Friday I’m In Love…

Access is the true gift of the digital age. I am constantly amazed by what I have literally at my fingertips. Knowledge is as good as injectable and between Napster, Google and YouTube I am discovering new favourite things almost every day. This week’s major discoveries are Dawn Upshaw singing Osvaldo Golijov’s “Ayre” and the Dolly Parton/Sylvester Stallone vehicle “Rhinestone”.

Dawn Upshaw is a brilliantly versatile soprano known for her enthusiasm for new composition. Her recording of Golijov’s astonishing song cycle “Ayre” shows her voice at its most exciting — sweet, strong, soaring, or as savage as Diamanda Galas. The songs, accompanied by accordian, laptop, horn, flute, violin, and other instruments, are based on folk music of the Jewish Mediterranean and mix electronica, Sephardic melody and Arabic poetry. The most original ‘classical’ work I’ve heard in ages.

And then there’s “Rhinestone”. I read about this lost masterpiece in a profile of the late Marvin Davis, oil baron and one time owner of Fox studios (all very Dynasty). Dolly Parton takes the role of a country & western sensation who boasts she can turn anyone into a star. Along comes hard-bitten New York cabbie (Sylvester Stallone) and the game is on. Fox considered it one of their costliest failures. I think, however, this clip of Stallone singing is worth $19 million alone: Stallone sings country.

And here’s some more.