A beautiful bit of classical music...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

Nathan Milstein plays Massenet Meditation:

[TexasTowelie]

1. I know the piece.

A wonderful expressive piece of music. Thanks for posting.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear TexasTowelie!

It is pretty well-known, and deservedly so...

My husband and I heard it today as an encore for a husband and wife violinist and harpist. It was amazing!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

3. It's from the opera "Thais".

The opera is not performed nowadays, just this one soprano aria.

I played this in college as my final exam in violin one semester. It's a wonderful solo for church or any time!!

Milstein was one of the great fiddlers!!!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Ah, I did not know this! Thank you.

It is truly a wonderful piece...

I'll bet you did well!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. I think I made an A!!

This was way back in the 1970s.

Another example of an opera with one good number that is performed as a stand-alone song is the Pearl Fishers Duet. It's from an early opera by Georges Bizet (the guy who wrote the blockbuster hit
"Carmen&quot .

He was 25 years of age when Pearl Fishers debuted in 1863. It's about two guys who have a crush on the same woman, a priestess at the temple of Brahma where they worship. It's the greatest male duet in opera.

'Au Fond du Temple Sant' - At the Back of the Holy Temple

I think these are the best versions:

Alfredo Kraus & Barry McDaniel--with English subtitles. Kraus' French is absolutely perfect and he is ethereally beautiful:

Richard Tucker & Robert Merrill in Carnegie Hall, January 1973. Piano accompaniment, a bit more intimate than an orchestral backing. The end, when their voices bounce off the back wall, is thrilling:

Jussi Bjorling and Robert Merrill as a young man, 1951. A pretty good recording for the time. Their vibratos even synchronize!!

This is undoubtedly far more info than you wanted but I really love this aria! And I love beautiful men with beautiful voices!!

I love to teach my own version of music appreciation!!!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

10. thank you for posting all those. learning a lot here.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

11. welcome to MOL's Music Appreciation Class!!

I'm a classical music freak. Was in orchestra in jr high, high school, college and community orchestras, and several church choirs.

I started piano lessons at age 5 and fiddle lessons at age ten.

In 1999 I sang soprano in the chorus of an amateur
production of The Elixir of Love, by Gaetano Donizetti. In Italian of course. It was a blast!!!!

What else would you like to know about??

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. My dear Manifestor_of_Light!

I finally had a moment to listen to these, and they're glorious! Thank you for posting them.

I have loved classical music all my life...my parents listened to it from my earliest days, and before...

Feel free to post as much as you want. It's never too much!

[SwissTony]

17. "more info than you wanted"...Oh, YEAH??????

Not so, MoL. We can do with much more of that information.

Beautiful music. I hadn't heard of it.

Thank you.

More, please.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

19. Please check out Wes Montgomery in my other thread.

You're welcome!!!

[SwissTony]

21. Wes Montgomery???????

YES PLEASE!!!!!!!!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

22. yeah DUDE!!!

Pat Metheny learned all his licks from Wes Montgomery.

I like most of Pat's stuff, but not the stuff that sounds like white noise.

I know a bit about jazz too. My dad was hip. He took the family to see Ella Fitzgerald in the 1970s since she was a legend.

[SwissTony]

23. You saw Ella?????

I HATE you. I don't care how nice you are.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

24. Haha!!

A few others I've seen: Ahmad Jamal, Gary Burton Quintet, Taj Mahal.

And I've got two of Ella's vinyls on the Verve label. George & Ira Gershwin Songbook and the Rodgers & Hart Songbook (double album). Hate me some more!!

I've seen a LOT of musicians of various kinds in my time.

[SwissTony]

25. Oh, yeah????

I've seen Beethoven and Mozart.

Bob Dylan's sleeping at my place tonight.

I'm having trouble squeezing Beyonce and Knopfler in.

Bieber's sleeping on the back lawn.

I'm Australian and we do bullshit like nobody else on the planet.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

26. I really did see them.

Ahmad Jamal, Gary Burton Quintet, Taj Mahal.

If you want classical and opera greats, I've seen several of those.


I grew up in Houston, which is the 4th largest city in the US. Your big name acts usually come through here. In the 60s it was the 6th largest city in the US.

Although I once had to go to Austin to see Steve Winwood.

[SwissTony]

27. I don't doubt you've seen them.

I was being silly. I'm just jealous.

I lived in Adelaide. Many of the big shows passed us by.

Would have loved to see Wes. Loved to have seen Taj.

Did see Aida!!! I likes me Opra.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

28. Aw that's too bad.

Adelaide is not the big city?? Pity.

And they put the words up overhead at the Opera!! So ya know what they are singing! Makes all the diff. People who think the opera is dull
just didn't see a good one. Don Giovanni is the best. Marriage of Figaro is #2. Anything by Puccini is #3.

I never saw Wes. Saw Taj Mahal at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, TX.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

5. yes, lovely. thanks Peggy

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. I'm glad you enjoyed it, my dear Tuesday Afternoon!

And thank you for the rec...

[Tuesday Afternoon]

7. you are welcome. this must be pretty famous because I recognized it from the first couple of notes -

and now I can see from Manifestor_of_Light's post that it is

good thread, thanks

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. Ah, it's my pleasure!

I wanted everyone in the Lounge to hear it too...so tranquil and lovely...

back atcha!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

13. I should do something like the Friday afternoon art challenge

How about
Friday afternoon music to chill out by???

[Tuesday Afternoon]

14. yes.

[Scuba]

15. Great. Reminded me of Saturday morning cartoons.

Thanks Peggy!

[SwissTony]

16. Thank you, Peggy.

This is just sublime.

Thank you.

[graywarrior]

18. Niiiiice!

[MiddleFingerMom]

20. My dear CaliforniaPeggy!!!

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BEAUTIFUL!!!
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Though I don't think I'd like it with a vocalist.
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PLEASE keep posting these. I love classical music, but know nothing about it.
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