PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Ridley Scott’s new critically acclaimed biopic about Napoleon Bonaparte — with Joaquin Phoenix portraying the famous emperor general — has been criticized, especially in France, for taking liberties with the actual history and life of Napoleon.
But in one respect, however, the movie “Napoleon” is unexpectedly authentic: the way composer Martin Phipps used a piano once owned by Napoleon in the soundtrack.
Here is a link to the story that aired Monday on National Public Radio (NPR): https://www.npr.org/2023/12/04/1216905501/napoleons-piano-adds-authenticity-to-the-music-of-ridley-scotts-movie
The Ear couldn’t find a photo of the actual Napoleon piano, but the 1795 Broadwood piano (below, from the Cobbe Collection in London) fits the description except for the the ornaments: https://www.cobbecollection.co.uk/collection/20-square-piano/
And if you click on the link to play a Haydn Fantasy that is on the historical collection’s website for this particular piano, you will hear how closely it resembles the sound of the piano used in the movie, which you can hear more at length in the YouTube video at the bottom.
Is it just me, or does the some of the soundtrack sound a lot like the theme music in “The Godfather”?
The Ear wants to hear.
Archives
Blog Stats
Recent Comments
Mary Friedel-Hunt on What do you think of the… | |
music88 on Yunchan Lim’s Chopin etudes ar… | |
diacon2 on Who was the better pianist? Ma… | |
welltemperedear on Classical music: Madison Opera… | |
welltemperedear on Classical music: Was Bernard H… |
Tags
#BlogPost #BlogPosting #ChamberMusic #FacebookPost #FacebookPosting #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic #TheEar #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison #YouTubevideo Arts audience Bach Baroque Beethoven blog Cello Chamber music choral music Classical music Compact Disc composer Concert concerto conductor Early music Facebook forward Franz Schubert George Frideric Handel Jacob Stockinger Johannes Brahms Johann Sebastian Bach John DeMain like link Ludwig van Beethoven Madison Madison Opera Madison Symphony Orchestra Mead Witter School of Music Mozart Music New Music New York City NPR opera Orchestra Overture Center performer Pianist Piano post posting program share singer Sonata song soprano String quartet Student symphony tag The Ear United States University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music University of Wisconsin–Madison Viola Violin vocal music Wisconsin Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra wisconsin public radio Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart YouTube