Music

Though I found myself reluctant to admit my attachment to mainstream pop, my favourite album over the summer of 2024 would have to be Short N’ Sweet—given the unhealthy playing repeats of a few of its singles. Here are two reviews explaining why it might just be the biggest hit of 2024: Vinyl cover of Short N’ Sweet. Original full-size picture available here—I mean, look at this remarkable visual presentation of the album’s aesthetic concept: the nostalgic pastel setup, the vivavious blush and hair, and the goofy face. ...

Apple music classical has a marvelous collection of Vladimir Horowitz’s piano recitals—all the years, all the remarkable concert halls and performance: Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966-1983 This recording CD costs minimum of $250 on Amazon, but now it’s free and available in highest possible stereo quality on Apple Music Classical. Run, Rach lovers. Vladimir Horowitz: The Unreleased Live Recordings 1966-1983 is an extensive collection of 50 CDs, documenting Horowitz’s live performances across 17 years. This set includes performances from the world’s most prestigious and iconic venues (mainly across the United States and Europe), including Carnegie Hall in New York City, Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., and the White House; and Royal Festival Hall in London, for the queen. ...

Steinway-piano dot com has the story of the meeting of the two perhaps most influential musicians among the piano community of the first half of the 20th century. Horowitz: the rising of a star Vladimir Horowitz and Sergei Rachmaninoff had each suffered great losses in the Russian Revolution of 1917. “We lost absolutely everything,” Horowitz told author, radio personality, and Steinway Artist David Dubal, as reported in Dubal’s book, Reflections from the Keyboard. “In 24 hours, all we had we lost.” ...

In Horowitz, fire sings through metal, glass, water and ice. The Carolina Philharmonic has the story “Zen and the Art of Piano | Vladimir Horowitz”, by David Michael Wolff. It’s about the artistic style of pianist Horowitz and his inspirational friendship with Rachmaninoff. The time was around the beginning of the 20th century—artists flee from the war and revolution in Russia to arrive in US: The young Horowitz had just landed off the boat in NYC and with all the sights the New World had to offer, his first stop was Rachmaninoff’s Manhattan apartment. The next day they met at the now famed basement of Steinway Hall so that Rachmaninoff could hear what the young artist could do with his colossal Third Concerto. They played through the entire work at two pianos. Can you imagine what that must have sounded like - these twin giants of 20th century pianism - their languages blending and playing off each other! ...

Andante Cantabile, generally means “singing and walking”, is a musical term—a descriptive marker atop a score to delineate the mood or tempo intended by the composer. It . This trend is particularly poignant in compositions of grand scale, where each movement, each phrase, carries its own distinct direction. Among the luminaries of the Andante Cantabile, Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet No. 1 in D Major resonates profoundly, a masterpiece that I’ve previously explored in an older post. Yet, even this pales in comparison to what may be the zenith of this expression: ...

Inspired by the aesthetic of eternal sunshine’s album cover, I customized a Typora themeable that echos the album’s concept. the red of the gloves, paired with the innocent white dress, echoes a juxtaposition of passion and purity. meanwhile The dark background augments the sense of mesmerizing self-revelation. ...

Ariana Grande possesses a magnetic energy that attracts literally everything–from musical excellence to (possibly undesired) publicity. Among her songs, “just like magic” stands out as a testament to awe-inspiring confidence: Just like magic, I’m attractive I get everything I want cause I attract them. There’s a fine line between positive self-assurance and complacency. With her four-octave range and Mariah Carey-like whistle note capacity, Ariana Grande has never lacked a “hear-me-roar” attitude, reminiscent of ’90s divas. She has consistently showcased an unshakable belief in herself, as heard in “Dangerous Woman”—“Don’t need permission, made my decision, to test my limits,” and the resplendent “7 rings”—“I want it, I got it.” Early on, she was often described as “a small woman with a big voice and a huge personality.” ...

means i wanna sixty-nine with yu, no…shit (mumbling) math class, never was good – 34+35, Positions Living under possibly the most draconian public scrutiny, Ariana Grande steered through the tumulous years of her rising music career accompanied by a terrorist attack during tour, several relationship melt downs, meanwhile delivered two of the best albums—and one of the highest-grossing tours—of 2018 and 2019. That she might finally be experiencing some release, which is what her return album in 2020 Positions sound like. ...

Thank U, Next got two seats out of the top-10 list. One is imagine, the other is needy. I do hate overly simple songs: cloying melodies consisted of banal, unimaginative motifs and too-obvious intentions are absolutely unforgivable. Referring the words of a professor’s architecture appreciation course I’ve taken two years ago, “sometimes overly obvious ‘signs’ or too straightforward expressions, despite appealing, are degrading for art.” BUT —- despite having shallow melodies (that one can literally anticipate the whole song after hearing the first few bars), needy sits on top of the list being simplicitly expressive and truthful. The song is about insecurities–of one’s attachment, obsession and struggle in a relationship–that Ariana Grande sang out in subjective tense, right out of the lyrics: ...

As the opening track of Ariana Grande’s tumultuous album Thank U, Next, “imagine” sets the tone with mesmerizing minimalism. Listen here. This official music video of imagine features mosaiced icebergs melting to fall. The song gives an impression of a breathtakingly beautiful abstract painting, when one looks more carefully, there is so much pain tangled within. Imagine is an absolute masterpiece that particularly, adds depth to the album’s artistry. It employs a steady triple meter and firm beats to elegantly propel the flow forward. The pre-chorus builds momentum with a gentle crescendo and chord progression. In the chorus, following the lyric “imagine a world like that,” which Ariana sings with extreme fortissimo and strength, the song falls into silence as if the question remains unanswered. It embodies “a simple, beautiful love that is now (and forever) unattainable,” serving as an unresolved plea for a fragmented, unrealistic dream. ...