During a holiday to Seville, I discovered the work of a man who was to become one of my favourite artists: M. C. Escher. I've always loved art inspired by mathematics, and Escher seem to fuse the two perfectly. Below are a few of my favourite pieces.
The first Friday Favourite is the painting Christ of St John of the Cross by Salvador Dali.It is most probably the most iconic image of the Crucifixion created in the 20th Century. For me, the perspective and the juxtaposition of the darkness surrounding the figure of the Christ and the blue sky by the fishing boat really catch my attention.
Apparently, to get an idea of what the human body would look like at this angle, Dali suspended Hollywood stuntman Russell Saunders from an overhead crane! The first piece is by the Russian composer Pavel Chesnokov. It is a cantata for male choir and solo Oktavist called Ne Otverzhi Mene or Do Not Reject Me In My Old Age. In it, the Oktavist (Contrabass) soloist must sing a Bb1 (a whole tone below the lowest note on a cello) and has the option to sing down to G1 at the end of the piece. For me, the section after the Bb1's is the most beautiful. Starting at 3:48, the Oktavist soloist moves in a wave-like motion from Eb2 to Bb3, starting gently then growing to a fortissimo. The rich sound of the Oktavist's chest register is unlike any other kind of singing, and I find it deeply moving. For all you basses out there - why not sing along and see if you can hit the G1! Good Luck! |
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