His sound-world I never tire of entering.
Tristan Murail (1947-), Feuilles à travers les cloches (Leaves through the bells), 1998; Sax Ensemble (José Luis Temes, dir.), live
**********
lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
This I could listen to all day.
Morton Feldman (1926-1987, MCOTD Hall of Fame), Three Voices (1982); Sonya Holowell (live and recorded voices), Australia (Sydney), 2016
**********
lagniappe
reading table
Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer.
—Simone Weil (1909-1943)
*****
baseball: Chicago Cubs
Greg Maddux on tonight’s starting pitcher, Kyle Hendricks:
If it was a radar contest, then why play the game, right? Velocity is nice, but command and movement are better.
***
He has the ability to throw a two-seam fastball to both sides of the plate. Most pitchers are four-seam to one side and two-seam to the other. If you can throw your two-seamer to both sides of the plate, that’s an advantage to the pitcher.
***
He has the ability to recognize when a hitter is sitting on a certain pitch and throw something else.
***
He relies on the low fastball that sinks pretty good. Very good at trying to keep the ball in front of the outfield with that pitch. That’s what it’s about—locating your fastball, changing speeds and keeping the ball in the ballpark.
***
He’s fun to watch.
more
Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994), Preludes and Fugue for 13 Solo Strings (1972); Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra (Witold Lutoslawski, cond.), live, Warsaw, 1973
**********
lagniappe
art beat
Danny Lyon (1942-), New York (Lower Manhattan), late 1960s
wake up!
Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994), Partita for violin and piano (1984); Michael Foyle (violin) & Maksim Štšura (piano), live, London, 2015
**********
lagniappe
art beat
Danny Lyon (1942-), New York (Lower Manhattan), late 1960s
more
Jürg Frey (1953-), 60 Pieces of Sound (2009); a.pe.ri.od.ic, live, Chicago, 2013
**********
lagniappe
reading table
a solitary
crow on a bare branch—
autumn evening—Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), translated from Japanese by Sam Hamill
more
Jürg Frey (1953-), Memory of Perfection (2010); Mira Benjamin (violin), live, London, 2013
**********
lagniappe
reading table
autumn wind
through an open door—
a piercing cry—Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), translated from Japanese by David Landis Barnhill
Sometimes no word seems more beautiful—quiet.
Jürg Frey (1953-), Paysage pour Gustave Roud; Jürg Frey (clarinet), Dante Boon (piano), Stefan Thut (cello), live, 2011
**********
lagniappe
reading table
In the middle of the road there was a stone
there was a stone in the middle of the road
there was a stone
in the middle of the road there was a stone.Never should I forget this event
in the life of my fatigued retinas.
Never should I forget that in the middle of the road
there was a stone
there was a stone in the middle of the road
in the middle of the road there was a stone.—Carlos Drummond de Andrade (1902-1987), “In the Middle of the Road,” translated from Portuguese by Elizabeth Bishop
*****
random sights
this morning, Oak Park, Ill.
more
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007), Klavierstück X
Maurizio Pollini (1942-), live, Paris
It’s a short list—the list, that is, of pianists renowned for their interpretations of Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, et al., who also perform works composed in their own lifetime.
**********
lagniappe
found words
ALL LEGAL MAIL
MUST FIT IN
LEGAL MAILBOX
OPENING—sign at MCC Chicago (federal jail)
alone
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007), Klavierstück V
Maurizio Pollini (1942-), live, Paris, 2002
**********
lagniappe
reading table
The morning glory!
this too cannot be
my friend.—Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), translated from Japanese by Robert Aitken
music clip of the day 