To perk up this grey day, here are some new twists on old Italian favourites, some priceless…

Adagio Formaggio: To play in a slow and cheesy manner
AnDante: A musical composition that is infernally slow.
Angus Dei: To play with a divine, beefy tone.
Anti-phonal: Referring to the prohibition of cell phones in the concert hall.
A Patella: Unaccompanied knee-slapping.
Appologgiatura: A composition, solo or instrument you regret playing.
Approximatura: A series of notes played by a performer, not intended by the composer.
Approximento: A musical entrance that is somewhere in the vicinity of the correct pitch.
Bar Line: What musicians form after a concert.
Concerto Grossissimo: A really bad performance.
Coral Symphony: (see Beethoven-Caribbean period).
Cornetti Trombosis Disastrous: entanglement of brass instruments that can occur when musicians exit hastily down the stage stairs.
Dill Piccolino: A wind instrument that plays only sour notes.
Fermantra: A note that is held over and over and over and… (more…)

Those who know me are well aware that Pachelbel’s Canon is not exactly my favourite piece of music, mainly because it has been so overplayed and I have grown very tired of multiple “new age” variations, all bordering on the unbearable. So, yes, I must admit I was laughing like mad when I viewed this hilarious – but so realistic – stand-up comic number on the (in)famous piece.

As the year is coming to a close, some journalists are sharing lists of favourite moments. Jessica Duchen, from the British magazine Standpoint , goes all the way with a somewhat goofy collection of 2009 hits. Roll out the cyber carpet and click her to learn more…

Tonight is premiere night at the Opéra de Montréal for a new production of Mozart’s last opera, The Magic Flute. Aline Kutan will once again sing her signature role of Queen of the Night and Karina Gauvin will become Pamina.

But did you know that Mozart also wrote a one-act opera, full of delightful twists? That is at least what Victor Borge is trying to convince us of in this video. Can you resist his wit? I can’t.

You know how it goes… a melody gets stuck into your head for hours on end and there seems to be no possibility to ever forget about it! Whether it be the latest pop hit or the opening motif of a classical symphony, the experience can be quite unnerving. But can it be defeated? Not easily, no.

Some tricks you may want to try out:

• Trying to replace one music worm with that of another piece of music;
  Trying to pass on your worm to another person (“host”);
  Isolation from all music, TV and other forms of media.

Many scholars have been studying this “plague” over the last years. To keep up with some of their academic work, including that of Oliver Sacks, you may go here…

If all fails, try the Analekta radio and/or reading this Mark Twain short story, sure to bring you a smile if not solve your dilemna