MUSIC AND SINGING

 

Last Sunday we went into City Hall to see a beautiful concert:

"Joan Sutherland Spectacular: Celebrating 100 years of La Stupenda".

Australian coloratura soprano Dame Joan Sutherland (1926-2010) was  trained in London at the Royal College of Music and won world-wide acclaim singing Lucia di Lammermoor in 1959. She sang many roles in the Opera Houses of the World, and from time to time returned to Australia to sing for us.  She made her home in Switzerland with her husband, Conductor Richard Bonynge and retired in 1990.

The program included many of her famous and popular arias, from Rigoletto, Tales of Hoffmann, il Travatore, Lakme, The Merry Widow, and of course Lucia di Lammermoor.  Brisbane soprano Mirusia and Eva Kong starred along with the Queensland Choir, tenor Rosario La Spina, and others.  We loved it all!

I remembered I once had Dame Joan's autograph, and went searching for it the next day:

I found it!

After her retirement in 1991, Dame Joan came back to Australia regularly and our children's High School named their music centre for her.  There was a tribute dinner which we attended where the students performed for Dame Joan and guests.  And I managed to keep the autographed program, even when we moved!

Almost all my memorabilia was given away with the downsize.  

Bur one other thing I also found:

When the Beatles came to Brisbane, I was there, a very young teen.

This is a treasured memento.  They never came back here again but I always enjoyed the music.

Two Australian Butcher birds (a smaller relative of a Magpie), perched on an antenna near our house.

Butcher birds (so named because they are carnivorous, with a hook on their beak to enable them to 'butcher' their prey) are considered Australia's best song bird.  They sing and practice a little melody covering an octave, but it is hard to catch them at it and record it.  And I am trying, whenever they come by.  An interesting fact is that the song varies in differing neighborhoods.  We only moved 8km but the birds here have a different little melody, a bit shorter than the one from our previous location.

I have joined the local Brisbane West Community Choir and practice once a week, at a nearby hall.  I was so happy to find them, about 500 metres from our home.

My voice was a bit rusty as I last sang in a community choir in 2019.  Covid put an end to a lot of choral singing.

The music is a little different for this Classical and Opera music lover..

Pop Choral is definitely a new genre for me...

I find the pop rhythms a bit quick and tricky at times, but all singing is good for us.  I love 'Sun and Moon', and also enjoy Rod Stewart's 'Sailing'.

A surprise inclusion was a very old 50s song 'Five Pennies', mixed with 'Lullaby in Ragtime'.  I knew them both from childhood and was singing merrily while the young ones were working it all out :)

'The Five Pennies' was a 1959 musical starring Danny Kaye as jazz cornet player and bandleader 'Red' Nichols.  I remember seeing the film and singing the song.  My family was always interested in the musical films back in the day, and we had regular sing-a-longs around the piano.

Well, that is enough of the old days.

Have a great weekend, and enjoy Spring or Autumn, whichever suits your region.

XXXX

PS: Thank you for reading my new blog.  I find Blogger much more difficult to use than in the past, and have been unable to edit or delete the 'About Me' gadget.  The email address there is no longer functioning as we have retired our business.  You can email me on <kellartrish34@gmail.com>

   

  

 

C