Viva Virtuoso, Author at Viva Virtuoso

How One Pianist Defined Celebrity – in the 19th Century

Post author:Viva Virtuoso
Post published:October 25, 2017
Post category:Music History

“Celebritate sua sat notus.” This line, which translates to “through his celebrity sufficiently known,” was the sole description in Franz Liszt’s passport, issued by authorities of the Austrian crown in the mid-19th century.

The young pianist retired by the age of 35, leaving behind him one of the wealthiest and most riveting musical careers known to mankind. Attending one of Liszt’s famed performances in 1844, German poet, critic and journalist Heinrich Heine dubbed what he saw ‘Lisztomania.’ This Liszt fever was a phenomenon we have almost become accustomed to by now, watching audiences scream, swoon, and faint at the sight of the Elvises and Beatles we have seen since – but in the 19th century, this was a first and Liszt was the first and sole cause of such reactions. (more…)

Viva Virtuoso YouTube Musical Picks of the Month October

Post author:Viva Virtuoso
Post published:October 13, 2017
Post category:Uncategorized

Some 10,000 hours of video content is uploaded to YouTube every month. Obviously, the majority of that content isn’t original content created by the uploaders. Long story short – no one will ever be able to watch all of it and there’s hours of digging to be done to find genuine, interesting content.

One of the reasons that Viva Virtuoso was created on YouTube and for the platform’s global audience is that most of us on the creative team appreciate the mindboggling access to new, original content that YouTube has been offering us as viewers and listeners over the past decade. The platform is accessible to viewers and creators alike, and we’ve found plenty of our own new and old musical favorites on YouTube over the past several years. (more…)

The Cutting Room Floor: Songs Forgotten and Unfinished

Post author:Viva Virtuoso
Post published:October 8, 2017
Post category:Great American Songbook Music History

When Viva Virtuoso creator and host Warren Peterson brought a slew of us creative types on board to put together a simple, old-school variety show that would showcase fun, familiar tunes in new ways and on contemporary online channels, we never imagined it would turn into such a consuming and invigorating project.

Everyone involved in making Viva Virtuoso a reality has at least two things in common – a passion for music and a day job unrelated to the show. It’ll be easy, they said. Just point a camera in the right direction and hit record, they said. Everyone’s doing it these days, they said. (more…)

Candace Bogan at the shoot of the first Viva Virtuoso show. August 2017.

On Life, Song and Faith – A Lyrical Chat with Candace Bogan

Post author:Viva Virtuoso
Post published:September 9, 2017
Post category:Great American Songbook Interviews

On the first Viva Virtuoso show, we were joined by the unique and unmistakable voice and presence of lyric-soprano Candace Bogan. Candace has recently been singing the coveted lead in Marina Del Rey Symphony’s production of Verdi’s Aida. She hopped over to our end of the Marina on a Sunday to join us for and afternoon of champagne and Gershwin, all of which you’ll see in the premiere of the show any day now.

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A Rockin’ Good Way: The Rocky Relationship of Dinah Washington & Brook Benton

Post author:Viva Virtuoso
Post published:August 11, 2017
Post category:Great American Songbook

The world knew them both as stars. Individually, they were both musical powerhouses in their own right. Dinah was certainly the more well-known of the two and continues to be a favorite among die-hard early RnB fans, but Brook helped pen and compose a series of hits over several decades.

The rare tracks they recorded together can still be heard in the occasional major motion picture soundtrack and on the radio. Songs like You’ve Got What It Takes have been embedded deep into our popular culture and, while we often hum these tunes, most of us don’t know the story behind them.

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Leonard Bernstein on Being Happy During Miserable Times

Post author:Viva Virtuoso
Post published:July 6, 2017
Post category:Great American Songbook

We’re starting this blog on a high note, which always carries a certain risk. On the other hand, this particular intro will give our readers plenty of insight into what Viva Virtuoso is. This is not only to say that Bernstein tunes will be a regular fixture, but also that Bernstein perhaps best represents the whole feel of what we’re trying to achieve.

A Bernstein piece that particularly embodies the high-brow with the low-brow and what was then contemporary with today’s day and age is The Age of Anxiety.

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