Classical Music in Twitter Universe!!

It's not difficult to keep updated on something these days. Social media era has helped us reach out to everthing, beyond the borders. Look, what they've done to the classical music improvement. We can lots of updates about what's happening in the classical music world. Thanks to the one called twitter

So, here what did I do on my twitter to have myself updated on classical music. Here's what I follow to..

1.The labels

Some major labels that specialized in classical recordings now on twitter. Keep upgrade your latest recordings updates and its promotion events..

Decca  (Andrea Bocelli, Eric Whitacre, Hayley Westenra, All Angels, Aled Jones, Andre Rieu, Farryl Smith, The Choirgirl Isabel, Blake, Camilla Kerslake)

Decca Classics (Renee Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Pavarotti, Nico Muhly, Jonas Kaufman)

DG & Decca US 

Deutsche Grammophone (Yuja Wang, Milos Karadaglic, Sting,Anna Netrebko)

Sony Masterworks (Il Divo, The Priests, Lang Lang, Escala, Placido Domingo, Yo Yo Ma, Jessye Norman, Russell Watson)

EMI Virgin Classics (Libera, The King's Singers, Sarah Brightman, Joyce Didonato, Karl Jenkins, Kate Royal)

EMI Classics US
Warner (Josh Groban, Katherine Jenkins)

Note: One artist may sign to different record label in past time, like Lang-Lang who was DG's, also Jessye Norman.

2. The Artists
Twitter is frenzy, even to some of our 'old' classical performers. Flemming and Bocelli, they are 'tweeps' too (even not quite sure whether their own or their manager who is managing their twitter). Here are some of our fave classical performers who join twitta...

Singers
Josh Groban, Katherine Jenkins, Hayley Westenra, All Angels, Renee Fleming, Andrea Bocelli, Joyce Didonato, Russell Watson, Il Divo, Il Volo, Camilla Kerslake, The Priests, Faryl Smith

Choirs/ Vocal Ensemble
Libera, The King's Singers, The Sixteen, Voces8, Stille Anctico, I Faglioni, New College Choir

Violist
Sarah Chang, Andre Rieu

Pianist
Lang Lang, Yuja Wang

Guitarist
Milos Karadaglic

Instrumental Group / Orchestra
Escala, Raven Quartet, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic

Composers
Eric Whitacre, Nico Muhly

Not to forget, we, as Indonesian, also have our own classical artists who may flood your twitter timeline. Follow them, and see what they've done to 'fix' our national music taste (and image)

Ananda Sukarlan (Composer/Pianist), Addie MS (Conductor) Aning Katamsi ( Soprano), Eric Awuy (trumpetist), Rama Widi & Maya Hasan (Harpist), Batavia Madrigal Singers (Choir), EA Classic (Radio Program)

3. The Venues
Finds the concert details of your favorite classical acts from the most prestigious opera venues in the world

Royal Albert Hall (London)

The Carnigie Hall (NYC)

The Metropolitan Opera (NYC)

The Sydney Opera House (Sydney)

4. The Media
Classical music has now over-ruled the media too, mostly in UK. Follow them:

Magazines: Gramophone, MUSO, BBC Music, Classic FM (the mags)

Radio : Classic FM

Critics : Art Desk, ClassicalX
Charts: You can find in iTunes, Gramophone Mags, or Classic FM

Recording of The Week : Allesandro Striggio - Mass in 40 Parts (Album Sakral 40 Suara Masuk Tangga Lagu Pop)

Nyanyi dalam satu paduan suara dalam format SATB? sudah biasa.. Tapi bagaimana kalau dalam satu kelompok paduan suara itu terdiri dari 40 orang yang harus menyanyikan 40 bagian yang berbeda-beda untuk satu lagu. Penjelasan sederhananya: kita seperti mendengar satu lagu yang dinyanyikan 40 solois. Massive right?? 

Inilah yang dilakukan oleh kelompok paduan suara Inggris I Fagiolini yang direkam dalam album Allesandro Striggio - Mass in 40 Parts . Di bawah arahan sang director, Robert Hollingworth, mereka menyanyikan lagu-lagu misa untuk "40 suara" karya Alessandro Striggio yang digubahnya pada tahun 1560-an. Karyanya termasuk salah satu peninggalan abad Renaissance. Yang menariknya, karya ini sempat "hilang" selama beberapa 450 tahun, sebelum akhirnya ditemukan di Perancis oleh seorang musicologist Inggris. 

Untuk menambahkan nuansa Renaissance, Hollingworth mengikutsertakan alat-alat musik zaman Rennaisance, seperti viols, brass, lutes untuk mengiringi I Fagiolini bernyanyi. 

Masuk pop-chart

Hal yang gak disangka adalah semenjak dirilis Februari lalu, album bertemakan sacred-choral ini ternyata menembus tangga lagu pop di Inggris. Seperti yang diliput oleh Reuters, adalah sebuah hal yang jarang ditemui bagi album sakral untuk bersaing bersama Eminem, Rihanna atau Bon Jovi di tangga lagu pop (kecuali untuk album yang beraliran crossover). Well, berikut ini beberapa tanggapan media lainnya tentang album ini:

'Subtle and moving' - The Observer

'a powerfully affecting landscape' - The Independent

'Enough to test anyone's hi-fi equipment' - The Times

'40 voices hitting you beautifully left and right' - The Times

'Beautifully performed by I Fagiolini with soloists and countless continuo parts, the polychoral effects are striking ... a masterpiece.' - The Guardian

'Its impact in this premiere recording by the voices and period instruments of I Fagiolini under Robert Hollingworth is terrific ... Tallis, in a healthy show of one-upmanship, devised much trickier part-writing for Spem in alium, as anyone who has sung it will know, but the two works complement one another perfectly. ' - The Daily Telegraph

Rilis di Indonesia?

Selama berkililing di beberapa toko CD (di mal yang berbeda), saya sih belum pernah melihat album ini dipajang di rak mereka (baik import maupun rilisan Indonesia). Well, semoga saja Universal Music, khususnya UM Indonesia, mau berbaik hati merilisnya di sini. Kalau malas menuggu bisa langsung order online di Amazon, iTunes atau HMV UK

Album ini dibawah label Decca Classics (Universal Music)

Track Listing
1		Ecce beatam lucem (1561?/1568)
		Missa sopra Ecco sì beato giorno (by 1566)
2			Kyrie
3			Gloria
4			Credo
5			Sanctus
6			Benedictus
7			Agnus Dei I
8			Agnus Dei II
9	Vincenzo Galilei – Contrapunto Secondo di BM (1584)
	Alessandro Striggio
10		Fuggi, spene mia (1565)
11		O giovenil ardire (1568)
12		Altr’io che queste spighe (1570)
13		D’ogni gratia et d’amor (1567?/1571)
14		O de la bella Etruria (1560)
15		Caro dolce ben mio (1560)
16		Misero ohimè (1560)
17	Sarum plainchant – Spem in alium
18	Thomas Tallis – Spem in alium (1567-71)

Good Friday Playlist

Playlist di Jumat Agung kali ini:

Panis Angelicus (Cesar Frank) oleh Charlotte Church | album : Prelude, The Best of Charlotte Church
dalam bahasa Inggris lagu ini dikenal dengan judul 'The Angelic Bread' (Roti Surgawi), pas dengan momentum perjamuan kudus yang kerap dilaksanakan saat Jumat Agung.



Calvary/They Crucified My Lord  (Spiritual) oleh Kathleen Battle & Jessye Norman | album : The Spiritual Concert
Calvary atau golgota, ikon dari peristiwa penyaliban.

 Miserere (Allegri) oleh The Tallis Scholars |  album : Sacred Music in The Renaissance
"Miserere Mei Deus" atau "Kasihani Aku ya Tuhan..". Berdasarkan kitab Mazmur 51 dan beraliran renaissance polyphony digubah oleh  Allegri sekitar 1630an...

Agnus Dei (Barber) oleh All Angels | album : All Angels
Awalnya karya ini dibuat oleh Samuel Barber untuk string orchestra dengan judul Adagio For Strings.

Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) oleh Il Divo | album : The Promise
Salah satu karya pop yang menyertakan kata Hallelujah sebagai judul lagu.


Amazing Grace (Newton) oleh Lesley Garret | album : Amazing Grace




Ave Verum (Mozart) oleh King's College Choir | album : King's College Choir

The Royal Wedding : Your Telly Guide

For Indonesian Royal Wedding spectators, have you found your tv listing yet for the live coverage of the wedding ceremony? Maybe this can help you..

Everyone who live Indonesia and (apperently) subscribes for cable, these following (bunch) of channels will broadcast the wedding ceremony live from Abbey London:

(The wedding ceremony in Abbey starts  April 29, 11 a.m. local time, so it means 5 p.m. [WIB] here)

CNN - "A Royal Wedding"
starts @ 3 p.m. (WIB) | hosted by : Anderson Cooper, Pierse Morgan, Richard Quest and Cat Deelay
*available in live-stream too on CNN.com

BBC Knowledge - "The British Royal Wedding"
starts @ 2 p.m.

SKYNEWS - tbc

E! - "William & Kate's Royal Wedding"
starts 3 p.m. | hosted by Gullianan Rancic

TLC - "Willian & Kate : Royal Wedding"  tbc
starts @ 4 p.m. | hosted by Clinton Kelly, Randy Fenoli, Monte Durham & special guest singer Colbie Caillat

DW TV Asia + "The Royal Wedding Live"
starts @ 4 p.m.

What about our local tv? will any of them broadcast the wedding live? Well, I'm not quite sure. But for those who are not a cable subscriber, YouTube will be broadcasting the wedding live via official Royal Channel in YouTube. Click here for the site

So, be sure which telly you prefer to.. and make sure you don't miss this event of the year...  

Royal Wedding : 10 Fascinating Facts You Didn't Know About Prince William & Kate Middleton

William has 'another-woman' fantasy? The Queen rehearses for her funeral while the wedding prepared? Kate is related in blood to William?


So, ABC News found some fascinating facts related to the upcoming royal weddings. Here are the fascinating facts you (absolutely) didn't know about Prince William and Kate Middleton...


#1
William & Kate are distantly related. 12 cousins away
#2
ABBA's Dancing Queen is William & Kate's favorite song. Maybe they will dance w/ that song on their wedding
#3
as a teenager, William was the big fan of Pamela Anderson & Baby Spice Emma Bunton
#4
Kate is 5 months older than William 
#5
Apparently the wedding preps is used by HM the Queen for her funeral rehearsal. She directly involves in the planning. (I don't get this) 
#6
Will's nickname as a kid was Wombat, in college Pee Willy, and Kate calls him Big Willy..
#7

Will's footmen serving on the wedding are in average height. It is part of their job descriptions.  5'9'' with a 36-inch chest. Uniforms they wear cost US$ 3,000. Some of them are hundred years old. By the way, the Queen bans all the palace staffs from wearing vest, clip-on bow ties, loafers
#8
Prince Charles won't travel anywhere without his colouring-hair spray. Well, prince William may need one...
#9
William shouldn't really be in-line in the throne. Not until, The Queen Elizabeth's father King George VI ascended his brother throne.. (as it seen in "King's Speech")
#10
Will's entourage who guide him & kate back to the palace after the ceremony in Abbey, will have their pants painted in white (over the white) in purpose to make them extra white. 
Source : ABC News