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John Mark Ainsley
John Mark Ainsley (born 9 July 1963) is an English lyric tenor. Known for his supple voice, Ainsley is particularly admired for his interpretations of baroque music and the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the course of his career, he has gravitated towards 20th-century music, singing in operas by Henze, Janáček, and Britten. Early life and education Ainsley was born in Crewe, Cheshire, the son of an Anglican priest and a teacher. He spent most of his childhood in Worcester and was educated at the Royal Grammar School Worcester (singing in the Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir), and Magdalen College, Oxford. He studied privately with Anthony Rolfe Johnson for five years and went to sing as a lay clerk at Christ Church. He later spent some time in Chicago where he studied with Diane Forlano, who remains his teacher to this day.Jolly, ''Grove Music Online'' Career Ainsley made his official solo debut in 1987 when he sang in Stravinsky's ''Mass'' under Simon R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brackets
A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. They come in four main pairs of shapes, as given in the box to the right, which also gives their names, that vary between British English, British and American English. "Brackets", without further qualification, are in British English the ... marks and in American English the ... marks. Other symbols are repurposed as brackets in specialist contexts, such as International Phonetic Alphabet#Brackets and transcription delimiters, those used by linguists. Brackets are typically deployed in symmetric pairs, and an individual bracket may be identified as a "left" or "right" bracket or, alternatively, an "opening bracket" or "closing bracket", respectively, depending on the Writing system#Directionality, directionality of the context. In casual writing and in technical fields such as computing or linguistic analysis of grammar, brackets ne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir
The Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir is an Anglican choir made up of boy and girl trebles. The choir is based at Worcester Cathedral, Worcester, United Kingdom and regularly sings at the 6:30pm Sunday Evening Worship. History The choir was founded in October 1874 as a choir of boys and men primarily to sing at the newly formed 6:30pm Sunday Evensong and to sing other services for the Cathedral Choir during school holidays. In 2021, the choir was re-formed as part of a wider reorganization of the cathedral's music department. It now operates as part of the Choir Church programme and offers an opportunity for girls and boys up to the age of 13 from schools across the city to take part in regular music making in the cathedral. The choir remains under the direction of the cathedral's Assistant Director of Music, and is accompanied by the Organ Scholar although for many years had an organist of its own. The choir formerly sang at a number of important services each year during ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Tavener
Sir John Kenneth Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer, known for his extensive output of choral religious music, religious works. Among his best known works are ''The Lamb (Tavener), The Lamb'' (1982), ''The Protecting Veil'' (1988), and ''Song for Athene'' (1993). Tavener first came to prominence with his cantata ''The Whale (Tavener), The Whale'', premiered in 1968. Then aged 24, he was described by ''The Guardian'' as "the musical discovery of the year", while ''The Times'' said he was "among the very best creative talents of his generation". During his career he became one of the best known and popular composers of his generation, most particularly for ''The Protecting Veil'', which as recorded by cellist Steven Isserlis became a best-selling album, and ''Song for Athene'' which was sung at the Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, funeral of Princess Diana. ''The Lamb'' featured in the soundtrack for Paolo Sorrentino's film ''The Great Bea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Berlin Philharmonic
The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922–45; 1952–54), Herbert von Karajan (1955–89), and Claudio Abbado (1989–2002). The orchestra’s early years, particularly during the later Nazi era, saw a heavy focus on the Austro-Germanic repertoire, featuring composers such as Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Strauss, and Wagner. Under Furtwängler and Karajan, it became renowned for its distinctive sound and high-quality musicianship and toured widely. In the latter half of the 20th century, the orchestra broadened its repertoire to include more Classical, Romantic, and 20th-century works, as well as lesser-known compositions and music from outside the Austro-German tradition. Since Furtwängler's tenure, the orchestra has made numerous recordings, with the number of recording ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Il Ritorno D'Ulisse In Patria
''Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria'' ( SV 325, ''The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland'') is an opera consisting of a prologue and five acts (later revised to three), set by Claudio Monteverdi to a libretto by Giacomo Badoaro. The opera was first performed at the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice during the 1639–1640 carnival season. The story, taken from the second half of Homer's ''Odyssey'', tells how constancy and virtue are ultimately rewarded, treachery and deception overcome. After his long journey home from the Trojan Wars Ulisse, king of Ithaca, finally returns to his kingdom where he finds that a trio of villainous suitors are importuning his faithful queen, Penelope. With the assistance of the gods, his son Telemaco and a staunch friend Eumete, Ulisse vanquishes the suitors and recovers his kingdom. ''Il ritorno'' is the first of three full-length works which Monteverdi wrote for the burgeoning Venetian opera industry during the last five years of his life. Af ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
English National Opera
English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English. The company's origins were in the late 19th century, when the philanthropist Emma Cons, later assisted by her niece Lilian Baylis, presented theatrical and operatic performances at the Old Vic, for the benefit of local people. Baylis subsequently built up both the opera and the theatre companies, and later added a ballet company; these evolved into the ENO, the Royal National Theatre and The Royal Ballet, respectively. Baylis acquired and rebuilt the Sadler's Wells theatre in north London, a larger house, better suited to opera than the Old Vic. The opera company grew there into a permanent ensemble in the 1930s. During the Second World War, the theatre was closed and the company toured British towns and cities. After the war, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gli Equivoci Nel Sembiante
Gli ( 2004 – 7 November 2020) was a cat from Istanbul best known for living in the Hagia Sophia, for which she became an Internet celebrity, grabbing the attention of visiting tourists. Gli was born in 2004 and was raised at the Hagia Sophia. She gained significant media attention when the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque in 2020. Gli died on 7 November 2020 at a veterinary clinic in Levent, Istanbul. It was announced that she would be buried on the premises of the Hagia Sophia. The Instagram account @hagiasophiacat was dedicated to Gli and was followed by more than 118,000 people at the time of her death. Life Gli was born at Hagia Sophia in 2004. A kitten of Sofya, she had two siblings, Pati and Kızım. Gli had only one offspring, a jet-black cat aptly named Karakız ("Black Girl"). Gli was loved by the tourists who visited Hagia Sophia, which was a museum at the time, and she became a symbol of the Hagia Sophia. Gli first became popular when Barack Obama visi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alessandro Scarlatti
Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti (2 May 1660 – 22 October 1725) was an Italian Baroque music, Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan school of opera. Nicknamed by his contemporaries "the Italian Orpheus", he divided his career between Naples and Rome; a significant part of his works was composed for the papal city. He is often considered the founder of the Neapolitan school, although he has only been its most illustrious representative: his contribution, his originality and his influence were essential, as well as lasting, both in Italy and in Europe. Particularly known for his operas, he brought the Italian dramatic tradition to its maximum development, begun by Claudio Monteverdi, Monteverdi at the beginning of 17th century and continued by Antonio Cesti, Cesti, Francesco Cavalli, Cavalli, Giacomo Carissimi, Carissimi, Giovanni Legrenzi, Legrenzi and Alessandro Stradell ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gothic Voices
Gothic Voices is a United Kingdom-based vocal ensemble specialising in the performance of music of the Medieval era. The group was originally formed in 1980 by the scholar and musician Christopher Page. Repertoire The choir's repertoire is mostly music from the 11th to the 15th century, encompassing works by composers such as Guillaume de Machaut, Guillaume Du Fay and Hildegard of Bingen, and other music from the European Medieval and early Renaissance eras. As well as performing medieval repertoire, the group sings contemporary music, particularly pieces with medieval associations, and commissions new works from composers such as Joanne Metcalf and Andrew Smith. The distinctive sound of the Gothic Voices is attributable to Christopher Page's musicological research into Medieval performance practice, from which he concluded that the lines of musical accompaniment in Medieval scores were intended to be sung by lower voice parts, rather than played by instruments. Page presen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British conductor with German citizenship. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 2002 to 2018, and music director of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2023. He has been chief conductor of Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra since September 2023. Among the world's leading conductors, in a 2015 ''Bachtrack'' poll, he was ranked by music critics as one of the world's best living conductors. Rattle is also the patron of Birmingham Schools' Symphony Orchestra, arranged during his tenure with CBSO in the mid-1990s. The Youth Orchestra is now under the auspices of charitable business Services for Education. He received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2001 at the Classic Brit Awards. Biography Early life Simon Rattle was born in Liver ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mass (Stravinsky)
Igor Stravinsky composed his Mass between 1944 and 1948. This 19-minute setting of the Roman Catholic Mass (music), Mass exhibits the austere, Neoclassicism (music), Neoclassic, anti-Romantic (music), Romantic aesthetic that characterizes his work from about 1923 to 1951. The Mass also represents one of only a handful of extant pieces by Stravinsky that was not commissioned. Part of the motivation behind its composition has been cited by Robert Craft and others as the product of a spiritual necessity, as Stravinsky intended the work to be used functionally. History Stravinsky completed the Gloria on December 20, 1944 and finished the Kyrie at about the same time. His work on the Mass was then interrupted for several years in which his wrote his Symphony in Three Movements, ''Ebony Concerto (Stravinsky), Ebony Concerto'', Concerto in D (Stravinsky), Concerto in D, and the ballet ''Orpheus (ballet), Orpheus''. He resumed work on it in the fall of 1947 and completed it March 15, 194 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century and a pivotal figure in modernist music. Born to a musical family in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Stravinsky grew up taking piano and music theory lessons. While studying law at the University of Saint Petersburg, he met Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and studied music under him until the latter's death in 1908. Stravinsky met the impresario Sergei Diaghilev soon after, who commissioned the composer to write three ballets for the Ballets Russes's Paris seasons: ''The Firebird'' (1910), '' Petrushka'' (1911), and ''The Rite of Spring'' (1913), the last of which caused a near-riot at the premiere due to its avant-garde nature and later changed the way composers understood rhythmic structure. Stravinsky's compositional career is oft ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
