'Silent Night' - (in the style of Pink Floyd)

The December People pay tribute to a time of year that has a special magic for everyone throughout our lives. It is a magic that is passed on from generation to generation. Music and magic are two items, if handed down properly, can have an infinite life and unlimited power.

The song:
Silent Night (German: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht") is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" were written in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, by the priest Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber. In 1859, John Freeman Young (second Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Florida) published the English translation that is most frequently sung today. The version of the melody that is generally sung today differs slightly (particularly in the final strain) from Gruber's original, which was a sprightly, dance-like tune in 6/8 time, as opposed to the slow, meditative lullaby version generally sung today. Today, the lyrics and melody are in the public domain. The carol was first performed in the Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria, on December 24, 1818.

The movie: The Little Matchgirl
In 2006, Walt Disney Feature Animation finished production work on a new adaptation of The Little Match Girl. The short was originally intended to be a part of a Fantasia film, but this project was canceled. The Little Matchgirl is last of the four shorts from the aborted compilation to be developed as a stand alone film. It was subsequently released as a special feature on the 2006 Platinum Edition DVD of The Little Mermaid. "Nocturne from String Quartet No. 2 in D Major" by Alexander Borodin.

IMDb    Website   

40th anniversary of Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon"

I first encountered Pink Floyd when I purchased a translucent pink LP at the Ivanhoe Record Shop in Melbourne in 1972. It was a bootleg recording of their Blackhills Garden Party, Hyde Park Concert of 1968, but I didn't know that at the time. The sounds of Let There Be More Light, Set The Controls For The Heart Of the Sun, Saucerful Of Secrets and Interstellar Overdrive, mixed with the sound of London buses in the background. Amazing.

By the time 1973 rolled around, I was living in Sydney and owned every LP they had released. I'd had the long-expected new Pink Floyd album on order for months before it finally arrived. The Dark Side of the Moon. The album topped the charts on its release, and remained in the charts for 741 weeks from 1973 to 1988. With an estimated 50 million copies sold it is the band's most commercially successful work and is frequently ranked as one of the greatest albums of all time.

And here we are in 2013, at the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. 

To celebrate, BBC Radio 2 commissioned a new drama from legendary playwright Sir Tom Stoppard. He's created a fantastical story about fear, philosophy and madness, which is woven together with the original music. If you're in the UK, you can hear this story in full on Bank Holiday Monday 26 August 2013, 10pm, on BBC Radio 2, or if living elsewhere, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b038xr3n

The show features Bill Nighy, Rufus Sewell and Adrian Scarborough, with the lead roles played by Iwan Rheon (Misfits) and Amaka Okafor (The Garbage King).

The visuals have been created by Aardman Animations of Wallace and Gromit fame.

Meanwhile, here's an animated trailer:

'Bye, 'bye, 2011

And another one bites the dust. What did this year bring for you? 

For me, it was the 32^nd year in which I exceeded a doctor's prediction of my imminent demise. That has to be good. I also survived an Adelaide earthquake. (I know, I know, it was nothing compared to what went on elsewhere, but it sure startled me.) I made a lot of new friends. I started this blog. 

 

It's always good to stop and reflect, and be grateful. Here are a few photos to help you remember the kind of 2011 some other folks had, plus some music to listen to, a song of remembrance, while you check out the photos.