"Popstar to Operastar" is back!!!

One of my favorite singing shows is now back on-air: Popstar to Operastar...


Aired by UK's ITV, this show is not just an ordinary singing talent show. Starting this early of June, the show challenges some famous  pop star to sing in an operatic way. Every week each of the eight popstars will sing arias from some famous opera numbers. The panel of judges will include crossover violinist Vanessa Mae, actor Simon Callow, mezzo soprano Katherine Jenkins and tenor Rolando Villazon (who both are also mentoring the contestants).


Despite of critiques from the opera insiders (which judging the show as the opera abuser), this show still has some an essence point to take. "I think it's a good thing that 'opera' is being presented in a prime-time slot," Welsh acclaimed tenor, Russell Watson supports. He adds "I've been a huge supporter of popularising this genre. Long may it continue." I'm with you Mr Watson. I think this show helps interpreting opera (as enjoyable music applicable to everyone no matter how old you are) into the wider audiences, especially to pop listeners. 


In this season, popstars that will compete are:
1. former Pussycat Dolls, Melody Thorton
2. former member of popband STEPS, Claire Richard
3. X-Factor winner, Joe McElderry
4. 90's soul/gospel singer, Jocelyn Brown
5. Midge Ure
6. Joseph Washbourn
7. Andy Bell
8. Cheryl Baker

here are some videos of the Popstar to Operastar week 1 posted  by Stepsfan4ever on YouTube.

So, what do you think? who is deserved to be voted off??

Classic Brit Awards 2011: Main Event

Perhelatan yang ditunggu para pecinta musik klasik akhirnya digelar juga. Classical Brits Award diselenggarakan untuk kedua belas kalinya Kamis (12/5)  di Royal Albert Hall, London.

Dibuka oleh The Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla Parker Bowles), acara ini didedikasikan bagi para insan musik klasik, baik mereka yang  menekuni genre murni musik klasik (tradisional/konvensional) hingga main-stream (klasikpop/crossover/kontemporer). Mengingat diperhitungkannya juga crossover di penghargaan ini, muka-muka 'fresh', atau 'now-generation' kerap terlihat baik sebagai nominator maupun performer di malam itu. Sebut saja gitaris Milos Karadaglic, mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, All Angels, Isabel, komposer muda Eric Whitacre meramaikan nominasi dan panggung penampilan diantara nama-nama pemain lama seperti Aled Jones, Antonio Pappano, Andre Rieu, Bryn Terfel. Yang sangat mengejutkan adalah, dianugrahkannya 'artist of the decade' bagi kuartet vokal IL DIVO. Terdengar mengejutkan, karena selama tujuh tahun mereka berkarir, tidak ada satupun album IL DIVO yang dinominasikan di Classic Brits.

Pada malam itu, Classic Brit juga mendedikasikan sebuah penghargaan khusus "Outstanding Contribution to Music" kepada John Barry, komposer theme-song & scorer film JAMES BOND. Dame Shirley Bassey pun tampil secara khusus menyanyikan lagu "Gold Finger" yang terkenal itu untuk menghormati mendiang sang komposer.

Classic Brits akan ditayangkan di ITV Inggris tanggal 29 Mei. Bagi kalian yang tinggal di luar Inggris, masih bisa mengaksesnya via youtube (link menyusul) :)
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Video wawancara IL DIVO di karpet merah Classic Brits. #facts: (setelah Katy Perry membicarakan Indonesia di majalah Vanity Fair), dalam wawancara ini Il Divo membicarakan Jakarta lho.. (skip ke 1:38)

Transcript
Interviewer : "Have you found them (fans), as you gone around the world,  what has the response been like?" 
Il Divo's Sebastian:  : "So far it's been really amazing. The more and more we performing around the world, then the more and more we get fans, and we go to places you would never think we would have gone probably. We playin in JAKARTA, and places, that you live like a tressure, cause you really bring something to music. I think that would be our biggest AWARD. "

intinya: Jakarta adalah satu kota, yang menurut Il Divo punya fans yang loyal. Itu adalah sebuah penghargaan terbesar dalam tujuh tahun mereka berkarir.

Foto Karpet Merah Classic Brits

IL DIVO

mezzo-soprano, Katherine Jenkins

vocal-quartet, ALL ANGELS

ex-member of ALL ANGELS, soloist Laura Wright

Pemenang X-Factor, Rhydian Roberts

Gitaris Milos Karadaglic

Gareth Malome & Eric Whitacre

Alion Balsom

Berikut full-list para pemenang The 12-th Annual Classic Brits Awards
Female Artist of The Year : Alison Balsom (trompetis) --> Alison Balsom tampil di Late Night with David Letterman

Male Artist of The Year: Antonio Pappano (Conductor)

Newcomer Award : Filde Frang

Composer of The Year : Arvo Part

Critics of The Year : Tasmin Little

Artist of The Decade : Il Divo

Classic FM Album of The Year : Andrea Rieu

Outstanding Contribution to Music : John Barry (James Bond's theme-song composer)

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sebagai penutup, berikut penampilan Andrea Bocelli dan Sarah Brightman di Classic Brits 2008. Bocelli dijadwalkan akan tampil di Jakarta, Minggu (15/5). Which is very exciting for me, cause I'm gonna be there :) 

TORI AMOS goes CLASSICAL (like Sting & McCartney did)

Another mainstream musician explores classical music. Tori Amos, follows Sting and McCartney footsteps, to release classical album. 


The alternative pop rock singer/songwriter will release her debut classical album, under classical label Deutsche Grammophon. "Night Hunters" will due in September. 


On her official website, the singer says about the upcoming album as a "21st-century song cycle inspired by classical music themes spanning over 400 years". She also adds :"The protagonist is a woman who finds herself in the dying embers of a relationship. In the course of one night she goes through an initiation of sorts that leads her to reinvent herself allowing the listener to follow her on a journey to explore complex musical and emotional subject matter. One of the main themes explored on this album is the hunter and the hunted and how both exist within us."


A few years ago, McCartney and Sting did the same stuff. In 2006 The Beatles star released classical recording, titled "Ecce Cor Meum" (Behold My Heart), a choral and orchestral work in both English and Latin. Also in the same year, The Police frontman, Sting, relaesed "Labyrinth", which brings up the music of Elizabethan age back to the modern era. The world reacts. Numbers of award nomination followed the recordings. Both Sting and McCartney were nominated in Classic Brit Awards, a British classical music award equal to Grammy.

We've seen pop acts like Sting and McCartney had released classical album before. Awards and honor followed as the album went 'mainstream'. And now, Tori Amos. Who's next?

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)

Classic Brit Awards 2011

Saya rasa beberapa diantara kalian masih merasa asing dengan penghargaan yang satu ini: CLASSIC BRIT AWARDS

Berlangsung untuk kedua belas kalinya tahun ini pada tanggal 12 Mei mendatang, Classic Brit Awards (CBA) merupakan acara penghargaan tahunan khusus didedikasikan bagi para insan musik klasik dunia yang digelar di London. Bisa dibilang Grammy-nya musik klasik lah. Beberapa kategori penghargaan dikompetisikan dalam acara ini seperti composer of the year, young British classical perfomer, lifetime achievement in music. Para pemenang diseleksi secara khusus oleh para kritikus musik klasik. Khusus untuk kategori Album of the year, pemenangnya dipilih langsung oleh publik via website. Sebut saja nama seperti soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, Renee Fleming, Jose Careras, Cecilia Bartoli, Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bryn Terfel, Charlotte Church adalah sebagian dari mereka musisi klasik yang sudah pernah menerima penghargaan ini.

Terlepas dari main-stream musik klasik, jenis musik cross-over masih mendapatkan tempat dalam nominasi penghargaan ini. Sebut saja musisi muda seperti Russell Watson, Isabel Suckling, Eric Whitacre masuk dalam nominasi album of the year. Yang mengejutkan adalah, penobatan artist of the decade kepada grup Il-Divo. Mereka dianggap memberikan dampak besar bagi pencitraan musik klasik, yaitu mengubah cara pandang publik terhadap musik klasik yang cenderung terdengar menakutkan dan membosankan (Memang betul sih, semenjak adanya Il Divo, teman-teman saya pecinta Nsync atau Destiny's Child juga memiliki beberapa lagu Il Divo di playlist mereka) Apanya yang membuat terkejut? batu loncatan besar bagi Il Divo untuk mendapatkan penghargaan setinggi itu mengingat Il Divo belum pernah mendapatkan satupun nominasi di ajang ini selama enam tahun lebih mereka berkarir.

Nggak ada salahnya untuk memilih pemenang album of the year. Yah, iseng-iseng berhadiah.

Il Divo

Russell Watson

Katherine Jenkins

Eric Whitacre

Isabel Suckling

Nggak berbeda jauh dengan acara malam penghargaan lainnya, CBA juga menghadirkan penampilan dari sederetan musisi klasik kelas dunia, baik vokal maupun instrumental. Tahun ini mezzo-soprano muda, Katherine Jenkins dan tenor Russel Watson dijadwalkan akan manggung di CBA. Eric Whitacre yang terkenal dengan proyek virtual choir dan para pemain Les Miserables juga siap menggemparkan panggung Albert Hall. Tak lupa juga Il Divo yang bakal membuat debut mereka di panggung CBA, membawakan materi baru mereka.

Classical Brit Awards 2011 akan ditayangkan di saluran TV Inggris ITV secara relay di bulan Mei nanti. Well, di Indonesia sendiri sih belum ada saluran TV lokal yang menayangkannya (bahkan TV berlangganan di Asia pun juga belum pernah ada yang menayangkannya secara exclusive). Tapi bagi kamu yang ingin menontonnya, masih ada YouTube kok :) Berharap sih suata saat nanti, acara ini bisa ditayangkan di TV lokal, supaya orang Indonesia juga bisa tahu dan menikmati musik yang indah itu seperti apa... 

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Il Divo & Russell Watson courtesy of Sony Music

Eric Whitacre courtesy of Decca (Universal Music)

Katherine Jenkins courtesy of Warner Music