Saturday Special Edition

As you have probably figured out by now, I did not make by these pages with a post yesterday.  I did have all the elements selected for posting yesterday morning before events precluded any further progress towards publication.  But better late than never, so here we are today.  I thought I would feature the Music of George Bizet today.  Bizet of course wrote one of the most beloved operas of all time, Carmen with which anyone who has even heard of classical music is familiar.  Surprisingly enough, Carmen flopped at its premier which sent Bizet into a fit of depression.  In its original production, there were no dances which displeased some of his patrons who booed the production.  Bizet retreated to his country house to recharge.  He then wrote the series of dances for which Carmen is so famous (Il Travatore anyone?).  Bizet never knew how popular Carmen would become as it was never produced with the dances included before his death shortly after the revisions to the score were made.  It premiered afterward and has gone on to obtain its well deserved star in the operatic universe.  However I thought I would feature some of his non operatic orchestral works instead of a repeat of the Carmen Suite (which I am sure I will post again some other time).  

Posted down below is Bizet's L'Arlésienne Suite Numbers 1 & 2.  You will probably recognize the main theme as did I although I had never put the music, the title and the composer altogether in the same thought.  Today's performance was recorded at Palau de la Musica, Valencia, in December 2012 by the Orquesta Sinfonica Valencia under the baton of Nathalie Stutzmann.  Then over on my tumblr, I have the second of Georges Bizet's symphonies, the Symphony in C "Roma".  Unlike his first symphony, also in C major, which was written quickly at the age of 17, Roma was written over an eleven-year span, between the ages of 22 and 33 (he died at age 36). Bizet was never fully satisfied with it, subjecting it to a number of revisions, but died before finishing his definitive version. All four movements were performed in his lifetime, but never all on the same occasion. The full symphony in its latest revision was premiered in 1875, after his death. It is perhaps because of Bizet's dissatisfaction that the work is often said to be "unfinished". However, in the form in which it exists today, it is certainly finished and is fully scored. It has been recorded a number of times but is not often heard on the concert platform.  The performance over on my tumblr is by L'orchestre National de Lille, with Jean Claude Casadesus at the podium. 

Then Friday's Fantasy Fuel ( a little delayed) is posted down below and the Hottie of the Day! on my tumblr is a definite Fantasy in Blue.  Thanks for the visit, see you again soon.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!