Another repeat performance, with the one major difference being a different pianist this time: Van Cliburn performs on Day 57 instead of Arthur Rubinstein playing on Day 14. Either way, I think of Eric Carmen’s 1975 hit “All By Myself” whenever I hear Movement II (“Adagio sostenuto”). So what am I supposed to be thinking … [Read more…]
It’s funny how a person associated with someone negative can taint the person. Sort of like the old saying, “one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.” When it comes to Richard Wagner (1813-1883), his antisemitism and, later, musical appropriation by Hitler sort of taints everything for me. Whereas some of these composers made me … [Read more…]
Today brings another musical discovery for me. I’d never heard of Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) before this morning. Therefore, I’d never heard of these two compositions – Pines of Rome and Fountains of Rome – either. But I’m hearing one of them (Pines of Rome) as I type these words. And it’s not bad. Not generally, … [Read more…]
Ahhh. This is more like it. Not even Van Morrison’s unique voice (also an acquired taste) could rattle me as I walked into the bagel-and-coffee restaurant this morning to purchase my usual Asiago bagel (toasted twice!) with plain cream cheese and a mug of Light Roast coffee. (It’s so usual that the person at the … [Read more…]
Now this is more like it: Beethoven. I’m a huge fan of Ludwig’s. In fact, my top three Classical composers are Bruckner, Beethoven, and Mozart – in that order. (Or, maybe Ludwig and Anton are tied for first. I can’t tell. Both offer some of the greatest music I’ve ever heard in my life.) Whatever. … [Read more…]
On this rainy, muggy Thursday morning in July, I’m at my usual spot at the local eatery – the one that features god-awful music, Light Roast coffee, and an Asiago Bagel (toasted twice!) with plain cream cheese – this time listening to Antonín Dvořák New World Symphony. It’s not bad. All of it. Even the … [Read more…]
I admit it: I don’t get Bartok. Oh, I can read who he was and what he accomplished. And I, like many others, am impressed by his credentials. In fact, to be honest, I just learned from his entry on Wikipedia things about him that I didn’t know: Béla Viktor János Bartók; 25 March 1881 … [Read more…]