Setting the scene: 1966, a 20-year old Steve Martin and his roommate Phil Carey get into Martin’s VW bus to drive from Los Angeles to New York, where Carey will interview Aaron Copland. “Three days after we left Los Angeles, Phil and I arrived at Aaron Copland’s house, a low-slung A-frame with floor-to-ceiling windows, set [...]
Everyone knows about the power of music in film. Aaron Copland discusses it briefly in the introduction to What to Listen for in Classical Music, and the proliferation of books dealing with film composers and composition implies an audience ready to take those composers seriously for more than just their notes. Less discussed but insanely [...]
Much muchness has been made in the classical online world about the posting online of Arvo Pärt’s Fourth Symphony (Lös Ángeleš), and its attendant premiere in the City of Angels on January 10. Less has been made about its second performance, which will be in Chicago, the City What Has No Time for Your Heavenly Beings, [...]
Many years ago, the actor/singer/entertainer Danny Kaye used to conduct the New York Philharmonic’s benefit concerts, and those have been captured for posterity. My favorite is the one below, with a blistering trumpet solo from Philip Smith. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKgBLJO_5nA Now, Smith is one of the supreme trumpeters of our time, I should point out. The Phil [...]
Less than 10 days till Christmas, and so therefore we spread good tidings with the annual Posting of the Hilarious Hallulujah Chorus Excerpt. Season’s Greetings. Messiah Organist on Crack
Paul Hindemith wanted his music put to use, and for young musicians to find edification through it. Young dancer/choreographer RoteHaareMann takes it to new levels with his choreography to the March from Symphonic Metamorphosis. Watch for the last-minute moving-out-of-the-way of the laundry basket. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrkGLkMtp9k Thanks to YouTube-hound JF
Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khruschev pounding his shoe at the United Nations, October 12, 1960. Number of shoes utilized: 1. Iraqi journalist Muntadir al-Zaidi throws shoe at US President George Bush, December 14, 2008. Number of shoes utilized: 2. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP
“You could argue Beethoven is a remix of his own creativity of Mozart,”-Alan Khalfin, director of music at MixMatchMusic, quoted in Wired. [Editor: the second 'of' should be 'with,' yes?] The point of the story linked to above is that musicians and bands are starting to view video games as a means of getting their [...]
The people at FamousDC who thought this up have some sort of crazy genius. Via the good GN.
Today is the 100th anniversary of Olivier Messiaen’s birthday, and since the classical-music world likes nothing better than anniversaries for use as organizing principles/marketing tools (“Bernstein’s 90th!’ ’90th? What about waiting till the 100th?’ ’90th!’…), this blog is going to join in the fun. Also because Messiaen’s bold, vivid music is some of the most [...]