During a lucid moment of creativity - sandwiched between a suffocating myriad of problems - I made this music video last night.
It only took about half an hour, but when I finished I discovered that I (somehow) screwed up the synchronization of the audio - so I had to do it all over again.
Some of you probably heard it before, when I previously posted it on SoundCloud.
Since this is one of my all-time favorite recordings, I decided to rehash it on video. Having absolutely no clue what to use for visuals, I decided to turn it into an autumnal theme.
This is my piano arrangement of the theme from The Apartment - a 1960 film starring Shirley MacLaine and Jack Lemmon.
The music is composed by Charles Williams (1893-1978). Williams originally wrote this for the 1949 film The Romantic Age and at that time the theme was known by the title Jealous Lover.
Ironically, I've never seen the film The Apartment, but I've always loved the romantic music score.
In an uncharacteristic moment of blatant egotism, I'll admit that my piano arrangement is double-damn good and incredibly difficult. I used to perform it quite often when I lived in California.
Video is best viewed full-screen
Beautiful pictures and arrangement. I never mastered the ability to play with feeling. Thank you for a great start to my Monday!
ReplyDeleteI've always had stage fright when performing publicly, and every time I did any recording I was terrified - hoping I would get through it without making a mistake. Glad you enjoyed my autumn interlude.
DeleteI vaguely remember seeing the movie, Jon, and while I have heard the song before didn’t remember it was the movie’s theme. That said, I enjoyed your performance and the accompanying fall images. And, yes, I also thought that your rendition was even better than double-damn good and would go for triple😀
ReplyDeleteI had no clue what images to use in the video, but I figured autumn was appropriate enough. I'm not sure if it's triple-damn-good, but at least I didn't strike out...
DeleteJon, your video came out FANTASTIC! LOVE the autumn leaf visuals! Honestly, sir, you are so talented on the piano. BRAVO!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the movie, The Apartment. I've seen it several times. Such a classic. I was a huge fan of Jack Lemon. I love Shirley MacLaine as well.
Thanks so much for sharing your talents, my friend. Enjoyed this very much!
I'll have to put The Apartment on my must-see list. I'm over 50 years too late, but what the hell.... I've always been a Jack Lemmon fan and I like Shirley MacLaine (remember her in The Children's Hour?).
DeleteI'm so glad that you liked my piano arrangement and the autumn visuals. Thanks!
Beautiful autumnal pairing. I remember it as being a lighthearted movie with serious undertones. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed my touch of autumn. The Apartment won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture. I'm surprised that I never saw it, since I'm a huge movie fan.
DeleteUncanny. This is probably my all-time favorite instrumental! And nope, I never saw the movie either. Perhaps I didn't want it subtly influencing my impressions. Thank you for this gift!
ReplyDeleteYou're right about that, Myra. There are many times when I prefer to savor the music without having my initial impressions tainted by the film.
DeleteDear Jon, thank you. Your performance is beautiful and the video concentrates on Autumn dancing. 1949 is my birth year and certainly evolved into The Romantic Age for me --certainly after I learned my name and could introduce myself to lovely partners. Again, I am amazed and moved by your expertise.
ReplyDeleteGeo, my heart and soul have always been immersed in The Romantic Age, which can sometimes be a curse as much as a pleasure.
DeleteI collected a lot of autumn clips to use in my video, but it turned out that I only needed a fraction of them. Perhaps I'll save the rest for another project.
Listening to the music was like reliving the movie. Yes, I did see it and loved it. It seemed right listening to it as autumn leaves are beginning to fall. Thank you for this, Jon.
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted that my humble video enhanced your autumn. The trees are just beginning to turn colors here in Tennessee. The foliage will be beautiful near the end of the month.
DeleteBravo! Jon, your piano arrangement is triple damn good! And you did a great job w/the video: I felt like I was in a magical land surrounded by gorgeous autumn leaves :-) I've actually seen The Apartment more than once. It's a very good movie. I hope you are on the mend? I have my good and bad days - I pretty much stayed in bed the entire weekend. But I'm forcing myself to do what I need to do to survive: I'm off to the grocery store tomorrow, etc. Thank you for reminding me that autumn should never be taken for granted - it really is my favorite season. *Hugs*
ReplyDeleteDylan
I initially couldn't think of any visuals to go with the music, but then I decided an autumn theme would be good. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteUnfortunately I'm not doing too good physically, but - like you - I'm forcing myself to do what I need to survive. I've been resting in bed a lot, but I always have to get up and do things around here. The work never ends....
I hope your excursion to the grocery store is pleasant. I had to drive to town yesterday (Tuesday) and that's always an extremely tense and unpleasant experience.
Take care and please keep in touch. I always look forward to your comments. Big hugs.