watched it when I was like 8 or so, and it brings back so many memories that I can't even place.

This movie is so good, because it rhymes with Grug.

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

Week 5: Piano album appreciation

This week I'm going for something a little different, and I'm highlighting some of my favorite Piano albums, these are mostly albums that have songs I like to play, and have significant meaning to me from emotions or memories that I associate with them. Piano music itself makes me feel like nothing else, specifically contemporary Piano music, which has something that I can't name. There is beauty in simplicity, even if the music is complicated, it's still only one instrument, which amazes me.

These albums have become my very favorite Piano music ever through these last few years, and have been a way of escape from the world into the world of Music. There's so many emotions that I've poured into the Piano as I've tried to play these songs to the best of my ability.

First off is Viaggi In Aeromobile by Fabrizio Paterlini. I don't remember how I was introduced to this album, but I've enjoyed it. And while it doesn't mean as much to me as the rest of these, there have still been so many times where I've escaped to this.

Next are Dark Night Of The Soul and Beyond Cloud 9 by Philip Wesley. Which are some albums I stumbled upon by pure coincidence, but have love getting to know better, and like all of the rest of these I have spent hours playing when I'm having either a hard or good day.

Lionheart by Stephan Moccio is an absolutely beautiful album with tracks that make me rethink a lot of things. I've only bought sheet music for the title song because that's all I've found, but I love playing it. He hasn't released a sheet music book of it yet. But even so it's one of my favorite ways to find peace.

Lastly are the Piano albums which are without a doubt the most important to me, and my favorites which are all by Ola Gjeilo. These are Stone Rose, Night, and Dawn. All of these are beyond what words can describe, and I wish all of Stone Rose was released on sheet music... I have adored playing these for the last four or so years and seeing how my Piano abilities have grown. I was first introduced to Ola Gjeilo's music by my friend, and since then he's grown to be one of my very favorite composers ever, and his Piano music is less known than his choral music, but in my opinion is just as good.

Piano is honestly my one of my favorite instruments to play. But not in the traditional sense. This is quite a "hot take" opinion I have... but in my opinion classical Piano music (and pre-21st century classical music in general) is nothing compared to the beautiful classical(ish) masterpieces being composed RIGHT NOW. And there is so much modern music that is overrated and we should be appreciating these masterpieces that are being written in our day. Looking back at history it makes me sad how many pieces we've lost, or weren't recognized until years after the composer passed and as society we shouldn't make that mistake again. I do not mean to say I do not like classical or modern pop and rock music at all, there are some wonderful pieces in both that I absolutely adore. But as I said in last week's post, music genres are in my opinion, irrelevant and we should attempt to do our best to create true art beyond these limits and beyond the limits of common practice music theory, which is called music "THEORY" for a reason. Anyway.... what I really wanted to say was how much I enjoy playing Piano, but I need to be able to choose what I play, which is why I enjoy improvising and playing songs that have meaning to me, which I why I'm going into Music Education, because I want to share these pieces with the world through the ensembles I direct, and I look forward even more to listening to what my students want to perform, and what pieces are meaningful to them.

I'm sorry if this has turned into a bit of a rant, but I have so many opinions about these things, and they take up almost every waking thought of my life 😂

[keikomivra]

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016)

[breakfastteatime]

The bed looks good. Really, really good. And Cal knows how comfortable it is from the one time he slept on it...

But he can meditate and be ready in a heartbeat to go if the Raiders turn up or the Empire kick the doors down. Battle meditation, that's what Cere and Master Tapal called it; drawing on the Force to replenish oneself but never straying too far from the present moment - the present danger. Cal would wager he has mastered it in the past few years. He's never been great at sleeping, but now he can cope without it better than ever thanks to the battle meditation and...

The bed looks so good though. So comfortable. Greez even left him a drink in the nook.

Maybe... maybe just a quick nap. It would be rude not to. And he slept really well here last time - until Greez pulled his usual tricks. All these years, and he still never, ever, lets Cal sleep in.

BD nudges him and does the Binary equivalent of clearing his throat. There's something in there too about looking like Merrin's reanimated corpses.

"Fine." Cal rolls onto the bed, boots on. "But no more than an hour."

No more than an hour, BD's got it.

Cal closes his eyes...

...and wakes up to Greez eight hours later.

"Pancakes?" he offers with a big grin.

Cal glances at BD-1, who innocently runs a scan of the plant hanging from the bunk. "Pancakes, sure."

[deoxd]

KALKITE!!! SYNTHETIC KALKITE!!!! KALKITE ALTERNATIVES!!! KALKITE SUBSTITUTES!!!!

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

DEEP SUBSTRATE FOLIATED KALKITE

[humongouseuphoniumdork]

It's a bit late, but Week 4 is Humanity by Thomas Bergersen

First I’m going to talk about the work as a whole, then I’ll dive into each of its chapters.

Humanity by Thomas Bergersen is a celebration of human life and achievement throughout our time here on Earth, both as a society and in our individual lives. This work is without a doubt my favorite piece of music ever. And this masterpiece is easily the most beautiful creation I have ever listened to. It makes me feel more emotion than any other composition I’ve ever listened to, and constantly makes an impact on my life through Thomas’s true interpretation of human emotion which I relate to more every time I listen to this saga. It is clear that Thomas Bergersen has poured his entire soul into this work through his own experiences and emotions.

I first listened to the saga shortly after Chapter V was released, and have since grown to love it more than any other work I've ever listened to.

This work of art has taken me through some very difficult times in my own personal life, and has taught me the value of human life and made me respect so much more about this beautiful world we live in.

Thomas begins every chapter of the series with what is in my opinion, a “Hymn” or “Anthem”, and it is absolute genius how he continues to use the themes from that hymn to build such magnificent musical patterns.

Another thing that stands out to me is his remarkable instrumentation. His use of both modern and classical methods and instruments is absolutely brilliant and leaves me speechless.

As of now, there are five of seven chapters out, and I eagerly await the release of the other two as I listen to the first five over and over again. I’ve probably listened to the first five chapters upwards of twenty times. Originally I had taken a different approach to listening to the separate chapters, by listening to them individually whenever I felt like it, but I've found now that I can't listen to just one, and have to listen to the whole saga without much of a break.

This work combines many different styles and languages to create the best representation of humanity as a people I have ever seen. Thomas Bergersen has said that he believes that conventional music genres limit musical expression by separating pieces, works, and artists into different classifications, and I could not agree more about anything. Especially in today’s world where there are so many different styles, and I believe that we shouldn’t focus on one style, but should attempt to create beauty like Thomas has, and is doing. Granted, some artists thrive in certain styles and are amazing at it, but I still think that there is too much music separation into genres and sub-genres of these styles.

Aside from the music, Sam Hayles’ cover art is absolutely beautiful and Thomas captures the feel and color of the cover art so well in every single chapter.

I mean it when I say that if, and as soon as Thomas Bergersen releases sheet music (piano or otherwise) or vinyl records of any part of this work I will immediately purchase all of it without hesitation (or care for my bank account).

I hate saying that I have favorites, but I really don’t have any favorite songs from this work because they are all equally as amazing to me. However, there are several tracks that stand out to me because of the emotions they make me feel, or the story behind them, so I will highlight several tracks from each chapter.

Chapter I - The first chapter is incredible and starts off this saga brilliantly with Eleutheria - meaning “Liberty” in Greek.

We Are One/Beautiful People features a speech by President Truman made in 1947 and is one of my favorite tracks from this chapter. The first time I listened to it, it reminded me of something and I still can't place what it is.

L’Appel Du Vide is another of the pieces in this chapter that stands out to me, and is completely heartwrenching, which illustrates the role that music plays in life.

Mountain Call has a name that hardly needs any explanation, but it represents the wonder of the mountains, and uses Irish whistle as a solo instrument which lends itself so well to the song and Thomas's music. This song means a lot to me because it reminds me of the overwhelming feeling of peace I've felt in the mountains, specifically at night when the stars are visible without the presence of light pollution.

Humanity is the final piece of this chapter, and is a beautiful representation of culture. This chapter is focused on liberty, strength, and unity in civilization, specifically because of humanity’s struggle between nations and peoples through wars fought and spoken, and is a plea for humanity to be at peace with one another.

Chapter II - This chapter is such an amazing way to build on what was established in the first chapter, and I would say is my favorite from the saga, but I say that about every single chapter. The opening of this chapter is for sure my favorite though, it opens with Мир which is sung in Russian and is a dedication to the children of the world. This chapter is filled with constant masterpieces as Thomas has progressed further and learned what he wants to convey from his experience with the first chapter, not to say that there is a lack of this in the first chapter, but at this point he had progressed in his musical journey further.

Chapter II is dedicated to children, families, hardship in our lives, and heartache. Your Imagination is a wonderful example of the beauty of imagination.

Take Me Back evokes feelings I’m sure we’ve all felt, wishing to go back to our childhood days, to even feel those feelings again, nostalgia.

Fairytale is a Russian version of The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids by the brothers Grimm read by a mother to her child, and this song is one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever heard. This chapter is concluded with what is quite possibly my favorite song from the entire saga, Materialize, which uses themes from Your Imagination and Мир combined with the theme from the song itself. This song means so much to me and brings me to tears every single time I listen to it.

Chapter III - As I said with Chapter II, this is also my favorite. This chapter is dedicated to the most fulfilling, and heartbreaking feeling we feel as humans - love. There is so much continuous music in this chapter that I adore, that I cannot even begin to describe individual pieces.

We have many times in our lives where we feel love, the Sparks that fly when loving eyes meet, the Butterflies humanity feels when taking that first step towards love, when a First Kiss is experienced, and eventually we have that feeling that You Are My Home, these are the moments that make life worth living.

Towards the end of our short lives on this beautiful Earth we start Growing Old Together and hope to say “It Was A Life Worth Living.”

Little Star is a dedication to those who have passed on before us, and during our lifetimes, as is sung in the song, “Oh Joy! I can see your little star shining down on me.” And this song reminds me of my ancestors who had some very difficult times and struggles, who lived their lives so I could live mine, as well as hear and read stories of their legacy.

These songs all illustrate the beauty in human affection, and the wonderful experiences life can hold for us, even amidst great despair and heartbreak.

All of these songs lead to a fantastic, heartwrenching end to this chapter in Love Suite, which takes themes from several of the previous songs and combines them into a work of absolute beauty. This may sound cheesy, but I eventually want this song to be played at my wedding. It is absolutely beautiful and means so much to me, especially as I'm entering the age in my life where I know I'll be making the most important decisions of my life that will change my life forever.

And if that wasn’t enough to have me in tears, Sunshower gives simple clarity at the emotions we feel in this life through a beautiful Trumpet solo and arpeggios featured in several sections. This song is ten minutes long and I never even notice. It's like time stops while I listen to it, which is something few things make me feel (although there are several other songs in this saga that make me feel that way too).

Chapter IV - This chapter changes the point of view and musical style drastically from our human experience on Earth outwards towards space.

The first track Space For Rent once again brilliantly begins this chapter, with the idea that we're just people living on a planet that's been here far, far longer than we have.

The second track Apollo is a fantastic tribute to the Apollo 11 mission, including segments from John F. Kennedy's “We choose to go to the moon” speech. This is followed by something that continues that idea so well: Rocket To The Moon, which makes me feel like I'm actually in space and reminds me of certain science fiction film soundtracks (which I'm sure he took inspiration from), and the reprise of this song is just as amazing.

There are four particular tracks in this album that are a tribute to this Earth in its spatial form, Made Of Air, Made Of Water, Made of Earth, and Made Of Fire. All of which represent their respective elements so well, with noticeable water and fire noises present in Fire and Water.

One Million Voices out of this whole collection may just be the best representation of humanity as a whole, with so many different styles implemented throughout the song it gives me chills every time, using styles from so many places and time periods it amazes me how well Thomas is able to capture every single aspect used in it.

Once again, Bergersen ends the chapter off with a bang. Please Don't Go compares the loss of a loved one to that of a black hole, and the vast void that rests inside.

I adore Dear Mr Alien, which is a fantastic tribute to any extraterrestrial lifeforms that may or may not be out there, letting them know that we are here, even through wars, conflicts, and struggles, we survive, grow, and build what is hopefully a better future.

So Small is absolutely amazing, and captures the fact that compared to the vast number of worlds, stars, and galaxies out there, we are “so small”. Again, this chapter is my favorite, they all are, because this is an absolute masterpiece.

Chapter V - Chapter V is about the journey we go through during our lives, our adventures, our struggles, and our future.

It opens with a beautiful piano feature piece Aventura which captures that feeling of beginnings, and makes me think about how far I've come during my life.

Then there are some very upbeat songs in this chapter, Iron Will captures that same feeling of starting a glorious adventure, while Memoria focuses on the legacy you'll leave behind after your life.

Reflections Of You is specific to Thomas's life, he wrote it at a time he felt lost, and he describes this piece saying “There's something about it that makes me feel a sense of comfort.” And I agree, there are so many times I've felt directionless in my life, and Thomas's music has helped me so much. I could go on and on and on about every single track in this chapter because it may actually be my favorite. But I'll leave some of it as a mystery for you to discover.

Xunia is likely the most headbop inducing song of the whole series for me, the blend of Indian folk song with the heavy metal aspects is so incredible.

I know this next song (and several others) existed before the album was released when Thomas was a part of Two Steps From Hell, but I still need to mention Away With Your Fairies, which is an amazing example of folklore from several different places just like One Million Voices.

One Last Day has been the most important song of this entire collection to me personally, and has been there whenever I needed it most, and brought me back from sorrow when I felt like all hope was lost, and in a sense, that's what it's meant to be. Thomas wrote it at around the same time as Reflections Of You where he was going through some very hard times. The guitar solo at the end of this song gets me every time and is possibly the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.

Again he finishes the chapter with a “recap” of the tracks before it, but this time, Aventura Suite hits it out of the park. It is likely my favorite song from this whole series, and is heart-rending in every way possible, at least for me. It repeats and builds on themes from Kingmaker, Dreamgarden, One Last Day, and several others, ending with a reprise of Aventura that ends the chapter so well and gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.

I adore this work so much, and cannot wait for Chapters VI and VII! I am so excited to see where this phenomenal example of human artwork goes, and after that I can't wait to see where Thomas's musical career goes. He is without a doubt my favorite composer of all time and every time I listen to any of his music I notice small details I've never noticed before, and I'm given more and more reasons to love it.