“I grew up in an atmosphere rich in folk music: popular festivities, rites, joyous and sad events in the life of the people…”
I have always loved Khachaturian. The album
on my phone has Masquerade and the Spartacus Ballet. I wonder if anybody ever stages the ballet in NY. Not that I know anything about ballet but the music is haunting and so beautiful it hurts.
The quote above reminded me of a comment from
concession owner at our farmer’s market last Sunday. It quite cold … I asked what it’s like in Poland where he grew up. Just as cold he says, but in the south where there are resorts large crowd gather in the cold for outdoor music festivals. I guess you forget that it’s cold!
I answered that folks around here have to cheer up! He agreed but hinted that we cheered up some … referring to the election outcome. Oh yes.
Life of the people. Maybe we had that before TV! We threw out our TV but now it’s podcasts. On the other hand if we don’t stay informed the depopulation agenda …pushed by our beloved Oligarchs (the ones we never heard of) … will get rid of us peoples altogether. I guess they like silence. Like “On the Beach.” They’re trying! What turbulent waters we navigate.
In my life of quiet desperation (just kidding, it's not that quiet :- ) perhaps my most significant contribution to "civilization" has been for several years already to eliminate TV from my diet.
Your life and music must go on invocation brings to mind tales of British tea being poured in the bomb shelters amidst Germany's aerial assaults on WW2 London.
Oh cool! Back in the late 1990s, I worked with Aram's grandson. We were both in IT at a big law firm in Los Angeles. I just remember Ray saying how great his grandfather was, and he himself couldn't carry a tune at all. Really sweet guy.
I feel him! I am the daughter of polyglot Barry Farber, who spoke 26 languages (16 fluently) and I am …er…learning Spanish. With difficulty. Day by day. 😩
I am bilingual - prefer to read english- but dont believe a reference point exists,except in naming silences'between languages'.Sailent strong lists of swear words really help.
For example the dutch language is built on 2 things; calvinism ,and the reaction against.
Villiages a few kms apart can use the same phrase ,or word - with entirely diferent meanings.
Multiply that by 500 years inception,aggregate the legal acceptance ,forensically - using phrases like 'sex with ants' (mieren neukerij) in court -okayed recently to legally describe a traffic warden's compliance deficits.
So the tiny ,lego like building blocks of this magnificent language can be used to make the most casual phrase bark far worse than its bite,and vice versa.
Its why asking poetin in a paper bag 'probleem is je hebt geen vlauwe idee hoveel mieren verneuk je zelf oorzaakt'
translates 'you have no idea how close your behavoir is to an ant brothel. '
Highly recommended.
I would be lost without "La coer d'courjette brulee du l'anee" as paragim.
I'm still searching > 2 decades later ,for Mdme Unkowsky's St Petersberg musical color system - which Hirshorn quoted ,still trying to source(Paganini caprice no 20 was 'yellow'). A footnote in Kandinsky's "Concerning the spiritual in art" mentions it,but my (later) sources overly restricted.
As any sovietized musical westerner actually realises - it's Kandinsky's description of 'Black' that seems to fall short of Gujarat Roma's (dispersed in Balkans) 'Black Madonna'.Which is behind Miles Davis' "I didnt know trumpet could be played like that'' - when he heard Guca's pre 2005 Golden Trumpet Festival(groups of 8 standing 'duelling' for the whole village - 6 days of little sleep ,plenty slivovic ( for those not studying the phenomena) and escaping the local farmers' lynch mobs.
Difficulties getting things past the censors seems to be my theme of the week. I'm reading Solzhenitsyn's memoir the Oak and the Calf but also Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita as well as his biography on Moliere. Solzhenitsyn describes finally finding censorship liberating--this after the Soviets seized his archive in 1966 and he underwent severe depression, suicidal thoughts, loss of purpose before finally realizing that he survived and hadn't been re-arrested which meant that he was free to speak out, to taunt them and to publish in samizdat all of his writings (government officials were apparently circulating his work amongst themselves and sending out criticism of it and of him).
Made me realize, once again, that self censorship is one of 'their' strongest weapons in the arsenal.
Damn good - 'before realising that he had survived & hadn't been re-arrested -which meant he was free to speak out,satirize ...because it meant getting human feedback back that was not lethal.
You, a raconteur of symphony too? Shostakovich, to make people laugh? Didn't Celia submit a feature film on his hard way to go earlier this year? I realized later that I had heard Khachaturian's name before even as this waltz completely took me by surprise.
My humble contribution here borne out of ignorance is that if Dvorak and Strauss had a baby then the blend of tonality and rhythm would be Khachaturian. But I've been wrong before . . . . . :- )
If I had realised last 4 songs by Richard Strauss were set to Hermann Hesses 3 poems - Frühling" ("Spring"), "September", and "Beim Schlafengehen" ("On Going to Sleep")
I wouldn't have seen (subsequent) Timothy Leary and Colin Wilson as inveighlers,just posers.
Brahms set Dvorjac up - saved him from his dad's butcher's shop,although playing in brothels is not all its cracked up to be ( Cezanne,and Dvorjac )
Weber ,composer of Der Freischutz ,said of Beethoven's 7th Symphony:"The extravagances of genius have reached their limit;Beeethoven is now ripe for an asylum"
'Frau A. Sacharijn-Unkowsky has worked for several years ,evolved a method of 'so describing sounds by natural colours,and colours by natural sounds,that colour could be heard and sound seen
The system has proved successful for several years both in the inventor's own school and the Conservatoire at St Petersburg .Finally Scriabin ,on more spiritual lines ,has paralelled sounds and colours in a chart not unlike that of Frau Unkowsky.Prometheus as proof of his theories.'
Chart appeared in ''Music'' Moscow 1911,No. 9
(Quotes from footnote 2 p25 on Concerning the Spiritual in Art by Kandinsky.)
I loved this quote
“I grew up in an atmosphere rich in folk music: popular festivities, rites, joyous and sad events in the life of the people…”
I have always loved Khachaturian. The album
on my phone has Masquerade and the Spartacus Ballet. I wonder if anybody ever stages the ballet in NY. Not that I know anything about ballet but the music is haunting and so beautiful it hurts.
The quote above reminded me of a comment from
concession owner at our farmer’s market last Sunday. It quite cold … I asked what it’s like in Poland where he grew up. Just as cold he says, but in the south where there are resorts large crowd gather in the cold for outdoor music festivals. I guess you forget that it’s cold!
I answered that folks around here have to cheer up! He agreed but hinted that we cheered up some … referring to the election outcome. Oh yes.
Life of the people. Maybe we had that before TV! We threw out our TV but now it’s podcasts. On the other hand if we don’t stay informed the depopulation agenda …pushed by our beloved Oligarchs (the ones we never heard of) … will get rid of us peoples altogether. I guess they like silence. Like “On the Beach.” They’re trying! What turbulent waters we navigate.
In my life of quiet desperation (just kidding, it's not that quiet :- ) perhaps my most significant contribution to "civilization" has been for several years already to eliminate TV from my diet.
Your life and music must go on invocation brings to mind tales of British tea being poured in the bomb shelters amidst Germany's aerial assaults on WW2 London.
Question being ,which was the more diabolical-milk ,indeed.
A new one for me too, and yes he is genius. Thank you, Celia, for these posts! You Rock! (in a classical way...).
Yeah, rocks like Rachmaninoff !
Oh cool! Back in the late 1990s, I worked with Aram's grandson. We were both in IT at a big law firm in Los Angeles. I just remember Ray saying how great his grandfather was, and he himself couldn't carry a tune at all. Really sweet guy.
I feel him! I am the daughter of polyglot Barry Farber, who spoke 26 languages (16 fluently) and I am …er…learning Spanish. With difficulty. Day by day. 😩
Spanglish is a language onto itself, ya know. Don't overlook that during bragging rights.
How can anyone speak 26 languages?
I am bilingual - prefer to read english- but dont believe a reference point exists,except in naming silences'between languages'.Sailent strong lists of swear words really help.
For example the dutch language is built on 2 things; calvinism ,and the reaction against.
Villiages a few kms apart can use the same phrase ,or word - with entirely diferent meanings.
Multiply that by 500 years inception,aggregate the legal acceptance ,forensically - using phrases like 'sex with ants' (mieren neukerij) in court -okayed recently to legally describe a traffic warden's compliance deficits.
So the tiny ,lego like building blocks of this magnificent language can be used to make the most casual phrase bark far worse than its bite,and vice versa.
Its why asking poetin in a paper bag 'probleem is je hebt geen vlauwe idee hoveel mieren verneuk je zelf oorzaakt'
translates 'you have no idea how close your behavoir is to an ant brothel. '
Highly recommended.
I would be lost without "La coer d'courjette brulee du l'anee" as paragim.
I'm still searching > 2 decades later ,for Mdme Unkowsky's St Petersberg musical color system - which Hirshorn quoted ,still trying to source(Paganini caprice no 20 was 'yellow'). A footnote in Kandinsky's "Concerning the spiritual in art" mentions it,but my (later) sources overly restricted.
As any sovietized musical westerner actually realises - it's Kandinsky's description of 'Black' that seems to fall short of Gujarat Roma's (dispersed in Balkans) 'Black Madonna'.Which is behind Miles Davis' "I didnt know trumpet could be played like that'' - when he heard Guca's pre 2005 Golden Trumpet Festival(groups of 8 standing 'duelling' for the whole village - 6 days of little sleep ,plenty slivovic ( for those not studying the phenomena) and escaping the local farmers' lynch mobs.
https://youtu.be/8R6lEytvMLo
Invective ,in art ,as in life inspires.The armenian genocide due to a 'too forgiving nature' -at least in description.
Underestimated how much the Armenian's still blame the Russians for not preventing 'it'.
Dances of whole valleys of dry bones are in Katachurian's every breath.
My still as of yet unfulfilled dream is to own an 18-wheeler with an octave of horns to making driving fun again.
accusare nemo se debet nisi coram Deo
https://unherd.com/2024/12/how-von-der-leyen-thwarted-macron/?tl_inbound=1&tl_groups[0]=18743&tl_period_type=3
Not 19, I'm modest that way.
I think a more suitable sobriquet for the VD in that leyen little so-n-so's name is Venereal Disease.
This disease won't be quelled until all its components are removed, namely the EU itself.
And the USA should set an example by deep-sixing the UN.
Some people just get around better than others. My closest degree of separation was a distant relative of Weird Al Yankovic :- )
Difficulties getting things past the censors seems to be my theme of the week. I'm reading Solzhenitsyn's memoir the Oak and the Calf but also Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita as well as his biography on Moliere. Solzhenitsyn describes finally finding censorship liberating--this after the Soviets seized his archive in 1966 and he underwent severe depression, suicidal thoughts, loss of purpose before finally realizing that he survived and hadn't been re-arrested which meant that he was free to speak out, to taunt them and to publish in samizdat all of his writings (government officials were apparently circulating his work amongst themselves and sending out criticism of it and of him).
Made me realize, once again, that self censorship is one of 'their' strongest weapons in the arsenal.
Damn good - 'before realising that he had survived & hadn't been re-arrested -which meant he was free to speak out,satirize ...because it meant getting human feedback back that was not lethal.
Sounds vaguely familiar!
BTW “Lermontov” was the impresario character in the film “The Red Shoes.” I never heard the name anywhere else till this post.
The power of an in common attraction. Foe me that occurs quite often here at TTB
Listening to this, took me away from the familiar surroundings of my kitchen, my home. In a word, listening to this I was transported!
Thank you for this and your efforts Celia!
An when "reality" was restored were you still in the same country?
Yes, lol. Will have to listen to that more often though 🙂🙃
luscious. as are these piano transcriptions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mNRWSX2owI&list=OLAK5uy_lnXgu3kTith_GjibPSzcgSNtukVQHa67w&index=9
Very nice, thank you. Thought you might enjoy this piece that came my way nearly 8 years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SI1E2wZ9Dc
Ah ,the good stuff.
Thanks CF-
I totally agree with the 'took me by the throat ..spun me round the room-and threw me into an icy river.'
Tchaikovsky's tradition of self immolation has not been in vain...
Jarvi's version of same with SNO (after) suffers from giants.
Just keep the hellenism for Mozart.
Censorship pre Soviet style?
Why do I know this piece well?
Shoshtakovitch was so state censored ( whole symphonies) -that he took refuge in nursery songs in his most satirical works -to get past Stalin.
His biggest dream was to make pple laugh,in reaction to his pieces.
That would be a fail?
You, a raconteur of symphony too? Shostakovich, to make people laugh? Didn't Celia submit a feature film on his hard way to go earlier this year? I realized later that I had heard Khachaturian's name before even as this waltz completely took me by surprise.
My humble contribution here borne out of ignorance is that if Dvorak and Strauss had a baby then the blend of tonality and rhythm would be Khachaturian. But I've been wrong before . . . . . :- )
Such Hellenism !
If I had realised last 4 songs by Richard Strauss were set to Hermann Hesses 3 poems - Frühling" ("Spring"), "September", and "Beim Schlafengehen" ("On Going to Sleep")
I wouldn't have seen (subsequent) Timothy Leary and Colin Wilson as inveighlers,just posers.
Brahms set Dvorjac up - saved him from his dad's butcher's shop,although playing in brothels is not all its cracked up to be ( Cezanne,and Dvorjac )
Weber ,composer of Der Freischutz ,said of Beethoven's 7th Symphony:"The extravagances of genius have reached their limit;Beeethoven is now ripe for an asylum"
Iam am no raconteur,clearly.
A new one to me, composer and all. Reminds me a bit of Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre.
". . . . . icy river" Haha, those youtubers will say anything to draw attention.
'Frau A. Sacharijn-Unkowsky has worked for several years ,evolved a method of 'so describing sounds by natural colours,and colours by natural sounds,that colour could be heard and sound seen
The system has proved successful for several years both in the inventor's own school and the Conservatoire at St Petersburg .Finally Scriabin ,on more spiritual lines ,has paralelled sounds and colours in a chart not unlike that of Frau Unkowsky.Prometheus as proof of his theories.'
Chart appeared in ''Music'' Moscow 1911,No. 9
(Quotes from footnote 2 p25 on Concerning the Spiritual in Art by Kandinsky.)
Can anyone find the chart,and the article?
Apart from this one
https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/victorian-occultism-and-the-art-of-synesthesia/
- it must lead to Unkowsky eventually- its the moscow "Music" 1911 spetember edition I'm trying to source...
Quality of thought determines colour;
Nature of thought determines form;
Definiteness of thought determines clearness of outline.
https://edwardcampbellrowntree.com/writing/the-sound-of-light-scriabins-clavier-a-lumieres
This simple formula is anathema
For such mega-distalents as Gates - he has mined artistic superficiality ad nauseam- hence the 2014 'Coup' in UKR,and 36 BSL3-8 BSL 4s
(This is a big deal for de CIA-ing Ukraine nowadays
and the need for 'hallucination' ,as stopgap.)
My 18 wheeler actually uses the adjective of synaesthesia to bypass
the poisenous superficiality of the 'west',as it once was known.
If Jack Parsons ( founder of Caltech rocket laboratory )was adept of Alistar Crowley ,I mean.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-last-of-the-magicians/
Lovely tune.