I chose to pair the Haydn symphony with this photo manipulation by a modern digital artist based out of Toronto because both are concerned with taking the ideals of Classical art and bending them to a modern context. Death of a Cyborg is a manipulation of “The First Mourning,” an 1888 piece by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, which itself takes its cues from the mathematical precision of form from Greek and Roman art. This piece then adapts to modern themes by making the central figure a cyborg rather than a Biblical figure as it is in the original, a further exploration of artistic possibilities inside an already established structure Haydn’s symphony is inspired by folk melodies but then places it into the rigid form of the classical symphony, which he then develops and makes his own by disrupting expectations that Classical composers themselves have established.

I chose to pair the “E strano…e forse lui…Sempre libera” aria from La Traviata with Madonna’s Like a Virgin. The conceptual parallels are quite obvious: Both provoke debates about female sensuality, intimacy and representation in art. In form, I found the parallels quite interesting, as well. In essence, the music video and the aria give both women the means to engage directly with the public and voice their own narratives. In both cases, we have women asserting their own artistic subjectivity via song. There is a sense of reclamation as well as reconciliation in both where Madonna and Violetta are asserting their sexualities while also trying to weigh their sexualities with normative expectations of female purity. Finally, they both problematize the male gaze’s depiction of womanhood in the arts.

I paired Bach’s C minor fugue from The Well-Tempered Clavier with Andy Warhol’s 1967 “Marilyn Monroe”. As I listened to the Bach, the repetition of the fugue’s subject took on an obsessive quality. I found myself listening for it and feeling rather relieved when I heard it. In a similar way, Andy Warhol’s work plays on the idea of repetition in capitalism with turning Marilyn Monroe into a recognized, branded icon, her personhood removed with the work’s performative feeling, self-awareness, and flashiness so that we feel a sort of comfort in seeing what we recognize only as an ideal.

I paired Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus with a Carlton Draught commercial because both pieces use a form of theatrical expression to deliver its message to the audience. With the sheer number of people involved in the two pieces, both Handel and Carlton Draught create an awe-inspiring spectacle that draw the audience into its narrative. The two-minute commercial costs about $9 million which also inevitably reminds us of the lavish architectural style during the Baroque period.

I have paired Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo (1607) to a Tom and Jerry clip. Although I can see why some find this pairing somewhat strange, I believe there are multiple comparisons between the two. Firstly, Monteeverdi’s instrumental prologue is what sparked this thought, as the overall speed and chaotic feel produced by the instruments reminded me of a chase. Also, within Monteverdi’s work one can feel the relationship between the singer and the orchestra. This relationship seems to consist of two forces competing against one another, and in the process creating a unique form of art. In this way Tom and Jerry also compete constantly against one another, while creating a different type of art.