Monthly Archives: September 2019
METALLICA – HEAVY METAL MUSHKETERS
Fans of the legendary Metallica are so dedicated and uncompromising that they can be compared to religious adoration. Legends circulated about their booze during the tour, and journalists called the group “Alcoholic”.
Among all this confusion bordering on lawlessness, the group received its share of deprivations and tragic events – car accidents, death, broken limbs, burns. These events were a test of strength for the group. They survived and became the gold standard of heavy metal, playing “honestly and selfishly” in the apt expression of frontman James Hetfield.
From Danish Origins
It all began in small Denmark, where Lars Ulrich, the drummer of Metallica, was born. Since childhood, keen on tennis, he became the champion of Copenhagen among juniors and simply could not imagine any other way until by chance he heard the legendary Deep Purple, being at their concert. By that time, the parents decided that their son is better to play tennis in America and moved there from Denmark. A tennis racket was thrown into the closet once and for all. Drums became Ulrich’s new passion, and music did its job. Continue reading
Opera “Nose”, D. Shostakovich
“Nose” is the first opera of Dmitry Shostakovich, written in 1927-1928 on the story of the same name by Nikolai Gogol. According to the composer himself, he chose the story “Nose” because it made it possible to create satire for the era of Nicholas I. “Music in this performance does not play a self-sufficient role,” Shostakovich wrote. – Here is the emphasis on the presentation of the text. I will add that the music does not wear deliberately parody coloring. No! Despite all the comedy on the stage, the music is not comic. I think this is correct, since Gogol sets out all comic incidents in a serious tone. This is the strength and dignity of Gogol’s humor. He is not sharp. Music also tries not to poke fun. ”
The premiere of the opera Nose took place on January 18, 1930 at the Maly Opera House. Having received many unfriendly reviews from critics, the work was shown sixteen times during the year, and then removed from the repertoire. After the publication of the score “Nose” in 1962 in Vienna, opera began to be staged in various foreign theaters. Only in 1974, the opera Nose was again staged in the USSR, on the stage of the Moscow Chamber Musical Theater under the direction of Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Then, after a 30-year hiatus, the opera was staged at the Mariinsky Theater. On the stage of foreign theaters, the work of Dmitry Shostakovich continues to enjoy continued success. Continue reading
Opera “Iolanta”, P. I. Tchaikovsky
“Iolanta” is the last opera by Tchaikovsky. In 1884, the composer read the translation of the one-act drama in the verses of the Danish writer Henryk Hertz (1798-1870), “The daughter of King Rene” (1845) and was captivated by the originality and poetry of the plot.
At that time, Pyotr Ilyich worked on other works, and only in 1891 did he begin to compose “Iolanta.” The opera premiered on December 18, 1892 at the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater.
The touching story of a blind girl, shed thanks to love, has a deeper meaning. The eternal darkness in which the daughter of King Rene, unsuspecting of her misfortune, lives serene and calm, is a symbol of mental blindness. Only love ignites the passionate desire to see the world in Iolanta’s heart, gives rise to a willingness to sacrifice herself and the courage to endure torment, at the cost of which she will be able to see clearly. Continue reading
