SatPod: Snow and Wind

We got hit by a snow storm yesterday and today, including blizzard winds.

1. "Snow Dreams" by Joan Tower, performed by Carol Wincenc and Sharon Isbin. A very cold duet for flute and guitar.
2. "Dance of the Tumblers" from The Snow Maiden by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, performed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
3. Dance Movements by David Snow, performed by the American Brass Quintet.
4. "Blowin' in the wind" by Bob Dylan, performed by Peter, Paul and Mary.
5. Gone With the Wind soundtrack, by Max Steiner.
6. "Gone With 'What' Wind" by Benny Goodman and Count Basie, performed by the Benny Goodman Sextet on Charlie Christian: Genius of Electric Guitar.
7. Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments by Frank Martin, performed by Richard Kapp and the Philharmonia Virtuosi.
8. Music for Eighteen Winds by John Harbison, performed by the Lawrence University Wind Ensemble.
9. Partita for Wind Quintet by Irving Fine, performed by the Dorian Quintet.
10. Quintet for Woodwinds by Jean Francaix, performed by the Dorian Quintet.
11. Scherzo for Woodwind Quintet by Eugene Bozza, performed by the Dorian Quintet.
12. SextourSextuor for Piano and Woodwind Quintet by Francis Poulenc, performed by the Dorian Quintet.
13. Symphonies of Wind Instruments by Igor Stravinsky, performed by Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
14. Summer Music for Woodwind Quartet by Samuel Barber, performed by the New York Philomusica Chamber Ensemble.
15. Symphony for Winds by Donald Erb, performed by the Lawrence University Wind Ensemble.
16. Variations for Wind Band by Ralph Vaughan Williams, performed by the Eastman Wind Ensemble.
17. Im Sommerwind by Anton Webern, performed by Christoph von Dohnányi and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra.
18. "The Wind" by Russ Freeman, performed by Chet Baker on Chet Baker With Strings.
19. "Wind-Up" by Ian Anderson, performed by Jethro Tull on Aqualung.

FriPod: Red, White, and Green

No particular reason, I just decided to pick these colors. Viva Italia!

1. "Red and Black" from the Les Miserables original Broadway Cast. By Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil, and Herbert Kretzmer. Very spirited, a nice juxtaposition of politics and love, showing the passions that drive both.

2. "Red Clay" by Freddie Hubbard from the eponymous album. A fusion of jazz and Rhythm-n-Blues.

3. "Red Top" by Lional Hampton and Ken Kynard, performed by Erroll Garner. Cool and bouncy at the same time.

4. "The Red Violin" from The Red Violin soundtrack, by John Corigliano, performed by Joshua Bell. Two tracks have the same name, the first is the main melody, and the second is the mini concerto played during the closing credits. It is a beautiful melody, full of very complex emotions.

5. "White as Lillies" by Andreas Scholl, on the Three Countertenors album. Yes, we bought this gimicky CD many years ago. Some of the tracks are quite nice, but I'm not crazy about this composition written by one of the three countertenors. However, my wife likes it, so it stays on the list.

6. "The White Ride" by Howard Shore, on the The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers soundtrack. Full of tension, apocalyptic choirs, and Wagnerian brass, this cue suddenly shifts to harps and women's chorale for a sunshine romp briefly before the tension returns. It ends with some grandeur added to the tension, a passionate nostalgia.

7. "The White Tree" by Howard Shore, on the The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King soundtrack. Much more nostalgic, as this cue is for the old and great kings who died off. But still nervous as Gandalf and Pippin ride up and up the layers of Minas Tirith.

8. Fantasia on "Greensleeves" by Ralph Vaughan Williams, performed by Rolf Smedvig and Michael Murray. I love this piece, but I do not like the blend between Smedvig's trumpet and Murray's organ registrations. In general I prefer to listen to organ live rather than in recordings, since I feel a large part of the organ's effect is the architecture of its surroundings.

9. "Green Chimneys" by Thelonious Monk, performed by Wynton Marsalis on Live At The House Of Tribes. A nicely angular march, with an extended solo by Wynton.

Conversations about music

Over at Making Light, a wonderful discussion about music is taking place. The participants are all laity as far as I can tell, yet all enthusiasts and remarkably erudite in expressing their impressions. One commenter admits that he just cannot appreciate Ralph Vaughan Williams, and when asked he gives very good reasons*:

Listening to that piece replicates every experience I have ever had with the music of Vaughan Williams - and I assure you, I've tried to listen to it. It seems to me that he endlessly tiptoes around in a formless cloud of sound out of which at any moment an actual melody might emerge, but one never does. I can see no consequence, no meaning to it. It doesn't make any sense to me. I can't say why not. It just doesn't, and all I experience is vague but mounting irritation, frustration and, eventually, resentment.

And after this admission the other commentors do not ridicule him for his lack of appreciation, but share their own loves and hates. When I asked my students how to debate about music, this type of discussion was one possibility I was thinking about.

*Reasons that you may not agree with (I certainly don't, finding Vaughan Williams to be very comprehensible), but ones that can be understood and respected.