Song of the day: Ciel, che feci – Guiseppe Verdi

Posted on 20 July, 2013 by Mayitzin

Two weeks ago I was in one of the best concerts ever in my life. I got my ticket since early February and it was one of the last ones. That event is one of the most famous in Munich. It is part of a complete weekend with classical music.

It’s called “Klassik am Odeonsplatz”” that literally means “Classic at Odeonsplatz”, which is a square in downtown Munich surrounded by beautiful architecture and a nice atmosphere. It takes place every summer and the most remarkable artists of classical music perform in an Open-Air concert.

This year was awesome not only because Yannick Nézet-Séguin was directing the orchestra and Thomas Hampson was the leading Baritone, but also because my favorite tenor Rolando Villazon gave one of the most powerful and amazing performances I’ve heard from him. And yeah, I was there.

The final duet with Hampson and Villazon singing Verdi’s “Dio, che nell’alma infondere” was stunning. But, for me, what really got the night was the final solo performance of Villazón, when he stood in front and sung “Ciel, che feci” from Verdi’s Oberto. And it’s obvious that he was going to sing Verdi, as nowadays he’s promoting his latests work, which goes around him.

Huh! I have goosebumps just remembering. Amazing, that’s the word to describe his interpretation. After that I just stood up and burst into applause with all my energy. But stop reading about it. Watch his great performance in the following video from 13:38.

Bravo!

Das Lied des Tages: Te quiero, dijiste – Maria Grever

Posted on 25 January, 2013 by Mayitzin

Manchmal schreibe ich auf Deutsch, aber jetzt will eins der besten Lieder, die ich immer genieße, teilen. Maria Grever war eine der produktivsten Komponisten ihrer Zeit. Sie hat u.a. „Júrame“, „Despedida“, „Alma mía“ und viele anderen Werke komponiert.

Jedoch möchte ich heute das Lied „Te quiero dijiste“ übersetzen und hier mitteilen. Manche Leute nennen das Lied auch als „Muñequita linda”; beide sind richtig. Viele Künstler haben verschiedene Versionen des Lieds gemacht, wie Plácido Domingo, Linda Ronstadt, Alejandro Fernández, Nat King Cole, etc. Meine Lieblingsversion? Ja, von Rolando Villazón.

Ein Paar Bemerkungen zu machen: An erster Stelle, Deutsch ist nicht meine Muttersprache, deswegen bitte ich deine Hilfe, ob du etwas unklar liest. Schreib mir und ich kann es korrigieren. An zweiter… ich hab’s vergessen.

Oh ja, an dritter Stelle, es ist keine wörtliche Übersetzung. Es gibt Ausdrücken, die nicht ganz gut auf Deutsch klingen, und ich hab’s ähnlich auf Deutsch versucht. Für diese Ausdrücke kannst du eine Erklärung am Ende finden.

Na ja, dann geht‘s los! Continue reading →

Song of the day: Júrame – María Grever

Posted on 1 December, 2011 by Mayitzin

The song is a masterpiece of one of the best Mexican composers: María Grever. She was born in León, Guanajuato by the end of the XIX Century. When she was young she was really into music and she was even studying with Claude Debussy. As a trend of the time, she was composing many pieces for films.

Actually her passion were “Boleros”, so she was very prolific at them but unfortunately was not so famous until her classic song hits the radios: “Júrame”. It is well known that the most skilled tenors in the world love this song because of its versatile movements and strong sounds, but most of all because of the passion in it. Lately Plácido Domingo was singing it in almost all of his concerts.

It is the story of a man asking to her beloved to swear him that she will never forget him. That’s why the name of the song: “Júrame” (“Swear to me” in Spanish). The guy just asks for a final second of love with a kiss and a promise, the promise of being someone important in the memory of the girl he loves. Well… actually, because it is in first person, it doesn’t specify if it’s a guy or a girl. It is just a gigantic love between two persons, a love that leads to madness and desperation.

Nowadays the “Plácido Domingo of our times”, Rolando Villazón gives an interpretation that entirely shocks me. It is really stunning to hear this song in his voice, so, here it is:

Continue reading →

Rolando Hoffmann

Posted on 8 November, 2011 by Mayitzin

After my failed attempt of going to “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” in the National Theater, I’m convinced now that I have to go and watch these two super amazing performers. Most of all because of the energy in Rolando Villazón. I could stay here saying how much I admire that man, but… you can see it in this video. It doesn’t matter if you can not speak German, Rolando is enough expressive.