Kostelanetz was known for arranging and recording light classical music pieces for mass audiences, as well as orchestral versions of songs and Broadway show tunes. He made numerous recordings over the course of his career, which had sales of over 50 million and became staples of Beautiful Music radio stations.[citation needed] For many years, Kostelanetz also conducted the New York Philharmonic in pops concerts and recordings, in which they were billed as "Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra".
Kostelanetz is best known to modern audiences for a series of easy listening instrumental albums on Columbia Records from the 1940s until 1980. Kostelanetz actually started making this music before there was a genre called "easy listening", and he continued until after some of his contemporaries, including Mantovani, had stopped recording.
Toward the end of his recording career, his name was more of a brand than a true representation of who actually made the music, because nearly all of his output in the 1970s was arranged by others.[citation needed] Some of the arrangers credited on 1970s Kostelanetz albums include Teo Macero, Torrie Zito, Hank Levy, Luther Henderson, Jack Cortner, Eddie Sauter, Claus Ogerman, Jack Pleis, Tommy Newsom, Harold Wheeler, Bobby Scott, Homer Dennison, James Tyler, Jr., Byron Olson, Dale Oehler, Ben Lanzarone, LaMont Johnson, Wade Marcus, Patrick Williams, Sammy Nestico, Warren Vincent, Dick Hyman, Jorge Calandrelli, James J. Wisner, Al Capps and Don Sebesky.
Kostelanetz's last concert was "A Night in Old Vienna" concert with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in the War Memorial Opera House on December 31, 1979.
Strangers in the Night
Andre Kostelanetz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Exchanging glances
Wandering the night,
What were the chances
We'd be sharing love
Before the night was through
Something in your eyes
Something in your smile
Was so exciting
Something in my heart
Told me I must have you
Strangers in the night
Two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment
When we said our first hello
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away
A warm embracing dance away
And ever since that night
We've been together
Lovers at first sight
In love forever
It turned out so right
Strangers in the night
Two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment
When we said our first hello
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away
A warm embracing dance away
For strangers in the night.
In Andre Kostelanetz's song, "Strangers in the Night," the lyrics recount a chance meeting between two strangers who share a mutual attraction. The lyrics describe the uncertainty and spontaneity of the meeting, with the two individuals simply exchanging glances and wandering through the night. Despite their unfamiliarity, something about the other person draws them together, and they end up sharing love before the night ends. The song suggests that love can happen unexpectedly, and it celebrates the beauty of two people finding each other in the midst of a world full of strangers.
The lyrics of "Strangers in the Night" also highlight the power of nonverbal communication. The two strangers are able to connect through a glance and a smile, and even though they don't know each other's names or backgrounds, they are drawn to each other through a combination of physical attraction and instinct. The song suggests that these kinds of connections can be meaningful and powerful, even if they aren't rational or logical.
Line by Line Meaning
Strangers in the night,
Two unknown people crossing paths in the dark,
Exchanging glances
Looking at each other intently and curiously,
Wandering the night,
Roaming aimlessly when most people are asleep,
What were the chances
How likely was it that they would meet at that exact moment,
We'd be sharing love
Finding a connection and love between two strangers,
Before the night was through
Before the night reached its conclusion.
Something in your eyes
Your gaze revealed more than words could ever convey,
Was so inviting
Welcoming and warming me to your presence,
Something in your smile
Your smile was so captivating and enchanting,
Was so exciting
It awakened a spark that was dormant within me,
Something in my heart
A feeling deep within my heart that could not be ignored,
Told me I must have you
That I couldn't live without your presence and company.
Two lonely people
Two individuals without companionship,
Up to the moment
Until the instant when we spoke our first words,
When we said our first hello
The first verbal acknowledgement of each other's presence,
Little did we know
We couldn't possibly have foreseen what was about to happen,
Love was just a glance away
Love was only a momentary, fleeting glance away,
A warm embracing dance away
The way that love would enter our lives would be a warm, intimate embrace,
And ever since that night
From that moment of our first encounter,
We've been together
We've been inseparable, united as one,
Lovers at first sight
We fell in love with each other instantly,
In love forever
Our love has only grown stronger and has persisted over time.
It turned out so right
Our love was a perfect match, and everything worked out for the best.
For strangers in the night.
Two individuals unknown to each other, experiencing the magic of the night that brought them together.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton, Eddie Snyder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Francisco José Araújo Costa
on Solitude
André Kostelanetz e sua música é uma raridade inesquecível no universo da música.