I have an intense passion for opera but was never enthused with operetta (usually a short, "light" opera).
It wasn't until I saw a performance of the 1906 operetta The Merry Widow that my indifference turned to passion. The intensely romantic and bittersweet sentimentality of Franz Lehar's (1870 - 1948) music left me in blissful state of melodic intoxication. Lehar was a Hungarian composer and his music deeply resonated with my romantic Hungarian blood.
The Merry Widow is a simple story - A young couple was deeply in love but their impending marriage was rudely interrupted by an unforeseen circumstance. Many, many years later they were reunited - - he, a dashing military man and she, a desirable widow. Their ancient love was rekindled with - of course - a happy ending.
My video only contains a few excerpts from The Merry Widow and my piano performance is completely impromptu and unrehearsed. I tried to incorporate the essence of an enchanted May night.
May? Roaring?? Roaring like a lion, or perhaps even worse. Torrential rain. Biblical rain. Ark-worthy rain. Last night and early this morning severe thunderstorms. I stayed in bed, listening to screaming winds and ark-worthy rain. Listening to house-shaking thunder. Watching lightning explode in blinding flashes outside the window. Lightning so fierce that it expelled a lifetime of sins and instilled a fear of the Almighty. Then I said "To hell with it" and went to sleep.
Naturally there was a power outage. If I had a dollar for every power outage here in rural Tennessee, I could probably buy a castle in Transylvania. That's where I want to go. Land of the Magyar vampires.
So how have I been doing? I'm profoundly depressed, disgusted with absolutely everything. Physically, I feel like I died three weeks ago. Mentally I'm far over the edge. What edge, you ask? The edge of extinction.
Isn't it amazing that I write so well even when I'm mentally and physically kaput.
Remember last week when the snake was in my house? (read my previous blog post to savor the excitement). I heard noises and crashes in the living room. Well, the nasty serpent knocked some things off of shelves. And he knocked down a row of colored glass bottles that I had on a windowsill (my cats never touch them). Fortunately nothing broke.
Snakes really aren't bad, Jon. They do a lot of good. Snakes are our friends.
Yea, right. Tell that to Adam and Eve.
I'm cute. Even when I'm miserable.
I made a new piano video. (don't you DARE go away - - you're my captive audience).
My piano rendition of music from the operetta The Merry Widow by Franz Lehar (1870 - 1948). A Hungarian composer.
My original video contained six songs and was way too long, so I cut it down to three.
The month of May always reminds me of The Merry Widow. The very first performance I ever saw of it was in May - - long ago, when I was intensely romantic....and in love. Fond memories.
The Merry Widow is the story of a first love that went awry - and a second chance to rekindle that love many years later. The music is emotionally appealing and intriguingly beautiful.
My piano arrangement on the video was an impromptu endeavor - performed without any rehearsal - and without much thought.
Almost everything I do is without much thought. It's scary.
