yesterday: ravel or debussy? today i offer you an even more haunting classical music dilemma

wow

when i was eleven i thought dvorak’s 8th symphony was one of the most wonderful pieces ever—one of the few things my eleven year old self was absolutely right about

Is there a bird piece by Byrd

I just looked up from the concord sonata to see a bunch of young pianists chasing geese across the tanglewood lawn

Sitting on lawn listening to moving slow movement of Stravinsky violin concerto thinking of that beautiful Kundera observation that Stravinsky lost his home and he started to wander through the rooms of music history which he felt was his true home

i was having a calm, happy morning until i noticed that emily in paris has a season 4

“Who knew”? Anyone who has rehearsed Mendelssohn with Steven Isserlis will have heard this at least a hundred times

Today for lunch in St. John’s Newfoundland: a big plate of cod tongues with scrunchions followed by partridgeberry crumble

For all the grief I give Steven Isserlis it must be said that often mid practice I wonder to myself how would Steven play a phrase and it usually helps to clarify my thinking

Judging from the breakfast crowd this might be the most hungover hotel in the world right now

I decided to be a good citizen and take the airtrain from Newark and an hour after beginning the process I am still within walking distance of Newark airport

best part of day: an hour meditating on faure d minor quintet, which has some of the most ravishing progressions of all time, and other baffling passages like musical LSD trips—the hallucinatory is what you want, wonder, bent and curved rules of harmony, a suspension of causality

Finished “Every Good Boy Does Fine” by jeremydenk. Really enjoyed it. A well written and honest memoir. I learnt a lot and made me realise I don’t really know as much as I thought about piano playing! Need to expand my repertoire - made a Spotify playlist of his recommendations.

i enjoy illustrated versions of myself so much more than the real deal … many thanks to YUKONOHJI !!!

I don’t remember what I said but hopefully it’s insightful or at least not embarrassing!

a friend reminded me of this old blog about brahms (as i practice op. 119) and i guess it does seem worth rereading for a laugh blog.jeremydenk.com/?p=917

actually, no one will read the link unless i supply the opening as a teaser (the graph is real!) blog.jeremydenk.com/?p=917

I mean I think we made some music in there

What a fun conversation