bemused321's video: Meditation from Tha s by Jules Massenet

Meditation from the opera Thaïs Composer: Jules Massenet Performed by András Kórodi conducting Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra The Méditation is a symphonic entr'acte performed between the scenes of Act II in the opera Thaïs. The piece in D Major opens with a short introduction by the harps, with the solo violin quickly entering with the motif. After the violin plays the melody twice, the piece goes into a section marked animato, gradually becoming more and more passionate (Massenet wrote poco a poco appassionato). The climax is reached at a place marked poco piu appassionato (a little more passion) and is then followed by a short cadenza-like passage from the soloist and returns to the main theme. After the theme is played twice, the soloist joins the orchestra while playing harmonics on the upper register as the harps and strings quietly play below the solo line. The video scenes were recorded during a visit to Malta in July 2012. While the opening scene shows a panoramic view from the top of Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta, the other video scenes were recorded during a boat ride around the harbors near Valletta. The city of Valletta is named for Jean Parisot de la Valette, who defended the island of Malta from an Ottoman invasion and siege in 1565. The official name given by the Order of Saint John was Humilissima Civitas Valletta — The Most Humble City of Valletta. After the siege ended, the city was fortified to defend against future attacks. Many buildings were again destroyed from air raids by the Nazi planes during World War II. The city was rebuilt after the war. Practically all the buildings in Malta are constructed using the local limestone which gives them the unique hue. The Valletta peninsula has two natural harbours, Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour. The Grand Harbour is Malta's major port, with unloading quays at Marsa. A cruise-liner terminal is located along the old seawall of the Valletta Waterfront that Grandmaster Manuel Pinto de Fonseca built.