24044. (Gioacchino Rossini) Demetrio e Polibio[complete opera; d. Carraro; Gonzales, Surjan]
24045. (Giacomo Puccini) Manon Lescaut[complete opera; d. Rahbari; Gauci, Kuladov, Saudinero]
24046. (Social Distortion) Mommy’s Little Monster
24047. (El Ten Eleven) Every Direction Is North
24048. (Giuseppe Verdi) La traviata[complete opera; d. Toscanini; Albanese, Peerce, Merrill] Read more »
First-time listening for October, 2013
Posted by Phil Paine
on October 31, 2013
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READING – OCTOBER 2013
Posted by Phil Paine
on October 31, 2013
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21284. (David W. Maurier) The American Confidence Man
21285. (Peter J. Boettke, Daniel J. Smith & Nicholas A. Snow) Been There Done That:
. . . . . The Political Economy of Déja Vu [article]
21286. (Maurizio Viroli) From Politics to Reason of State — The Acquisition and
. . . . . Transformation of the Language of Politics 1250–1600
21287. (David W. Maurier) Speech Peculiarities of the North Atlantic Fishermen
. . . . . [article]
21288. (Steven G. Horwitz & William J. Luther) The Great Recession and Its Aftermath
. . . . . from a Monetary Equilibrium Theory Perspective [article]
21289. (J. E. King) Four Theses on the Global Financial Crisis [article]
21290. (Thomas E. Sheridan) Landscapes of Fraud — Mission Tumacácori, the Baca
. . . . . Float, and the Betrayal of the O’odham
Read more »
Saturday, October 5, 2013 — California Dreaming.…. It’s Back
Posted by Phil Paine
on October 5, 2013
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For several generations, the State of California has been the barometer of social trends in the United States. It was the state Americans moved to because they were young, gay, creative, or just because they were sick and tired of working in coal mines or being screamed at by bible-thumping assholes. If you have been sinking into acute depression thinking of the antics of the Republicommies and their Tea Party zombies, and other signs of senility in American culture, then this should refresh your faith in the American people: Bill Maher- California is leading
FILMS – SEPTEMBER 2013
Posted by Phil Paine
on September 30, 2013
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(1900) Sherlock Holmes Baffled
(Kostanski 2011) Manborg
(Groening & Sandoval 2012) Futurama: Ep.106 ― Fun on a Bun
(Krishna DK & Nidimoru 2013) Go Goa Gone
(Attenborough 1977) A Bridge Too Far Read more »
First-time listening for September, 2013
Posted by Phil Paine
on September 30, 2013
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(Hespèrion XX) El Cancionero de Palacio, 1474–1516 — Música en la corte de los Reyes
. . Católicos:
. . . . 22419. (Francisco de la Torre) Danza Alta [instrumental]
. . . . 22420. (Gabriel Mena) Aquella Mora Garrida
. . . . 22421. (Francisco de Peñalosa) Por las sierras de Madrid
Read more »
READING – SEPTEMBER 2013
Posted by Phil Paine
on September 30, 2013
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21219. (Patricia Highsmith) The Talented Mr. Ripley
21220. (Soraj Hongladarom) Exploring the Philosophical Terrain of the Digital Divide [article]
21221. (J. Marugán-Lobón, L. M. Chiappe & A. A. Farke) The Variability of Inner Ear
. . . . . Orientation in Saurischian Dinosaurs: Testing the Use of Semicircular Canals as a
. . . . . Reference System for Comparative Anatomy [article]
Read more »
Sunday, September 15, 2013 — Homes Needed
Posted by Phil Paine
on September 15, 2013
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I will have to find homes for my cat Gravitino’s litter. The kittens — Champlain, Thompson, Mackenzie, and Brulé — are all in good health. Brulé has already been adopted.
Dvořák’s First Quartet
Posted by Phil Paine
on September 6, 2013
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String Quartet No. 1 in A major, Op. 2 was Dvořák’s second chamber work. He was only 21 when he completed it, in 1862. It was not performed, however, until he revised it in 1888. The revisions seem to have been confined to some cuts to make it “leaner”, so it is probably representative of his musical thinking and abilities at that early stage. If that’s the case, then his genius shines out. It isn’t a great work, especially when compared to the divine quartets of his maturity, but it shows many of his signature qualities: the playfulness, effortless melodic invention, and the ability to communicate beauty and even sweetness without cloying. The first of the four movements has a catchy melody, but develops it very conventionally. It’s in the third movement, Allegro scherzando, that the future Dvořák is most evident. Its trio section could have been composed by no one else. The animatoof the final movement is vigorous and confident. This first quartet can be played strictly for the pleasure it affords, not just for its presentiments of greatness. My best copy is brilliantly performed by the Kvarteto města Prahy.
Thursday, September 5, 2013 — Frederik Pohl, 1919–2013
Posted by Phil Paine
on September 5, 2013
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Frederik Pohl (middle) in 1938
Frederik Pohl in 1968
To remain culturally relevant for seventy-six years is a rare accomplishment for any writer. Frederik Pohl’s career as a professional writer began in 1937, and ended this last Monday with his death. His last published novel was in 2011, and he was working on a second volume of autobiography when he died. His blog, The Way the Future Blogs, was one of my favourites on the web in recent years — and his stories and novels were among my favourites when I was growing up. He found new readers with each decade of his long career. His influence as an editor was equally significant. The field of Science Fiction owes much to him, though he was never a flashy attention-getter, never the subject of a personality cult. At SF conventions, he remained just a fan, someone to chat with amiably at a party, who did not care whether you were a big shot or a pimply teenager. I can vouch for that from personal experience. Ascerbic wit co-existed with gentleness and humanity in his demeanor. He was, as they used to say on the stage, “a class act.”
