Misterioso

At the end of “Whither Canada?,” the very first episode broadcast of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Carol Cleveland is credited with an appearance . . . but I don’t recall seeing her.

Well, back to the videotape . . . .

Seems to Have Worked

EOM

Puttering

Harvesting the 27 March performance of Love is the spirit from the hourlong track on which it resides. There's a skip near the beginning, so now I am checking to see if it be an artifact that crept in, or if it be a flaw in the source.

Gothic in the Spotlight

Havergal Brian’s obscure masterwork, his Symphony № 1, «Gothic» came out for the Proms. You, Gentle Reader, may never have heard of the 20^th-c. British composer, but his fans are many and ardent (many of them perfectly well-balanced, too, if any of us be in perfect balance). Attendance for the event was high — but why am I gabbing? Our favorite expatriate Texan was there and posted eloquently of his experience and thoughts here and again here.

Proper news soon

1. Ravel, Piano Trio, iii. Passecaille (Nash Ensemble)
2. Prokofiev, Visions fugitives, op22 № 7, Poetico (Michel Béroff)
3. Captain Beefheart, “Steal Softly Through Sunshine, Steal Softly Through Snow” from Trout Mask Replica
4. Stravinsky, Symphony of Psalms, iii. Psalm 150 (Robt Craft, conducting)
5. Hindemith, Ludus tonalis № 21, Interludium decimus. Allegro pesante (Mustonen)
6. JS Bach, Partita in D, BWV 828, Overture (Christiane Jaccottet)
7. Mompou, Música callada № 27 Lento (the composer playing)
8. Stravinsky, Symphony of Psalms, ii. Psalm 39, vv. 2, 3 & 4 (Robt Craft, conducting)
9. Beethoven, Symphony № 1 in C, op21, iii. Menuetto. Allegro molto e vivace (Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Masur)
10. Gershwin, An American in Paris (SFSO, MTT)
11. Bartók, The Miraculous Mandarin, At her insistence, the tramps take him down (LSO, Doráti)
12. Prokofiev, Le pas d’acier, op41, from Scene i: Entrée des personnages (Köln West German Radio Symphony, Mikhail Jurowski)
13. Nielsen, Symphony № 6 (Sinfonia semplice), FS 116, i. Tempo giusto (LSO, Schmidt)
14. Prokofiev, Piano Sonata № 6 in A, op82, i. Allegro moderato (Matti Raekallio)

The Hinge

First shuffle of 2H11

[1] Prokofiev, Romeo & Juliet, op64, II/ii № 11 Arrival of the Guests (BSO, Ozawa)
[2] Peter Gabriel, “Flotsam and Jetsam” from PG II (‘Scratch’)
[3] Genesis, “Turn It On Again” from Duke
[4] Monteverdi, Vespro della Beata Vergine, X. Psalm 147 “Lauda Jerusalem” (Boston Baroque, Pearlman)
[5] Genesis, “Duke’s Travels” from Duke
[6] Hindemith, Ludus tonalis, № 3, Interlude 1: Moderate, with energy (Jn McCabe)
[7] Beethoven, Symphony № 9 in d minor, op125, Presto from iv. (Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Masur)
[8] Monteverdi, Vespro della Beata Vergine, Va. Antiphon (Boston Baroque, Pearlman)
[9] Captain Beefheart, “The Blimp” from Trout Mask Replica
[10] Hindemith, Ludus tonalis, № 10, Fuga quinta in E. Fast (Olli Mustonen)
[11] Bartók, The Miraculous Mandarin, The girl sinks down to embrace him (LSO, Doráti)
[12] JS Bach, Choralbearbeitung Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit, G-dur, BWV 672 (Walcha)
[13] Hovhaness, Vijag from Three Pieces for two pianos (Martin Berkofsky & Atakan Sari )
[14] Thelonious Monk, “Ugly Beauty” (Take 4) from Underground
[15] Prokofiev, Cinderella, op87, Act I № 8 Departure of the Stepmother and Sisters for the Ball (Cleveland, Ashkenazy)
[16] Daryl Hall & Robt Fripp, title track from Sacred Songs
[17] Nielsen, Symphony № 6 (Sinfonia semplice), FS 116, i. Tempo giusto (LSO, Schmidt)
[18] Martinů, Deux Impromptus pour clavecin seul, I. Allegro (Monika Knoblochová)
[19] Prokofiev, Visions fugitives, op22 № 5, Molto giocoso (Eteri Andjaparidze)
[20] Chick Corea & Béla Fleck, “Señorita” from The Enchantment
[21] Shostakovich, String Quartet № 14 in f# minor, op142, iii. Allegretto (Emerson String Quartet)

Romeo in Boston

This week I have been listening with pleasure to the RCA Red Seal reissue, 6 CDs’ worth, of Erich Leinsdorf leading the BSO in Prokofiev. The five piano concerti, both violin concerti, four of the seven symphonies (the Second, Third, Fifth & Sixth), the Lt Kizhe Suite (wtih David Clatworthy singing the romansy) and selections from Romeo & Juliet.

Last night it was the turn of this last. While the October 1986 recording of the complete ballet with Ozawa has its clear superiorities of both execution and sound, this is a historical document not only interesting but richly enjoyable.

Not even a little bit?

“I spent the weekend with Karlheinz Stockhausen, and he had a lot of my scores, and he took them to his room and said goodnight. And he came down in the morning and he said, ‘I know you have no system, but what is your secret?’ And I said to him, ‘Well, Karlheinz, I have no secret, but if I could say anything to you, I advise you to leave the sounds alone; don’t push them; because they’re very much like human beings – if you push them, they push you back. So if I have a secret it would be, “don't push the sounds.”’ And he leaned over me and he said, ‘Not even a little bit?’”
– Morton Feldman

Mid-Year

Audio will soon be available for the May recital.

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Looks like I wait until August for my lesson in electric guitar. I may use it in this piece, or I may use it in that.

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There is this feeling I have that, when I can indeed set back to work on the Cello Sonatina, it will wrap up rapidly.

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It should also be possible, soon yea very soon, to catch up on some uploads to Instant Encore.

Last shuffle of 1H11

[1] Jeff Beck, “Blackbird” from You Had It Coming
[2] Sibelius, Symphony № 6 in d minor, op.104, iv. Allegro molto (Helsinki Phil, Berglund)
[3] Nielsen, Symphony № 6 (Sinfonia semplice), FS 116, i. Tempo giusto (LSO, Schmidt)
[4] Prokofiev, Visions fugitives, op22 № 3, Allegretto (Eteri Andjaparidze)
[5] JS Bach, Duetto № 4 in a minor (Clavier-Übung III No. 26), BWV805 (Helmut Walcha, hpschd)
[6] Nielsen, Symphony № 6 (Sinfonia semplice), FS 116, ii. Humoreske. Allegretto (LSO, Schmidt)
[7] Prokofiev, Piano Concerto № 3, op26, ii. Tema con variazioni (Béroff, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Masur)
[8] Count Basie, “Teddy the Toad” from The Atomic Mr Basie
[9] Shostakovich, Adagio after Katerina’s Aria in Act III of Ledi Makbet Mtenskovo Uyezda, op29, (Emerson String Quartet)
[10] Shostakovich, Symphony № 14, ix. “O, Delvig, Delvig!” (Mikhail Ryssov, bass; Prague Symphony; Maksim Dmitriyevich)
[11] Prokofiev, Cinderella, op87, III/45 Cinderella’s Awakening (Cleveland, Ashkenazy)
[12] Bartók, The Miraculous Mandarin, Introduction. Allegro (LSO, Doráti)
[13] Debussy, Sonata for violin and piano, i. Allegro vivo (Nash Ensemble)
[14] Prokofiev, Sarcasms, op17 № 5, Precipitatissimo (Eteri Andjaparidze)
Prokofiev, Romeo & Juliet, op64, I/ii № 16 Madrigal. Andante tenero (BSO, Ozawa)
[15] The Beatles, “Revolution 1” from The Beatles (mono remaster)
[16] Prokofiev, Visions fugitives, op22 № 17, Poetico (Eteri Andjaparidze)
[17] Bartók, String Quartet № 3, Sz 85, iv. Coda. Allegro molto (Emerson String Quartet)
[18] Thelonious Monk, “Green Chimneys” from Underground
[19] JS Bach, Trio Sonata № 5 in C, BWV529, ii. Largo (Helmut Walcha)
[20] Janáček, Sinfonietta, v. Andante con moto. Allegro (Cz Phil, Ančerl)
[21] Bartók, The Miraculous Mandarin, The Mandarin enters and stands immobile in the doorway (LSO, Doráti)
[22] Berlioz, L’enfance du Christ, op25, Scene i. Une rue de Jérusalem. “Qui vient?” (BSO &al., Munch)
[23] Prokofiev, Cinderella, op87, I/15 TheAutumn Fairy (Cleveland, Ashkenazy)