song of the day: Ave Maria! ~Schubert~

I know I said I wouldn't post anything about stuff everyone's already heard anyway, and I know there isn't a one of you who hasn't heard Ave Maria. But humor me.

The version I'm talking about here is one of the covers Hirahara Ayaka has done (she did two, this is the "Schubert" version). For those unfamiliar with her, Hirahara Ayaka is one of those artists that make me feel really proud when I say I am a fan. For comparison, admitting to being a KAT-TUN fan still makes me squirm a little inside. You get the idea.

Hirahara is brilliant, the Japanese queen of classical covers. She also has the most amazing range I've heard from a woman, something you can hear from her debut song Jupiter. She has a lovely style of music, and most of my favourite singles from her are the ones based on classical music. Her song Jupiter is based on the Jupiter movement in the The Planets Suite, and Siciliana's melody is based on (you guessed it!) Bach's Siciliano.

This version of Ave Maria is another great cover. The first one was good, yes, but this second one is the one I'm interested in. It's got a jazzy feel to it, just the kind of sound I've been into lately, and there's a slightly livelier twist that her light voice (wanna hear her "heavy" voice?) works nicely into the song. With all due respect for classical music, I can't help feeling that her covers make it so much more accessible to uneducated, uncultured people like me.

If you still aren't a fan of Hirahara Ayaka, I'm gonna drop my last two bombs here. First; she's the one who performed the theme song for Spirited Away, as well as the concert version of Reprise. Second; SHE PLAYS THE SAXOPHONE. Not just plays; she's studying jazz and majoring in saxophone, for heaven's sake. You can't say that's not cool.