New Adventures In Good Music

Happy Hump Day and Wet Wednesday!  This week, our New Adventure In Good Music takes us from Puccini's Italy to the Rodina (Motherland) to profile the man who wrote the first piece of Classical Music with which I fell in love.  I am speaking of course of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and his 1812 Overture.  I have since come to appreciate many more of this Great Composers works as I have become familiar with them.  The BBC Great Composers documentary down below is a fascinating look at this often misunderstood Great Man of Music.  

From the Video description enhanced by Wikipedia:

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (/ˈpjɔːtər ɪˈliɪtʃ tʃɪˈkɒfski/; Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский;[a 1] tr. Pyotr Ilyich Chaykovsky; 7 May 1840 -- 6 November 1893),[a 2] often anglicised as Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky /ˈpiːtər .../, was a Russian composer whose works included symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets, chamber music, and a choral setting of the Russian Orthodox Divine Liturgy. Some of these are among the most popular theatrical music in the classical repertoire. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally, which he bolstered with appearances as a guest conductor later in his career in Europe and the United States. One of these appearances was at the inaugural concert of Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1891. Tchaikovsky was honored in 1884 by Emperor Alexander III, and awarded a lifetime pension in the late 1880s.While his music has remained popular among audiences, critical opinions were initially mixed. Some Russians did not feel it was sufficiently representative of native musical values and were suspicious that Europeans accepted it for its Western elements. In apparent reinforcement of the latter claim, some Europeans lauded Tchaikovsky for offering music more substantive than base exoticism, and thus transcending stereotypes of Russian classical music. Tchaikovsky's music was dismissed as "lacking in elevated thought," according to longtime New York Times music critic Harold C. Schonberg, and its formal workings were derided as deficient for not following Western principles stringently.

Tchaikovsky wrote many works that are popular with the classical music public, including his Romeo and Juliet, the 1812 Overture, his three ballets (The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty) and Marche Slave. These, along with his First Piano Concerto and his Violin Concerto, the last three of his six numbered symphonies and his operas The Queen of Spades and Eugene Onegin, are among his most familiar works. Almost as popular are the Manfred Symphony, Francesca da Rimini, the Capriccio Italien and the Serenade for Strings.

Tchaikovsky displayed an unusually wide stylistic and emotional range, from salon works of innocuous charm to symphonies of tremendous depth, power and grandeur. Some of his works, such as the Variations on a Rococo Theme, employ a poised "Classical" form reminiscent of 18th-century composers such as Mozart (the composer whose work was his favorite). Other compositions, such as his Little Russian symphony and his opera Vakula the Smith, flirt with musical practices more akin to those of the Five, especially in their use of folk song.  Other works, such as the last three symphonies, employ a personal musical idiom that facilitated intense emotional expression.

The companion piece I have selected for my tumblr is the above mentions Serenade for Strings, Opus 48 with a recording by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Georg Solti.

The because it is Hump Day and you need something wet and wonderful to inspire said 'humping', this week's edition of Wet Wednesday should get your blood to boiling quite nicely.  You will find them splashing about the page down below the video.  Over on my tumblr, your Hottie of the Day!, Vasa Nestorovic, is hot enough to steam up a thousand showers.  I know he could steam mine up anytime!  Thanks for the visit, see you again soon.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Processus Interruptus

As you can tell, my process has been interrupted and I am once again behind the curve on posting times.  I seem to have so many irons in the fire that juggling them is becoming quite difficult.  My sleep schedule has already abandoned ship so I find myself sleeping at odd moments and awake when I should not be.  Right when I think I am about to get caught up with myself, something else pops up to disrupt the process, take up time unnecessarily or generally fuck things up.  So anyway, I am here now and have Music and Men if Naught Else.  

I was listening to the local Classical Station , WRR at work the other night when the host of the syndicated program "Exploring Music" played a piece by Mozart that I had never heard.  That is going some as I thought I had heard everything Mozart had ever written, but I was wrong.  During Mozart's time in Salzburg, he wrote a series of compositions called 'serenades'. In music, a serenade (or sometimes serenata, from the Italian word) is a musical composition, and/or performance, in someone's honor. Serenades are typically calm, light music.  The word serenade is the translation of the Italian word serenata, derived from the word sereno, which means "calm".

Among the most famous examples of the serenade from the 18th century are those by Mozart, whose serenades contain a multiplicity of movements ranging from four to ten. His serenades were often purely instrumental pieces, written for special occasions such as those commissioned for wedding ceremonies. The most typical ensemble for a serenade was a wind ensemble augmented with basses and violas: instrumentalists who could stand, since the works were often performed outdoors. Frequently the serenades began and ended with movements of a march-like character—since the instrumentalists often had to march to and from the place of performance. Famous serenades by Mozart include the Haffner Serenade, the Serenata notturna, and one of his most famous works, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, the last two of which would have been atypical for only using string instruments, had they been written earlier in the century

The piece of music that was play on the radio was Mozart's Serenade Number 9 in D major, K. 320 "Posthorn" (1779).  From the video description:

"The seven-movement 'Posthorn' Serenade, completed 3 August 1779 as the last of the serenades which Mozart wrote for Salzburg, and which was commissioned as 'Finalmusik' by the university, sets off solo flutes and oboes in its third and fourth movements. Mozart even had these two movements performed separately as a 'sinfonia concertante' at a concert he gave in the Vienna Burgtheater in March 1783.

The brilliant trumpet-and-drums panoply of the 'Posthorn' Serenade's opening Allegro is prepared by a stately slow introduction, which returns to introduce the recapitulation; the Mannheim crescendos of the Allegro reflect a recent visit by Mozart to that important musical center. This movement is offset by a courtly minuet with a 'real' Trio for solo flute, solo bassoon, and strings. The third and fourth movements comprise the 'Concertante' section discussed earlier; charm is the principal ingredient here, yet Mozart's music exhibits a grace a lesser composer would envy. Following the G major Concertante, the D minor Andantino--the emotional center of the Serenade--is altogether graver, with an almost operatic pathos to remind us that even in his 'entertainment music,' Mozart cannot repress his depth of musical feeling. Trumpet and drums, silent since the third movement, are restored for the second minuet. The first of the two Trios calls, unusually, for solo piccolo, the second for the posthorn--a valveless, high-pitched horn used by mail coach guards to announce arrivals and departures--which gives this serenade its name. The inventively energetic finale makes use in its development section of fugal textures--a bow, perhaps, to the academic occasion for which this 'Finalmusik' was written?" - Marc Mandel

Today's performance of the "Post Horn Serenade" is by Sir Charles Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra with Zdeněk Tylšar as the Post Horn Soloist.  Staying with the 'serenade theme' we have going today, over on my tumblr you may join the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Ton Koopman, for their performance of the Serenade Number 7 in D Major, 'Haffner'.

Then as always on Mondays, underwear fetishes rejoice with glee at the posting of naughty boys with their nasty bits wrapped in smaller and smaller snippets of cloth as in this edition of Monday's Undies posted down below.  While over on my tumblr, your Hottie of the Day!, Rick Wolfmeir is waiting to drive you wild with desire.  Thanks for the visit, see you again soon.  Until next time as always. Enjoy! 

 

The Letter

I suppose I should begin at the beginning.  There have been two letters of overwhelming significance in my life.  You all are by now familiar with my Naval service and the reason for my separation.  The first letter came into my life via my own hand in 1976, about a year after I had been summarily dismissed from the Navy as 'unfit'.  This after they gave me a medal for 'good conduct', ironic lol.  I had just returned to TX from California and ws temporarily residing at my parent's house.  I wrote the letter describing an adventure I had on the bus trip down which was very descriptive of the adventure.  Before mailing said letter (which never happened by the way) I placed it in my briefcase for transport.  It was there found by my  Mother in her quest for knowledge.  Unfortunately the knowledge she gained was not the knowledge she was seeking.  Thus began a 30+ year period of alienation between us.

Fast forward to the time of the DADT repeal and the fights for its passage.  I worked for that along with Obama's election.  Once the bill was passed, signed into law and then finally implemented, the law provided a section that allowed for an appeals process to the Review Boards of the respective services for veterans to have their less than honorable discharges for reasons of homosexuality to be reviewed.  I was separated in 1975 and the statute of limitations for such an appeal had long passed.  I was skeptical when Will suggested I apply for a review of my records, but I reluctantly agreed to do it.  That was in March of last year.  The government remained silent on the subject and I pretty much chalked it up as a failed experiment.  There had been no response to my request at all.  Until yesterday when the second letter of great significance in my life appeared before my eyes.

I retrieved the mail yesterday afternoon and found the letter with a return address from the Department of the Navy.  They had used the 'good' stationery.  I held the letter with trembling hands and went inside.  In the envelope was a cover letter on velum stationery and a 3 page official Department of the Navy document.  I read the cover letter then went through the document.  I excerpted the cover letter and redacted personal information.  You will find its rendering below this paragraph:

With tears in my eyes I showed the letter to Will.  I could not even speak, I could only motion to read the letter.  The letter contained Will's greatest gift to me.  The Board of review had granted my request for review after waiving the statute of limitations, done the review and ruled that my discharge was to be up graded to 'Honorable', the reason for my separation would be changed to 'Secreterial Authority" and all coding would show me as having served honorably and eligible for reenlistment.  Thus with the stroke of a pen, 40 years of stigma has been removed.  Without Will's prompting, this would never have happened. Would that this would have happened a long, long, long time ago.  Howver, it has at long last happened, something I never thought would.  One of my ealiest thoughts was it is too bad my Mother did not live to see this.  I really don't think having the official US Government Seal of Disapproval  removed from my life and records would have made much difference.  But it matters a whole hell of a lot to me that I feel vindicated.  The military now recognizes my just and honorable service and dedication to my country.  Just like every other LGBT Service Member presently serving or LGBT Veteran from the past.

  I really don't know quite what to think about this.  I have spent so many years castigating the government and its minions for their sins, I suppose now is the time to forgive them.  I still have to wait 6 months for the paperwork.  Maybe I will think about it then.  For now I just have to process the data and figure out what to do now that I am no longer a governmental 'persona non grata'.  

I am in the mood for some Tchaikovsky now, so you will find his String Quartet Number 1 in D Major, Opus 11 posted down below.  The Quartet is Tchaikovsky's first completed string quartet of three string quartets, published during his lifetime. (An earlier attempt had been abandoned after the first movement had been completed.) Composed in February 1871, it was premiered in Moscow on 16/28 March 1871 by four members of the Russian Musical Society: Ferdinand Laub and Ludvig Minkus, violins; Pryanishnikov, viola; and Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, cello.

The quartet has four movements: Moderato e semplice (D major) Andante cantabile (B♭ major) Scherzo. Allegro non tanto e con fuoco -- Trio (D minor) Finale. Allegro giusto -- Allegro vivace (D major).  Today's performers are not listed although it is a marvelous recording nonetheless.  Over on my tumblr you may join the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra under Conductor Vladimir Fedoseyev for their performance of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings recorded live at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, 1991. 

Then there is a boatload of Random Hotness in the post down below, any one of which I am sure you would save from drowning should the boat develop a leak.  Over on my tumblr, the Hottie of the Day! invites you to a 'Picnic in Paradise'.  Thanks for stopping in, see you again soon.  I think I will go be weepy and emotional for a bit before I get over it.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

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A Tuna Tale

If you have spent any time at all around these pages the last few years, you know I have a few favorite activities I enjoy.  Besides blogging, one of the greatest joys in my life is cooking.  I happen to be very good at it, it is relaxing and the results are delicious.  Of the many kitchen tools one uses on a regular basis which no one really thinks about until it doesn't work is the can opener.  Being the fiscal conservative I am, I buy them at Family Dollar for a couple of bucks.  However over the last couple of years, I have had to spend that couple of bucks every 3-4 months because the can opener will eat itself, making the simple act of opening a can a complete fiasco.  This happened last night when trying to open a can of tuna which wherein lies our little tale.  Do you know what a pain in the ass it is to painstakingly inch your way around a can one punch at a time since the turning handle stripped itself out and will not turn the gears?  Doing so is not only painstaking but also annoyingly time consuming.  Nothing could be done but deal with it last night, however I made up my mind to solve the problem once and for all.  I decided to take the plunge and buy an electric can opener for $10 and hope it lasts for a year or two.  That way I no longer have to punish my arthritic hands or mangle cans just to get them open.  To me this is a win-win situation all around.  I am looking forward to seeing how right or wrong I am in my assessment.

Your Friday Musical Moment features the Music of Piotr Tchaikovsky interpreted by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir John Barbirolli.  Your featured work for today is his Serenade for strings in C Major.  You romantics out there will love hearing Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture over on my tumblr. 

While Tchaikovsky is serenading your aural senses, take a slow cruise down the page to peruse the abundance of Fantasy Fuel on display below the video for your visual appreciation.  Additional inspiration can be found in the Bootyful Brasiliero Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.  Thanks for the visit, have a fabulous weekend.  Be sure to check in tomorrow night for your Saturday at the Symphony Evening Concert.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Work Early, Post Late, It's Monday!

I had a pretty mellow weekend before having to head in on my day off to work 7-2 for the boss.  He had some sort of meeting to which he had to go, and I needed to make up some hours, so it all worked out good.  This actually puts me ahead in the total count at +4 instead of -3 which is a good thing.  I have still to pay the rent coming up and another car payment by the 10th, so extra hours are needed and appreciated right about now.  After this next car payment is out of the way, we will be back on track with the regular budget.  The car repair and Mother's passing put a big kink in the budget for which I am paying the price right now.  It will certainly be good to get caught up and be able to un-stress myself regarding the bills, gas and groceries.  One step at a time...

When one thinks about or listens to classical music, it is fairly common to have the stringed instruments in the forefront of the mind.  Today, our focus will be on the wind sections of the orchestra rather than the strings, with your Monday with Mozart featuring the Master's Serenade for 13 Winds in B Flat Major, K361 'Gran Partita'.  Today's performance is by members of the Orchestra of St. Luke's under the direction of Sir Charles Mackerras.  The members are on Oboe - Stephen Taylor (principal) & Melanie Field; on Clarinet - William Blount (principal) & Daniel Olsen; on Bassett Horn - Gary Koch (principal) & Mitchell Weiss; on Horn - Stewart Rose (principal), Scott Temple, William Purvis, and Russell Rizner; on Bassoon - Dennis Godburn (principal) & Marc Goldberg and on String Bass - John Feeney.  You may also hear Mozart's Serenade for Winds in C Minor, K388 over on my tumblr with a performance by The Scottish National Orchestra Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Paavo Järvi.

As always on Mondays around here, we match up the masterful Music of Mozart with marvelously muscly Men in their finest Monday's Undies for your visual stimulation and appreciation.  Additional inspiration, especially if you like to get down and dirty, can be found in the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.  Thanks for sticking around until I got here today, see you again soon.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!