Mongoloids on the loose #2

If I were granted only one wish before I die, I would ask to meet the fucking retard(s) responsible for this CD booklet, so as to find out

(1)  which "unforgettable concert" I am supposed to feel present at when listening to this recording, and

(2) which "great occasion" is preserved on a recording spliced from segments taped at multiple concerts.

The Emperor's old recordings

Recently I had to do several hours worth of mind-numbing paperwork.  I didn't want to do it in complete silence, but neither did I want to play music interesting enough to undermine my resolve to get through the necessary drudgery.  Which is why I settled on Bruckner.  I figured Buckner's stupefying repetitiveness would relieve my angst by proving that music can be as boring as the work I had to do.  And since all but two Bruckner recordings in my collection are conducted by Furtwangler, I ended up listening to Furtwangler's take on  five Bruckner symphonies.

Time flies...

Last Tuesday was the first anniversary of Elliott Carter's death.  Yesterday I came across a live broadcast recording of this:

A MEMORIAL CONCERT FOR ELLIOTT CARTER

January 13, 2013

Le Poisson Rouge, New York City

Con Leggerezza Pensosa

Figment for solo cello

Tempo e Tempi

Duettino for violin and cello

Gra for solo clarinet

Fantasy for solo violin

Quintet for Piano and String Quartet

PERFORMERS:

Charlie Neidich, clarinet; Rolf Schulte, violin; Fred Sherry, cello; Tony Arnold, soprano; Steve Taylor, oboe; Ursula Oppens, piano;

Ensemble LPR (Harumi Rhodes, violin; Clara Lee, violin; Mark Holloway, viola; Mihai Marica, cello; Michael Nicolas, conductor)

Those sadistic perverts at BBC Radio 3...

From the program description of a recent BBC Radio 3 broadcast:
Louise Fryer explores Bruckner, the man behind the music...

Now, I have a pretty good idea of what exploring music is about.  But when it comes to exploring "the man behind the music", the only thing that comes to mind is this:

Short but sweet...

Carter's 7-min long String Trio was one of several chamber works completed in 2011, about a year before he died.  Although it was premiered in December 2011 by Rolf Schulte, Fred Sherry, and Richard O'Neill  at the 92nd Street Y concert celebrating Carter's 103rd birthday, I have not come across a recording of that premiere performance.  The present live recording from the 2013 REMUSIC Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia (performed by members of eNsemble Pro-Arte Fund) was my first chance to get acquainted with this little gem. 

Bulgakov would have loved this!!!

THE NEW YORK TIMES

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 World Briefing | Europe

16 September 2013

Russia: Shooting in Philosophical Clash

By ANDREW E. KRAMER

An argument over the teachings of the philosopher Immanuel Kant between two men standing in line for beer at an outdoor festival in southern Russia ended when one man shot the other in the head with gun loaded with rubber bullets, the state RIA news agency reported on Monday, citing the police. Though the wound was not critical, the attacker faces up to a decade in prison if convicted on assault charges. Among educated Russians, including those who drink, classical literature and philosophy are sometimes debated in casual social settings, the way sports often are in Western countries.