Serena Lullia, , 26,11/09
PORTO CERVO. Il Consorzio  firma un viaggio nella Gallura d’autunno, un percorso guidato dai sensi e scandito dalla musica classica. Prende il via domenica il primo appuntamento di “Autunno in cantina”. La rassegna prevede visite e degustazioni nei templi galluresi del vino sulle note di Vivaldi, Schubert e Bach. Ma anche lezioni di arte culinaria, passeggiate a cavallo, escursioni con il trenino verde. Il condominio custode del mito di Porto Cervo, insieme con la Provincia, propone a residenti e turisti un nuovo modo di conoscere la Gallura.

«Nel nostro territorio abbiamo un concreto prodotto turistico alternativo – spiega il direttore del Consorzio Costa Smeralda, Salvo Manca -. Abbiamo delle cantine che producono vini di eccellenza, una natura che può essere apprezzata e vissuta con una viaggio in treno, una passeggiata a cavallo. Noi vogliamo offrire queste eccellenze in una cornice che evoca la Costa Smeralda, cioè l’eccellenza. Si tratta di un primo concreto esperimento che dà seguito allo slogan coniato dal nostro presidente Renzo Persico, più Costa Smeralda in Sardegna, più Sardegna in Costa Smeralda. Credo che i tempi siano maturi per destagionalizzare il turismo nella nostra isola».

La Provincia ha subito sposato l’iniziativa del Consorzio. «La strada giusta per creare l’altra stagione è mettere insieme le diverse sensibilità che compongono il turismo - ha detto il vice presidente Antonio Satta -, cultura, enogastronomia, spettacoli».

Un concetto ribadito dalla presidente . «Credo che nel tempo abbiamo creato quelle sensibilità che oggi ci permettono di dire che stiamo praticando concretamente la destagionalizzazione».

Tante le iniziative che ruotano intorno all’Autunno in cantina. «Sarà possibile seguire dei corsi di cucina alla scoperta delle migliori ricette della Gallura - spiega Alessandro Carta, direttore della rassegna -. Ma anche escursioni con il trenino verde, passeggiate a cavallo e lezioni di equitazione a prezzi da bassa stagione, lezioni di golf, visite ai siti archeologici. In più le visite nelle cantine dei week end saranno accompagnate dai concerti di musica classica, un modo per avvicinare la musica nobile alla gente». Un pacchetto di eccellenze con cui la Costa Smeralda va a caccia di nuovi estimatori.

«Con la competizione globale si combatte sul prezzo – aggiunge Manuela Rafaiani, responsabile della comunicazione di Colony Capital -. Noi non lo possiamo e non lo vogliamo fare. Preferiamo basare la nostra competizione sull’identità. La Costa Smeralda è bellissima, ma lo è perché inserita nella Gallura. Sono certa che questo territorio possa essere apprezzato tutto l’anno. Bisogna però creare anche delle sinergie con i vettori aerei, in particolare Meridiana, per offrire tariffe a basso costo. Un aiuto prezioso per la Gallura che ha l’esigenza di attrarre persone anche nei mesi autunnali e invernali».

Juilliard recently got a face lift, and while for the past two years I was rather against seeing my beloved Juilliard Plaza go, now I must say I kinda like it. The new building looks very chic, and when a little bird told me of a (free) cello studio recital there last Friday, I decided to go check it out. Getting to Morse Hall was pretty easy. It is a cozy little recital space, but Bonnie Hampton’s ten cellists made it epic.

The program ranged from baroque to modernism. The most enjoyable part of the concert was to see how 10 cellos interact, and how they vary piece to piece. The first half of the program had all ten students on stage and opened with a  beautiful Bach Chorale “An Wasserflüssen Babylon.” The harmonies of the chorale contrasted with the conversation in “Hymn to Saint Cecilia” by Colin Hampton, the second piece.

Next came a series of ten preludes for the solo cello composed by Sofia Gubaidulina. Watching this was pretty much an earth-shattering experience. There was a prelude titled “Ricochet” in which the cellist actually hit her bow against the cello strings and let it bounce. Another prelude had the cellist plucking with her fingering hand (imagine the force!), only occasionally rubbing the strings with her index finger wrapped in paper instead of using a bow. While not all of the preludes were this innovative, they still offered some new perspectives on the cello.

The first half concluded with Villa-Lobos’ “Fugue (Conversa),” which was probably my favorite piece. Aside from being a conversation between cellos, there were parts of it when the cellists looked like they were all dancing together.

The second half of the program was three cello quartets playing chamber music. It was pretty interesting that all pieces were originally written for the violin, but then arranged for cello quartets by Laszlo Varga. The students performed Vivaldi’s Concerto Grosso in D Minor, Op. 3, No. 11, Bartok’s Hungarian Peasant Songs, and Bach’s Chaconne in D minor, BWV 1004. Of these, I enjoyed the arrangement for the Chaconne the most. The lush harmonies of the cello quartet arrangement create a moodier tone than in the violin solo. If you ever come across any of Varga’s cello arrangements, based on the ones from the recital, I highly recommend you listen to them.

All in all, the concert was fun, especially since it was free. Juilliard offers more free events in dance, theater, and music, and you can check them out here.

***

Ayo Alston-Moore, CC ‘11

While some writers need absolute silence to write, I need music to get the creative juices following. Here’s my top 10 albums for writing:

10. Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D

I love this piece of music. It is the musical equivalent of the Roman virtue of gravitas – dignified and solemn. How I wish I could achieve the same goosebumpyness in my writing! Bonus fact: “Beethoven didn’t finish the music until the last minute.” (gee, I wonder what that feels like…)

9. Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony

Schubert’s music is great for writing: triumphant in some moments, spooky in others. Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony even sounds like a film soundtrack. And the fact that it is an unfinished masterpiece is comforting for people like me whose hard drive is cluttered with false starts.

8. Bach’s Goldberg Variations

Wistful and lovely. Very soothing. The BBC describes the variations as taking one from the “sublime to delightfully silly.” I am a fan of the piano version, which you may recognize as the music that Hannibal Lecter air conducts in Silence of the Lambs.

7. Phillip Glass: Notes on a Scandal (Soundtrack)

I love Philip Glass’s soundtracks, and this is one of the best. Lots of intense oboes and clarinets that reflect the psychological complexity of the film. It helps me get into the heads of characters and reminds me how good intentions can go awry.

6. Vivaldi’s Violin Concertos

These short pieces for violin are a wonderful alternative for those suffering Four-Seasons-fatigue. Like a good sentence, the orchestration is crisp and precise. I often feel inspired to take different directions while listening to the taunting violins.

5. Beethoven’s Symphony No 5
This is the dur-dur-dur-dur one. Someone once said, and it might have been Niki Gemmell, that you should write as if you were dying. The dur-dur-dur-dur is Fate, knocking on Beethoven’s door, waking him from sleep. Motivating stuff if one has a deadline.

4. Mozart’s Requiem

From the pounding Rex Tremendae to sweeping sadness of Lacrymosa, Mozart’s Requiem takes me outside of myself for a while, which is ideal for the creative process.

3. James Horner: Titanic Soundtrack.

Go on. Have your snicker. Titanic is very goofy and a little familiar but I find it invaluable for creating suspense and drama. In the early stages of a manuscript, it is a time for fun and being uncritical, although you have my permission to skip the Celine Dion track.

2. Phillip Glass: The Hours Soundtrack

Like Notes on a Scandal, the sharp, repetitive themes of The Hours help me enter the interior life of the characters, even characters I thought as being minor or unlikeable. Both movies were based on books, which might explain the complex moods of the music.

And the best music for writing ever is….

1. James Horner: A Beautiful Mind Soundtrack

Whoa. I love this soundtrack – and I’ve never even seen the film! Never heard anything quite as haunting, and it always gets me in the mood for writing marathons. Don’t think there is much more I can say about how much I love it!

Warning:

NEVER listen to music while re-reading and editing. In movies, even theworst dialogue feels poignant if accompanied by beautiful music. To spot bloopers, cliches, and typos, the text must be read in unforgiving silence. (I learned this the hard way when a mediocre short story felt more wonderful than it really was.)

What do you write to? Nothing? What’s your favorite? What have I missed?

Playlist Facebook :Mafalda B. de Bettencourt

I bought some DVD’s the other day. One of them was the 1979 movie All That Jazz, directed by Bob Fosse (Sweet Charity, Cabaret, Lenny). The movie is Fosse’s semi-autobiographical story about a director/choreographer/dancer’s life and career. The film was inspired by a period from Fosse’s life, when he tried to edit his film “Lenny” while staging his 1975 Broadway musical “Chicago”. It’s the story of Joe Gideon, a chain-smoking, workaholic choreographer and theater director who sleeps with all of his dancers. He wakes up everyday with Vivaldi blasting through his cassette player. He has his daily dose of Visine, Alka-Seltzer and Dexedrine and heads to work. His lavish lifestyle is taking him to an early grave, and even though his daughter and ex-wife try to pull him back from the brink, it seems to be too late. Gideon is already flirting with the angel of death, played by Jessica Lange. His condition gets worse and is admitted to a hospital with a severe case of angina. Gideon is bedridden, but it doesn’t stop the cigarettes, women or champagne from flowing. Gideon is playing with death until a massive coronary stops everything. The backers for the broadway play that Gideon is directing have to decide what to do with the production. They realize that the only way they could make a profit with the play is if Gideon were to die and they could cash the million dollar insurance.

All That Jazz is a 1979 American musical film directed by Bob Fosse. The screenplay by Robert Alan Aurthur and Fosse is a semi-autobiographical fantasy based on aspects of the dancer, choreographer, and director's life and career. The film was inspired by Fosse's manic effort to edit his film Lenny while simultaneously staging his 1975 Broadway musical Chicago.

I love musicals. That didn’t sound right… I like musicals that are good. Some are not, and I don’t like them at all. My wife thinks I’m completely gay for watching musicals. I think it’s a genre like any other, and a movie isn’t judged buy its genre, but whether it is good or not. All That Jazz featured an amazing performance from Roy Scheider, great dance scenes, cool 70’s camerawork and… –Well, I can’t think of anything at the moment, but overall a great movie. My rating is a solid 3 out of 5 stars. Maybe even 4 stars. Two thumbs up, if that’s any easier to interpret. Let’s call it 7/10 points and a must see for anyone who likes Roy Scheider or musicals.

Gestern Abend im Prinzregententheater, als eine brillante Truppe von Studenten der Hochschule für Musik und Theater Vivaldis im Jahre 1727 uraufgeführte Oper vorstellte, habe ich mich manchmal gefragt, warum ich eigentlich noch in die Münchner Staatsoper gehe und mich dort über durchgeknallte Theatermacher und arrogante Soundtrack Lieferanten ärgern soll. Im Prinzregententheater musizierte unter der Leitung von Michael Hofstetter die  Hofkapelle München passioniert, auf der Bühne sangen und spielten junge Sänger und Sängerinnen, die, allen voran der Countertenor  Valer Barner-Sabadus in der Titelrolle,  wohl so ziemlich alle bald zur Spitzenklasse gehören dürften. Als interessierte Dilettantin maße ich mir kein Urteil an. Ich kann nur sagen, dass es nichts gab, worüber man sich ärgern konnte. Es wurde einfach schön und brillant gesungen und musiziert, und ein voller Saal feierte zu Recht alle Mitwirkenden. Zur Inszenierung, die wohl mit einem äußerst sparsamen Budget auskommen musste, ist nicht viel zu sagen. Regisseur und Ausstatter begnügen sich mit einem über den Orchestergraben führenden Laufsteg und einem mehrstöckigen Gerüst, das an eine schwarze Wand montiert ist. Auf diesem Gerüst klettert man dann halt ständig herum und übt sich immer wieder Metatheatergags. Da tritt zum Beispiel Astolfo aus seiner Rolle heraus und mimt den Theaterdirektor, der dem Publikum den Ort des jeweiligen Geschehens beschreibt. Da beobachten die gerade nicht aktiven Darsteller  als Zuschauer ihre gerade agierenden Mitspieler. Leider trägt die Regie zur Verdeutlichung der schon etwas wirren Handlung wenig bei. Wer die Dreiecksgeschichte von Orlando, Angelica und Medoro und die Liebesgeschichte zwischen Ruggiero und Alcina nicht aus der Literatur oder aus der Oper kennt, hat gewisse Schwierigkeiten, der Handlung zu folgen. Zur Verwirrung trägt noch bei, dass die weiblichen Rollen doppelt besetzt sind  und dass, wenn ich das richtig begriffen habe, abwechselnd gesungen wird. Doch ich will nicht an der Regie herummäkeln. Im Prinzregententheater – das sage ich noch einmal – wurde am gestrigen Abend einfach wunderschön gesungen und musiziert, und die paar Defizite in der Inszenierung sind da nur eine quantité negligeable. Wir sahen die Vorstellung am 18. November. Die Premiere war am 9. November 2009.

L’associazione O.M.E.G.A Musica, presenta un concerto nella serata di sabato 21 novembre alle ore 21.00 al Teatro Dante per il ciclo “Autunno al Dante“. Il concerto si basa sulle Stagioni di A. Vivaldi e su una Serenata Notturna K239 di Mozart, con un violino solista dei più talentuosi musicisti del momento, Massimo Nesi, spalla dell’ orchestra e vicepresidente dell’associazione con sede ai Campi Bisenzio. Un fiore all’occhiello veramente da non perdere per tutti i campigiani.

Bon, j’aurai pu parler de l’agréable répétition de jeudi passé avec Miss C (pour ne pas la confondre avec Mad’n'madow, anciennement mamzelle C) et Môssieur J. J’aurai aussi pu parler du cours que j’ai donné à la petite M samedi qui passait et qui m’a demandé avec un regard suppliant de venir l’écouter jouer jeudi 19 à son audition. J’aurai aussi pu parler de l’exposé sur Lachenmann que Miss G et moi avons présenté et qui a, apparemment été apprécié… J’aurai pu. Et d’ailleurs j’aurai peut être dû… mais, non.

Comme toujours je stagne sur un problème idiot qui fait que je perds de ma bonne humeur naturelle (… j’en connais plusieurs qui seraient mort de rire en lisant ceci). Je suis trop crispée avec Alexandre-Raymond… J’ai enchainé mon fameux concerto de vivaldi… bon je le joue très lentement… trop lentement même (il est à peine à 84… je suis censée le faire à 104…) et mon prof me trouve trop crispée. J’ai les doigts qui ne sont pas assez souples, ce qui est problématique puisque du coup ce sont eux qui m’empêchent d’aller plus vite… Dans le fond, le morceau je le connais, je pourrais réécrire la partition pratiquement, à force de le voir, et puis j’ai réglé les problèmes de rythme, de mise en place, mais mes doigts fonctionnent comme une machine rouillée… et du coup je suis en retard et je ne sais pas prendre un bon tempo…
En plus comme je suis trop crispée, je ne prends pas mes respirations comme il faut… J’ai tendance à un peu trop stagner l’air dans le haut… En gros je respire avec les “épaules” et non avec mon “ventre”… ce qui en soit et une grosse erreur de débutant, c’est quand même dans les premières années qu’on apprend à respirer comme il faut…
Du coup ça se ressent sur le style aussi, puisque je n’arrive pas à respirer comme il faut je m’essoufle vite,et du coup je casse un peu les phrases, et je manque de vitalité, ça manque de légéreté, c’est trop lourd… Et je force sur l’instrument ce qui rend la chose encore plus affreuses…
Pour faire simple je joue de façon torturée et torturante… Et pourtant, je bosse, je fais des efforts… mais je ne sais pas pourquoi, je me sens comme paniquée devant les gens, enfin surtout les personnes plus agées, ou plus douées, ou plus homologuées… plus quelque chose quoi… enfin je suppose… mais ce doit être une mausaive suggestion.

Quoiqu’il en soit je suis, du coup, encore une fois insatisfaite du travail que j’ai fourni et de ce que j’ai présenté… J’pensais que le fait de bosser et de bien connaître ma partie m’aiderait , alors certes ça m’aide, je suis quand même moins crispée sur les passages difficiles mais… j’vais quand même en cours des noeuds dans l’estomac et je suis toujours aussi mal à l’aise quand je joue… (d’ailleurs, j’ai remarqué que cette aprés-midi, quand j’ai bossé toute seule, j’me sentais aussi tendue…).

En bref, j’ai l’impression de tourner en rond avec ce problème. Et du coup, j’me demande où j’vais finir avec ce pauv’e basson qui est le mien.  C’est vrai c’est comme si j’étais inadaptée à sa pratique. C’est quand même tragique…

Enfin, je suppose que comme d’habitude cela doit venir d’un gros complexe de nullité qui veille en moi et qui attend le jour d’être exorcisé… enfin j’espère.

En plus de ça, j’ai encore une fois mal au dos. Du coup il est un peu dur à supporter physiquement, à moins de jouer assise. J’ai fait un faux mouvement durant la nuit apparemment, et du coup ça me tire dans tout le dos quand je suis debout, et c’est douloureux quand je me lève ou que je m’assois..mais bon, je survivrai, pas comme si c’était la première fois que mon dos me fait mal…

Ah, et niveau confiance en soi ébranlé. L’auto-école me réclame bien 88€ pour le code vu que j’ai dépassé leur forfait de 3 mois. Je suis bien écoeurée… surtout que je stagne toujours entre 30 et 35 points à leurs examens blancs… Je suis particuliérement déçue, et j’me demande si j’y arriverai un jour… d’un autre côtè, je connais, vu le nombre de gens qu’ils l’ont dans mes connaissances plus ou moins farfelues, intelligentes et aimées, j’arrive à me dire que partir défaitiste c’est vraiment la loose là dessus… Je l’aurai, ce qu’il y a c’est qu’il faut que j’arrive à aller plus souvent à leurs examens blancs.

Bref, tout ça pour dire que j’aurai pu parler de choses qui m’ont redonné un peu le sourire ces temps ci mais que ça, ça avait besoin de sortir plus que le reste… et puis parce que, quand j’en parle à mon entourage plus ou moins proche, enfin disons, les amis intimes, ils ne comprennent pas vraiment le problème sauf pour l’auto-école, et quand j’en parle avec d’autres un peu moins intimes et qui font de la musique, … ben, rien… sauf pour l’auto-école. Faudrait que j’en parle à d’autres personnes, qui pourront sans doute m’éclairer un peu plus mais… (ça va paraître con…) je n’ose pas. 

1. Jason Wu will collab with Yue [Stylelist]

2. Save Luella! [Fashionista]

3. Emanuel Ungaro has dug his own grave. The label was just dropped by Neiman Marcus and Net-A-Porter. Outside of his own stores and Vivaldi, the label cannot be found. By this rate Ungaro will turn into a novelty item. [Style.com]

4. Rumor has it Ashley Simpson may be on Vogue. But, that’s not why she appears in retail news. She’s aiming high with preppy-punk designs brought to you by the ex-Melrose Place actress – sign of a girl with too much time on her hands. [Hollyscoop]

5. Despite losses in Q1 and Q2, Bulgari sees $10 million Q3 profits. Oh joy! [WWD]

6. Zero+Maria Cornejo will debut a full menswear collection for the spring. [Racked]

7. It’s time to rack up the flights to Finland. Trade in your Finnair airline frequent-flier miles for plastic surgery. Your eyes aren’t decieving you. We said plastic surgery. [Allure]

Justin

Chris

Joel

Ashley

Eccovi una piccola selezione di celebri pezzi di musica classica eseguita su strumenti poco ortodossi.

“Preludio in Mi maggiore” di Bach eseguito su mandolino:

Il presto dall’ “Estate” di Vivaldi eseguito su fisarmonica:

“Toccata e fuga in Re minore” di Bach eseguita su bicchieri:

E, per finire, la leggendaria Clara Rockmore ne “Il Cigno” di  Saint-Saëns eseguito su pianoforte e theremin:

Mientras reviso desordenadamente algunos de los títulos que el Prete Rosso compusiera principalmente para la escena veneciana y selecciono una que otra aria para traspasarla a mi iPod (nada mejor que caminar por la ciudad con música de Vivaldi como telón de fondo), no es otra la sensación que me queda luego de repasar mi compilación final que la de una gratísima impresión y un buen gusto que seguro no se desvanecerá tan a la ligera. Si bien uno puede acercarse parcialmente a este repertorio a través de los numerosos recitales de arias en disco que están disponibles en el mercado especializado, sin duda alguna la mejor opción es prestar la debida atención a la sorprendente iniciativa del Istituto per i Beni Musicali in Piemonte, fundado y presidido por el prestigioso musicólogo Alberto Basso, cuyo proyecto, entre otros, es la edición discográfica con los correspondientes criterios historicistas de las casi 450 composiciones repartidas en los 27 tomos de páginas manuscritas que tan celosamente custodiara la Biblioteca Nacional Universitaria de Torino, colección correspondiente a la biblioteca privada de partituras que Vivaldi tenía en su poder en 1741, año de su muerte, y adquiridas por la biblioteca italiana en 1930, donde actualmente se conservan. El sello francés Naïve, en el marco de la Vivaldi Edition, es el encargado de presentarnos, desde el año 2000 y en un trabajo en curso, la totalidad de la colección en algo así como 120 discos y entre los que deberían figurar unos trecientos conciertos para uno o más instrumentos solistas, cuerdas y continuo, sesenta creaciones de música sacra, quince salmos, una docena de motetes, tres serenatas de largo aliento, una treintena de cantatas y cerca de una veintena de obras teatrales de un total de 49 libretos de ópera que con certeza se sabe que Vivaldi musicalizara desde 1713 a 1738, hecho que lo convierte, a lado de Alessandro Scarlatti, como el compositor más fecundo de su época. (En una carta dirigida al Marqués Guido Bentivoglio, su protector ferrarés, Vivaldi asegura haber escrito… 94 óperas!). Ya disponemos de La verità in cimento, Tito Manlio, Griselda, Orlando furioso y Orlando finto pazzo, títulos que en ciertos casos no habían sido escuchados desde el mismo siglo XVIII. Algunos están muy bien registrados, los menos, hay que reconocerlo, y otros pecan más de un excesivo entusiasmo que de una acertada lectura y dan paso a un mero espectáculo circense/editorial, perfecto escenario para un superficial festival de pirotecnia instrumental y vocal, incluso para la deleznable práctica de la mutilación musical; hay voces buenas -algunas muy buenas- y muchas otras tantas para el olvido; batutas atentas y teatrales, otras, curiosamente las más publicitadas, muy poco serias y preparadas. Creo que lo más logrado es La Fida Ninfa (lo mejor de Jean- Christophe Spinosi, por lejos, aunque es más el mérito del fabuloso elenco de cantantes que del director mismo), L’Olimpiade (Rinaldo Alessandrini) y Atenaide (Federico Maria Sardelli, que si todo marcha según lo planeado, el próximo año lo podremos ver dirigir un estreno absoluto en Chile). Farnace pudo haber sido seguramente uno de los puntos altos de esta serie, pero se optó (por lo menos esa es la versión que se incluyó como “extra” en la caja que recopila los seis primeros títulos de ópera editados por la casa francesa) por la reedición del insufrible registro en vivo que se hiciera de la lectura de Jordi Savall en el Teatro de la Zarzuela de Madrid (Alia Vox, 2001) y nos perdimos la oportunidad de disfrutar, según aún se lee en los medios especializados, del criterioso trabajo del bueno de Alessandro de Marchi. Dentro de los próximos años y como ya se anuncia, debería aparecer en el mercado discográfico Ottone in Villa, Arsilda, Regina di Ponto, Armida al campo d’Egitto, Teuzzone y Farnace (?). Complejos libretos, algunos más logrados que otros; ligeras y breves sinfonías con la tripartita estructura de un concierto barroco; pasajes vocales con coloraturas endemoniadas y frases “cantabiles” de una conmovedora introspección, es el personal e inconfundible lenguaje musical del virtuoso violinista veneciano. Fuente inagotable de arias de una belleza sobrecogedora, si me hacen elegir, yo me quedo sin dudarlo con solamente uno de estos títulos antes que la obra completa del más entusiasta y prolífico creador decimonónico. Para mí, Vivaldi, junto con Handel –por supuesto- y Lully, es con diferencia uno de los más grandes creadores de óperas de todos los tiempos.

This is one of the 10 pieces included in “Gioconda’s smile“, written by the Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis. It is considered one of the classic albums of 20th century music in Greece.
The album was recorded in New York in 1965, with Quincy Jones as producer. It was first released in USA in 1965 with twelve orchestral songs, and that same year in Greece, but “The Athletes” and “The Soldier” were not included. The album was re-released in 2004, as part of the EMI Classics series.

The piece is based on a theme from Vivaldi. As the composer himself writes in the album:

In the course of a New York City parade, amidst bursts of music and colours and 5th Avenue flooded with people, I found myself one Sunday afternoon in the autumn of 1963. Then and there, I met a little woman walking all alone with a desperate indifference to what was happening around her; nobody noticed her, she noticed nobody; she was desolately alone in the unknown crowd shoving her, passing her by, heedless and hostile, leaving her to drown in the deep flood of the Avenue, inside that sea she was following, inside the wind beginning to blow.

I was riveted there, the only human being who noticed her. I tried to trail after her and follow her till I could get close enough to talk to her, without my knowing what I would say to her; but by the time I ‘d made up my mind, I’d lost sight of her. I ran a little way ahead, stood on tiptoe in hopes of catching sight of her again, but the big black sea of people had swallowed her up. Inside me something started throbbing painfully. Without realising it, I’d come to a stop outside Rizzoli’s Bookshop and in the display window, exactly facing me, was a book about da Vinci with the Gioconda on the cover. Incredibly enigmatic, she smiled to me, automatically enlarged to the size of the woman who’d just disappeared down the street.

I don’t know why all these elements became strangely tangled inside myself, together with an exquisite motif by Vivaldi, which I had heard several days before this and which had continued ever since plaguing my memory tyranically.

Taylor

Bo

Ashley

Adam

This is a tiny, tiny sample of what is going on with Magdalena right now: singing Vivaldi all around the world..

Vivaldi no compuso 400 conciertos, compuso 400 veces el mismo concierto.

Igor Stravinski polemizando, una vez más, sobre la música y los músicos.

Greci Gitarre

Will man als Gitarrist z.B. mit einem Kammerorchester spielen, hat man das  Problem, dass die Gitarre im Vergleich mit anderen Instrumenten zu leise ist. Immer wieder gab es Gitarrenbauer die “laute” Gitarren konstruiert haben (z.B. Ramirez). Die Greci Gitarre ist ein neuer Versuch eine “laute” Gitarre zu bauen. Laut Messungen soll sie doppelt so laut sein, wie eine normale Gitarre. Ob das wohl an den zwei Schallöchern liegt? Die Aufnahmen des Vivaldi Concerto’s RV 93 sind akustisch und musikalisch nicht gerade überzeugend.

I’m listening to Vivaldi’s Gloria at this present time (on Spotify), because we might be doing it with choir after Christmas, unless anyone (of the choir) protests. I’m very sure I’ve sung it before, but I just can’t remember when. I’m sure it was fairly recently, but I’ve tried to look up when I think it was on the interweb and no luck. Maybe I’m misremembering, but it sounds so familiar and the feeling of knowing specific bits very well because they’re difficult and we had to practise them a lot is very strong. Weird. I’ve even looked on this and my old blog to see if I wrote about it and I didn’t. The only thing to do now is to ask my mum, as I’m pretty sure she would have been singing it too, if I was.

Anyway, I hope we do start rehearsing it after Christmas – it will be a good challenge. Despite our early fears, everyone who stuck with it really enjoyed doing Carmen in the end. Apparently (according to the choir master) the Gloria is easier than Carmen. Despite the fact that Carmen was quite difficult I’m not sure I believe him!

OK, ich glaube, ich weiß mittlerweile wie ich da “epochentechnisch” zuordnen muss, zumindest grob, aber auch das darf gerne als Fortschritt gewertet werden.

Und von ungefähr kommt das Interesse an einer solchen Zuordnung auch nicht, eher von dem Genuss von ein wenig älterer, aber keineswegs betagter Musik. Also Vivaldi, Wagner, Chopin und Konsorten, kreuz und quer auf Youtube, weil die gewünschte Musik natürlich nicht zur Hand ist, irgendwie…wie immer. Die Überraschungen, die auftraten, als ich noch klasse Musik in der CD-Sammlung meiner Eltern gefunden habe, werden immer seltener erlebt.

Aber vielleicht auch schlicht ‘ne Sache der Faulheit, wer weiß?

Die Nuss