A Vibraphone Concert

In the immortal words of Triumph, TICD, "I keed, I keed." I would never write a review of a Vibraphone concert. What kind of nerd to you take me for? I'm a very specific type of nerd, thank you very much.

Watch my skills as I somehow turn a rather unmusical blogpost into a topical post. How will I do it? Sometimes even I don't know how the magic works, folks.

Two movies I've just seen that should be seen immediately: Versus and Dolls. The former is a really fun zombie/gun/sword fighting movie. Yes, I know that you Koreans are asking yourself, "Where's the aunt/mother/sister/adopted daughter suffering from cancer/leukemia/unknown maladie?" I'm sorry kids. You're just going to have to get used to the way the Japanese make movies. When Chan Wook Park remakes this one, he can add that character and a solo piano, Yanni-like soundtrack.

Dolls was an absolutely beautiful movie, visually and otherwise. It's another Takeshi Kitano movie. Rather than have me give a rundown of the plot, just go here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330229/

I'm telling you, it's beautiful. Every story has a selfish act that leads to heartbreak for all involved. Oh yeah, and there are actual dolls involved here and there if you're into the literal thing. From the DVD's interview with Kitano, apparently there actually existed a couple of "Bound Beggars" but how they ended up that way was unknown. Jeez...

I'm trying to remember if Beat Takeshi included anyone with a malaise in this one. I don't think so. There's a pop star with an injured face and a desparate man who doesn't lose his vision so much as throw it away. Outstanding movie.

Hm...The music was okay...Very similar to every other Kitano movie.

(Did you see that pivot there? Brought it back around to topic, nominally.)

No running today or yesterday, so no RM. Instead, I helped a friend move a little bit last night. Listened to alot of local pop radio. That Nickelback sure is talent-free. Tonight, I was just too tired from a full day of just running around doing stuff.

And I only got a couple of hours of clarineting in. Blech...That's no way to get any work done.

Oh yes, a final note: I've noticed upon glancing back at some past posts that I have an editing problem. Not that I ramble too long, but that I have plenty of typos. I assure you that....nah, I'm much too lazy to bother. Just suck it up and deal with it. Hell, I consider it a personal victory just to bother with the spellcheck on this posting interface.

Even More of Those Bloody Marimbas

Okay, I went back to the Zeltsman Marimba Festival for another concert. This was the concert for which last nights' marimbists were lobbying when I stumbled upon their rehearsal.

Pius Cheung and Eriko Daimo put on another show for the first half of the concert. They performed a two-marimba version of Bach's d minor Keyboard Concerto, BWV 1052. Cheung played the solo part while Daimo took care of the orchestral work. Frankly, the opening minute and a half was a little muddied. It took my ears a bit to distinguish much of the details in the rather busy opening in a hall that wasn't at all built for the marimba. I'm not sure what would have been a good solution for the muddiness the hall provided. Marimbists? Harder mallets? Closer seating? (I was seated near the back of the small recital hall, which had quite the vaulted ceiling.) Things righted themselves quickly, however.

The last movement was certainly festive and also very well played (Although, please explore a different way to play the last chord. A full sound without a hard sound would have had capped things royally. The loudest thing I've ever heard come out of a piano was from Leon Fleisher while he was warming up. He looked like his arms just sank into the piano but the damned thing sounded as if it couldn't contain the sound. Tremendous but lush. A real wonder.)

Of particular note: The 2nd movement was stunning and will be remembered for a while. It was played with absolute attention to detail of articulation, timing, and color at all times. What line...You'd think Cheung was a wind player given how long and inevitable his phrases were. I ceased thinking "what fantastic playing" and was completely overtaken by this performance. Nearly from start to finish of this movement, these two were masterful and really quite beautiful. Considering how many times I've heard accompanists, both pianist and orchestral, butcher performances due to carelessness, it's surprising to hear Daimo play an accompaniment with such cohesion and beauty. From listening, I think that this movement was probably a special one for them as well.

The 2nd half: Jean Geoffroy playing a number of pieces, including some Bach (Oy...and his own transcription of the Chaconne.) Geoffroy is certainly very adept at his instrument, but I'm afraid that I just wasn't moved by his performance. He seems to gloss over the runs in Bach, ignoring the little lovely moments that come from sequences and the melodies of the short/quick notes. His Bach seemed to be more about virtuosity and a little less about a personal love. I'd love to have a glass of sherry with him just before he plays the Chaconne again. Would it do for him what it does for me? A little imbibing can occasionally release nostalgia...

Jeez...It seems as if I may have to catch another concert in this Marimba festival, which may lead to another pseudo-review. Apparently, Cheung is to play the Goldberg Variations on Thursday afternoon for free. I'll probably be in the area anyway...Damnit...I didn't mean to get sucked into the whole Marimba business. I may need a shrink after this week.

Yeah yeah...I know, I probably needed one regardless. Keep yer trap shut, would ya?

Why Don't I Play More Bach?

As Judge Harold T. Stone used to say, "I'm feeling -much- better now."

No RM this evening. Had to keep an ear on my ear just to make sure I was truly okay. Didn't want to stumble out into the middle of the street, get hit by a Mazda, flip over the roof, glance off the rear bumper, crack my left temple on the curb, and black out as my blood seeps into a near my drainage grate. I hate it when that happens. It's much less pleasant than it sounds, I promise you. It was a rather timid run as a result.

This evening I ran into the fantastic marimbist from the other night's concert. Of course, I heaped a little praise on her and the composer/marimbist with her. I heard them rehearse a little and was pleasantly surprised that there are at least two fantastic musicians playing Bach on the Marimba. It was just lovely. They made a point to hand me an advertisement for two upcoming concerts, one of duo Bach and the other of solo marimba Bach. I'm fairly sure I'll be there. Quite frankly, I've got nothing else to do. It's a bit difficult to turn down what I know will be a very well played concert by 2 young musicians. If I'm remotely intelligent (jury is still out), I'll impose upon the composer to whip up something for clarinet and marimba.

Of course, we chatted a bit and bemoaned the whole "making a living" as a musician bit. It's a common theme amongst musicians our age. Anyway, hit that www.zmf.us link and catch them for yourself. The duo concert is tomorrow night.

By the way, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade beat me like a rented mule tonight. I'm so ashamed.

How Many Fingers am I Holding Up?

Last night I was feeling quite awful, so no blogging. In fact, I was suffering quite a bit of dizziness with no alcohol or other imbibed substance to blame. Somehow, I managed to pick up some kind of inner ear problem and, with it, a bit of balance problem. So far, I seem to be working my way back from it with a healthy (?) dose of Sudafed. Now, this stuff makes me loopy as a matter of course. So, I'm trading dizzy and bumbling for loopy and babbling. Oy vey is mir.

Playing with an equilibrium problem is certainly not to be recommended. It's not exactly pleasant or horribly useful. However, I must keep my chops in prime shape, so I suffered through it. I'm fairly sure that I got no actual learning in, other than the reinforcement of muscle memory on the pieces I practiced. On the subway ride home, people were giving me the "It's so disgusting when people are that drunk" look even though I was really quite sober, just feeling horrible.

As a result of feeling like ass, I'm taking a couple of days off from running. God knows I'd just find a way to make it worse.

I've been told that my blog is boring to read as it doesn't have enough eye candy. Not enough pictures, YouTube links, and that kind of stuff. I'll think about it, but pepping up this joint would mean that I'd actually have to make an effort. We all know that occurences of the phenomenon are few and far between. Besides, I'm pretty sure it'd be just as boring if I linked to other people's crap...just a few more colors involved.

Oh yes...Taming of the Shrew in the park for free! Wahoo! I need to take advantage of this somehow. However will I do that?

Quick, Look Busy

RM: Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony by Szell and the London Symphony Orchestra. The performance is pretty good. There's plenty of enthusiastic playing, especially by the brass players. That's to be expected in this piece, I assume. There's certainly some nice playing by the winds, but nothing that makes me want to pee my pants. I wonder what Berlin recordings exist of this piece? I'm too lazy to check and my pants are amazingly dry.

It was certainly excellent RM, though. Very exciting. I finished my standard route 5 minutes early. That's quite an improvement. Of course, when you're as slow as I am, improving is easy.

Well, the recital plans for next season are shaping up nicely. A wonderful pianist, Jeong Yoon Choi, and I are firming up our programs for next January and beyond. How does this look for the first Jan. set of concerts?:

St. Saens Clarinet and Piano Sonata

Carl Vines Piano Sonata No. 1

-shortish piece TBA-

==intermission==

Berio Sequenza IXa for solo clarinet

Brahms 2nd Sonata for Clarinet and Piano

------------

Well, what do you think? The TBA piece would hopefully be a piece by a friend of mine, but I still need to make a call to NC or Utah...Wherever he's hiding at the moment. It'd be great if he'd write something for us. We'll see...I'll keep the blog posted. (pun intended)

I'll certainly post dates and venues when they are formalized. At the moment, it looks as if we'll be in the Boston area, the Amherst/Northampton area, and just north of Albany, NY. That's for you Yankees out there. We'll also hit VA and perhaps a couple of other places. We'll have to wait and see.

That is, of course, assuming that I'm still in the country...-dum dum dum- (that would be dramatic music) Nope, this time I'm not running from the Federales.

Not Singing Scarpio Today

Pretty much no voice today. I'm kind of sick. The medicine I took to help me with my throat seems to have made me a little loopy. Therefore, my lazy butt is going to sleep. I need to feel good for some pretty nerve-jangling playing next week. If things go well, I could end up having some big news. If not, I'll just pretend like nothing happened.

Sleep beckons like the cute girl next door, not dangerous looking but surprisingly irresistible.

The Sound of Two Marimbists and Clapping

RM: Nothing. Just the sounds of Centre St. at 10pm. I received the obligatory "Run Forrest, Run!" from some lively youngsters. I responded by giving the Rocky victory stance, both arms raised while continuing on my way. They responded "Yay!" It was a little odd to hear "Yay" coming from teenagers in this part of town. By the way, Centre St at 10pm is remarkably calm. Many cars, people, and sound, but still calm.

Saw a concert tonight over at the Boston Conservatory. It was a part of the Zeltsman Marimba Festival, which is apparently taking place all this week. The first half consisted of Mike Truesdell, who is apparently a Junior at Lawrence University. He played very well for an undergraduate, but was nothing too exciting. It was nice to see a young player active in adding to his instrument's repertoire (this concert included two of his own arrangements), but the pieces weren't that interesting in the first place. He played everything very competently.

The second half was considerable more interesting. Eriko Daimo, from her bio in the program, seems to have quite the background in Japanese competition circuit. It looks as if she's won everything in Japan at least once. Perhaps she should try for the lottery after that success...

That's not to say that her wins were luck. In fact, she's a fantastic player and a very good musician. She played only one piece that was originally written for another instrument, the Bach Prelude in E Major from Book I. Everything else seemed to take full advantage of the particular strengths of the instrument. Of particular note: Kazunori Miyake's Chain, Toshi Ichiyanagi's The Source, and Minoru Miki's Marimba Spiritual.

Miki's piece was the last on the program and was fantastic (although the Miyake and Ichiyanagi were perhaps better music). Daimo had three other percussionists (Mike Williams, Jeffrey Means, and Yuko Yoshikawa), who all played well, join her for what turned out to be quite the rousing piece. The opening requiem actually help my interest, despite walking close to the edge of being damned hippy music. The final music was an evocation of traditional japanese drumming and was plenty exciting. I'm not usually one for yelling onstage, but it came off here. Actually, it would have been a bit more effective had the percussionists accompanying Daimo whooped with a bit more abandon. Really quite an effective piece and well played. This Daimo character sure knows what the hell she's doing with a marimba. If the whole week's concerts are going to be like that, I may catch another one.

You can catch these concerts for $10 if you want. If you're into that kind of stuff, check out their website at http://www.zmf.us (I swear to god, though. If a drum circle starts, I may have to pull the fire alarm.)

Dont Deprive Me Of My Cheese Senses, Mr. Hurt

I'm convinced that people like Cheese. I'm not talking about that french goat stuff you put on crackers, although that can be tasty. I'm talking about Sarasate and the like...That's what this Cavalinni piece is: unadulterated cheese. It's like Velveeta that's been slightly warmed in the microwave...Creamy.

While in Conservatory, I didn't really have a chance to play much Cheese. I spent all of my time learning very serious music for very serious concerts. Now that I'm out of their clutches, I enjoy playing very serious music in very serious concerts, very serious music in very not-serious concerts, and very not-serious music wherever they'll let me.

Fluff, Cheese, Showpieces: All of these kinds of pieces can be very good for their intended purpose, entertainment. Not all music has to be an aural lesson in proportion or the Nature of Man (Get a look at those Cap. letters!). Sometimes I just want to hear a violinist play High and Fast. It's like getting in a Miata for a little while. It's not the best car for taking the kids to school, but it's refreshing occasionally.

Just so you don't think I've completely lost my mind, I'm still pairing this Velveeta with Berio. Every heard Berio that sounded like Cheese? (Okay, okay...Opus Number Zoo is certainly up for debate...) Any -other- Berio?

On a irked-then-elated note: I lost my wallet this evening. I then went back to the establishment I pegged as the likely place of loss and looked under my table. Ta da! Everything was there and I was happy.

I've got a leisurely day of practice ahead of me tomorrow. I'll probably cap it off with a run and a viewing of "Altered States." If you haven't seen it, do. Corigliano did a fantastic job on the score. On a completely unrelated note: Anyone have a sensory deprivation tank I can use?

Shoe tossing/BoA Tossing

RM: BoA....Blech. She's worse than that Spears tart. I had only heard a couple of her songs before and had a number of them on ye olde IPod. I thought I'd take a listen as she's insanely popular overseas. Blech...I ran faster and harder just to get it over with. Of course, I probably just could have hit 'stop' and moved to a different track. That's too simple, though.

I'm greatly enjoying some parts of my playing...Well, I'm enjoying everything other than what I'm not enjoying. It's nice to be able to take some time and try to sound really great on something. As a teacher once said to me, sometimes playing a regular schedule is just like producing sausages in a factory. I'll let you figure that one out. I understood it perfectly at the time.

Tomorrow I rotate the Berio Lied into my practice sessions. It looks fairly straightforward. I just have to have a beautiful sound and great legato punctuated by clear, crisp articulation. D'oh!

J. Hafner once said to an ensemble in which I was an impressionable member (paraphrasing here): If you don't like all the work, go do something easy, like brain surgery.

Just so you know, the two brain surgeons I've told this quote have had doubts as to the validity of the comparison. I threw a shoe at both of them (2 distinct shoes, 2 distinct occasions...No "magic bullet" shoe...back and to the left....back and to the left....).

The New RG at BoCo

As a form of celebration, I promptly went out and bought music.

Cavallini Adagio and Tarantella
Lovreglio Concert Fantasy on un Ballo in Maschera

The latter is the result of a project of Donald Martino (himself a clarinetist and composer) to put on the market some of the great Italian cheese-fests. It looks as if both of these pieces will be perfect for the Sept. solo gig. Now...Which one?


Oh yes...I do have the Berio now, no thanks to this hulking behemoth of a music library of mine.

I always have the last laugh...

(no runningmusic today...too bloody hot...Should I post meltingmusic?)

RM

Teriyaki Boyz, N.E.R.D., Mos Def, Atari Teenage Riot

Not impresssed....Extraordinarily hot...Even random pedestrians were telling me I was not too bright to be out running in this weather. At least I waited until dusk. Still...not genius activity.

Still looking for that damned Berio...Also thinking about pairing it with the Rossini (?) Intro, Theme, and Variations...We'll see.

Alright, for dinner, I will eat the last vestige of my library's will to live. After that, perhaps a donut.

A Little Driving Music

My friends know that I harbor a secret enjoyment of pop music. Between this and the running, I'm afraid that I'm really quite ruining my reputation.

The CD's in my car give an unhealthy representation of the music to which I listen, however. There might be two classical discs in the car, but I'm not sure. Classical discs get put in the car's player only when I need to learn a tune fast. Usually, I don't like to listen to classical music in the car because it actually requires the use of my brain. I'm fairly certain that it's better for me to focus on the driving, as my meager brainpower is not really meant for multitasking.

Instead, what rotates through my car's listening system recently: Hyori's latest, which is amusing; Lee Jung Hyun (all 5? discs...); Prop. Heads (gift from I Don't Listen to Classical Music [link found at right of screen]); Koda Kumi (basically a greatest hits mix). What should I add to the list?


I still haven't been able to finalize my pairings for this new music/old music concert in September. My library is clearly acting against me. I've threatened it with a good reorganization, but I'm fairly sure that's what it's wanted all along. My pride may not let me give into it. Does that mean I just go buy the music again, which most certainly would double some of my current holdings?

A final issue: Is it another sign of my oncoming senility that I ascribe human characteristics to a music library?

Post-Mortification

Today brought an unexpected delight. Although I began my day feeling very poorly, enough so that I had to give up on a concert I had hoped to attend this afternoon, I managed to find my around to feeling much better. After a day of errands and once some evening plans fell through, I picked up a book I had been reading for a few minutes of escape.

I managed to return to reality after finishing the book nearly 5 hours later. W. Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge ate an entire late afternoon and evening. Right on...It's been years since I've done that. I'd forgotten what it feels like to be pulled into something that fully for that length of time. I enjoy movies partly because of that same feeling, but they tend to be much shorter. With this Maugham novel, though, there's that escape mingled with well-crafted art.

Yes, yes....I know that Maugham didn't even honestly consider himself a great novelist. There's some quote about him saying that he placed himself solidly in the first row of the second-rate novelists. Frankly, though, this novel had some wonderful turns of phrase, interesting moral quandries, and a number of fantastically realized characters. In fact, most of the women in this particular tale had devilish and destructive shortcomings combined with unavoidable charm.

Where's the music in today's post? Hell...Er...I practiced for a couple of hours...without AC...and without much getting done. Too bloody hot...

Now that I expect to have the day free tomorrow, perhaps I need to read a different book. I think perhaps I need another novel. That Bill Clinton biography just isn't calling my name yet.

Or...I've stumbled upon an old edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses...A little light reading, anyone?

Nerdly Nerdenssohn

Runningmusic: Hindemith's Mathis der Maler as performed by Ormandy and the Philly Orchestra; Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. Ravel) as performed by Reiner and the Chicago band. This is more like it. I'm starting to be able to coast on the running while really listening to the music. It's a way to keep my fidgeting completely at bay while my mind is focused on the tunes. Also, it doesn't hurt that I get in better shape while getting my listening done. Rock on...

Library sales are the little presents that make my nerdy life bright. For a measly $3.50, I managed to purchase a little gift for today's holiday, Thursday. My haul?

Music:
Wolfgang Steffen Reflexe, Op. 56 for Klarinette solo
Heinrich Baermann Intro and Polonaise, Op. 25 for Clarinet and Piano
Alexander Zemlinsky Trio, Op. 3 for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano
ed. Himie Voxman 78 Duets for Flute and Clarinet
ed. Henri Sarlit 25 Etudes de Virtuisite de Chopin et Schumann

Reading Material:
ed. Paul Nettl The Book of Musical Documents


Frankly, all of this looks pretty neat to me. Some I know, some I don't. None of these are repeats for my personal library.

The book makes me laugh due to the title alone. -The- Book of Musical Documents? Damn (just hear the exaggerated length of the vowels in your head...I'm too lazy to write them out)...Thank goodness I don't have to buy another one. This one even fits in my clarinet bag. Should I just carry it around to keep myself ready for any musicalogical conundrums? How come no one else knows about this little Musical Singularity, a collection of infinite informational density? Christoff Wolff and Bob Levin have nothing on me.

Do they make these in other subjects, like "The Book of Stock Market Documents" or "The Book of Slightly Inappropriate Children's Cartoon Characters Documents"? The possibilities are endless.

I always knew that I was going to be in charge of everything one day. I just didn't know that someone was publishing books to help me out.

On a final note: I've got to play a couple of short pieces for a concert in the middle of September. One piece is to be old music, one new music, but they must have some kind of common thread that I can discuss. I'd love to do Berio's Lied with some kind of Italian Operatic do-dad, but I'm a little stumped on the timing. It'd be great if it were real purdy (not quite Ned Beatty's version of purdy, though), so I can draw a direct connection to Berio's obvious connection to the Italian Operatic tradition. I'm thinking about the Luigi Bassi Rigoletto Fantasy, but I'm afraid that it's a little too long. Anyone know anything a little shorter?

(For those of you scratching your heads: Yes, the Sequenza would be a fantastic choice for this concert given the other times I have to play it this coming season. I'm pretty sure it's about 4 times longer than the presenter would like, though. The audience tends to be little conservative, but with a curious bent. I'm pretty sure they'll trust me for the 4' of the shorter Berio, but might become a little unsettled after minute 12 of the Sequenza when I show no signs of slowing down.)

Random Refuse

Okay, I'm going to be annoying. I swear, this entire post is completely related to music. It might also be quite enigmatic for those not in the know.

Korea looks like a fun country. It looks like I have a wonderful possibility of traveling there for a bit of work sometime in the future. What does the new music scene in Seoul look like? Are there any groups I should keep an eye out for? What's the minimum time I should plan for my visit?

When commissioning a composer for a new, big piece for clarinet, who do you go to? Do you shoot big and call up the biggest names and hope they write a good piece for you? Do you call some smaller names who you know and work with them? Sounds obvious, right?

Oh yes: Reeds! I'm always experimenting, as my loyal readers know. These days, I'm getting longer reed life and a more focused sound. Where's the catch, you say? I haven't heard the other shoe drop yet...(Mix metaphors unite! Hooray...) I'm doing a little more reed adjustment along with my new/old embouchure, but it only sounds better. This is making me nervous. I'm waiting to find out that I've got some form of cancer from mouthpiece mold or some-such horribly rare retardation. It's a zero sum game after all.

Oh, and the above questions are not rhetorical. They need answers/comments! (eyes glowing red in ineffective attempt at intimidation)

More Shameful Running

Bad news, Ashkenazy playing Mozart Piano Concertos: Not good for my running. I think it may have to do with the stilted playing, both on his part as well as the British orchestra's part. Perhaps I could run to Richard Goode playing Mozart. He's always fascinating. I had a chance to sit in the audience during a rehearsal of him doing one of the Mozart Concertos. Absolutely fantastic...

Crap, it looks like I've just decided to go out and buy another cd. How does that keep happening?

Oh, and one more thing: Russ, hallowed be thy name, congratulations.

Run, Doofus, Run

I have a confession to make. I run...occasionally. Occasionally I run...for miles, even. For no apparent reason, I run for miles. For no good reason involving my possible death, I occasionally run for miles. I'm so ashamed.

Well, thank goodness for my IPod. It provides me with beat-filled goodness with which I run...for miles. Frequent appearances on my runs are made by M.I.A.'s Arular, Hyori, and Lee Jung Hyun. Like I said, a beat-filled chewy center. Given that I'm running in an urban environment, the delicate sounds of string quartets usually don't work so well.

For some reason, Bizet's Symphony in C caught my eye as I was scrolling and walking out the door. Let me tell you, that guy has taken a leisurely run before. It was wonderful. I didn't feel like disemboweling myself by the end of my run. Hm...Maybe we have something here.

Maybe I'll try some Haydn Symphony tomorrow. If I can roll out of bed in time, I'll get a run in before the World Cup Final.

Shiny Shirt Warning

How does that look for a great Trio? Wouldn't you like to hear these cats blast through some Bartok or Stravinsky? The Stanton Social Club had no idea what musical luminaries lurked in its midst Friday night.

Oh yes: I saw the Boston 4th of July Fireworks for the first time in years. In fact, it might be the first time since Soojung and I watched when I was still in Undergrad. This time, it was nice to not be able to hear the musical accompaniment. It was nice to just revel in the visual beauty of shiny objects.

Another Musician Hurtling Towards Being an Average Freelancer

I take no solace in music. I listen to music and hear potential toil. I picture the problems I will have ingesting the notes, dynamics, phrases, and other instruments' parts. I don't remember the last time I was able to sit and listen to western art music and just enjoy it. I don't remember the last time I bathed my ears in a Brahms Symphony. The Beethoven Symphonies sound like work orders to me. The Mozart Clarinet Concerto is that over-arching project that every office is afraid will never be finished.

I spoke to a friend over the weekend about Bach. She was sheepish about her newfound love for Baroque music. In fact, she seemed embarrassed and afraid that I would rebuke her. Instead, I wonder if perhaps this can be a place for my ears. Where is the clarinet in Bach? There is none in his solo violin works, Scarlatti's Piano Sonatas, or Vivaldi's many concertos. Can this be a refuge? Can I enjoy this music, or will I discover a trough of potential transcriptions?