like nobody else
Nina Simone (1933-2003), “Ain’t Got No, I Got Life” (J. Rado, G. Ragni, G. MacDermot), live, London, 1968
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Oak Park, Ill.

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reading table
Rising from sickness, I lean on a cane and stand by the river.
Countless peach petals flow downstream.—Ryokan (1758-1831), from “Upon getting up from sickness in late spring” (translated from the Japanese by Kazuaki Tanahashi)
never enough
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Suites No. 1 in G major and No. 3 in C major for Unaccompanied Cello; Steven Isserlis (cello), live, London, 2020
never enough
András Schiff (1953-, piano), playing Bach and Beethoven, London, yesterday*
*Program:
Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier (“WTC”), Book I, Prelude and Fugue No. 17 in A flat major
Bach: WTC, Book II, Prelude and Fugue No. 17 in A flat major
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 12 in A flat (Op. 26)
Bach: WTC, Book I, Prelude and Fugue No. 6 in D minor
Bach: WTC, Book II, Prelude and Fugue No. 6 in D minor
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor (Op. 31)
Bach: WTC, Book I, Prelude and Fugue No. 14 in F sharp minor
Bach: WTC, Book II, Prelude and Fugue No. 14 in F sharp minor
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 24 in F sharp (Op. 78)
Encore: Bach, Invention No. 8 in F
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Oak Park, Ill.

These tiny pieces I tire of never.
Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), 24 Preludes (1835-1839); Vladimir Ashkenazy (1937-, piano), live, England (Essex), 1980
(Note: After posting this clip, I found that it cannot be viewed here; however, it can be at YouTube.)
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
*****
reading table
Not much more than being,
Thoughts of isolate, beautiful—Louis Zukofsky (1904-1978), from “2”
never enough
Andras Schiff (piano) playing (and discussing) Bach (Capriccio in B flat major [Capriccio on the Departure of his Most Beloved Brother] BWV992; Sinfonia No. 5 in E flat BWV791; Sinfonia No. 9 in F minor BWV795; Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor BWV903; Italian Concerto in F major BWV971; Ouvertüre nach französischer Art BWV831), live, London, yesterday
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Chicago (Columbus Park)
alone
Need more air?
Mitsuko Uchida (piano), live, London, 12/16/20: Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Piano Sonatas in C major (“Reliquie,” 3:40-) and G major (“Fantasy,” 42:00-)
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Chicago (Columbus Park)
*****
reading table
Listening deeply,
sometimes—in another—you can hear
the sound of a hermit, sighing
as he climbs a mountain trail to reach
a waterfall
or a Buddhist nun reciting prayers
while moonlight falls through the window
onto an old clay floor,
and once in a while, a child
rolling a hoop through the alleyways of Tokyo,
laughing,
or a farmer pausing in a rice field to watch
geese fly,
the thoughts on his lips he doesn’t think to say.—Dick Allen (1939-2017), “Listening Deeply”