The Bat, Johann Strauss Jr.
The Bat is one of the most unsurpassed creations of not only the author, Johann Strauss Jr., but one of the most amazing operettas. According to unconfirmed rumors, Jean Offenbach prompted Strauss to write operettas. One day, while talking with the composer Offenbach accidentally remarked: “Why do you, dear Strauss, stop writing waltzes and start writing operettas?” They claim that Strauss liked the idea very much, and now we can enjoy the magnificent operettas written by the composer. The story of the creation of the operetta “The Bat” confirms that the path from the script to the play is sometimes difficult.
The operetta’s plot was based on the play Revelon (Eve Ball, or Clock with a Fight), the authors of which were famous playwrights Melyak and Halevi, who also wrote the script Carmen, a famous opera by Georges Bizet. Strauss really liked the script, so he wrote the operetta with great enthusiasm. And although he worked mainly at night, he finished it in record time – in 6 weeks or in 42 nights !! Continue reading
KNIGHT OF OPERATION FLORIMON HERVE
This composer composed various spiritual works, but did not admit to anyone that he dreamed of operetta. Then he nevertheless created 80 operettas, although he already dreamed of completing a symphony-oratorio. Over time, Florimon Herve was recognized as the father of the operetta, but the addictions of the eccentric creator always doubled, as, indeed, his whole life. A gifted singer, composer, actor and playwright was eccentric and unpredictable. Nobody knew about his double life, nor about the plots of his best operettas in a madhouse, becoming the most fun and mocking composer of the second half of the 19th century and creating a perky satirical genre.
On the way to church
Little is known about Florimon Herve’s childhood and youth. He was born in the small town of Uden in northern France on June 30, 1825, and received the name Florimon Ronge. The boy had a beautiful voice, so from an early age he sang in the church choir. Continue reading
THE UNBEATABLE KING OF WALSA JOHANN STRAUS
Dance melodies, which were called music for the feet, were treated condescendingly in any era. Opera, oratorios and symphonies have always been considered noble genres, but all kinds of quadrille, waltzes and polkas were classified as second-rate creations because of their entertaining nature. And only one Austrian composer managed to change this musical hierarchy, raising melodies for dances to previously unattainable symphonic heights. His name is Johann Strauss. He wrote almost half a thousand works. The works of the talented Strauss Jr. sounded in all corners of the world and continue to occupy a leading position in the repertoire of many theaters.
Rival son
Josef Lanner and Johann Strauss Sr. are considered to be the founders of the “Waltz Dynasty”. Their art seemed unattainable to many. But this was so until their main rival appeared on the horizon. Ironically, they became the composer Johann Strauss, the son of Strauss – Johann Strauss, Jr., who was born in Vienna on October 25, 1825. Continue reading
“Aquarium”
Sometimes, in order to say in concise and succinct phrases about a particular group, its place in the musical horizon, and its role in the life of fans, you need to try to summarize all the many years of work of the team. Or you can just give the group members the opportunity to say their own creation. Boris Grebenshchikov called the Aquarium group a shining beast that brings people something that they lacked, which they themselves did not know about. In this one phrase, the whole secret of the popularity of “Aquarium” is revealed.
Looking for like-minded people
The chronicle of the Aquarium group opens in 1972. Since then, dozens of famous musicians from different countries have visited the band – Vsevolod Gakkel, Sergey Kurekhin, Oleg Sakmarov, Boris Rubekin, Alexander Lyapin, Dzhivan Gasparyan and Igor Butman. The history of the group can be divided into several stages. During these periods, not only the composition of the Aquarium participants changed, but also the corporate sound. Continue reading
“AGATHA CHRISTIE”
When the popularity of rock music in the country was at its peak, and everywhere the songs of the groups “Cinema”, “Aquarium”, “Time Machine”, “Nautilus Pompilius” and other equally popular were heard, loomed on the horizon, and then took its rightful place in this cohort of favorites is the Agatha Christie band. It was very easy to get lost in such a mass of rock bands. But the musicians from Agatha Christie managed not only to swim on this wave of rock movement, but also to remain on the crest for the whole decade, although many colleagues on the shop had gone down by that time. So, something in their work was so extraordinary that even now (even after the breakup of the group) it impresses thousands of music lovers.
Explosive mix of directions
Symphonic rock, classical rock and roll, post-punk, and art rock merged into the music of this group. In the 1990s, the band’s songs were thoroughly saturated with the ideas of decadence, and in the new century, “Agatha Christie” tried Agatha Christie’s electronic guitar sound and hurricane-expressive manner of performance. Continue reading
