Royalty (week 4)
Monday May 9
In the hall of the mountain king
(previously appeared in Jukebox week 42)
In the Hall of the Mountain King is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg in 1875 as part of the incidental music for Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play, Peer Gynt. It was later extracted as the final piece of Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1.
Recording
Tuesday May 10
The Lion King is a 1994 animated musical film from Walt Disney.
Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Elton John and Tim Rice wrote five original songs for the film including the two we feature today on Jukebox. Can You Feel The Love Tonight won the 1994 Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Original Song.
Recording
Circle of Life
Both Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata were also nominated for the 1994 Best Original Song Academy Award, making a total of three songs from the same movie.
Recording
Wednesday May 11
Maria Stuarda
Maria Stuarda is a tragic opera by Gaetano Donizetti, to a libretto by Giuseppe Bardari, based on Andrea Maffei's translation of Friedrich Schiller's 1800 play Maria Stuart. The opera is one of a number of operas by Donizetti which deal with the Tudor period in English history, including Anna Bolena (named for Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn), Roberto Devereux (named for a putative lover of Queen Elizabeth I of England) and Il castello di Kenilworth. Here are two excerpts from the opera.
Figlia impura di Bolena (Act 1)
Elizabeth accuses Mary of having murdered her husband, Lord Darnley, as well as acts of treason and debauchery, all the while Leicester attempting to calm both sides. Stung by Elizabeth's false accusations, Mary calls her the Figlia impura di Bolena (Impure daughter of Boleyn) and continues with the final insult: Profanato è il soglio inglese, vil bastarda, dal tuo piè! (The English throne is sullied, vile bastard, by your foot). Elizabeth is horrified and demands that the guards take Mary away, declaring "The axe that awaits you will show my revenge".
Performance
Deh! tu di un umile preghiera (Act 3)
People gather at the site of the execution, lamenting that a queen's death will bring shame upon England. Mary enters and says her farewells to the crowd, which includes Talbot, telling them she will be going to a better life. She calls them to a final prayer (Mary, with Chorus: Deh! Tu di un úmile preghiera il suono odi / "Ah! May Thou hear the sound of our humble prayer") and, together, she and the crowd pray for God's mercy.
Performance
Thursday May 12
Don’t Stop Me Now
Don't Stop Me Now is a song by the British rock band Queen featured on their 1978 album Jazz and released as a single in 1979. It was written by their lead singer, Freddie Mercury,
Recording
Friday May 13
Nero’s Expedition Up The Nile
Emperor Nero (37CE-68CE) organised an expedition to discover the source of the River Nile. It failed because water plants clogged the river, denying Nero's vessels access to the Sud of Nubia. Tonic Choir has often sung this round. Here we are at our Five Choir Festival in Watford Colosseum on 8 July 2012, compete with band.
Performance
In the hall of the mountain king
(previously appeared in Jukebox week 42)
In the Hall of the Mountain King is a piece of orchestral music composed by Edvard Grieg in 1875 as part of the incidental music for Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play, Peer Gynt. It was later extracted as the final piece of Peer Gynt, Suite No. 1.
Recording
Tuesday May 10
The Lion King is a 1994 animated musical film from Walt Disney.
Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Elton John and Tim Rice wrote five original songs for the film including the two we feature today on Jukebox. Can You Feel The Love Tonight won the 1994 Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Original Song.
Recording
Circle of Life
Both Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata were also nominated for the 1994 Best Original Song Academy Award, making a total of three songs from the same movie.
Recording
Wednesday May 11
Maria Stuarda
Maria Stuarda is a tragic opera by Gaetano Donizetti, to a libretto by Giuseppe Bardari, based on Andrea Maffei's translation of Friedrich Schiller's 1800 play Maria Stuart. The opera is one of a number of operas by Donizetti which deal with the Tudor period in English history, including Anna Bolena (named for Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn), Roberto Devereux (named for a putative lover of Queen Elizabeth I of England) and Il castello di Kenilworth. Here are two excerpts from the opera.
Figlia impura di Bolena (Act 1)
Elizabeth accuses Mary of having murdered her husband, Lord Darnley, as well as acts of treason and debauchery, all the while Leicester attempting to calm both sides. Stung by Elizabeth's false accusations, Mary calls her the Figlia impura di Bolena (Impure daughter of Boleyn) and continues with the final insult: Profanato è il soglio inglese, vil bastarda, dal tuo piè! (The English throne is sullied, vile bastard, by your foot). Elizabeth is horrified and demands that the guards take Mary away, declaring "The axe that awaits you will show my revenge".
Performance
Deh! tu di un umile preghiera (Act 3)
People gather at the site of the execution, lamenting that a queen's death will bring shame upon England. Mary enters and says her farewells to the crowd, which includes Talbot, telling them she will be going to a better life. She calls them to a final prayer (Mary, with Chorus: Deh! Tu di un úmile preghiera il suono odi / "Ah! May Thou hear the sound of our humble prayer") and, together, she and the crowd pray for God's mercy.
Performance
Thursday May 12
Don’t Stop Me Now
Don't Stop Me Now is a song by the British rock band Queen featured on their 1978 album Jazz and released as a single in 1979. It was written by their lead singer, Freddie Mercury,
Recording
Friday May 13
Nero’s Expedition Up The Nile
Emperor Nero (37CE-68CE) organised an expedition to discover the source of the River Nile. It failed because water plants clogged the river, denying Nero's vessels access to the Sud of Nubia. Tonic Choir has often sung this round. Here we are at our Five Choir Festival in Watford Colosseum on 8 July 2012, compete with band.
Performance