Tuesday, December 29th
string quartet festival
day one
Thomas Adès (1971-), Arcadiana (1994); Danish String Quartet, live, New York, 2015
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
music clip of the day
jazz/blues/rock/classical/gospel/more
Category: violin
2020
2020
Thursday, December 24th
sounds of Chicago
Saturday I posted the first of these two (wonderful) performances; here’s the second.
Mars Williams presents: An Ayler Xmas Vol. 4 (Night 2) (Mars Williams, tenor saxophone, toy instruments; Josh Berman, cornet; Jim Baker, piano, viola, ARP synthesizer; Krzysztof Pabian, bass; Brian Sandstrom, bass, guitar, trumpet; Steve Hunt, drums; Peter Maunu, violin), live (performance begins at 5:15), Chicago (Constellation), 12/19/20
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
*****
reading table
An empty day without events.
And that is why
it grew immense
as space. And suddenly
happiness of being
entered me.I heard
in my heartbeat
the birth of time
and each instant of life
one after the other
came rushing in
like priceless gifts.—Anna Swir (1909-1984), “Priceless Gifts” (translated from Polish by Czesław Miłosz and Leonard Nathan)
2020
Saturday, December 19th
sounds of Chicago
Mars Williams presents: An Ayler Xmas Vol. 4 (Night 1) (Mars Williams, tenor saxophone, toy instruments; Josh Berman, cornet; Jim Baker, piano, viola, ARP synthesizer; Krzysztof Pabian, bass; Brian Sandstrom, bass, guitar, trumpet; Steve Hunt, drums; Peter Maunu, violin), live (performance begins at 3:45), Chicago (Constellation), last night
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Chicago
*****
reading table
Such a moon—
the thief
pauses to sing.—Yosa Buson (1716-1784), translated from Japanese by Lucien Stryk and Takashi Ikemoto
2020
Monday, November 23rd
alone
What better way to begin the week?
Hilary Hahn (violin), live (friend’s empty place), 11/8/20: W.A. Mozart (1756-1791), Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major (K. 219, “Turkish”) and New Cadenzas (H. Hahn)
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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.
—Novelist Saul Bellow (1915-2005)
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random sights
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
2020
Saturday, November 21st
more
György Ligeti (1923-2006), excerpts from Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Hamburg Concerto for Solo Horn and Chamber Orchestra, Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra; Ensemble Intercontemporain, live, Paris, 2019
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Chicago
2020
Thursday, November 12th
This, by someone I’d never heard of (much less heard) until yesterday, I could listen to all day.
Nikolai Korndorf (1947-2001), In Honour of Alfred Schnittke (AGSCH), string trio for violin, viola, cello (1986), excerpt (1st Mvt.); Patricia Kopatchinskaya (violin), Daniel Raiskin (viola), Alexander Ivashkin (cello), 2005
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Chicago
2020
Thursday, November 5th
like nobody else
Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988), String Quartet No. 3 (1963)
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Chicago (riding the L)
2020
Wednesday, October 7th
Bach Festival
day three
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin; Kristóf Baráti (1979-), live, Moscow, 2008
#1
#2
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lagniappe
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
2020
Monday, October 5th
Bach festival
day one
Violin Sonata No. 3 in C major, 3rd Movt. (Largo); Christian Tetzlaff (1966-, violin), Berlin, 2013
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, outside Chicago (Dean Nature Sanctuary, Oak Brook, Ill.)
*****
reading table
Just being alive!
—miraculous to be in
cherry blossom shadows!—Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827), translated from Japanese by Sam Hamill
2020
Thursday, September 10th
what’s new
George Lewis (1952-), String Quartet No. 1.5, “Experiments in Living” (2016); Spektral Quartet, 8/27/20
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lagniappe
random sights
this morning, Chicago
music clip of the day 