Miho's favorites

Ray was showing me a music goods catalog last night. I may be a little late to realize that there’s all this music high technology now, but it really amazed me there are so many kinds of software to help create many kinds of music nowadays. For example, Software with all the tools needed to create and publish quality scores ! Also , software for personal orchestra . One can get amazingly realistic orchestra sounds and textures. One can design a uniquely voiced string quartet or re-create the New York Philharmonic ! I love the sound of the piano , and there are virtual piano instruments and sound-design plug-in software. I’m not advertising these items here, but this makes me feel like even me, who has no idea how to create music, can create great music if I want to. But one may need at least some kind of arranging talent at using these tools, how to use the software, some creativity for melodies. And it still may be difficult for most people. It must be really fun to cr

Johnny Weir’s new ice show number “ Meditation “ from Thais by Jules Massenet at Ice Theater of New York , Gala at Chelse Pies on October 24' 2011 Johnny has so many wonderful magical performances which hit my heart and this new number is another great one ! One of the reasons I really love this number is the music ! I would like to thank Johnny for selecting this music for his new number. Secretly, I was making a list of music which I wish Johnny and some other skaters would skate with and Massenet’s Meditation was one of them for Johnny and it‘s one of my favorite music ! So when I heard that his new number’s music is “ Meditation “ , in the beginning I was not sure if it’s by Massenet’s “ Meditation from “ Thais” ? or some other music by other composers. I’m really happy to watch the performance in youtube. Needless to say the awesomeness of his usual artistic natural beautiful movements , and I love the choreography. http://web.ice

Happy Birthday to Franz Liszt ! It was Liszt’s 200th birthday on October 22 , so we were enjoying listening to all his music from the morning. His piano concertos , Hungarian Rhapsody #2, Fantasia , Sonata B Minor, Totentanz , etc.. One of the top present pianists Lang Lang was performing with Philadelphia Orchestra for Liszt’s celebration . He also published his original Liszt’s music audio CD for this celebration year. Lang lang’s hero seems to be Liszt. http://articles.philly.com/2011-10-20/news/30301770_1_simulcast-philadelphia-orchestra-verizon-hall Lang lang and Yundi Li are two of the top present pianists right now. Other great articles about Liszt’s 200th celebration, How Franz Liszt became the World’s First Rock Star New Jersey Symphony Orchestra to celebrate Liszt's 200th birthday with concerts On the other hand, I found there is a bitter article on Liszt’s celebration day from an unknown pianist

  More about Franz Liszt ! Because it’s Liszt’s 200th celebration year and Liszt’s 200th birthday ( October 22 ) will be coming very soon !    Liszt was   Sun : Libra     Moon : Sagittarius     According to his astrology sign.    He grew up as an only child .    While looking for more about Franz Liszt, I found an incredibly detailed description of how Liszt looked and how he performed in concert , and why he could hypnotize his audiences at the link below.      http://www.blogger.com/www.oldandsold.com/opera/music-2.shtml       It's from a music magazine in the early 1900's .    Their memory of Liszt was more recent and clear, because it wasn't too long ago at that time, so it's a very interesting description.          “ There was something weird and magnetic about his playing.  He was very tall, about six feet two inches, slender, with piercing eyes, very long arms, and small hands.  He played without the need of any score in front of him,

  I love both, classical music and classical heavy metal music .  Classical music and heavy metal music have certain things in common such as requiring high technical musical instrument skills to be able to play.  I have posted about “ Musical taste shows personality “ in one of my past posts ( September, in 2008 ) at the link below,  http://miho-entwistle.blogspot.com/2008/09/musical-taste-shows-personality.html     Liszt’s “ Sonata in B minor “ initially took me a little while to warm up to it.  Then recently, I had a dream in which I was listening to Liszt’s “ Sonata B in Minor “ in it.   And while listening to it in my dream, I had some discovery, I really enjoyed listening to it, and so the more I listen to the music, the more I’m deep into it.      http://gallery.xemanhdep.com/2011/07/14-beautiful-art-photos/   And I found that this music can be heavy metal music . And really understand why Liszt has many fans who are heavy metal musicians.  When the first ti

I love Chopin & Liszt ! Recently, I’m so loving to listen to my old CD of Chopin which I purchased when I was still in my 20’s. ( Over 20 years ago .) It has Chopin ’s Piano concerto No.1 in E Minor, Op 11 and also his Piano Concerto No.2 in F Minor, Op.21. Performed by Pianist : Samson Francois Orchestre : National de L’Opera de Monte-Carlo Conductor : Louis Fremaux This was recorded in 1965. This music is so fantastic !!! I wish some great figure skaters would perform with them also. Seems like Chopin created both of these music masterpieces when he was around 19 years old ! How could he create such incredible concertos at such a young age ? Except for one other music piece, these are the only music compositions he created for Piano with Orchestra . Almost everything else he wrote was for solo Piano, except for some chamber music with piano and viola. At the time I originally bought this CD, I wasn’t listening to it much becaus

  Franz Liszt was quite tall in his generation, standing 6 feet 2 inches tall , long blonde hair , piercing sharp eyes, pianist' long narrow and delicate hands and fingers. His body build was very slender. People who knew him described his personality as full of charm, charisma, and very knowledgeable.  And he loved brainy women. He was the consummate artist. It seems that Liszt loved dangerous love , which thrilled him and gave him excitement rather than a stable, peaceful , safe love. Franz Liszt While reading about his biography, I was wondering why he fell in love with two princesses who were already married. Marie D’Agoult He seems to have had a lot of love affairs in his life, someone found out that he had at least 26 serious relationships in his life ( besides countless other affairs ) but the only ladies he thought about marriage was with these two princesses , Marie D’Agoult and Carolyne Sayn Wittgenstein ? Charlotte Von Hagn L