Hello and Welcome to your Sunday Morning Concert. Instead of featuring the works of a single Composer for our concert selections this morning, I have chosen rather to feature the performers instead. When one thinks of the world's great orchestras, several come to mind. Bothe the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics and the London Symphony Orchestra most readily along with of course, the New York Philharmonic.
The NYP is of course the shining star of the world of Classical Music in the United States. I have chosen for these pages to feature a superb performance from the Summer of 2013 recorded live at the home of the New York Philharmonic, Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. Under Conductor Bramwell Tovey, the Philharmonic embarks on a dynamic performance of Gustave Holst's "The Planets". Three days after this concert, Conductor Alan Gilbert took the Phil on a picnic in the park for their performance of Tchaikovsky's Symphony Number 5, Opus 64. That concert was recorded live at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and you may treat yourself to their performance over on my tumblr.
For a little lascivious photographic augmentation of these marvelous performances for your visual pleasure to add to your listening experience. You will find this week's titillating collection of lusty lads who are Naked or Nearly So! posted down below in all their deliciousness. Over on my tumblr, I have a vintage BW photograph to delight you as Your Hottie of the Day! entitled 'Youth, Uncut'. Thanks for sharing a part of your Sunday with me, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy
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!
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!
Welcome to the Weekend and your Saturday Evening Concert. I have a couple of terrific classic live performance recordings lined up for you tonight. The concerts, both here in these pages and over on my tumblr, offer excellent interpretations of the Music of my favorite Russian Gay Icon & Composer, Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Tonigh's performances feature all star casts, the recordings of which I am sure will last forever.
Down below you will find Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio, Opus 50, the recording of which comes from a 9 CD box set featuring the artistic talents of Pinchas Zuckerman on Violin, Daniel Barenboim on Piano and the late Jacqueline Du Pre on Cello. The Amazon.com Editorial Review reads:
"In the main, the youthful Beethoven chamber music collaborations between
Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zuckerman, and the late Jacqueline du Pré are
characterized by broad, liberally fluctuating tempos, ripeness of tone,
and a tendency to place expression ahead of stylistic considerations.
Zuckerman's sweet vibrato, for instance, seems misplaced in Beethoven's
terse, combative syntax (the earlier trios and violin sonatas, for
example). Likewise, du Pré's throbbing solo lines impose a late-Romantic
patina on the music that some listeners will find more appropriate to
Arensky or Glazunov. More often than not, Daniel Barenboim's piano
provides the decisive voice, by way of setting tempos and effecting
transitions.
While the leaner, more economically expressive Abegg
Trio (Tacet) and Vienna Piano Trio (Nimbus) Beethoven Trio offerings
better reflect the composer's headlong brio and nervous energy, the
Barenboim-Zuckerman-Du Pré team oozes sheer musicality and involvement
in every bar. For this reason, one might well prefer Zuckerman and
Barenboim's overwrought rapport in the Violin Sonatas to the violinist's
tighter RCA remakes with Marc Neikrug at the piano. Du Pré's tragic
illness prevented her and Barenboim from tackling the Cello Sonatas in
the studio. Happily, their exciting, communicative live 1970 Edinburgh
Festival traversals (plus the variation sets) were broadcast by the BBC
and captured in excellent sound. So was a touchingly indulgent
Tchaikovsky Trio preserved from one of Du Pré's final concerts, included
as both a bonus and a memento. Tully Potter's excellent booklet notes
give equal time to music and artists, and rightly discuss the
performances in the context of their time. It's good to have these
recordings gathered in a budget-priced, space-saving box. --Jed Distler"
While over on my tumblr you may join the legendary figures of Arturo Toscanini and Vladimir Horowitz along with the NBC Symphony Orchestra for their 1943 performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto Number 1 in B Flat Major recorded live at Carnegie Hall.
Then to top off the evening with more beauty to behold in all its glory is this week's edition of Naked of Nearly So posted down below. Cruise on down and you will find it chock full of sizzling studs all of whom are hale and hearty, while some are even horny! Then over on my tumblr, Marco Scott, Your Hottie of the Day! will make you want to dive right in and suck him right up, dammitall! Thanks for sharing a part of your Weekend with me, see you again on Monday for another week of Music, Men & More! Until next time as always, Enjoy!
Am I ever glad it is my day off, I am so ready for it. After a brutal schedule over this week of 11.5, 9.5, 10.5 shifts and a short 8.5 shift, I am one tired puppy. Add to that the fact that it is Pay Day and jam packed with chores and errands and you can plainly see there will be no rest for the weary today! Anyway, we still have Music, Men and Merriment on tap, so let's get on into it.
Our exploration into Violin Concerti and Sonatas this week has taken us on a pleasant journey so far and today, we cruise on over to Russia to see what we find. Tchaikovsky, like Sibelius and Dvorak wrote only one Violin Concerto, the one in D Major, Opus 35 and no other works dedicated to the Violin. Tchaikovsky was born on this day in 1840 and he was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression
internationally. 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. You will find a marvelous performance of his Violin Concerto by Staatkapelle Dresden with David Oistrakh as the Violin Soloist posted down below.
Because I wanted to stay with the Russian theme for the day, I thought I would look at the two Sergeis, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev. I never made it to Rachmaninoff, as Prokofiev wrote 2 Violin Concerti, the more famous of the set being Number 2 in G Minor, Opus 63 of which I found a fantastic recording. The 1956 recording of Leonid Kogan as the Soloist accompanied by the USSR State Symphony Orchestra under Kirill Kondrashin's Baton will be found over on my tumblr.
Then let us not forget the denim dynamite available for a cruise and peruse in this week's edition of Men In Jeans posted fdown below. Then your Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr is looking all Hunky in a Hoodie. Thanks for the visit, see you again tomorrow when we explore Beethoven's only Violin Concerto and his Kreutzer Sonata to kick off the weekend. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
Welcome to the Weekend and The Evening Concert. Before we get to the Fabulous Live Performance on tap for this evening, I have some rather Good News to impart. This regarding the recent Content Policy controversy embroiling Blogger at the moment. Apparently the powers that be at Blogger/Google encountered a shit storm of negative feedback to their proposed policy changes. The storm was of such magnitude that it moved Blogger/Google to rescind their plans to change the current policy, opting instead to stay the course without any policy changes. This is indeed Good News as it means life can continue as it has in the blogosphere for the foreseeable future.
I would also like to address my conspicuous absence from these pages the last few days. I have been in a bit of a funk with the whole content policy thing hanging over the blog. I asked for reader response as to what I should do when the policy changed. Of course now the policy is not changing, never the less... it does not negate the fact that to day I have received only one solitary response to my query. The reader was generous in his praise and suggested taking Nichevo private and not making any content changes. The reader felt that no one else publishes blog with my particular combination of Beautiful Music, Commentary, Witty Reparte'/Snarkiness and of course Stunning Photographic Portraits of Extraordinary Gentlemen. However, his was the only response which led me to think that maybe no one other than this kind gentleman was paying any attention to what goes on here at all. I know, depressing thought, which of course caused the aforementioned funky mood. Be that as it may, I had just about decided to either privatize Nichevo of offer it a merciful euthanasia. After all, if no one was listening, what was the point of speaking? At this point, I am still in a quandry but am resolved to continue as is for the time being and play the next few months by ear.
If you care about what I put forth on these pages. If my humble efforts bring some joy, comfort or pleasure to your lives. Then I would certainly love to hear from you, and soon...
Your Evening Concert features another Fabulous Live Performance with this evening's selection, the Piano Concerto Number 1 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Georgii Cerkiin is your Piano Soloist and he is joined by the FM Orchestra under the baton of Maxim Eshkenazy for tonight's performance. For a little Accoustic Guitar Exploration and Innovation, head on over to my tumblr for Berlin concert footage from the Guitar Masters Tour 2012 with Antoine Dufour in Concert along with Andy McKee and Preston Reed.
Before heading over to my tumblr for Antoine and company and of course the Hottie of the Day!, be sure to check out the Sexy Shots of Hunks and Hotties who are Naked or Nearly So! in the post down below. Thanks for sharing a part of your Weekend with me, see you again on Monday for another week of Music, Men & More! Until next time as always, Enjoy!
Well I finally got all my chores and errands done making it possible to now listen to some excellent Music. And ogle some magnificent Men in the course of enjoying the rest of my day off, lol. Your featured Artist today is American Violinist Joshua Bell, one of the premier Violinists in the world today. (It does seem I have been on a Violin Concerto binge this week. Does it not?) I have two live performances to share with you today. Here in these pages I have Joshua Bell in concert with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America under the baton of Valery Gergiev in their performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, Opus 35. While over on my tumblr, you may catch Josh's live performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D Minor, Opus 47 with the Oslo Filharmoniske Orkester under the baton of Vasily Petrenko live from the Konserthus in Oslo. Do remember to see what deliciousness is on the denim menu in Men In Jeans post down below and check out the view of the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr. Thanks for hanging about waiting for me to show up, see you again soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
Welcome to the Weekend and this special Valentine Edition of the Evening Concert. Valentine's Day is of course in celebration of St. Valentine, the Patron Saint of Lovers Everywhere. When one thinks of Classic Romances, several come to mind. Antony and Cleopatra, Lancelot and Guinevere and, of course, Romeo and Juliet. Ah the star crossed lovers of William Shakespeare's tragic love story have inspired many over the years with several movie iterations and some really great Classical Music. Shakespeare's play inspired two Russian Romantic Composers in particular who produced two wholly different musical interpretations of this classic love story. I am talking about Sergei Prokofiev and Piotr Tchaikovsky, both of whom are masters of the Russian Romantic era of Classical Music.
Your featured selection for tonight's Fabulous Live Performance therefore is Sergei Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. Tonight's performance is by the World Symphony under the baton of Josep Vicent in a Durban City Hall Symphony Concert. For a great presentation of Russian Maestro Valery Gergiev with the London Symphony Orchestra as they perform Tchaikovsky's Overture to his Ballet, Romeo & Juliet at the BBC Proms in 2007 head on over to my tumblr. While there you will also find your Valentine Lovers, the Hotties of the Day! Don't forget to cruise by the Naked Valentines in the post down below. Thanks for sharing part of your Weekend with me. See you again on Monday for another week of Music Men & More! Until next time as always, Enjoy!
I had some errands to run first thing this morning and I returned home around 10:30. When I sat down to put this post together, the sleep fairy sneaked up on me, so I lay down for a short nap. It is now 2:00 and I don't have anything up for your entertainment yet. Therefore I will just relate a fun fact I found on the front page of the Dallas Morning News regarding the last election cycle, then move on to the Music and the Men. It seems that in the TX Governors race between Democrat Wendy Davis and Governor-elect Fuckhead that more than 1000 Texans voted for someone other than Davis or Fuckhead. Other vote getters in November were Chuck Norris, Stephen Colbert, Jesus, Superman and Super Mario. Looks like some voters had a sense of humor available to balance out the tragedy of Governor-elect Fuckhead's victory. This little bit of humor remains the only bright spot from the election results here in TX. Speaking of bright spots, if only the Cowboys could figure out a way to win out in December and make my Christmas wish come true....
Because we are doing the Sounds of the Season on the Saturday Evening Concert during the Holiday Season, I thought I would do Mid Week Symphony Shots to give you your weekly Symphony listening experience. This week we feature the Symphonic stylings of Pyotr Tchaikovsky with a classic 1985 performance by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra of his Symphony Number 5 in E Minor, Opus 64 under the baton of the legendary Herbert von Karajan. Over on my tumblr you may hear Tchaikovsky's Symphony Number 6 in B Minor, Opus 74 'Pathetique' with a 1990 performance by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Yuri Temirkanov.
And of course I have scantily clad super-soaked studs gathered for your Wet Wednesday celebration to get you over the midweek hump. You may also go looking for Hidden Treasure in today's Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr. Thanks for hanging around until I arrived, see you again tomorrow. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
It is a beautiful, sunny day outside. Although it is slightly coolish, all I really have the desire todo today is sit on the patio, soak up some sun and ignore the world. Unfortunately, I will have to eventually rejoin the real world when I go to work this evening. In the meantime, I will laze about as much as possible. However, no day is complete without beautiful Music and magnificent Men of which I have available in abundance. So while I am being lazy, you guys can listen and look at the selections I have to share with you today. Your Tuesday Musical Moment features tow Piano Concerti by Tchaikovsky, Numbers 1, Opus 23 and 2, Opus 44. This 1991 performance is recorded live at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt by the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev and featuring Mikhail Pletnev as Piano Soloist. You may also join Fedoseyev and the MRSO over on my tumblr for their 2011 performance at the Musikverien in Vienna of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major op.35 featuring Arabella Steinbacher as the Violin Soloist. As far as magnificent Men are concerned, these sensuous selections in this week's edition of Tuesday's Temptations are sure to fire your desire as you cruise down the page. Then there is your Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr who asks "Wanna Play?". Thanks for sharing part of your Tuesday with me, see youagian soon. Until next time as always, Enjoy!
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