Apparently, it’s a glass of vodka, straight up and straight out of the freezer. How very Finnish. His sources of inspiration are “Books” and “The Work of Others.” And vodka, I presume. No word on his turn-offs.
You can see the advertisement for yourself here, though you may have to enter your birth date to do so.
I always enjoy seeing classical musicians in advertisements for some reason. I guess I feel represented. Leonard Bernstein pops up briefly in a new television ad for Mercedes Benz but I don’t see it on YouTube yet, so I can’t share it.
Previously, on drinking (click on headlines to read):
I like to thumb through my old copies of the collected reviews of Virgil Thomson, reading here and there (or, re-reading) and, especially, checking out his lead paragraphs. He wrote great leads. I’m not sure I can explain exactly why they’re great leads — something about their casual, conversational tone mixed with a certain elegance. They are never tortured either; Thomson never sounded like he was trying hard.
Anyway, I came upon the following lead paragraph the other day. It seems a little atypical of Thomson (especially with its use of exclamation points), but it made me smile. The review, from Nov. 22, 1942, is headlined “Smetana’s Heir”:
“What a pleasure! What a pleasure to hear the Boston Symphony again! Yesterday afternoon’s concert in Carnegie Hall was substantial and delicious, with two symphonies for fare, an old and a new — the Beethoven ‘Eroica’ and a First by the brilliant Czechish composer Bohuslav Martinu. The music was interesting, and the renditions couldn’t have been more elegant. Just think of it! An ensemble that sounds like an ensemble playing music that sounds like music! It restores one’s faith; it really does.”
I would be delighted to pick up my morning newspaper and read something like that.
Ravel claimed that he had influenced him more than any other composer. Poulenc wrote a biography of him. Grove’s Dictionary calls him “one of the most inventive composers of the 19th century.”
And yet the only music that you’ve likely heard composed by Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894) is “España.” A shame. Not that it isn’t a wonderful piece. It’s one of my favorites, in fact.
The reason for Chabrier’s neglect is the subject of a recent column in the Wall Street Journal by Terry Teachout. Teachout’s premise is that Chabrier is essentially a witty and comic composer and we do not regard such cheerfulness as “serious.”
True enough. But Chabrier is also one of any number of late 19th century French composers relegated to the fringes of the repertoire, along with composers such as Chausson, Franck, Lalo, Fauré and D’Indy, among others. Contemporary programmers (I won’t say “audiences,” because they haven’t heard the music) seem to have a decided preference for the German and Russian composers of the period.
Chabrier’s music is characterized by rhythmic vitality and a pungent harmonic language that was a forerunner of Impressionism. His music also makes you feel good.
Other works by Chabrier worth checking out include his piano masterwork “Pieces pittoresques” (recorded by Alain Planes), his orchestral music including the “Joyeuse marche” (recorded by Ernest Ansermet) and his comic opera “Le roi malgre roi” (recorded by Charles Dutoit and company, and which Ravel supposedly knew from memory).
Chabrier’s “Idyll” from “Pieces pittoresques,” by the way, is simply one of the most beautiful pieces ever written. On YouTube, you can hear Alfred Cortot playing it.
In his researches, Teachout discovered an interesting tidbit too delectable not to share. The popular 50s tune “Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)” is based on “España.” I did not know that. Hear for yourself.
Gustavo Dudamel’s back conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic this week for the first time since taking the group on a U.S. tour in the spring. The reviews were mixed then and so there is a sense that the young conductor has to prove himself (or has something to prove) all over again. But I don’t look at it that way, and that’s not just because I’ve generally liked what I’ve heard so far.
All three of his concerts this week are at the Hollywood Bowl, that venerable, magical, frustrating outdoor venue where the L.A. Phil spends the summer. Sunday, Dudamel made his U.S. operatic debut conducting a concert “Carmen” there. I missed it, but this reviewer thought it was good enough to predict a future at La Scala for Dudamel. I don’t doubt it.
I’ll be approaching Dudamel’s concerts on Tuesday and Thursday with great anticipation and an open mind. At the same time, I won’t be expecting a lot (or, maybe I should say, “too much.”) Expecting too much at the Bowl is always a mistake. The rehearsal schedule is truncated and the sound system is dubious.
The Association of California Symphony Orchestras offers a monthly summary of orchestra performances in California. We reprint them here for your convenience and amazement. The information listed below represents concerts presented by current member organizations and is subject to change. If you would like your own orchestra’s concerts listed, see the instructions at the end of this entry.
Saturday, August 7, at 8 p.m.
Music Academy of the West
Nicholas McGegan, conductor
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major
Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks
Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F Major
First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance Ave., Santa Barbara
(805) 969-8787 http://www.musicacademy.org
Saturday, August 7, at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 8, at 7:30 p.m.
Southwest Chamber Music
Jeff von der Schmidt, conductor
Debussy: Danse sacree et danse profane; String Quartet
Satie: Le Fils des Etoiles,
Anne Le Baron: Solar Music for Flute & Harp,
Ravel: Introduction & Allegro for Flute, Clarinet, Harp & Strings
Huntington Library, 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino
(800) 726-7147 http://www.swmusic.org
I’ve been off for a few days, and still am. I would have told you sooner, but I was unexpectedly away from an internet connection.
My agenda has included nothing more serious than hiking in the Eastern Sierras, reading obscure novels by William Dean Howells, eating well and listening (ironically) to Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.
The third movement of the Piano Concerto No. 1, with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (piano), Carlo Maria Giulini (conductor) and the Vienna Symphony. 1979.
The source is a video tape, so the sound and picture aren’t perfect, but the performance is worth sharing.
