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Category: violin

Wednesday, December 7th

Sometimes I want to hear something that will quicken my pulse; sometimes I want something that will slow it—like this, for instance, which I heard the other night in Chicago, played by the group for whom it was written (a.pe.ri.od.ic). One sound . . . another . . . another . . .

Jürg Frey (1953-), Fragile Balance (2014), excerpt; Ensemble Grizzana (Jürg Frey, clarinet; Mira Benjamin, violin; Richard Craig, flute; Emma Richards, viola; Philip Thomas, piano; Seth Woods, cello); 2015


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lagniappe

reading table

Winter seclusion—
sitting propped against
the same worn post

—Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), translated from Japanese by Sam Hamill (The Sound of Water: Haiku by Basho, Buson, Issa, and Other Poets)

Wednesday, October 26th

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


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lagniappe

random sights

other day, Oak Park, Ill.

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Monday, October 17th

wake up!

Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994), Partita for violin and piano (1984); Michael Foyle (violin) & Maksim Štšura (piano), live, London, 2015


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art beat

Danny Lyon (1942-), New York (Lower Manhattan), late 1960s

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Tuesday, September 13th

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, if sleep leaves and doesn’t return, I’ll put one of these on repeat, softly.

Morton Feldman (1926-1987, MCOTD Hall of Fame), Piano and String Quartet (1985); Aki Takahashi and Kronos Quartet, 1993


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John Luther Adams (1953-), The Farthest Place (2001), 2002


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lagniappe

random sights

other day, Chicago (Columbus Park)

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Monday, August 22nd

wake up!

Albert Ayler (1936-1970), live, Europe, 1966

Tuesday, July 5th

All that holiday noise—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—leave you with a hangover?

Here’s the perfect antidote.

Morton Feldman (1926-1987, MCOTD Hall of Fame), Piano and String Quartet, 1985; Aki Takahashi and Kronos Quartet, 1993


(Taking a break—back in a while.)

Saturday, June 25th

Entering his sound-world isn’t hard. What’s hard is leaving.

Tristan Murail (1947-), La Barque mystique, 1993

Thursday, June 23rd

Music offers what airlines don’t—time travel.

Anton Webern (1883-1945), Langsamer Satz (1905)
Faust Quartet


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lagniappe

art beat

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004)

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Wednesday, June 15th

never enough

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Sonata No. 1 in G minor for Solo Violin, excerpt (movts. I, II); Patricia Cordero, live, Spain (Madrid), 5/10/16


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lagniappe

reading table

Perhaps I asked too large –
I take – no less than skies –

—Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), 358 (Franklin), fragment

Thursday, June 9th

never enough

Two days ago I’d never heard of him; last night he took my breath away.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Partita No. 2 in D minor for Solo Violin, excerpt (Sarabande); Leonidas Kavakos, live, France (Annecy), 2015

 

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lagniappe

reading table

The Poets light but Lamps –
Themselves – go out –

—Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), 930 (Franklin), fragment