CDs listened to today:
CDs listened to today:
CDs Listened to today:
CDs listened to today:
CDs listened to today:
I spent the entire day in one motor vehicle or another, the price you pay for bicycle touring...
After a van ride from Cedar City to St. George, I jumped in my car and drove to Denver--a toll worth paying after a great week on the bike. While motoring through the Utah desert, I even got to speak to T for the first time after a long web flirtation (it went well!).
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Following up!
My, um, entire readership (you know who you are) has been asking, what about the hotel charges from my visit to Vancouver/Portland? The story is that the hotel processed my bank card for the wrong amount--charging me for only one night instead of five. Well, karma didn't work for me and I wound up getting charged for the full amount after I pointed the matter out. Oh well, at least I'm not dishonest on that one!
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CD review time already?
William Schuman's Symphony No. 10, conducted by Gerard Schwarz, is part of a phase I went through a while back when I realized I didn't have all the Schuman works I wanted. In my haste to get all his symphonies, I marked my Amazon.com wish list with a couple of CDs I actually didn't really need. This is one of them. A girlfriend bought this before I realized it contained only the 7th and 10th symphonies--and I already had recordings of both. Hence, I mark this by the conductor to distinguish from the 10th symphony disk conducted by Leonard Slatkin. There are worse things than having two performances on separate recordings when it comes to Schuman symphonies.
The 7th symphony shows Mr. Schuman's characteristic style of dense, slow-moving, dark harmonies, but it's less monumental in feeling and the leavening of folk-melody elements actually give the work a light-footed feel that's not only unusual for William Schuman, but very pleasant. The 10th symphony, subtitled "American Muse" is a self-consciously "major work". Again, it's huge and filled with thick, tense harmonies, but the structure is clearer than the 7th, helping things move along, despite clocking in at over a half-hour. Oddly, despite the title, the folk melodies aren't as pronounced as the 7th, but the pleasures of this work come from broader themes embedded in Mr. Schuman's typically rich writing.
Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony once again show that their long relationship recording American composers is a boon to all of us interested in the topic. It's a shame that musicians like William Schuman, Howard Hanson, and Walter Piston (among others) don't get a better hearing, especially with exemplary recordings like these.
8 out of 10
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Let's talk about what's new in the pop music spotlight.
There are a lot of new songs again this week and I thought the crop was weaker than usual until I started writing this. It's actually a mixed bag!
I think there should be a Wikipedia article about me.
So I've written one that I'll try to get published soon, just going to tweak it a bit. Here's the early draft (some parts of this are actually true...):
Gavin: Inventor of Silly String, Most Handsome Man Alive, Legend.CDs listened to today:
Gavin lives in central Denver. Quietly employed in the telecommunications industry, he still finds time to rescue dolphins, publish a brilliant blog, and lead an opera company while serving as artistic director for two internationally-known orchestras.
Born in New England, Gavin came to the world on a spring day of great note. Tales of the day indicate a rainbow appeared in clear skies and flocks of songbirds came to the hospital to greet the momentous birth.
A brilliant student and talented young musician, Gavin studied the trombone and tuba. While he was an undisciplined student, he achieved a B.A. in Philosophy while making the dean's list eight straight times.
He then began a legendary series of exploits that are the core of his fame:Gavin has been the recipient of numerous awards. The most notable include:
- Conquest of Canada: He conquered Canada twice, returning the nation's territory to its people the first time after learning that Canadians frequently eat a kind of fern called a "fiddlehead" and the second time after a fit of boredom brought on by a visit to Nunavut.
- Discovery of the Hidden Secrets of Failed Brownies: The key discovery is that brownies have moral standards and are sensitive to the moral failings of the baker. He also discovered that certain techniques make the brownies increasingly sensitive to the moral peccadilloes of the baker (the most important, from least sensitive to most: chocolate chips, nuts, and frosting). His continuing work in the field has also recently revealed that, since peanuts are not technically nuts, they are less risky than walnuts and pecans in the area of moral sensitivity.
- Industrial Research: In addition to his development of silly string, Gavin is also credited with the creation of Allen wrenches (but not the bolts) and electric socks.
- Culinary Achievements: Gavin has developed six varieties of cheese, all critically acclaimed. He is also known as the inventor of candy cinnamon bears.
- Literary Achievements: In addition to his renowned semi-autobiographical novel series, "Saviour of the Universe", Gavin has published numerous epic poems and science fiction short stories. Without exception, the works have been hailed as "genius" by critics and his blog remains required reading for discriminating cognoscenti worldwide.
- Music: While no longer active as a performer, Gavin's tuba-playing is still fondly remembered by all who hear him. His work on the tenor tuba was said to make all who heard it weep with joy. His stylish performances on the trombone are still considered the standard for the instrument.
Gavin's current pursuits are a source of constant fascination to the news media and his exploits frequently bump Britney Spears' disturbing story from the tabloids' front pages. Recent reports state:
- Six-time winner of the world's most handsome man
- Twice named funniest visitor to Canada, despite the brutal conquest and occupation of Winnipeg
- Voted "best husband material" by the American Association of Mothers of Hot Daughters
- Named "most charming smile" twice in Witch Weekly (Observers note that, if not for Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Gavin would have likely won at least six of these accolades. Sadly, Professor Lockhart's terrible accident of a few years ago has put to rest the speculation about which celebrity has the most charming smile.)
- Shocked reports circulate that he is no longer seeing anyone romantically and is clearly emotionally available. Most experts agree that Gavin is simply far too great a catch for this to be true.
- Gales of laughter in his presence indicate his wit is as sharp as it has ever been, perhaps even better than the legendary conference call of 2005, when six people were reported to have laughed until their heads actually fell off. All six died instantly.
- His continuing interest in cycling has led to rumors that he will again return to Europe to cycle the Alps or Pyrenees. Millions of European women have signed petitions begging him to return. The petitions all complain that Lance Armstrong was clearly an inferior cyclist and lacked Gavin's considerable personal warmth and charm. Recent news reports reveal that the Swiss government is threatening to forcibly annex any nation that hosts Gavin on a bicycle ride, in the knowledge that in doing so, the prosperity and happiness that all citizens feel during a Gavin visit will immediately be felt by all Swiss citizens (after Gavin visited Spain for two hours, the GDP rose 6%, fertility rates rose 4.5% and crime fell 18% in that nation).
In case you didn't know.
There's a television and film writers strike. I was reminded of that this week when TV hosts Steven Colbert, Conan O'Brien, and Jon Stewart staged a mock feud. It seems that, without writers, they had to pump up some fake gag dispute. I haven't been watching Mr. O'Brien much, but I can assure you that Mr. Stewart's Daily Show and The Colbert Report have been pretty weak without their regular bunch of writers.
So the three hosts staged a dispute about who had given whom their start on the road to success. It ended in fake fisticuffs and, frankly, it was painful to watch. I was never thrilled when Mr. Colbert went to his own show. Yes, he's brilliantly funny, but on the Daily show, he and the writers only had to come up with about ten minutes of material per week. It didn't really improve his comedy to start doing 90 minutes per week. Now he's filling 90 minutes without writers and Mr. Stewart is filling 90 minutes a week without writers or correspondents. And while they have declined in quality, their shows are still better than a lot of what's out there. It's a bit sad.
And I really miss Samantha Bee's work. First, maternity leave, then the writers strike. Still, she took infants hostage tonight in a brief cameo. That cheered me up! Of course, who doesn't enjoy stolen babies?
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Ooh! Review a CD!
William Schuman's Symphony No. 9 has been on my regular playlist long enough--just look at the listening journal entries! Still, I've had great affection for this composer since I was a schoolboy and got to play in a band that performed his George Washington Bridge. In fact, the first time I bought compact disks, one contained his seventh symphony. This CD is a recent acquisition, of course, featuring both his fourth and ninth symphonies as well as two short orchestral works, Orchestra Song and Circus Overture, performed by the Seattle Symphony with Gerard Schwarz conducting.
Mr. Schwarz has been a friend to mid-20th-century composers when it comes to recordings and he keeps that reputation intact here. We're lucky to get a band as good as the Seattle group for a relatively obscure composer like the late Mr. Schuman--especially on the budget label Naxos. This is a sign of the changing fortunes of the classical music recording industry. A few years ago, Naxos would have recorded these works with some obscure East European orchestra of dubious standards. Still, the Seattle is not exactly the Berlin Philharmonic and while the winds and percussion are superb, the string sound isn't ideal at times--given the thick harmonies, Schuman works need rich string sounds.
William Schuman (never to be confused with Romantic composer Robert Schumann) is a unique voice in American composition. A former president of the Juilliard Music School, Mr. Schuman wrote remarkable orchestral works with clotted, dense harmonies that seem to sometimes possess a life of their own, sounding as if they are in motion even when unmoving. He always had clear ideas about using the sections of the orchestra as individual units and these works are mostly evidence of that mature style: the brass soars, the woodwinds ornament, the percussion thumps and jingles, and the strings surge. I've never seen works from Mr. Schuman as easy, tuneful romps (OK, even the brisk passages with complex rhythms seem to lumber). These frequently lack humor, but they strain against the bonds of traditional harmony and rhythm, even as they conform to them (this isn't chaotic stuff). To me, this is the sound of mid-century, industrial America.
Overall, the works here are strong, if not Mr. Schuman's best. The orchestra is good and the conducting is first-rate.
7 out of 10
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When partisanship goes horribly wrong...
The other night, I was watching ABC's evening news broadcast and they were reporting on how the most conservative members of the Republican Part aren't comfortable with either of the two major candidates who are still running for the party's nomination: John McCain and Mitt Romney. To illustrate one of the reasons for the lack of enthusiasm, they showed a brief clip of Rush Limbaugh's radio show webcast. In it, he complained that Senator McCain was known for sometimes working with Democrats! The tone of his remark made it clear that this was not only a near-criminal act, but rather disgusting, to boot.
To me, this is the final proof that crystallizes a realization for me. The most radical right-wingers are more loyal to their party than to America itself--it's more important to them that their out-of-touch ideology be victorious than for America to be a good and just place (however you interpret "good and just"). I have no doubt that the far Left feels the same way and both groups need to be ostracized, not given prominent radio programs where they can spout their poison.
I won't vote for Senator McCain, but my opposition is based on a couple of important policy areas where I disagree with him. There are plenty of areas where I admire his views and, what's more, he's a great American. If Mr. Limbaugh can't see that, he's a very small man, indeed.
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I have evidence of the downfall of Western Civilization.
In a couple of weeks, NBC will premiere a pilot for a renewed version of Knight Rider, the moderately awful TV series from the early 1980s that brought David Hasselhoff to stardom. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Well, there's a writer's strike so they recycled some old scripts for camp effect!" Apparently, it's not a comedy--this was an original script written by actual union professionals!
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What's new in pop music this week?
My tracking of pop hits always includes MTV's TRL, which has a top ten countdown as well as a couple of "featured" tunes that I suspect the big music labels pay heavily to air on the program. This past Thursday's TRL seemed more like a clearance sale--the top ten was announced in the first two minutes and the rest of the program was devoted to the unranked feature videos. What I'm saying is that my list is longer than usual and I'm blaming MTV for that.
Let's review a CD, shall we?
Naïve from KMFDM was released in 1990 and was withdrawn from release, edited, and re-released due to a copyright hassle involving an apparently unauthorized audio sample used in one track. Later versions of this disk lack the offending sample, but I'm proud to say that my copy is the original, un-edited version! Apparently, KMFDM fans are passionate enough that the used disk commands a nice premium in the used market, so if you think you have an original, don't sell it without checking the value first.
KMFDM is a good example of what was called industrial music back in 1990, with metal-tinged guitars merging with sampled sounds, drum loops, and drum machines. The grooves are danceable but not nimble, and the singing is typically guttural growling while the songs explore ugliness and brutality in a fashion that might disturb more delicate listeners (especially those who might find fascist imagery disturbing in a German band--but they clearly revel in things that are completely antithetical to that movement, so don't go making accusations). Even the cover art, by Brute, reflects this unholy melange of force, anti-authoritarianism, and sex (I store this face-down at the office). How dark, yet playful does this get? A favorite track of mine features the refrain, "I want to go to hell," while another revels in the sheer sonic glory of a machine-tinged wall of guitars to exult, "you'll be god-like!"
I have often found the Cookie Monster-stylings of metal and industrial singers not so much off-putting as kind of goofy and cartoonish, but singer Sascha colors his singing with enough real feeling and melody to give KMFDM a beautifully ugly kind of melodiousness that suits the sound of the grinding, chugging guitars and thumping bass notes accompanying him. He sounds especially good in his native German, although the lyrics in both English and German have a feral simplicity--goth kids looking for their Romantic poetry should look elsewhere. This is an album that won't make you angry; it'll make you realize you're glad you're angry.
9 out of 10
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Sometimes, Bill Maher can be a real sanctimonious jerk.
But that doesn't mean he's wrong. Check out his profanity-laced review of, um, jerks of the year. You'll probably agree with me that not all of his choices are ideal, but it's still funny...
I'm sorry that it was posted at the Rolling Stone web site, which is a display of horrible web design.
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I have an executive function!
There's a lot of bull floating around about diet, exercise, medicine, and so on. I lean heavily on the research and opinion from the New York Times, where the reporters on these issues tend to be actual, trained experts in the subject on which they report, rather than just the good reporters you see at smaller newspapers or TV reporters. They also seek opinion pieces and articles from leading experts like the one I read the other day.
The article is an argument to ignore those stupid brain activity games where the manufacturers claim they'll improve your acuity or your memory or whatever else you might worry about. The authors recommend plain old exercise--you know, aerobic stuff: walking, running, old-fashioned aerobics, or whatever. It also conforms to my prejudices!
The main thing I like is how they describe the set of abilities that combine to govern decision-making and activities as the "executive function". We all have one!
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I saw an interesting argument in an article the other day.
Basically, the point was that lower tax rates lead to bad government. Not because the government is under-funded, but because when you pay more for government, you demand greater accountability. After all, you have very different expectations of your car if you paid, say, $5,000 for it than you would have it you paid $75,000 for it.
So the constant drumbeat from conservatives to cut taxes looks very different in the context of such an idea... I like Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul as men, despite Gov. Huckabee's distasteful views on social issues, but both are fools if they think that reducing taxes will magically shrink the federal government. Apparently though, it might lower expectations for their governing...
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