Saturday 7 February 2015

MUSIC IS THE FOOD OF LOVE MOST DEFINITELY

Tonight is the BAFTA's, one of my favourite UK events, and I am lucky to be invited to this every year.  This brings me always back to music.
I am often asked what pieces of music I love most, it is the key to my sanity, music holds the reigns of my universe. It is the unspoken word, the note that moves me or does not. I have loved music all my life.  It invaded my life at the early age of about five when I used to stand up and sing at school. Singing in Sister Angelica by Puccini at about twelve started my path to further exploration. The work of Bach, especially the two part inventions,  starting with  C, played here by Gould, infiltrated my fingers and despite my schoolgirl ability, the piano has been with me throughout my life.  Music was discussed in the school breaks. When I was young I loved the Beetles but I also loved Handel. I loved Purcell and I loved Jazz, Miles Davies. When most people were singing  the lyrics of the latest bands I would quickly lap up the tunes by Purcell. I loved singing "When I am laid"from Dido Aeneas.  Later it was music that stopped me suppressing my sexual desires, actually I equate music with sex. No music, no sex,
I loved The Velvet Underground the craziness of Andy Warhol, the dark perversions of this man who was neither well dressed or outspoken grabbed my attention. He was so out of fashion that he was in. I loved him and the androgyny of Patti Smith too and the centre of the universe seemed to be Lou Reed, who I considered to be a magician.
I loved film music.
I was obsessed by film composer Maurice Jarre who wrote the music for Dr Zhivago and The Damned and Bernie Hermann. These were my two favourite music writers. The piece that Bernie wrote from my Grandfather, Sidney Gilliat's film Endless Night filled me with foreboding. I loved the music of Frances Lai for Bilitis, the naive sexuality of young girls explored by his brilliant writing.
There are so many scores I have enjoyed, Amelie  by Yann Tiersen, The English Patient by Gabriel Jared; St Trinian's by Malcolm Arnold; The Mission,  Romeo and Juliet score by Nino Rota original. So many that I have listened to non stop. Without composers and their compositions I would have not lived life, unlike the spoken word, it rarely hurts, it is deeper than that.
My mother and my son both love Opera and of course I do too, but I truly love the music of film more. Borrowed often from great old composers, Beethoven's 9th,  in Clockwork Orange created havoc in a film that was both banned and slated.
Through music I have discovered my Neverland, Michael Nyman's score for the soul searching film by Jane Campion The Piano to Alexandre Desplat's music for Lust Caution, exploring sexual betrayal. I am a true fan of these open minded geniuses that write with passion. There are so many more to mention but there we are, a blog is a blog. Replying the question I was asked this morning, "If music be the food of love, play on....." Duke Orsino from Twelfth Night by Shakespeare.

Tonight at the BAFTA's  it is the music scores that will hold my attention, they make a film.
BAFTA SCORES TONIGHT
What should have won tonight probably won't and some have not been nominated.
Birdman's score by Antonio Sanchez. In my mind is strictly music. Drums are percussion instruments and therefore the Oscar's are wrong, they complained that he had used classical music?. It was the most imaginative. Like painting, the less brush strokes you use can be more beautiful as in the case of
the brilliant and prolific composer Alexandre Desplat.
Who will win is anybody's guess? Johan Johansson score for Theory of Everything is without a doubt too like the work of Desplat's, I stand strong on this. For example JJ has used bits of the music from Extremely close and Incredibly Close, Benjamin Button and Kings Speech, The director , Mr Marsh although saying he wanted to work with Johan Johansson, obviously wanted Desplat to score and got someone to copy it, The score is ultimately plagiarism of Desplat's work. Easy to do. I did the same with my film, The gun the cake and the butterfly. Anyway I have made my point just listen and you decide.
Here is the complete list from The Telegraph.

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