Friday, October 26, 2007

Reason Enough for Anglophobia

Anthony Van Dyck's, James Stuart, Duke of Richmond and Lennox, 1637
Charles I, 1635
George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol, 1638-39

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Copland, Cop Land, Kapell



I generally don't like much of Copland's music--though I haven't heard much of it, except in Spike Lee movies and the like--but the Piano Sonata (1941) is a great piece. HERE is a live recording made by the died-too-soon William Kapell at the Frick Collection in 1953. Also on the disk is Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, most memorable in Ravel's orchestration, or as an Emerson Lake and Palmer live album, or a Tomita album, or as the intro to Method Man's Tical. I've never seen Cop Land.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Dumb Japanese Doodles





Sengai Gibon (1750-1837) was a contemporary of Antonio Salieri (1750-1825).

Friday, June 08, 2007

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Uchida on Schoenberg


An illuminating discussion of some difficult 12-Tone music. Also, for the three people who look at this, below is an album with Uchida playing several Second Viennese School classics, including the Concerto for Piano in the clip, with Boulez keeping time instead of Tate. The disc also has some solo piano music by Schoenberg, Webern, and a Berg sonata that I've never really enjoyed.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vefq3m

U.S.S.R.ichter






Sviatolslav Richter

Friday, May 25, 2007

Monday, May 14, 2007

Initially I was mad, but then I thought it was really good




This one is a parody of a Beethoven Sonata.

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Ambergris


A cute story about ambergris . Also this.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Monday, April 16, 2007