Cello Journey

I thought
I would put up two versions of the same episode. It is difficult to
pick one sometimes. There may be a different feeling in each. Let me
know what you think.

In this episode we play the Meditation from the Opera Thais by Jules Massenet.

The
Thais comes from an interlude towards the end of the opera. It is
usually played on the violin. It is marked Andante Religioso and there
is a reflective mood throughout.

This piece is special to me
because, over the years, my mother has played it in church on the
violin. I wanted to do a good job with it. We hope you enjoy it.

For feedback you can e-mail cellojourney@gmail.com or visit the website cellojourney.com

I thought
I would put up two versions of the same episode. It is difficult to
pick one sometimes. There may be a different feeling in each. Let me
know what you think.

In this episode we play the Meditation from the Opera Thais by Jules Massenet.

The
Thais comes from an interlude towards the end of the opera. It is
usually played on the violin. It is marked Andante Religioso and there
is a reflective mood throughout.

This piece is special to me
because, over the years, my mother has played it in church on the
violin. I wanted to do a good job with it. We hope you enjoy it.

For feedback you can e-mail cellojourney@gmail.com or visit the website cellojourney.com

In this episode we play the Kol Nidrei by Max Bruch. This piece is
based on a Jewish prayer recited in the synagogue at the beginning of
the evening service on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. You can find
out more information at the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kol_Nidre

The episode is re-posted because the video file was incomplete. Sorry about that. It should work better now.

For feedback please visit cellojourney.com or e-mail cellojourney@gmail.com

In this
episode we play the Sicilienne by the French composer Gabriel Faure. I
recently went on a trip to Quebec and had a chance to eat some great
French meals. As a result, I did a bit of French cooking myself. I
noticed that the common theme in this type of cooking is how
ingredients tend to fit well together. A sauce will fit everything else
that is on the plate. Flavors and textures go in and out of each other
to create a greater whole. This piece is similar in that its melodies
fade in and out of each other. Harmonies, colors and textures blend
well together and undergo subtle changes. I hope you can sense that in
the music.

For feedback you can e-mail cellojourney@gmail.com or visit the website cellojourney.com

In this episode we play the variations by Ludwig van Beethoven on a theme by Mozart, “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen?. This is based on a theme from the opera The Magic Flute originally sung by a soprano and a baritone in a duet. Musicians in Beethoven's time were very adept at playing and improvising variations. They could even improvise on a melody or favorite tune given to them by a member of the audience. Beethoven wrote many variations for piano solo and many variations for cello and piano. We hope you enjoy it.

website: cellojourney.com
e-mail: cellojourney@gmail.com

In this episode we play the first of three Fantasiestucke (Fantasy
Pieces) by Robert Schumann. This piece was originally written for
clarinet and piano but I think it sounds good on the cello. Schumann
often wrote sets of miniatures that each have their own mood. In this
one there is some tension between triplets (three notes per beat) in
the piano and duplets (two notes per beat) in melodies in both the
cello and piano. This adds unrest to this emotional and romantic piece.
We hope you enjoy it.

cellojourney.com

cellojourney@gmail.com

In this episode we play the Allegro Appassionato by Camille
Saint-Saens. This is a rather fast passionate and exciting piece.
Part of its passion is in its abrupt changes of tempo and loudness.
Even though it is exciting, it is in B minor and hence in a sad mode.
Also many of its melodies come down rather than go up.

For feedback please e-mail cellojourney@gmail.com or visit cellojourney.com

This prelude is the
introduction to Suite No.2 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Even though this
prelude is a bit sombre, I think it has a special warm mood to it. It
communicates something about life being confusing at times and how it
can be difficult to make sense of things. I think this piece is about
trying to make sense of things and putting them together. I hope you enjoy
it.

To leave feedback please visit:
cellojourney.com

cellojourney@gmail.com

The music for this episode is the chanson or song by Gabriel Faure called Apres un Reve (After a Dream). At the time Faure wrote this he was having a difficult time in his life. A woman that he loved broke off an engagement to him. Gabriel was very disappointed, gloomy and sad. He wrote a number of pieces that reflect this mood.

The poem that this piece is based on describes a dream with visions of heaven, being with one's true love, and happiness. At some point though the singer sings that he wishes the dream would return. Perhaps you have some dream that you wish would return to you. I hope you enjoy it.

The poem and its translation can be found on the website cellojourney.com

For feedback please e-mail cellojourney@gmail.com

In this episode we play the 2nd half of Sonata No.4 by Ludwig van Beethoven that we started in an earlier episode. There is much care and detail that Beethoven put into this piece. There are tempo changes, accented notes and complex rhythms. The music gets suddenly louder or softer.

This music is characteristic of Beethoven's later period where he combined a lot of structures and changed things around. The movement starts with a slow section that is almost timeless in nature. You can hear a quote of the theme from the first movement. Later begins a faster more energetic section. There are a lot of interruptions but eventually the music drives towards the end. We hope you enjoy it.

For feedback please e-mail cellojourney@gmail.com or leave comments.

The music
for this episode is Papillon (Butterfly) by Gabriel Faure. Recently I
happened to watch a butterfly in a field. It was either flying around
quickly or it would land to rest and you could see its beautiful wings.
In this piece there are fast parts and melodic parts. I think these
represent the behavior of a butterfly. I
hope you enjoy it.

For feedback please e-mail cellojourney@gmail.com or leave comments on cellojourney.com

The music
for this episode is Papillon (Butterfly) by Gabriel Faure. Recently I
happened to watch a butterfly in a field. It was either flying around
quickly or it would land to rest and you could see its beautiful wings.
In this piece there are fast parts and melodic parts. I think these
represent the behavior of a butterfly. I
hope you enjoy it.

For feedback please e-mail cellojourney@gmail.com or leave comments on cellojourney.com

This is a special edition of Cello Journey. There is a pair of nice swans that live nearby and I thought I would put together a video of them along with the music of The Swan. They always swim together. I hope you enjoy it.

Episode Info:
In this episode we play a famous piece by the French composer Camille Saint-Saens called The Swan. It is a part of the Carnival of The Animals which is an orchestral suite but this is a section where the cello represents a swan and the accompaniment represents the rippling waters that the swan glides upon.

For feedback please e-mail cellojourney@gmail.com or leave comments.

This is a
special edition of Cello Journey. There is a pair of nice swans that
live nearby and I thought I would put together a video of them along
with the music of The Swan. They always swim together. I hope you enjoy
it.

Episode Info:
In this episode we play a famous piece by
the French composer Camille Saint-Saens called The Swan. It is a part
of the Carnival of The Animals which is an orchestral suite but this is
a section where the cello represents a swan and the accompaniment
represents the rippling waters that the swan glides upon.

For feedback please e-mail cellojourney@gmail.com or leave comments.