The Power of Wildflowers

March 29, 2018June 11, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

“When a flower grows wild, it can always survive …”
Lyrics & Music: Dolly Parton

“Wildflowers” from the album “Trio”:
Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt:

Let’s go to the blooming river bank along with the
“Duo des fleurs” (Flower Duet) by Léo Delibes (1836-1891).
This is one of the most beloved opera duets,
(too) often used in commercials. Here is the full duet, performed by
Sabine Devieilhe, Marianne Crebassa, the Les Siècles Orchestra
with conductor François-Xavier Roth:

Edelweiss for sale in Switzerland, CozyMedley — Edelweiss for sale in Switzerland

Enjoy beautiful harmonies in an a cappella performance of “Edelweiss”,
by the great-grandchildren of Captain von Trapp, “The von Trapps”:

Read why planting wildflowers can benefit the environment
at ntplanning.wordpress.com

For more blooming themes, visit our posts: Red is The Rose
and Purple Blossom

Art Notes

March 12, 2018March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

“Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammer,
the soul is the strings. The artist is the hand that plays,
touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.”
Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944)

Beautiful video-art inspired by music of Claude Debussy (1862-1918),
“La fille aux cheveux de lin” (The Girl with the Flaxen Hair),
created by Kim dong kyu:

Enjoy Vincent van Gogh’s paintings along with Don McLean’s
song “Vincent” (Starry Starry Night):

Let’s take a tour in a museum with Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881). Promenade from “Pictures at an Exhibition”, performed by
The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Valery Gergiev:

How about the Tate Museum?
Original music by rock band “Everything Everything”, inspired by
Francis Bacon’s artwork, played at the Tate Britain:

Get more crafty inspiration at Hands-On and The Willow Tree
For more fascinating music by Claude Debussy visit Clair de lune
and Clouds

La mer

February 24, 2018August 25, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

“… la mer a bercé mon coeur pour la vie“
(The sea has rocked my heart for life)

Lyrics & Music: Charles Trenet (1913-2001):

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) toured Scotland in 1829.
His impressions from a visit to Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa
are reflected in his piece “The Hebrides”:

A charming drawing by Mendelssohn, found in a letter to his sister. via: Wikipedia. Original in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts

“Θαλασσάκι μου“ (Thalassaki Mou, My Little Sea) is a traditional
Greek folk song, performed by Polyphonia Choir:

La mer, The Pacific Ocean, CozyMedley — Photo: Diane Lefcort

For more shades of blue, visit our post: Rhapsody in Blue

I Will Always Love You

February 6, 2018March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

Yes, I will always love you.
And yes, this is Dolly Parton’s song:

Love padlocks in Paris, CozyMedley — Love padlocks in **Paris**

“Plaisir d’amour” (The Pleasure of Love)
A poem by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian (1755–1794),
composed by Jean Paul Martini (1741-1816).
Charlotte Church – Soprano

Martini’s melody (“Plaisir d’amour”)
inspired Elvis Presley‘s song “Can’t Help Falling in Love”!
Fall in love with the “The Piano Guys”:

Love padlocks in Verona, Italy, CozyMedley — Love padlocks in **Verona, Italy**

Fall in love with our posts:
Red is the Rose and
Romeo and Juliet
or take a visit to the most romantic city in the world: Marvelous Venice

It’s Cold Outside

January 22, 2018December 22, 2020 ~ CozyMedley

“And the sky is a hazy shade of winter
Hang on to your hopes, my friend …”
Paul Simon

Enjoy a moving cover by Susan Werner, merging
Vivaldi’s “Winter” and Simon’s “Hazy Shade of Winter”:

Antonio Vivaldi’s “Largo” (from “The Four Seasons – Winter”)
invites us to cozy up beside the hearth:

Feeling cold? Imagine you are dancing in a warm place …
Join Angélique Kidjo in “Agolo”:

Need more tips for fighting winter blues?
Read how to make your life more Hygge at CountryLiving.com

It’s always sunny in our post: Brighten Up Your Day

All the Way to Dublin

January 7, 2018March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

Pack up your gear, it’s a rocky road to Dublin:
“One, two, three four, five …
All the way to Dublin,
Whack follol de rah!” *
D. K. Gavan
*These words have no meaning. It’s Irish lilting.

Performed by “The Kings of Connaught”:

Dublin, April 13, 1742
The premier of “Messiah” by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
took place at the Great Music Hall and was a huge success.
Enjoy one of its parts, “How Beautiful Are The Feet”.
Indeed, how beautiful:
Hana Blažíková – soprano
Conductor – Vàclav Luks

Dublin, April 30, 1994
The Eurovision Song Contest was held in the Point Theatre.
The interval act RIVERDANCE established a historical moment in
Irish culture and turned out to be a global phenomenon:

Irish dancing shoes for sale, Dublin, CozyMedley — Irish dancing shoes for sale! At the FAYS SHOES’ store in Dublin

Fill up your jar and sing along with “The Dubliners“:

Planning a visit to Dublin?
Get insider tips from Dublin’s official tourism site

We have more Irish music for you!
Reel into our posts: Red is The Rose and The Willow Tree

Jingle Bells

December 21, 2017March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

Bells in Switzerland:

Bells in Italy:
Genoa native composer Beppe Gambetta performs his composition
“Procession” in Genoa. What a unique duet:
Beppe Gambetta – guitar
Luca Dellacasa – bells

“La Campanella” (The Little Bell) is a nickname for the musical piece
by Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840), the third movement of his Violin Concerto No. 2. Paganini was born in Genoa and grew to be a legendary violinist and composer. Notice the delicate bell-like sound in this brilliant piece:

Bells in Russia:
Let’s go for a ride in a “Troika” (a Russian sled).
Music by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953):

Mountain views from Italy and Switzerland await you in our post: Clouds

Evergreen

December 9, 2017March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

“Love soft as an easy chair… “

“Evergreen”
Lyrics: Paul Williams
Music: Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams

“Schafe können sicher weiden” (Sheep may safely graze) from the “Hunting Cantata” W 208 was originally written by J. S. Bach (1685-1750) for a soprano singer.
Join the audience in an unconventional yet beautiful concert hall and enjoy this piece arranged for piano:
Khatia Buniatishvili – piano

“Greensleeves”, an ageless and evergreen tune
(Well, not quite ageless. It is dated back to the
16th century). Enjoy it played by Jamie Dupuis
on a harp guitar:

Join us on a walk Into the Woods,
or take a seat under The Willow Tree.

Bohemian Rhapsody

November 21, 2017March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

“There’s something calling me
From way out yonder
It’s just the Gypsy in my soul …”
Moe Jaffe (1901-1972)

Lots of energy in this Hungarian-Gypsy dance:

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) originally wrote Hungarian Dance
No. 5 for piano. Enjoy this piece in a brilliant Gypsy-style performance:
Roby Lakatos – violin

“Diri, Diri, So Kerdjan” is a traditional song, played by “Rományi Rotá”
(Gypsy Wheels), a well-known group from Hungary:

via: blog.freepeople.com Photography: Tina

Enjoy another rhapsody, visit our post: Rhapsody in Blue
For more music by Johannes Brahms tune into: The Three B’s

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

November 9, 2017March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

The incredible “Recycled Orchestra” of Cateura, Paraguay:

Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) would have loved this performance of
Canon in D, directed by Favio Chavez:

An old ski rack turned into a fruit and vegetable garden

What a great idea! The world’s first recycling mall is in Sweden.
More information at www.retuna.se

Belt chair renovation via: echopaul.blogspot

Avoid using disposal plastics and keep our oceans clean, enjoy La mer
Help our environment, dry your laundry outside. It’s Laundry Day!