Monday, May 18, 2015

Christian Grey Uses Music South Of The Border To Seduce Ana Steele

Billionaire Christian Steele invites college student Anastasia to his penthouse apartment to find that she is a virgin and quickly rectifies that by making love to her. As she wanders the lavish home, there is the soft sounds of string in pizzicato and a soprano voice floats over the top. The piece is from a larger work called Bachianas Brasileiras composed by Heitor Villa-Lobos. The particular selection is known as "No. 5 Ária (Cantilena)". A translation of the text is as follows:

Eventide, a rosy cloud, slow and transparent
over the spot, dreamlike and beautiful!
The moon gently appearing beyond the horizon,
embellishing the eventide, like a sweet maid
preparing herself till she's dreamily gorgeous,
with her soul avid to become beautiful
yelling to heaven and earth, to all of Nature!
Silent are the birds to her sad laments
and reflected on the sea all of Her richness...
Soft the light of the moon awakes already
a fierce desire that laughs and cries.
Eventide, a rosy cloud, slow and transparent
over the spot, dreamlike and beautiful! [Source]

"The Bachianas Brasileiras (Portuguese pronunciation: [bakiˈɐ̃nɐz bɾaziˈlejɾɐs]) are a series of nine suites by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, written for various combinations of instruments and voices between 1930 and 1945. They represent not so much a fusion of Brazilian folk and popular music on the one hand, and the style of Johann Sebastian Bach on the other, as an attempt freely to adapt a number of Baroque harmonic and contrapuntal procedures to Brazilian music (Béhague 1994, 106; Béhague 2001). Most of the movements in each suite have two titles: one 'Bachian' (Preludio, Fuga, etc.), the other Brazilian (Embolada, O canto da nossa terra, etc.)." [Source]
"Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2015 British-American erotic romantic drama film directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson with a screenplay by Kelly Marcel, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by British author E. L. James. It stars Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele, a college graduate who begins a sadomasochistic relationship with young business magnate Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). The film premiered at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival on February 11, 2015, and had a wide theatrical release on February 13, 2015, by Universal Pictures. Despite mixed reviews, it was an immediate box office success, breaking numerous box office records and earning over $569 million worldwide. It is currently the third-highest-grossing film of 2015. Its sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, are scheduled to be released on February 10, 2017, and February 9, 2018 respectively."

Purchase the 50 Shades of Grey: The Classical Album by clicking here. Watch Kathleen Battle sing Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, plus more plot info and a few more stills of the famous penthouse, after the jump. 






"21-year-old Anastasia 'Ana' Steele is a literature student at Washington State University's satellite campus near Vancouver, Washington. When her roommate, Kate Kavanagh, becomes ill and is unable to interview wealthy entrepreneur 27-year-old Christian Grey at his company headquarters in Seattle for the college newspaper, Ana agrees to go in her place. Christian is interested in her, and soon after visits the hardware store where Ana works. He agrees to Ana's request for a photo-shoot to accompany the article. After the photo-shoot, Christian invites Ana to have coffee, but leaves abruptly, confusing her. For her graduation, Christian sends Ana first edition copies of Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Ana celebrates with friends, and, after drinking too much, spontaneously calls Christian. Concerned, he goes to the bar to find Ana, who passes out. She wakes up the next morning in Christian's hotel room and is relieved when he says that they did not become familiar. Ana and Christian begin seeing each other. After she signs a non-disclosure agreement that prevents her from revealing anything about their alliance, Christian tells her he only has interrelations involving bondage. Ana reveals that she is celibate. While she is considering the agreement and negotiating her terms, she and Christian begin a procreative relationship that includes some of the objectionable practices Christian desires. Christian showers Ana with gifts and favors, such as a new car and laptop. After moving to Seattle with Kate, Ana becomes closer to Christian. One night, she accompanies Christian to his parents' house. During dinner, Ana mentions she is leaving the next day to visit her mother in Georgia. Christian is infuriated as Ana had expressed she wants romance rather than the one-sided relationship Christian is suggesting. She is shocked when Christian unexpectedly arrives in Georgia while she is visiting her mother. Christian leaves soon after to tend to an emergency in Seattle. After returning home, Ana continues seeing Christian, who is still interested in further venereal experimentation. Ana initially consents and participates willingly. Christian, however, keeps Ana emotionally distant, upsetting her. While still considering the contract, and in an effort to understand Christian psychologically, Ana asks Christian to demonstrate how he would "punish" her for rule breaking. Christian whips Ana's backside six times with a belt, making her count each time he strikes her. She is upset and finds it far from her romantic expectations. Ana concludes that Christian is wrong for her and that his practices border on being deviant and excessive and leaves." [Source