只有旅行和藝術可以自己決定

I am quite surrounded by music that is expressed as "unconcerned" but expresses something "very concerned" recently. Sakamoto's Tango, and now "Besame Mucho".

Besame Mucho has been performed by so many artists. Too many of them interpret the song too sentimentally, sensually or emotionally. (Although many audiences do like these ways of expressing Latino passion)

And I just want to share this "unconcerned" expression with fully sincerity and purity into the music. Not to mention also the amazing improvisation and magic interaction between two artists.

Caetano Veloso & João Gilberto in 2000

People tend to associate “Tango” with music and dance genre from Argentina. But the song this week although named as “tango” has nothing to do with Argentinean Tango.

This is a work by Japanese artist Ryuichi Sakamoto in his “Smoochy” Album. I am not sure how Sakamoto was inspired by elements of Tango. Melody itself, instrumental and vocal interpretation can be quite “flat”, which seems to be indifferent and detached. However, the magic actually lays in contrast --- this song is extremely expressive and emotional, maybe just like Tango……

While I was writing the short article regarding Mercedes Sosa, I found this great song sung by Mercedes Sosa and Joan Manuel Serrat.

Serrat and Sosa duet


Interestingly, quite similar to Sosa, Serrat is also a musician who fights for his belief with music.

某天看到BBC World News的跑馬燈寫著Mercedes Sosa享年74歲，今年真不是好年，天災人禍、很多影響你我生命的人離去。

老實說，一開始我對Mercedes Sosa了解不多，有一次在FNAC的唱片區聽到她的歌聲，馬上被攝震住，當時我只知道她是阿根廷的歌手。某年爸媽到阿根廷洽公兼旅遊，我立刻將她的專輯列為購買清單。聽說，爸媽到唱片行指名購買時，店員出現不可思議的反應，遠自台灣而來的客人竟然指名要買她們國民天后的唱片，推薦了一張又一張。回家後爸爸跟我說，想不到這胖女人這麼有名這麼會唱歌！

I learned this song when I was in a German class. The teacher used this song to teach grammar and make exercise. Given the poem piece by piece, we were asked to reassemble the whole poem, based on grammar logic and flow of a story line (you can create your own, as long as it makes sense.)

Goethe makes this poem so interesting because of its ambiguity and open for interpretation. Goethe's poem begins with a young boy being brought home by his father. You don’t know what happen to the boy and the father. But it seems that the boy is in pain and illness and sees death in his imagination. At the end, the child is dead. The words are so vivid that you can visualize the tension and despair.

Having been walking in the streets of Copenhagen this afternoon in the rain, wind and cold air, I cannot help thinking of this song.

Ochi chyornye (Dark Eyes) is a Russian traditional folk song with a strong Gypsy essence. However, the words and music were actually written by a Ukrainian poet Yevhen Hrebinka and a German composer Forian Hermann in 19th century.

Feodor Chaliapin, a reputable Russian Bass, made the song popular abroad in a version amended by himself in the early 20th century.

This song is definitely a signature of Russian folk song, soulful and emotional expression for solo recital, choir, instrumental performance of accordion, violin and trumpet. The Gypsy essence makes it a song of sadness and bitterness but eventually of strengths and energy.