Yesterday was project day around the house and of course last night was the first of two truck nights this week. Project day actually began Monday night before work and continued on into Tuesday when I returned home from work. What my challenge was was to take a 4 x 2 x 1 box full of parts and make something usable out of it. I would have to say I was infinitely successful when after I was done, I ended up with this beautiful piece of furniture:
It is a rolling Kitchen Island with a Stainless Steel top, wine rack and an adjustable shelf inside the cabinet. The door and both drawers actually work as they should. The big rubber casters allow easy movement and lock down to hold the island in place for a usable work surface. The expansion of our storage and counter space in the kitchen area is most welcome indeed. My counter top was beginning to look like the gadget counter at the Home Goods store, so the extra space was definitely needed.
After too little sleep, I headed into work to find two trucks had already arrived and a third was on the way. Nothing like walking into work and being deep off into it before you even clock in. But things settled down and we got everything done as usual in a timely manner. So all in all a good day.
Today has not been too bad so far but I need to sleep soon or I will be groggy again tonight. So lets get to the Music and the Men, shall we? Your musical interlude today features the Music of the most successful of JS Bach's sons, Carl Philipp Emmanuel. Posted down below are his Berlin Symphonies 1-5 for 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings & continuo. Today's performance is by the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra with Hartmut Haenchen as your Conductor. Over on my tumblr, CPE Bach's Cello Concerto in A Minor is performed by The Academy for Ancient Music Berlin with Peter Bruns as the Cello Soloist.
And now it is time for a little splashy skin fest which you will find frolicking about the page in this week's edition of Wet Wednesday posted down below. Over on my tumblr, Your Hottie of the Day! is definitely all about 'Maxx Attitude'. Thanks for the visit, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
Welcome to the Weekend and your Sunday Morning Concert. Last Friday was the 14th anniversary of 9-11 reflected by the Tribute in Light from Brooklyn Heights above. It is sort of coincidental that I found the fascinating story of Franz Joseph Haydn's Symphony Number 45 in F# Minor when I heard it on Sirius XM76 Symphony Hall the other night. The Symphony carries the title "Farewell", hence the coincidence. As the musicians did at the premiere of Number 45 at Esterhaza in 1772, bidding adieu to Prince Esterhazy, we bid adieu to those we lost on that day. The video description of today's performance tells the story and describes the movements better than I:
Ádám Fischer conducts Österreichisch Ungarische Haydn Philharmonie (Austro-Hungarian Haydn Philharmonie) in
Eszterháza palace located in Fertod (Hungary) where the symphony was
composed and premiered in 1772.
Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor,
known as the "Farewell" Symphony (in German: Abschieds-Symphonie), was
composed by Joseph Haydn in 1772.
History
It was written for
Haydn's patron, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, while he, Haydn and the court
orchestra were at the Prince's summer palace in Eszterháza. The stay
there had been longer than expected, and most of the musicians had been
forced to leave their wives back at home in Eisenstadt, so in the last
movement of the symphony, Haydn subtly hinted to his patron that perhaps
he might like to allow the musicians to return home: during the final
adagio each musician stops playing, snuffs out the candle on his music
stand, and leaves in turn, so that at the end, there are just two muted
violins left (played by Haydn himself and the concertmaster, Alois Luigi
Tomasini). Esterházy seems to have understood the message: the court
returned to Eisenstadt the day following the performance.
The first movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 85 includes a reference to this symphony.
Movements
The
piece is written for two oboes, bassoon, two horns, and strings
(violins divided into two, violas, cellos and double basses).
The
first movement of the work is a turbulent affair in F-sharp minor, an
extremely unusual key to use at the time of the work. It opens in a
manner typical of Haydn's Sturm und Drang period, with descending minor
arpeggios in the first violins against syncopated notes in the second
violins and held chords in the winds. The movement can be explained
structurally in terms of sonata form, but it departs from the standard
model in a number of ways (just before the recapitulation, for example,
new material is introduced, which might have been used as the second
subject in the exposition in a more conventional work). Also, the
exposition moves to C-sharp minor, the dominant minor, rather than the
more usual relative major. Aside from these departures from the norm,
the first movement is "hardly able to be perceived as revolutionary" and
"is not at all that adventurous, containing a development that ventures
only to the levels of IV, ? II, and VI in addition to the mediant and
tonic."
The second, slow, movement in A major and 3/8 time is also
in sonata form. It begins with a relaxed melody played by muted violins,
featuring a repeated "hiccuping" motif. The mood gradually becomes more
somber and meditative with an alternation between major and minor
modes, resembling many similar passages in the later work of Schubert.
There follows a series of dissonant suspensions carried across the bar
line, which are extended to extraordinary lengths by Haydn when the same
material appears in the recapitulation. James Webster hears this music
as programmatic, expressing the yearning for home.
The following
minuet is in the key of F-sharp major; its main peculiarity is that the
final cadence of each section is made very weak (falling on the third
beat), creating a sense of incompleteness.
The last movement begins
as a characteristic Haydn finale in fast tempo and cut time, written in
sonata form in the home key of F-sharp minor. The rhythmic intensity is
increased at one point through the use of unison bariolage in the first
violin part. The music eventually reaches the end of the recapitulation
in a passage that sounds very much as if it were the end of the
symphony, but suddenly breaks off in a dominant cadence.
What follows
is a long coda-like section — in essence a second slow movement — which
is highly unusual in Classical symphonies and was probably quite
surprising to the Prince. This is written in 3/8 time and modulates from
A major to F-sharp major, during which time the musicians take their
leave. As the number of remaining instruments dwindles, the sound
emanating from the orchestra gradually becomes audibly thinner. The
ending is a kind of deliberate anticlimax and is usually performed as a
very soft pianissimo.
This final adagio includes a bit of stage
business that may not be obvious to a listener hearing a recorded
performance: several of the musicians are given little solos to play
just before departing. The order of departure is: first oboe and second
horn (solos), bassoon (no solo), second oboe and first horn (solos),
double bass (solo), cello (no solo), orchestral violins (solos; first
chair players silent), viola (no solo). The first chair violinists
remain to complete the work.
Haydn, the "Father of the Symphony" also composed many other works for various instruments. One of my favorites is his Cello Concerto Number 1 which you will find on my tumblr. That performance was recorded live in Salvia Hall, Tokyo just last year and features Stephan Koncz as the Cello Soloist accomapnied by his brother Cristoph conducting the Ensemble Philmusica Tokyo.
Then would all this beautiful Music be accented by some physical beauty as well? I thought you might agree with me there, soooo... posted down below is a sexy, somewhat romantic and totally exquisite edition of Naked or Nearly So! for your visual appreciation. When you head over to my tumblr for that Cello Concerto, be sure to check out Iccaro Pereira, your Hottie of the Day! Thanks for sharing part of your Sunday with me, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
I have spent a healthy chunk of change lately upgrading the equipment in my kitchen in order to improve the culinary experience for Will and I. In the past month I have purchased an Aroma Rice Cooker/Food Steamer, a cast iron reversible griddle/grill that covers two burners on my stove thus expanding its capabilities, new cooking utensils and of course my most recent purchase of the NuWave Oven. Yesterday was payday and now that I have my Thursdays off again, I can take care of all my chores and errands thus leaving my weekend free for recreation and recuperation.
So yesterday I planned the weekly menu to take advantage of all the new tools at my disposal along with healthier meal choices for us. Last night was the kick off of the new menu and the first use of my NuWave Oven. I must say it was a complete success with lots of deliciousness to fill our tummies. On the Menu: Baked Chicken, Rosemary Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Corn, Cornbread Stuffing and a Creamy Chicken Gravy. Including prep time this delicious meal went from package to table in under 2 hours, the kitchen was not heated up, and cleanup was a snap. Not bad for a first attempt. Here is what I did:
I took a Trader Joe's minimally processed free range 5 pound frying chicken rinsed and drained, then rubbed a small amount of olive oil on the outside. On the inside I put chopped garlic, onion powder and half a lemon, squeezed. I then rubbed onion powder and poultry seasoning into the skin, tied the legs and placed it on the 1 inch grill, breast down, in the NuWave Oven. Placing the dome on top, I set it for 350 F and the timer for 40 minutes. When that timer went off, I flipped the bird breast side up, removed the lemon and squeezed the remaining juices over the breast, then cooked for an additional 35 minutes. I added foil for the last 5 minutes to prevent over browning. The chicken was cooked to perfection (internal temperature 165.4 F measured with my new digital meat thermometer), tender juicy and delicious!
While the Chicken was cooking I steamed some Trader Joe's gold potatoes with some salt and Rosemary for 25 minutes in the Aroma steamer. I removed the potatoes then steamed some Trader Joe's organic sweet corn for 10 minutes. I mashed the potatoes with butter and milk, reheating them in the microwave for 2 minutes just before serving. On the stove, I prepared some Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing using chicken broth instead of the water in the recipe and made the gravy. The gravy is simple, take a can of cream of chicken soup, add onion powder, poultry seasoning and a little chicken broth, heat and voila instant gravy! Every thing came together at the same time for a wonderfully delicious, hassle free meal!
Clean up was easy, the juices from the chicken were gathered in the liner pan of the oven, so I just poured them in a jar for disposal, and every thing else disassembles and is dishwasher safe (except for the power head on the oven), so in it went and I was done. A very successful beginning to our grand experiment.
Now getting to the Music and the Men, I was in a mood for some Boccherini today, so I found a great video (posted below) of 3 Boccherini Quintets for Piano and Strings Opus 56, Number 1 and Opus 57, Numbers 3 & 4. That performance is by Roberto Panuzzo on Piano and members of the Stumentisti del Teatro alla Scala. Over on my tumblr, I have my favorite among Boccherini’s Cello Concerti, the Cello Concerto in B Flat Major. That marveleous performance is by the Bavarian Chamber
Philharmonic under the baton of Philip Greenberg and features Xavier
Philipps as the Cello Soloist. His performance is on a Cello crafted
by Matteo Goffriller Venedig in 1710, was recorded live at the Mozarteum
in Salzburg, Austria.
Then since it is Friday, it is time to indulge in a little phantasie fantastique with some gorgeous guys in compromising or suggestive situations that are sure to delight one and all. You will find your Friday Fantasy Fuel posted down below. Over on my tumblr, your Hottie of the Day! is there offering his 'Open Invitation...'. Thanks for the visit, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
Here it is nigh onto 3 o'clock and I still don't have a post up. It has been a busy day as I had to go let the VA play vampire and take my blood for lab work before my checkup next Monday. That and a couple of other things have managed to delay my process, but I am getting there. Not that I have anything to say on current events other than to note that Governor Fuckhead's Attorney General Lapdog has been indicted for SEC violations, basically with his hand in the cookie jar. I don't know what it is with these conservative yahoos in TX that think they can do whatever they please and get away with it. Times are a changing, but TX is digging in its spurs and draggin' its feet in an attempt to remain a place where good ole boys keep the girls barefoot and pregnant, the Blacks and Mexicans in ghettos and all the fags at the bottom of the river. They can't die off soon enough for my tastes, I may not live to see TX become a 21st Century Society. I hope I do, but...
Anyway, on to more pleasant things like some great Music from Antonin Dvorak. I have his Cello Concerto in B Minor, Opus 104 posted down below. It is a live recording of Mstislav Rostropovich's last concert performance in 2005 with the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Seiji Ozawa. Over on my tumblr, I have Dvorak's Humoresque, Opus 101 with a performance by Rudolf Firkušný from 1972.
To complete the day, I have some scrumdillyishus selections on display down below in this week's edition of Random Hotness.Over on my tumblr, there is "The Dreamer - Parker Gregory" who is sizzlin' the sheets as your Hottie of the Day!. Thanks for the visit, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
Well it has been another strange day here around the house. We managed to have water come springing froth from the light fixture in the kitchen right about the time I was sitting down to write. So necessarily, that little event took priority. We had to wait two hours for maintenance to show up and I am not sure they fixed anything as the people upstairs are not home. I think all they did was shut off the water under the sink to investigate further at a different time. Needless to say, my process has gone by the wayside again, ao luckily I already had the Music and the Men ready to go.
One of the composers featured on last week's 'French Week' on Exploring Music was Camille Saint-Saëns who I have not featured in a while. Therefore I dusted off a couple of old favorites to share with you today. Down below is a play list of 5 works by Saint-Saëns, mostly featuring the Cello, also one of my favorites. The play list includes: Cello Concerto 1; Cello Concerto 2; La Muse et le Poète; Suite for Cello & Orchestra Op.16 and Prayer. Today's performance in by the London Symphony Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas with your Cello Soloist, Steven Isserlis. Over on my tumblr, The NDR Sinfonieorchester under the baton of Paavo Jaarvi perform Saint-Saëns Symphony Number 3 in C Minor, Opus 78 "Organ", with Thierry Escaich as you Organ Soloist.
Then to go with the random events of hte day, there is lots of Random Hotness posted down below. Over on my tumblr, the Hottie of the Day! is all about "Puppy Love". Thanks for the visit, see you again soon. until next time as always, Enjoy!
It has not been a productive day on my part. I have drifted in and out of nappiness and generally lazed about. Other than finally successfully getting all the ducks in a row so that my Bluetooth headset for my cell phone is now also paired with my computer as an alternate audio listening device. I like the headset, it leaves my hands free and does not interfere with whatever work I am doing at the time. It also allows me to hear my music and still carry on a conversation in normal tones. Definitely a plus in my line of work, 'cause someone always wants to talk. You can usually count on one of the following to want to waste your time with bs conversations: drunks, the stupid (or stupidly impaired), the fugly and the insane.
Working the night shift you get a little of each from time to time. Like last night, early in the shift my buddy calls me, he's all drunk and maudlin for which I had no time. I passed him to his girl friend but he managed to piss her off also. Then a few moments later, a long time customer who has a 'slight' problem with alcohol came in to, you guessed it, buy alcohol. He starts talkin to me about how he has been making bad decisions of late and having suicidal thoughts. He said "I don't have anyone else I can talk to about this, so I came to talk to you". Gee, thanks for the pressure, I am a convenience store clerk, not a psychiatrist. I spent a few moments with him, but I had customers and could not leave the register. I know I am easy to talk to but, geez!!
Anyway, so I have been just messing about and not doing much. I did however line up some Music and a some Men to round out the day's entertainment segment. The music comes to us via the pen of Max Bruch with his Violin Concerto Number 1 in G Minor, Opus 26 posted down below. That footage is a live concert featuring Sergey Khachatryan as the Soloist with the Orchestre de Paris, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. Over on my tumblr, join Jackie and Daniel for their 1968 performance with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra of Bruch's Cello Cocnerto 'Kol Nidrei', Opus 47. Jackie and Daniel are of course Jacqueline du Pre and Daniel Barenboim.
Then to add bounty to the beauty, this week's edition of Random Hotness crosses the spectrum of young men, most incredibly handsome, rock hard bodied and totally 'my next future ex husband' fantasy worthy. While over on my tumblr, your Hottie of the Day! will show you 'No Mercy' when it comes to inspiring a lascivious thought process. Thanks for hanging around til I got here, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
... Can I get two margaritas and a fucking AMEN! I am so glad this week is over save for one more truck night. I am looking forward to the weekend, it should actually be sunny and nice for the first time in a month, so maybe I will get out and wash the car and do something outdoorsy. Who knows, I may just hide at the house and ignore the world, lol. I will have to come up with a couple of fabulous live performances for your Saturday Evening Concerts, but that is always a pleasant task much akin to 'forcing myself' to examine hundreds of photos of sexy men in order select just a few for display. Such is the life of the blogger, research is what distinguishes a great post from the mundane. Sometimes I achieve the ideal, and sometimes I don't. But I always try. So lets show off a little research, shall we?
Czech Composer Antonin Dvorak spent 3 years in America from 1892 to 1895 as the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City. He began at a then-staggering $15,000 annual salary, almost unheard of for a Musician or Composer of his times. The conservatory was unique in that it was open to female students as well as male and also black students as well as white. Definitely unusual for the times. While in America, Dvorak composed some of his most recognizable and popular works. He was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic in 1893 to compose his 9th Symphony "From the New World" which debuted to tumultuous applause and remains popular today. You will find a wonderful performance of "From the New World" by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Sergiu Celibidache recorded live at the Munich Phiharmonie in 1991 posted down below.
Dvorak wrote several other works of note while in America including String Quartet in F (the "American"), and the String Quintet in E-flat, as well as a Sonatina for violin and piano. Of particular note in the winter of 1894-1895, Dvořák wrote his Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191, which he completed in February 1895. His Cello Concerto is a star among the standards of the Cello repertoire, with performances around the world to this day. You will find Jacqueline Du Pre's performance of Dvorak' masterpiece with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of her then husband Daniel Barenboim, recorded in 1971 over on my tumblr.
Finally for Friday is a little visual inspiration for us all. This week's edition of Fantasy Fuel is chock full of sublime sexiness which should feed any erotic fantasy in which you might care to indulge. Cruise down the page and lose yourself in your reverie. When you surface for air, head over to my tumblr for one more little indulgence in Fantasy Fuel with your Hottie of the Day! who is "Ripped and Stripped!'. Thanks for the visit, be sure to tune in for tomorrow's concerts. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
When I got off work this morning at 7:32 AM, I had completed working 20 of the previous 32 hours. However I did not feel I should miss two days in a row just because Uncle Gerry is a skotchie bit tired (crass understatement). At any rate, just before letting me clock out this morning, the boss man asked me the wrong question. Oh I had an answer for the question, it was even the one he was expecting to hear. But I must first lay some background for said question.
On Monday and Tuesday nights, I come on at 11 PM and 10 PM respectively. The previous shift on both nights is a team made up of a couple of peeps I will call XM and XF (ones a guy, the other is a gal). Now if my buddy and I, to use a baseball analogy, are the Big League A Team, then these guys would have to be considered 'zzz' league or whatever is beyond backwater bush leagues. These guys are so far removed from the big leagues they make the Backwater Bullfrogs look like the DamnYankees! Yes I know there is supposed to be a space between Damn and Yankees!, but my Mother (whose 85th Birthday was yesterday, may she RIP) was a Dodger fan. Now my Mother was a good Christian woman who did not hold much with the cussin part of cussin and discussin. However, before the Dodgers vacated the Big Apple for La La Land, there were two baseball teams that mattered to my Mother. The Brooklyn Dodgers and The DamnYankees! I was about twelve before I discovered there was a space that was supposed to be there. My Mother rarely said a bad word, but there was always the Dodgers and the DamnYankees!. However, I digress...
The Boss man asked me if XM had left me a mess to clean up when he left last night. Biting my tongue and taking a long deep breath, I turned to answer him. My response was: "Just one night a week, I would like to come in to find that XM and XF had actually done their jobs." This was followed by a mini rant on the evils of team XMF knowing that hoping to find they would actually do their jobs is 'a genuinewish in one hand situation'. He then asked for some specifics and I rattled off a list of about 20 items and asked for half an hour to compile 20 more lists of 20 items once I had a chance to really think about the matter.
You have to realize that when I turn over a shift, the store is totally prepared, spit shined and running like a well oiled machine. I rarely receive the same treatment in return. I also told the boss man if I am going to have to keep doing their jobs for them, they need to start paying me part of the money they "earned" for my trouble. Fat chance of that, lol. But I got it off my chest and turned the store over in its usual immaculateness and came home to chill out and get this post put together. I already had the music picked out, I had that ready yesterday before I ran outta time (so sorry about that). So let's get off the story board and into the Music Hall and the Art Museum, shall we?
I heard some Music by today's featured Composer on both Venice Classic Radio and XM76 Symphony Hall and I love his works for the Cello for which I was in the mood. So today you get the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in D Major, Ben 105 by Ignaz Joseph Pleyel which is posted down below. That performance is by the Erdõdy Chamber Orchestra with Péter Szabó as both the Cello Soloist and the Conductor. Over on my tumblr, you may hear the Academy for Ancient Music's performance of Pleyel's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in C Major featuring Ivan Monighetti as the Soloist with Stephen Mai conducting.
Then I have a squadron of sultry studs splashing about this week's edition of Wet Wednesday posted down below (or is it down low?). While you are over on my tumblr, be sure to check out 'Surfer 19' who is your Hottie of the Day!. Thanks for the visit, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoyu!
It has been a busy day for me already as is typical of a payday. However I do have some great stuff lined up for you as we continue this week's series on the Grand Masters of the Cello. Today's Grand Master is the only female among our Elite Musical Artists this week whose career was but a brief shining moment before Multiple Sclerosis stilled her voice. Jacqueline du Pré was an English cellist.
At a young age, she achieved enduring mainstream popularity unusual for
a classical performer. Despite her short career, she is regarded as one
of the more uniquely talented cellists of the second half of the
twentieth century.
Du Pré is most famous for her iconic recording of Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor, her interpretation of which has been described as "definitive" and "legendary".
From an early age, du Pré was entering and winning local music competitions alongside her sister, flautist Hilary du Pré.
In 1959 she began appearing at children's and young musicians'
concerts, including with fellow students at the Guildhall end-of-term
concert in March, followed by an appearance on BBC Television, playing
the Lalo Cello Concerto.
She started studying with the renowned cellist William Pleeth at age
ten, won the Gold Medal of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at
15, and studied with Pablo Casals at a master class held in Zermatt,
Switzerland, before being taught by both Paul Tortelier and Mstislav
Rostropovich. In 1961, she made her formal debut at the age of 16 at
London’s Wigmore Hall. She followed that the next year with her debut at
the Royal Festival Hall playing the Elgar Cello Concerto with the BBC
Symphony Orchestra under Rudolf Schwarz. She soon became an
international soloist.
Raymond Ericson, reviewing a 1965 performance of the Elgar work for The
Times, observed that ''Miss du Pre and the concerto seemed made for each
other, because her playing was so completely imbued with the romantic
spirit. Her tone was sizable and beautifully burnished. Her technique
was virtually flawless, whether she was playing the sweeping chords that
open the concerto, sustaining a ravishing pianissimo tone, or keeping
the fast repeated note figures in the scherzo going at an even pace.''
In 1966 she met Argentinian Pianist/Conductor Daniel Barenboim at the home of a mutual friend in December. Instead of saying 'hello or good evening, they sat down and played the Brahms Cello Sonata in F Major. They were immediately taken with each other and soon fell in love. In 1967 Jackie followed Daniel to Israel just prior to the 6 Day War. Daniel and Jackie gave a series of concerts prior to the war and a celebration concert afterwards. It was a time of great joy for them, so Jackie converted to Judaism and they married during the victory celebrations.
They became the celebrated couple in classical music circles, touring and concertizing with much success. The first recordings the couple made together in 1967 were the Haydn C
major and Boccherini cello concertos. “She had a capacity to imagine
sound such as I never met in any other musician,” Barenboim has written.
“She was really a child of nature—a musician of nature with an unerring
instinct.”
The effect on the British public of this impossibly romantic,
classical-music soap opera was total—the relationship turned the two
stars into the golden couple of the musical world of their day. When
doctors diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis in 1972, a year after she
had begun to lose feeling in her fingers at age 26, the public’s
devastation and sorrow ran deep. Her last public concerts took
place in New York in February 1973, completing three of four scheduled
performances of the Brahms Double Concerto with Pinchas Zukerman and
Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic. Isaac Stern stepped in to cover that last cancelled concert, performing Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. “My hands no longer worked,” she said in a 1978 interview. “I simply couldn’t feel the strings.”
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, in conjunction with the
Jacqueline du Pré Research Fund, presented several benefit concerts for
du Pré at Carnegie Hall. Participants included violinist Pinchas
Zukerman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Eugene Istomin, and several others.
In his review in the New York Times of a 1980 benefit concert,
John Rockwell wrote: “The consistently high quality of these particular
benefits can be traced to the close professional and social circle in
which Miss du Pré and her husband move. They know the best, and the best
play at their benefits.”
Miss du Pré died an untimely death at the age of 42 in 1987. In her obituary, the Times noted that throughout her illness, du
Pré remained sanguine about the future. “Nobody knows if I’ll ever
regain mobility,” she had said in 1978. “It could be that next week I’ll
find myself walking down the road. I believe in realistic optimism, but
not wishful thinking.”
The video presentation today was mostly filmed in 1967, then re edited with additional footage and commentary in 1982. The film, Jacqueline du Pré and the Elgar Concerto, is a terrific look at the life and music of Jackie. It is obvious from the film that Daniel and Jackie were hopelessly in love with each other and their respective talents. She was but a candle in the wind, but oh what a beautiful candle she was. The film includes a full performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto with Barenboim conducting. The companion piece for today over on my tumblr is the Suites for Solo Cello I & II by Johann Sebastian Bach recorded in 1962 when Jackie was just 17 and already a powerhouse in the world of classical music.
Then your visual edification will be enhanced when you cruise these Men In Jeans down below and the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr. Tune in tomorrow to see who is our next Grand Master of the Cello. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
Your Musical Moment for today features a Classic Recording of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim performing the Cello Concerto in B Minor, Opus 104 by Antonin Dvorak. Jacqueline Du Pre is your Cello Soloist. Also, over on my tumblr, you may hear the 1949 recording of the Sate Symphony Orchestra of the USSR under Kirill Kondrashon performing Dvorak's Violin Concerto, Opus 53 with David Oistrakh as the Violin Soloist. While you are over there, be sure to check out the Two for Tuesday Hotties of the Day!. Thanks for the visit, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
Well here it is nearly 8 Pm and I still have written nary a word. Some days are like that, when nothing strikes your fancy and there are no words to describe the blankness of your mind. Thankfully I had put together some Music and some Men before I went to work this morning, so your visit here is not a total loss just because I have nothing upon which to expound. So on to the Music and the Men:
You Midweek Musical Moment features the Music of Antonin Dvorak with his Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191. Today's performance is a live recording by the Orchestre de Paris under the baton of Paavo Järvi and features Gautier Capuçon as your Cello Soloist. You may also hear Dvorak's String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, B. 179 "American" over on my tumblr.
Because it is Wednesday, and I have been splashing around my pool, I thought you guys would love a scroll through these wet and wonderful beach-and-bath-hunks in their natural habitat. They are all looking sexy as hell as your Wet Wednesday for this week is waiting for your visual appreciation below the video. You may also appreciate 'The Cool Down' Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr. Thanks for hanging in until I got here, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
There is not a lot going on, at least nothing that has tripped my trigger enough for a rant or a rave to burst into being. So I will just go with the Music and the Men for today and catch you all again on the morrow.
Your Musical Moment for today features the Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191 by Antonin Dvorak with a performance by Paavo Jarvi conducting the Orchestra of Paris featuring Gautier Capuçon as the Cello Soloist. You may also hear Mstislav Rostropovich performing Robert Schumann's Cello Concerto in A Minor over on my tumblr. Then to help everyone over the midweek hump is this splashy selection of soaking studs in this week's edition of Wet Wednesday. There is also the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr. Thanks for stopping by, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
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