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The Flight Of The Bumblebee


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I’ve just recorded “The Flight of the Bumblebee|” by Rimsky Korsakov. I recorded it with a Wheatstone Aeola Tenor Treble made in 1925. It is available as a download at my updated website: < www.juliettedaum.com >

 

It was fun, but a lot harder than I first thought it would be.

 

Thanks to those who thought I could do it.

 

I really appreciate any feedback from C.netters……..

 

Juliette

 

p.s. I also recorded a video of ":The Flight of the Bumblebee" and I hope to have it on "YouTube" shortly.

Edited by squeezora
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Well as I say in the Concertina FAQ:

Its fully chromatic range was suited to classical pieces, with its fast action lending it to "party pieces" such as The Flight of the Bumble Bee.

However, this is the first time I have heard of anyone actually attempting it. Well done. I look forward to having a listen tonight when I get home from work.

 

Chris

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FOLKS: there is an absolutely amazing recording of "Bumblebee" by the Fayre Four Sisters. . . .it's available on the Smithsonian Institution cassette that Richard Carlin compiled some years ago. . .. .i believe it will also be included on the forthcoming "English International". . . .. . .

 

i might add that it was a staple of Boris Matusewitch's repertory. . . .he used it as an encore. . . .played the "arrangement" that Heifetz did for violin. . . . . . . .allan

 

P.S.: also a great recording by the Canadian Brass Quartet. . . and there might be one by Wynton Marsalis

Edited by allan atlas
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The Fayre Four recording (or at least a sample of it--don't have time right now to listen to the whole file) and the remainder of that Richard Carlin compilation can be accessed online here. Lots of good stuff...

 

Daniel

 

FOLKS: there is an absolutely amazing recording of "Bumblebee" by the Fayre Four Sisters. . . .it's available on the Smithsonian Institution cassette that Richard Carlin compiled some years ago. . .. .i believe it will also be included on the forthcoming "English International". . . .. . .

 

i might add that it was a staple of Boris Matusewitch's repertory. . . .he used it as an encore. . . .played the "arrangement" that Heifetz did for violin. . . . . . . .allan

 

P.S.: also a great recording by the Canadian Brass Quartet. . . and there might be one by Wynton Marsalis

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FOLKS: there is an absolutely amazing recording of "Bumblebee" by the Fayre Four Sisters. . . .it's available on the Smithsonian Institution cassette that Richard Carlin compiled some years ago. . .. .i believe it will also be included on the forthcoming "English International". . . .. . .

 

i might add that it was a staple of Boris Matusewitch's repertory. . . .he used it as an encore. . . .played the "arrangement" that Heifetz did for violin. . . . . . . .allan

 

P.S.: also a great recording by the Canadian Brass Quartet. . . and there might be one by Wynton Marsalis

Though those last two aren't on concertina. ;)

 

I remember Boris playing that, though it's been many years, and the memory isn't as sharp as Juliette's recording. I've also just listened to the Fayre Four excerpts on the Smithsonian web site. (Somewhere I have Richard's LP, but at the moment it's not where I expected to find it.)

 

I find the difference between the Fayre Four and Juliette to be interesting. Juliette plays it slightly more slowly, but in fact at the speed (my metronome says quarter note=144) that at least one source (near the top of this thread) claims to be specified in the original score for Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan. She also plays it a fourth higher (I don't know the key of the original score), and at least in that little excerpt without the sparse chords that one finds underneath in other arrangements. To my ear the result is actually more like the buzzing of a bee, and not through any lack of precision in her playing. I like it! And I look forward to hearing it in full. (That and her new CD's.) :)

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I can confirm that the Fayre Four Sisters playing Flight of the Bumble Bee willl be on English International , but it will be a cleaned up version,expertly done by Jim Ward.He has done a super job on many of the old archives.

I had a listen to Juliette's earlier attempt at this peice of music and she certainly can be praised for even attempting it.

Al

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I really wanted to hear this, but "right click" is not an option for my Mac G4 - Tom

 

Tom, try control click. This works fine and gives you a bunch of options. Pick one, such as “open with itunes” or “download linked file” depending on if you want it to play in itunes or go to your desktop.

 

Julia,

 

So many notes, so little time. I like your bee very much, esp. your sweeping sense of subtle dynamics against the backdrop of speed.

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has anybody ever attempted it on the anglo? someday i plan on getting around to it. i still havent had any time to get into fur elise, which i like much better as a piece of music anyways.

 

Errr. All the tunes I attempt to play on my anglo sound like the flight of the bummble bee.

 

Chas

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JIM AND FOLKS: i can't speak to the metronome marking of Rimsky's original. . . .but that on the Heifetz arrangement is faster than that.........allan

As is the speed of virtually all the BJ (Before Juliette) recordings I've heard of the piece.

Maybe they've all been spending too much time at Irish sessions?
;)
:D

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has anybody ever attempted it on the anglo? someday i plan on getting around to it. i still havent had any time to get into fur elise, which i like much better as a piece of music anyways.

 

Errr. All the tunes I attempt to play on my anglo sound like the flight of the bummble bee.

 

Chas

 

Strange, that, because all my Anglo tunes sound more like the Bum of the Flightlebee.

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