Visual Correspondence

Visual Correspondence - Historical Letters from a new perspective

Just in passing, if anyone has an interest in historical correspondence, I have created a web site devoted to that very topic.  Using basic information that is common to almost all letters, I try to map where historical figures were over their lives.  I also try to chart their social circles and provide a lot of different tools for seeing what they got up to, as letter writers that is (but actually not just as that).  The site is Visual Correspondence and it would just make me feel a bit better about wasting so much time on it if more than one or two people (mostly me) actually used it.  At present there are over 156,000 letters dealt with, featuring everyone from Karl Marx to Robert De Niro (I kid you not; do a search on the site).  And if you are aware of any online collections of correspondence that you think might be suitable for the site, please let me know.  So remember folks, http://letters.nialloleary.ie/

Music to be Murdered By

Tonight, to a less than full house, the RTE Concert Orchestra played a concert of film music focussed generally on the works of Bernard Herrmann. The composer of scores for films from 'Citizen Kane' to 'Taxi Driver' with a whole slew of Hitchcock classics in between, he was the Ennio Morricone of Golden Age Hollywood, and a personal favorite of mine.
Overall I was not disappointed. Strangely for a concert concentrating on Herrmann, I found their weakest playing was on some of his faster pieces ('North by Northwest' for instance) and the Concerto Macabre from 'Hangover Square' was a little underwhelming. But then I'm fussy when it comes to his music. I've been playing the same cd of his most famous pieces for nearly 15 years. And anyway they got some of it right. The saxophone on 'Taxi Driver', for instance, was spot on and for the suite from 'Psycho', they played a pizzicato piece I was not familiar with. And then they were very good on music by other composers, the highlight for me being a sumptuous account of Raksin's sentimental music for 'Laura' (the horn on that piece was quintessential 40's America). True, I could have done with more Herrmann (they ended with Rodney Bennett's 'Murder on the Orient Express'), but to hear this evocative music played in the concert hall was still a joy for nostalgic me.
Now I just have to dig up my old Hitchcock collection and have a marathon weekend.

Part of the Whole

I came home drunk (thsnks J. for the use of your neck) and turned on BBC4. The Proms were on as usual and a description gave the programme. Ravel's Piano Concerto for left hand - lovely - Scriabin's Poem of Estacy - well, okay, if you must, and Arvo Part's new symphony. Arvo Part's new symphony. Why don't you say Beethoven has risen from the grave and is quite keen on a 6th piano concerto. Arvo Part!!!!!!!
(And he was in the audience.)

Nude without any Clothes

Big Ideas (don't get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.

I came across this in London a couple of years ago and have finally found it again (ah, the Web!). Love it (though you might want to forward through the preload).

Sounds Like...

One of the good things about Scorsese's "Shutter Island", is that its wonderful soundtrack brings a lot of exceptional composers and exceptional music to the wider public. Take the Mahler Quartet used in the film. Di Caprio's character identifies it immediately as if it were one of the standard classics. It's not. All the Mahler I knew was his symphonies and songs (and a couple of piano pieces). When I heard the piece used in the film I thought there was a big black hole in my musical education. I have a limited knowledge of classical, but I did think I knew my Mahler. Then I went looking for it. Not many recordings out there. The Penguin Guide doesn't even mention it. Not much on it at all really. Yet it is a wonderful piece, and the snippet used in the movie is pretty much all there is to it. It is less a piano quartet than a single 11 minute movement. For bringing that alone to my attention I am grateful.
Then there's the Max Richter piece, "On the Nature of Daylight". This probably signals the heart of the movie. Its poignant gentleness highlights the heavy-handedness of the rest of the movie, great music aside. Sad to say, I was not familiar with Richter's work though I remembered the piece from "Stranger than Fiction" (the best thing about an otherwise weak movie). Tracked him down a little now. A sadder, more sentimental version of Gavin Bryars with a good dollop of Nyman thrown in, he's well worth checking out.
Robbie Robertson, of The Band fame, is credited with bringing all this music together (quite literally in the case of the final track, mixing Richter's music with a Dinah Washington song). Hats off to you, Robbie.
As an aside, one of the composers featured, Morton Feldman, is the thread behind an exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art at the moment. The catalogue proclaims proudly that this is the first exhibition ever devoted to Feldman. Well, he was a composer, you know. He may well have hung round with a lot of artists, and dedicated music to them, but personally I think it's stretching things to devote an art exhibition to a composer. What we get are works by his friends, oriental rugs that inspired him and the copies of the scores to his music. Still it's nice to see the few Rothko's, the Guston's (one reminded me of an impressionist painting without the subject), De Kooning, etc.. And if you look at that Pollack really closely you'll see a mosquito caught in the paint, still perfect after over 60 years.

I Wanted to Lick Your Knees

Song of the Day: Take the Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven. Okay, so it's another song when I said no more. Be grateful! I was going to rant against the Government's public sector deal, or talk about some dallying with Fichte's notion of the Self's understanding of its own limitation, or rant about work (oh, don't go there!), or even discuss an old blues album from my teenage years, but instead I thought I'd post these old fogies singing a song of their's from the 80s. Pass it on to all your Fascist mates.
Still that Cowen is some idiot if he thinks there is ANYTHING to agree to in that deal, and shame on SIPTU for even putting it forward, and stop making us scapegoats, and....
Got big lanes! Got big lanes!

He's Got Radioactive Blood!

Song of the Day: Spiderman by The Ramones
Okay, that's it! There's a week of novelty!
As to 'Spiderman', well, let's face it, you can't really hear this without hearing the word 'pig'! Kind of a shame, as I really like this version.

It's Just Too Heavy....

Song of the Day: Waitin' for a Superman by The Flaming Lips. Just cos it's nice.

You, Beautiful and Drunk, and Singing Softly to Yourself

Song of the Day: 'I don't have time to stand here with you fighting about the size of my dick' by Ballboy.
Okay, this novelty song stuff has to end, and the video is crappy, but the song is a nice mickey take on the whole male macho bullshit thing. At least that's my reading.

It's a Programme about Art

Song of the Day: Strachan by The Hitchers
Novelty aside, I think there's a lot of perception in this song. Telling a tale about a relationship while describing a soccer match is some feat.
And I didn't even realise they were Irish!

Lights, Camel, Action!

The novelty songs keep on rolling. Song of the Day:
Charlton Heston put his Vest On by Stump.

God Bless Ken MacKenzie!

Song of the Day: Preposterous Tales by I, Ludicrous. I was on Crackerjack at the age of 10, did you know that? Preposterous!

Screaming Vegetation

Song of the Day: The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes by THE VERY THINGS (1984).
Listening to this on phone for a while now, then I discover someone has put the video online. Is there anything the web can't do?

Bach to Basics

I was listening to Bach's 'St Matthew's Passion' when I suddenly remembered hearing what I was hearing sung by Paul Simon. Sure enough his 'American Tune' isn't so American after all, but uses that chorale I was hearing as its melodic basis. As it happens, Bach didn't compose it either; apparently it was originally a melody by one Hans Hassler. Another addition to the classical pop song canon.

Ode to Joy

BBC4 broadcast a performance of Beethoven's Ninth at the Proms tonight, one of my all time favourite pieces of music. Tonight they had subtitles for the choral movement. I am ashamed to say I had never read Schiller's Ode to Joy (the lyrics) before. What fantastic poetry! Woodstock for the 19th Century (though the ode was composed in the 18th)! Really beautiful, beautiful stuff. What struck me was the very modern view of God adopted. Not my strongest topic, but with its 'His suns' hurtling through space, and the egalitarian tone of the whole piece, it could be Olaf Stapledon's 'Starmaker' for all it matters. The combination of science and theology was surprising, yet still expansive. Of course the hope of the whole thing is more appropriate to Woodstock than the early 21st Century, but combined with Beethoven's glorious music, you just have to go along with it. Aye, there wasn't a dry eye in the house (well, my apartment anyhow)!
The performance, by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, was pretty fine too. I particularly liked how conductor Ilan Volkov brought some discipline to the occasionally lolling third movement (bizarre, but it reminded me just a little of Mahler at times). Not to say there's any sloppiness on Beethoven's part. The Ninth is still a summation of so much that went before Beethoven and a prefiguring of much that was to follow. And isn't it great how Beethoven does a little recap of the previous movements before bursting into that choral finale, movements that have hidden in each the germs of the final big theme!
A lot of people have criticised that last tune, and it is used everywhere now, but one of the commentators at the break, a composer no less, called it 'rubbish' while explaining how the symphony called for people to get together. Hmmmm! If it is 'rubbish', so be it, I still love it, but the truth is he's on the wrong track if he's calling for unity! You're messing with something really heartfelt to many, many listeners. And Beethoven knew what he was doing. He prefaces the choral movement with words to the effect that we've had enough unhappy sounds, let's have some joyful music now, and that's what it is; music everyone can enjoy. What's more if Beethoven didn't have faith in the power of that last melody, why use it as the base for all that has gone before. It's far from rubbish. It's something from above the canopy of stars, something from beyond....
Enough! I'll just creep tearfully away from this circle.

And Edison Said 'Let There Be Light!'

I discovered a nice piece of music among a collection of 'Russian Legends': Leonid Kogan playing an arrangement for chamber orchestra and violin by Edison(!) Denisov of a partita by Bach. Very much in the style of Tippett's Fantasia on a Theme by Corelli (by way of George Auric), though ultimately not as good, it nevertheless nearly reduced me to tears; not so much the quality as the audacity. I am an iconoclast at heart (probably why I love Prokofiev so much) and Denisov's mixing of the austere baroque of Bach with the discordant wail of the Twentieth Century proved irresistible to me. The cd continued with Shostakovich's Violin Concerto, heavy after the light, but that slow third movement is a dream.

Prokofiev

I so love Prokofiev. I know no one cares but just listen to the 'slow' movement of the second violin concerto knowing what he is capable of. This nice, accessible, almost romantic, stuff in the light of glorious madness. The man was a wonderfully insane genius, an iconoclast, a musician who understood music. Why can't anyone just listen? But remember it is all in the context of everything else. He understands what has gone before and still does what he does. That is the essence of structuralism and more pertinently post-structuralism; the knowledge of where you sit and the determination to do what you do anyway and use all else to achieve your aims.

Score!

From www.scifi-universe.com
I have to say it again, a great score by a great composer can raise a film to a whole new level. Just watched yet another Twilight Zone episode, "Nightmare as a Child" (there's 156 or so of them, so I still have a lot to get through). Right from the opening you notice the music, very reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's works. Just like Morricone (remember 'Once Upon a Time in the West' or 'Once Upon a Time in America'), it used a childhood style and theme to put the past into the present, very much in keeping with the story. And who was it? Jerry Goldsmith, of course! Though he wrote only a handful of scores for the series, you notice every one. Excellent!
A day or two back too, I watched 'Little Girl Lost'. You know it's a classic when 'The Simpsons' use it as the basis for an episode (like 'The Shelter' or 'To Serve Man'), and 'Little Girl Lost' serves as the basis for Homer's experience in the Third Dimension. It's also written by Richard Matheson, which helps, although the father's immediate response when his daughter disappears is to 'call a physicist'. Hmmmmm! Perhaps not the most realistic of responses, Richard. Traditionally the third season of The Twilight Zone opens with a 'Produced by' credit, 'Written by', and 'Directed by'. In this episode though and very unusually, the main credit after Producer is 'Music by'. Rightfully so too, for the score is by none other than Bernard Herrmann, frequent collaborator with Hitchcock, composer of the theme and a lot of music for the first season, and one of the all time greats. The score itself is very like earlier scores by Herrmann, it must be said, but it lends a gravitas to the episode that raises it far above the ordinary. Another point: quite apart from The Simpsons, this particular episode obviously inspired 'Poltergeist', right down to the little girl. Excellent!!!!!
And while I'm at it, 'To Serve Man', based on a story by Damon Knight, again a story I read as a child (and loved), I watched the other night too. I must have seen it before, but the punchline is such a good one that it deserves repeated viewing. Richard Kiel as a nine foot tall alien with a huge forehead is also worth the watch. Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(There's a bit of trivia relating to 'Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear' mentioned on the wikiepedia entry for 'To Serve Man'. If you know the punchline, it's a good one. If you don't, read the story!!!!!!!! And someone's put the episode on Google! I want to scream out the punchline!!!!!!!!)

Spit on me Dickie!

As part of the Fringe, an ensemble, 3epkano, were staging a performance in the IFI entitled 'Cinema of Silence', in which they play live accompaniment to some silent arthouse movies. I already had my ticket for Sunday's performance, but I learnt yesterday that there was a different programme today. Three of the movies were by Maya Deren, including 'Meshes of an Afternoon', the movie I had seen in the Tate. I went along.

 

As can be grasped from my last posting, I place a lot of importance on a film's score, but each of these movies was made to be silent. To put a score on them is to change their effect, emphasising a particular interpretation over others. As such I was wary, but there was no denying the power and entertainment value the score added. Deren's films really came alive, particulary 'Meshes' and 'At Land'. I have seen 'Meshes' several times now so understanding it should be clearer, but it seemed clear as day today. Of course, and I make no apologies, to have a beautiful woman conscious of her beauty showing it off continually certainly adds to my entertainment value. 'Ritual in Transfigured Time' was the lesser of the three Deren films on show, but although each featured some profound silliness, I enjoyed them all.

 

Jean Genet's 'Un Chant D'Amour' completed the programme and for a 1950 production it managed to shock this viewer. Without meaning to sound homophobic in any way, let's just say it makes 'Brokeback Mountain' look as straight as '3:10 to Yuma'. (Hmmmm, on reflection maybe not the best example).

 

There was more Dick in Eason's, where Dickie Rock was signing copies of his new book. At this point he should almost be classed as a national landmark, like the Cliffs of Moher. He certainly looks like the Cliffs of Moher.

Darwin Just Didn't Get It Right!

I said 'Copying Beethoven' wasn't a date movie, but maybe I was wrong. The couple who sat down a seat away from me certainly seemed to think so. I kept wracking my brains trying to think if 'Farrelly Brothers' or 'Leonardo Di Caprio' had been mentioned on the poster, but I just couldn't remember seeing either. Well, these two had come prepared anyhow. They kept pulling bags of corn snacks from the air and letting the rest of us know about it. Ultimately they made a bad movie intolerable. I mean surely the clue was in the title, this was a movie about Beethoven, and as such, it might have a little music in it. In fact whether the movie was good or not, at least we could enjoy that music. Right? Nope. Crunching couple thought the music bits were the intermission. The centrepiece of the movie is a kind of highlights performance of the Ninth. I kid you not, they talked through the whole thing. Naturally, and inevitably, I had to shhh them, but to no avail. Why the Hell were they there? I mean why the Hell were they there? Anyone with even a couple of brain cells would suspect a little bit about the movie, yet they had no interest whatever. Darwin couldn't be right. How could genes like that still be floating around the 'survival of the fittest' pool? When abortions go wrong.

To be fair, the movie didn't warrant too much attention anyhow. Ed Harris , bizarre in brown contact lenses, and Diane Kruger, not just a pretty face, are not too bad. However, they are saddled with a director (and a screenplay), who feels the need to 'explain' the joy of music with shaky camera moves and hazy 'ecstatic' shots. Even that hoary old cliche of the closed eyed hand gestures gets a thorough outing. Music does not require an explanation, and certainly not that of Beethoven. You either get it or you don't. No half-assed music video with a bad line in spiritual mumbo jumbo (about God's language) is going to change that. Certainly it shouldn't be the raison d'etre for a fictionalised account of Beethoven's last year. One way or the other, if you are in the audience you have presumably 'gotten' Beethoven already. Presumably. Well, maybe not afterall.