January 1, 2019 • 12:00 am Comments Off on Turning the Page: Happy New Year 2019
Here’s one way to start the New Year: with this remarkable interpretation of Book I of The Well-Tempered Clavier by Samuil Feinberg. The opening Prelude and Fugue in C major in particular sounds like a fresh start, yet already shadowed by experience.
Filed under: Bach, miscellaneous
September 4, 2018 • 11:57 pm Comments Off on The Devastating Loss in Brazil
From Ed Yong, this assessment of the devastating losses in the aftermath of the conflagration that destroyed the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro:
The museum’s archeological collection had frescoes from Pompeii, and hundreds of Egyptian artifacts, including a 2,700-year-old painted sarcophagus. It housed art and ceramics from indigenous Brazilian cultures, some of whose populations number only in their thousands. It contained audio recordings of indigenous languages, some of which are no longer spoken; entire tongues went up in flames. It carried about 1,800 South American artifacts that dated back to precolonial times, including urns, statues, weapons, and a Chilean mummy that was at least 3,500 years old.
Owen Burdick reports this in a Facebook post:
Incalculable loss:
“There’s nothing left from the Linguistics division. We lost all the indigenous languages collection: the recordings since 1958, the chants in all the languages for which there are no native speakers alive anymore, the Curt Niemuendaju archives: papers, photos, negatives, the original ethnic-historic-linguistic map localizing all the ethnic groups in Brazil, the only record that we had from 1945. The ethnological and archeological references of all ethnic groups in Brazil since the 16th century… An irreparable loss of our historic memory. It just hurts so much to see all in ashes.”Cinda Gonda, translated by Diogo Almeida, about the fire at Brazil’s National Museum.
Filed under: miscellaneous
April 19, 2018 • 9:25 am Comments Off on A Trip Through New York City in 1911
Originally filmed by SF Studios, a Swedish company. Sound of course added on.
Filed under: film, miscellaneous
January 9, 2018 • 11:58 am 1
Remarkable work by Ilan Rechtman. I need to find out more about him.
Filed under: miscellaneous, piano
December 9, 2016 • 12:47 pm Comments Off on Madrona Makes Music: Holiday Benefit
Local readers please note this concert scheduled for Saturday 10 December, 3-4 pm, by the musicians of Madrona to benefit their neighborhood’s homeless shelter, Julia’s Place.
From the announcement: “These local performers, including accomplished professionals and aspiring young artists, present a holiday extravaganza that covers everything from Mozart and Schubert to Stevie Wonder and Leonard Cohen. Guests of all ages are welcome at this free community concert, and every donation collected goes directly to Julia’s Place to assist vulnerable families!”
Madrona Makes Music is presented by local violin studio Suzuki by the Sound.
Performer lineup:
–Distilled, Seattle University alumni a cappella choir
-Aaron Grad, electric theorbo
-Tracy Hagen, cello
-Jen Kovarovic, violin
-Lizzie and Aimee
-Nelda & Clif’s little BIG band
-Rabbi David Basior
-Lewis Thompson, piano
-Violin students of Suzuki by the Sound
Filed under: miscellaneous
September 3, 2016 • 1:46 am Comments Off on The Legend of Sawney Bean
The things one learns while traveling…. This made for some good tale-spinning while visiting Edinburgh:
The story of Sawney Bean is one of the most gruesome Scottish legends, the plot of which would not look out of place in any modern horror/slasher movie. Evidence suggests the tale dates to the early 18th century.
more on the gruesome legend of the Bean clan
Bonus scare:
Filed under: miscellaneous, travel
March 25, 2016 • 8:44 am Comments Off on Music for Good Friday
Arts & Culture Stories from NPR
