The audio this week on the playlist features these tracks.
The Cunning Little Vixen by Leoš Janáček
This well-loved opera in Czech started out as a newspaper comic strip before becoming a staple of the operatic stage. The allegorical story follows Vixen Sharp Ears as she loves and lures her way through life in the forest.
Bjort Mey Og Hrein by Eddukórinn
Eddukórinn was a singing group founded in Iceland in 1970 by Friðrik Guðna Þórleifsson and Sigríðar Sigurðardóttir. The group worked until 1976 when it was disbanded. This track is an Icelandic translation of a Polish folksong Maiden pure and fair.
Newspaper by Domenico Lancellotti
This track by the Brazilian artist of Italian descent comes from the 2021 album Raio. Lancellotti has worked with many of the greats of Brazilian popular music including Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa and Caetano Veloso. You can watch a live recording session below of the musicians in action on a different song – Insatiable.
Jit Jive by the Bhundu Boys
This song comes from the album True Jit. That album was somewhat successful but was aimed at an international market and, according to some critics, the band lost its roots in appealing to a wider audience. No matter. It is still an infectious tune and a celebratory song.
Volcano Man performed by Will Ferrell and My Marianne
What can one say…
Iceland by Isgaard
Taken from the album, Wooden Houses, this track is by German singer, Isgaard, who often performs on Stefan Erdmann films.
La Isla Bonita by Madonna
A kitschy popsong by Madonna, this version of La Isla Bonita appeared on Japanese television in 1987. The song was part of Madonna’s tour, Who’s That Girl, during which she performed at Wembley Stadium in London with the Bhundu Boys as supporting act.
Weaving Loom by Tony Overwater Ensemble
The 2015 documentary series ‘Om de Oude Wereldzee’ (‘Around the Ancient World Sea’) features this work in its soundtrack. The eight episode series was based on the books of the journey of Dutch politician Abraham Kuyper who travelled the Mediterranean looking at its religions in the early Twentieth Century. More than a century later, two Dutch film-makers, Hans Hermans and Martin Maat, retraced his footsteps for the series. Tony Overwater brought some of the best musicians of the region together to create the soundtrack for the documentary.
The Flower Duet (Lakmé) by Léo Delibes
Katherine Jenkins and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa perform this well-loved duet from Lakmé. The opera revolves around the central love story of the Hindu “priestess” Lakmé and a British officer, Gérald. He is the target of revenge by Lakmé’s father, Nilakantha, for slights by the British during the colonial occupation of India.
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