Classically Speaking

Last year during the Super Bowl, I heard a few commercials using classical music.  I caught two this year, with some help (thank you, @MMmusing)

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For those who prefer the arena of love to football stadium -- Yesterday’s radio program included music for Viola d’Amore, and I described the instrument briefly.  You can see some beautiful pictures on the Viola d’Amore Blog maintained by Mauro Righini. Violist Garth Knox has one of my favorite non-traditional albums of Viola d'Amore music 

Speaking of “amore,” let me know if you have any romantic classical music requests this week.  Just send me an email.

In other news, looks like Santana is not the only one who has borrowed from Brahms.  Last week, we featured Brahms’s Symphony No. 4 (from the new Berlin/Rattle Complete Brahms Symphonies set ).  A listener named David called in to mention that the progressive rock band Yes had their own interpretation of this music:

Here’s Carlos Kleiber and the Bavarian State Orchestra, with a more… traditional…version:

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I knew that the music had to represent the characters and the worlds in which they originate. As I described earlier, Sr. Dorothy’s musical language begins as very “Western” (i.e. religious and classical) and gradually becomes influenced by the Brazilian landscape. By the end of the first act, her music sounds more Brazilian than Western. In the second act, her musical language turns into one of transcendence as her role of martyr becomes more evident.

Other characters, including Luiz, begin with Brazilian rhythms and harmonies and are influenced by Sr. Dorothy’s musical language, reflecting her influence on the Brazilian people.

I chose serial techniques for Vito. My treatment of the 12-tone practice is not extreme, and it affects how the character is portrayed. Regardless of the universe around him, Vito is unchanged. By treating his music more mathematically, the result reflects the selfishness in his character. Regardless if the Brazilian people are succeeding and the land grants are helping the poor, Vito does not care. His land = his land, so his music = no change.

I use an inversion of the tone row when any other character acts corrupt, greedy, or apathetic to signify that Vito’s influence is everywhere!

As the plot unfolds, certain motives reoccur to drive the message home. The “inevitability motive” and the “beatitudes motive are the most prevalent, yet the opera is filled with many, many layers.

Once the music was written, then the hard part began ... getting it off the page and onto the stage.  More about that next week in Part Four.

Related links:

* From Idea to Opera: Part I
* From Idea to Opera: Part II, Building the Story 
* You can also find out more about Angel of the Amazon by becoming a fan on Facebook