With another Royal Wedding being feverishly speculated about, it might be a time to visit Westminster Abbey to check out the acoustics.
The nuptials currently in the news are between Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas. The odds on it happening are estimated at roughly 50/50. That may be a little optimistic, but there’s definitely a spark between them.
Here then, is a taster for the big event — if it ever takes place:
David Lanz is a Seattle-born composer of what is sometimes called “Neoclassical” music. Here, Aldelle Tilton discusses his work.
When I first heard David Lanz, it was because of a cable television radio station. I was walking through a room and heard this beautiful music. I had to stop. There was nothing else to do but listen. I couldn’t have left without hearing the entire composition… it just was too magical and too good to leave. The name of the piece of music that caught my ear was, “Cristofori’s Dream,” from the album of the same name.
“Cristofori’s Dream,” is one of Seattle-born Lanz’s best known compositions. It was in the number one slot on Billboard’s first adult alternative/new age chart for 27 weeks. And although Lanz was nominated for a Grammy in 2000, he is unsure of the New Age label for his music, as are many musicians in the neoclassical or instrumental genre.
Calling himself a “SNAG,” Lanz says, “My acronym for a Sensitive New Age Guy. It was a comfortable and funny way of breaking through misconceptions of the ‘New Age’ label in a way similar to Victor Borge’s unique talent for making classical music more accessible by including his own witty personality as part of his concerts.”
As an interesting trivia note, even though Yanni outsells Lanz in actual albums, Lanz far outsells Yanni in sheet music. His piano playing encompasses a tremendous range and he smiles about children learning piano to his music.
Although all of Lanz’s music is worth owning, my favorite remains, “Cristofori’s Dream.” Perhaps it is the memory of music unexpected, or perhaps it is the magic of the first encounter of something really special. The title piece is my favorite and “Green Into Gold,” and “Wings to Altair,” are close seconds.
I don’t care what label we call David Lanz’s music. It should be filed under “The Best,” because you simply won’t find anything better. I’ll be listening to it for the rest of my evening!
Some songs do live forever … or at least in human terms. It’s surprising how many of them come from opera.
Of all operatic arias, the one that truly escaped the clutches of the aficionado, and became a popular favourite, was Puccini’s dramatic song from Turandot, Nessun Dorma.
Although it has remained a classic of “easy listening” radio, it achieved pop status by being the theme for the 1990 World Cup in Italy, when it was memorably sung by Luciano Pavarotti, still in his pomp. It has also appeared in modern films, like Toys, The Witches of Eastwick, and an array of others.
The aria translates as, “And None Shall Sleep”. It was part of Giancomo Puccini’s last opera, Turandot, which remained unfinished. It was premiered in 1926 at La Scala, Milan.
Puccini nearly died in a car crash in 1904 as a result of his passion for fast cars. He had already completed the works by which he is best known : La Boheme, Tosca and Madame Butterfly.
Nessun Dorma is from the final act of Turandot. Other parts were in sketch form only and were completed by composer, Franco Alfano.
Puccini was fighting throat cancer, caused by heavy cigar smoking, while writing Turandot. Despite the use of radiotherapy — then a new technique — Puccini died of a heart attack from complications on November 29, 1924.
His work lives on, however, and Nessun Dorma is being played somewhere on the world’s radio stations round the clock.
No, that doesn’t refer to the BBC’s latest classic serial Lark Rise at Candleford, but to Vaughan Williams’s famous piece The Lark Ascending, which topped Classic FM’s listeners’ poll for their favourite piece of music.
It was Ralph VW’s year, for he also came third with his more substantial work Fantasies on a Theme of Thomas Tallis.
Half a century after his death, the British composer’s 1914 programme piece of a lark singing over the English countryside took the number one spot in the Hall of Fame for the second year in a row.
More than 100,000 Classic FM listeners voted in the survey.
Darren Henley of Classic FM said: “The British public has spoken and declared Vaughan Williams their champion. In the 50 years since his death, Vaughan Williams has cemented his position as among the best-loved English composers of all time.”
At number two was Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto, while Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto and Sixth Symphony took fourth and fifth place.
The full Top 20 :
1. Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending
2. Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No 2
3. Vaughan Williams – Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis
4. Beethoven – Piano Concerto No 5
5. Beethoven – Symphony No 6
6. Mozart – Clarinet Concerto
7. Elgar – Cello Concerto
8. Bruch – Violin Concerto No 1
9. Elgar – Enigma Variations
10. Beethoven – Symphony No 9
11. Pachelbel – Canon
12. Barber – Adagio for Strings
13. Jenkins – The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace
14. Vivaldi – Four Seasons
15. Rachmaninov – Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini
16. Holst – The Planets
17. Grieg – Piano Concerto
18. Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture
19. Mozart – Requiem
20. Handel – Messiah.
David Lanz is a Seattle-born composer of what is sometimes called “Neoclassical” music. Here, Aldelle Tilton discusses his work.
Some songs do live forever … or at least in human terms. It’s surprising how many of them come from opera. 
No, that doesn’t refer to the BBC’s latest classic serial Lark Rise at Candleford, but to Vaughan Williams’s famous piece The Lark Ascending, which topped Classic FM’s listeners’ poll for their favourite piece of music.