Yura Demidovich │ Юра Демидович

Yura Demidovich, the twelve-year old singing sensation from Belarus, has been generating a fair amount of controversy on the internet because of the hit song that he composed called, "Volshebnyi Krolik", or Волшебный Кролик ("Magic Rabbit", also known colloquially as "Etis Atis Animatis").  When I first heard this song, it sent shivers repeatedly, up and down my spine.  It is that good.  Yura is the best young singer that I have heard in a long, long time.  He is in the same rarefied class of vocalists as Valentin Vierling, and Afanasy Prokhorov.  By-the-way, Yura and Afanasy, are both from Russia.  One thing that is so unusual about Yura's voice is that his high notes sound so full and rich, it is almost as if he is using his spirit body for added resonance.  Yura sings with such passion, that I get the feeling that he is a very old soul in a young body.  It appears though, that some Bible thumpers in America, and elsewhere, are accusing him, and his song, of  promoting Satanism.  That is an accusation that I find very laughable.  Let me give you some examples of how far these kinds of people will go with their malicious accusations and gossip.  They allege that the phrase "Etis Atis Animatis" translates from the Latin as "Pale horror comes to life, pale horror craves you".  Well that shows their ignorance, as "Etis Atis" is the equivalent of singing "la, la, la" in a song, it is basically meaningless.  It is not Latin at all.  "Animatis" could possibly be translated as "breath" or "soul".  Other fundamentalist naysayers, claim that "Etis Atis Animatis" is nothing more than a disguised form of the word "Satan".  Another allegation is that the five performers of "Etis Atis Animatus" are performing on a pentagram that is drawn on the stage floor.  I have personally viewed over ten video versions of this song, and in none of them is there a pentagram visible anywhere on the stage.  That is all rubbish.  As Yura tells it, he was inspired to write this song by the rabbit in Louis Carroll's "Alice In Wonderland".  Yura says that the words "Etis Atis Animatis" are literary "improvisations of the rabbit when he invents the poem."  Now, how innocuous is that?  In Yura's own words, "My song tells the story of a boy, who seriously studies music for many hours, plays an instrument, sings chorals in Latin, but sometimes he wishes to play football with other kids, and he misses his mother."  As you can see, the song is largely autobiographical in nature.  Furthermore, Yura is a member of  an Evangelical Christian church called "Divine Grace".  Fortunately, though, Yura is taking all of this controversy with style, and grace as he has said, "Even the bad reviews have helped, because I've tried to sing better, so that everyone likes the song."  "Volshebnyi Krolik" is an interesting mix of Rap, Classical Music, and High Opera.  It is very reminiscent of "O Fortuna" from Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana".  In this edition of Angel Watchers, I am very proud to feature, the extremely talented Yura Demidovich.  For those of you who are interested, here is the complete English translation of "Volshebnyi Krolik".  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Magic Rabbit
Composed by Yura Demidovich

Somewhere in a deep forest
through the firs which are blue,
magic flowers and plants,
he simply lives, sadly songs he sings,

Who do you think?
Of who do you think?

The magic rabbit!

The magic rabbit breaks the habit,
he wears glasses, he writes with chalk pluses.
The magic rabbit, he's a poet,
he studies Latin and plays the violin.
The magic rabbit breaks the habit,
he wears glasses, he writes with chalk pluses.
The magic rabbit, he loves others,
he lives in a forest and misses his mother!

Etis Atis Animatis,
Etis Atis Animatis,
Etis Atis Animatis,
Etis Atis Animatis!

The Magic Bunny!
The Magic Bunny!
The Magic Bunny!

The Transcendental Vyacheslav Marchuk (В'ячеслав Марчук)

 

 

Vyacheslav Marchuk (В'ячеслав Марчук) is from the Ukraine, that is about the only information that I could find out about him, which is really a shame, as he is a fantastic singer.  I have "auditioned" many singers for Angel Watchers, but Vyacheslav is in a class of his own.  His voice is pure and sweet.  In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring Vyacheslav performing a hauntingly beautiful Ukrainian song called "Take Me Across The Square".  Take note of Vyacheslav's bare feet and the traditional Ukrainian clothes that he is wearing.  They are a perfect touch to a classy performance.   I was moved by Vyacheslav's daring a capella singing.  Click on the video widget below for a transcendental musical experience.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

  

MattyBRaps │ How To Love

One of the good things about having a blog is the joy of discovering new talent.  As it so often happens, I was looking for something else, and I stumbled accidentally on MattyBRaps cool "How To Love" video.  I should say that it is super cool!  There is just something so special and magical about "How To Love".  In a way it makes me feel nostalgic for my own youth.  In MattyBRaps own words "Me and my friends had a BLAST making this music video. We had never launched a rocket before and I thought the "rocket footage" turned out AWESOME!"  By-the-way, I just love that green rocket.  Well, "How To Love" is evocative, wistful and very haunting.  In general I am not a big fan of RAP or Street-music, though I do admire the music of Coolio, Busta/Guf, Nicky Jam, and Lil Wayne.  MattyBRaps is in a class all of his own.  He was born on January 7, 2003, and lives with his parents and siblings in Cobb County, Marietta, Georgia.  His real name is Matthew Morris.  In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring him in a parody of Lil Wayne's 2011 mega-hit "How To Love".  Matt, with the help of his father, wrote the lyrics of this parody.  MattyBRaps YouTube channel can be found here: MattyBRaps Official YouTube Channel   Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

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Bud and Travis

Very few people remember now-a-days the great American folk duo known as Bud and Travis.  They were only active as a group from 1958 to 1965, but they made a great impact on the American music scene.  Bud Dashiell and Travis Edmondson were accomplished musicians and singers, but unfortunately we will never see their likes ever again.  Bud passed away in 1989, and Travis died in 2009.  In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring a retrospective with Bud and Travis.  In the video below they sing the hauntingly beautiful "Florecita De Mi Cielo (Little Flower In My Sky)".  It's hard to believe that this recording was made in 1959, because the sound quality is so good.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be. 

Frida Boccara │ Un Jour, Un Enfant

Frida Boccara

I was feeling a bit nostalgic today, so I decided to look through my extensive collection of vinyl recordings and accidentally stumbled upon an album by the late, great, Frida Boccara.  It brought back a lot of beautiful memories to me from the late 1960s.  Shame on me, but I had forgotten completely about Frida and her magnificent voice for all of these years.  Actually, her music served as the soundtrack for a relationship that turned out to be the love of my life.  Frida was born in Casablanca, Morocco, on October 20, 1940.  In 1969 she shared the first prize in the Eurovison contest with her powerful rendition of "Un Jour, Un Enfant (A Day, A Child)", that was composed by Emile Stern, and Eddy Marnay.  She was undoubtedly the greatest female voice of the twentieth-century.  Frida ceased her earthly existence on August 1, 1996, in Paris, as a result of a massive pulmonary infection.  In this edition of Angel Watchers I am proud to present Frida Boccara for your enjoyment.  For those of you who have never heard Frida before, you are in for a real treat.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Un Jour, Un Enfant

Un jour se lèvera
Sur trois branches de lilas
Qu'un enfant regardera
Comme un livre d'images
Le monde autour de lui
Sera vide et c'est ainsi
Qu'il inventera la vie
A sa première pa-a-ge.

En dessinant la forme d'une orange
Il donnera au ciel son premier soleil
En dessinant l'oiseau
Il inventera la fleur
En cherchant le bruit de l'eau
Il entendra le cri du cœur.

En dessinant les branches d'une étoile
Il trouvera l'enfant, le chemin des grands
Des grands qui ont gardé
Un regard émerveillé
Pour les fruits de chaque jour
Et pour les roses de l'amour.

A Day, A Child

 The wide eyes of a child look upon a world reborn
See the glory of a rose that never bears a thorn
The wide eyes of a child can invent a laughing moon
And the orange sun leaps high just as a floating toy balloon.

He clearly sees the flower and the bird
Whose thoughts he knows without needing any word
And any child can hear ringing laughter from a stream
Hear the music of the heart, to us a half-forgotten dream.

In sleep he hears the star's distant song
Oh, may its wonder last for his whole life long
If we had vision too, as we stumble on our ways
We could sometimes see our days as through the eyes of a child.

Your Song │ Matt Errs

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring Matt Errs who is from Canada.  In the video below he does for you an outstanding cover of Elton John's "Your Song".  When you have time visit Matt's great YouTube channel that can be found here: Matt Errs on YouTube  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.

Edward Yudenich

 

In this edition of Angel Watchers I am featuring the amazing Edward Yudenich.  Edward is an incredible conductor for one who is so young.  He is from Uzbekistan.  In the video below Edward conducts the overture to "Die Fledermaus (The Bat)" from the operetta composed by Johann Strauss II.  Edward has a wonderful career in music ahead of him in the years to come.  Safe journeys to all the fans of Angel Watchers, wherever you may be.