What have you been practicing lately?

Hi all

I started playing around with the theme from Young Frankenstien. Feels right on the theremin, it's moody, slow, melancholy I suppose. I'm not very good so slow songs are best for me at the moment

Ok, I know this might have me black balled as it's not music but earlier today I spent half an hour recreating the sound of the Avro Shackleton's 4 Roll Royce Merlin engines: a really low steady buzz on the theremin with the right delay on the amp that I'm playing through to recreate that thrum of those RR engines in perfect harmony...brought back childhood memories. I did vid it and might post it sometime:-)

@Amethyste: I remember Cats. I can't wait to hear what you do with that one.

@RoyP: That engine sound would be interesting as a midi or CV controlled sound.

@ Thomas: How is "La Wally" comoing along hmmmm?

@Amethyste: La Walley is progressing slowly. I'm in the listenning, and play-along phases this week. I'm planning on memorization work next week. It's a wonderful work. I'll certainly keep you posted. :)

Just a bit of trivia about the aria, "Ebben, ne andro lontana" from Catalani's opera LA WALLY. It was featured in the 1981 French film, DIVA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hsmoo97CVA

The singer in the scenario was based on American soprano, Jessye Norman. I saw the movie when it came out - it has to do with the mixup of a pirated tape of an opera singer with a tale of international espionage. 

The opera itself, which I seriously doubt anyone here has ever seen, is a real hoot! At the end, there is a wonderful sort of "deus ex machina" device in which an avalanche comes down from the mountains and wipes everybody out!

@coalport: I've not seen the movie, but I remember when I was a kid, my father would play bits of the opera for us on the piano, or play the records.

Hi Thomas, the opera LA WALLY is rarely performed and has one of those massively overworked melodramatic plots typical of late 19th century Italian opera. The best thing about it is the aria EBBEN, NE ANDRO LONTANA.

@coalport. Indeed. :)

I played "Ebben? Ne andro Lontana" on the theremin and it is such a beautiful piece... My dad would go around the house singing it and I would do the harmonies to it... Such fond memories. I posted this video on the day of his death 5 years ago....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AlAaZQB9E0&feature=plcp