Thursday, December 7th
never enough
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin in D minor, excerpt (Sarabande); Hilary Hahn, violin
music clip of the day
jazz/blues/rock/classical/gospel/more
Category: violin
2017
Wednesday, December 6th
Think you’ve heard it all?
How about a septet with six string players and a drummer?
Tomeka Reid Septet,* “Tokens” (T. Reid), New York, 2017
*TR, cello, composition; Christopher Hoffman, cello; Mazz Swift, violin; Sarah Bernstein, violin; Jason Kao Hwang, viola; Adam Hopkins, bass; Tomas Fujiwara, drums, percussion.
2017
Thursday, October 19th
tomorrow night
They’re playing at the University of Chicago—Bartok and Ligeti.
Wolfgang Rihm (1952-), String Quartet No. 13
Arditti Quartet, live, London, 2012
2017
Friday, September 29th
what’s new
Danish String Quartet, “Shine You No More” (R. T. Sørensen), Last Leaf (2017)
2017
Saturday, September 9th
Need a break from listening to yourself?
Kaija Saariaho (1952-), Nocturne for solo violin (1994)
Alexi Kenney (violin), live, New York, 2016
**********
lagniappe
reading table
John Ashbery (July 28, 1927-September, 3, 2017)
Whatever we’re dealing with catches us
in mid-reconsideration. It’s beautiful,
my lord, just not made to be repeated,
that’s all.***
It was a moment, what can I say.
—John Ashbery (1927-), “A Breakfast Radish,” “Domani, Dopodomani” (fragments), Breezeway (2015)
2017
Monday, July 17th
sounds of Ireland
Sean Leahy (guitar) & Jeremy Spencer (violin), live, Ireland
“Darley’s” / “Bógan Nua,” 2014
***
O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub, Dingle, 2013
**********
lagniappe
random sights
other day, Ireland (outside Dingle)
2017
Tuesday, June 20th
more
Johann Sebastian Bach, Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, mvmts. 1-2 (Adagio, Fugue); Niek Baar, live, Berlin, 2016
2017
Monday, June 19th
never enough
Johann Sebastian Bach, Violin Sonata No. 3 in C major, 3rd mvmt. (Largo); Isabelle Faust, live, New York, 2013
2017
Thursday, June 1st
more
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Clarinet Quintet in A major; Hagen Quartet with Sabine Meyer (clarinet), live
1st movt.
***
2nd movt.
***
3rd movt.
***
4th movt.
**********
lagniappe
musical thoughts
Mozart was a kind of idol to me—this rapturous singing . . . that’s always on the edge of sadness and melancholy and disappointment and heartbreak, but always ready for an outburst of the most delicious music.
—Saul Bellow (1915-2005)
(Taking a break—back in a while.)
2017
Thursday, May 25th
never enough
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Partita No. 2 in D minor
Itzhak Perlman (violin), live, London, 1978
**********
art beat: other day, Art Institute of Chicago
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), Bullfinch on a camellia branch
