Author Archives: Ross

About Ross

Ross is a library assistant at the Union Township branch of the Clermont County Public Library by day. But by night, he becomes the Culture Vulture, defender of truth, justice and the Dilettante Way.

Classical Music at the Library, Opera Edition

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soundsOpera is one facet of classical music in which I’ve never indulged. I’m a patient man, but I don’t have the endurance for a composer like Wagner, whose Ring Cycle lasts roughly eighteen hours (seriously). And then there are the over-the-top melodramatic beltings, the proverbial fat ladies singing, which seem ridiculous to me. That isn’t to say that opera is trivial; you’ll find many devotees. Like those freaks on NPR’s Opera Quiz who are able to identify an aria by hearing half a note. So, yes, I’m not exactly the biggest fan of opera.

I say “not exactly,” because behind those warblings, you’ll find some great classical music. Take for example, Verdi Without Words, an arrangement of his best-known themes by former Cincinnati Pops conductor Eric Kunzel. Even for the uninitiated, you are likely recognize the Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, which is often parodied in popular culture (just think of Looney Tunes). And then there’s “La donna è mobile,” whose melody has become for many the epitome of Italian opera. My personal favorite piece is the “Egyptian March” from Aïda.

Put on your Viking helmet complete with horns for the Overtures and Preludes from the operas of Richard Wagner (pronounced vahhhg-ner, not wag-ner). Sure, the man’s legacy isn’t exactly without tarnish, but the music is brilliant and you won’t be subjected to eighteen hours of Germanic mythology in song form. Who can’t resist banging their head to The Ride of the Valkyries? A favorite from this album is the Prelude from Act III of Lohengrin, which puts me in the mood to be heroic.

Until next time–may your personal rite of spring not be riotous.

Classical Music at the Library, Part the Fourth

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Greetings and salutations!

During this Library Lovers’ Month, I’m returning with more on the Classical Music I hold so dear to my heart. I, your savant, and my trusty sidekick Philip Koro, will be coming at you with the rockin’ rambunctious raucous action that you associate with composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and others. At this point, I’m making the internationally-recognized sign for “metal” in the air. YEEEAAAAH.

In earlier blog posts, I had mentioned the library now has a collection of performances on DVD. Although you may think that us librarians live a life of bon-vivant leisure, I haven’t had much a chance to report back my findings–until recently.

If you like baroque music, you already love Johann Sebastian Bach. It’s impossible to miss him. The man was a machine–he composed over 1,100 compositions during his lifetime. He also had twenty children. In one of his last works, The Art of Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge), Bach showboated his mad crazy compositional skills. I watched a performance of this work by Die Akademie für Alte Musik (which is based in Berlin) through the magic of the digital video disc. The recording, which gives an intimate view of the performance, also gives a sense of the work’s architecture, beginning with a simple theme played on the organ to its complex counterpoint played by strings, woodwind and keyboard.

Sure, The Art of Fugue isn’t exactly easy listening. The reward, however, is a better appreciation for the structures of baroque music and a greater understanding of perhaps the greatest composer ever (the greatest in this gent’s humble opinion). I must admit that The Art of Fugue is not for everyone–in fact, it was intended as a teaching aide for students of composition. This means that at times the music can be rather on the heavy side, like reading a complex multi-layered but well-structured novel–one that Bach never completed. The last piece in the cycle, Contrapuntcus XVIII, abruptly ends with the last note being played by a viola.

Until next time–may your larks always be ascending and your clavier be well-tempered!

 

Classical Music at the Library, Part the Third

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As promised, I have summoned my colleague Philip Koro for a further adventure in the wide world of classical music. This time around, we’ll have a look at his cd picks. In chronological order by date of composition, we’ll begin with:

Bach Sonatas for Recorder (BMV 1030-1035, for all of you Baroque nerds)-

“If you love the recorder, you can’t go wrong with these six sonatas, beautifully performed by Michala Petri, perhaps the foremost soloist in the world on this particular instrument. She is joined on the harpsichord by Keith Jarrett, who is actually better known as a jazz pianist. As far as Bach, we are all familiar with some of his orchestral works (Brandenburg Concerti, Suites), his organ music (Toccata & Fugue in D Minor) and his vocal works (Cantatas & Masses), but listening to this CD, we hear his mastery of chamber music as well. Five stars!”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream-

“The overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written when Mendelssohn was just 17 and it is truly one of the great masterpieces of the Romantic era. Much later in Mendelssohn’s short life, he was commissioned to write the incidental music to Shakespeare’s play and the result is a number of memorable pieces, none more so than the Wedding March , played every day all over the western world as a recessional in weddings. Outstanding performance by the Boston Symphony under the direction of Seiji Ozawa.”

Carmina Burana-

“Carl Orff may be known for only this one work, but what a work it is! Even if you are not attuned to listening to 20th century classical, this music is very approachable. Sung in Latin and Middle High German, Orff finished this cantata in 1936 and it is based on poems found in the medieval collection of the same name. The opening piece entitled “O Fortuna” should be immediately recognizable as it has been featured in numerous commercials and motion pictures. The performance by the San Francisco Symphony is absolutely spectacular and one the greatest I have ever heard.”

This concludes Mr. Koro’s broadcast. Tune in next time when we explore your humble dilettante’s dvd picks.

 

Classical Music at the Library, Part the Second

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classical music reviewIn the first part of this series, we scrutinized Philip Koro’s classical music on DVD picks. Now for my picks–this time, in the CD collection. Here they are, in no particular order:

Flute Sonatas- Joachim Quantz is not the first name that comes to mind when you think of Baroque composers (more likely it is J.S. Bach), but he deserves his recognition, too. This recording not only gives you a feel for his style, but the sound quality is amazing. Go for baroque.

The Complete Works for Piano- Today, the Debussy piece “Clair de Lune” is so commonplace that even someone without a background in classical music would immediately know the tune. It’s hard to believe, but in the rough-and-tumble world of nineteenth century Paris, Claude was a rebel–complete with disheveled beard. Expand your appreciation of this genius with Geiseking’s interpretation! Although an older recording of Debussy’s complete catalog of solo piano compositions, it still will provide hours of listening pleasure.

The Planets- Gustav Holst’s perennial favorite is one of the classical pieces that first got me hooked.  Chances are, you’ve probably heard some of the compositions from this suite. The popularity of this work, while definitely deserved, obscures his other works, which are just as noteworthy. Try out his First and Second Suites for Band after you return from outer space.

Le Sacre Du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) – This is the other work that made me an aficionado. Stravinsky’s ballet score is still as sublimely atavistic as it was back in 1913, where the opening night led to a riot by offended Parisians. Have your own riot at home or in the car (or even at work!). Not to be missed.

Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis- A long time ago, my grandmother told me that one of my distant relatives roomed with Ralph Vaughan Williams at university. Whether or not this is true, his compositions are lovely– the aural equivalent of dental floss. This compilation CD has one of his most well-known works, including The Lark Ascending.

Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio- I admit, this isn’t exactly “classical music” to the genre purist.  But bear with me. Claude Bolling’s piece is a rich blend of jazz and classical sensibilities, complete with some fancy work on the flute by Jean-Pierre Rampal, a noted classical flautist. It makes for a refreshing listen, one that yields more nuance with each new hearing.

 

 

Classical Music at the Library, Part the First

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music cdsPerhaps your idea of a vibrant start to the day is the ”Sunrise” movement from Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite. If you are rather pensive or just confused, perhaps you think there’s no better accompaniment to your brown study than Elgar’s Enigma Variations. But you need not despair! After the profusion of postmodern work and worry, there’s always Eine Kleine Nachtmusik to round out your day and return equilibrium to your soul.

Sure, classical music isn’t all about tranquility, but the library provides resources for the afficionado in whatever mood they might be in. And if you happen to be both an aficionado and a couch potato, the library offers a new collection of classical music performances on dvd!

Philip Koro, the adult reference librarian at Union Township and I, your humble author, will be reviewing some of our favorite classical works from our collection. Since Philip is the more sedentary of us two, he chose these following gems:

Mozart and the Dolomites- A “beautifully rendered” version of Mozart’s Requiem that uses time-lapse film to match the mood of Philip’s favorite vocal work.

Homage to Claude Debussy- Aldo Ciccolini’s performance for Italian Television, although obviously dated, has both a great interpreter and excellent sound quality. Includes such well known works as Sarabande, Claire de Lune and selections from Children’s Corner.

Ode to Freedom- A historic performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Berlin after the fall of the Wall. Most notable is the replacement of the word ”freude” (“joy”) with “freiheit” (“freedom”) in the final movement.

Join us soon as we take a look at some of your humble author’s picks. Until then, we hope you’ll find the time for a fugue, but not of the sort where you lose your memory.

 

Atlantis Found!?

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I’ll admit it—the idea of the lost continent of Atlantis is both intriguing and dubious to me.  The theories about its location and the culture of its inhabitants seem nothing but wild speculation.  Were they Hyperboreans who dwelt at the North Pole?  Were they an advanced civilization located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that received their technology from extraterrestrials? Atlantis is the realm of conspiracy theorists and crackpot pseudo-historians—or so it seemed to me.  That’s when I picked up Gavin Menzies’ The Lost Empire of Atlantis on audio.

Menzies’ other books, 1421: The Year China Discovered America and 1434: The Year A Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited The Renaissance, have invited controversy.  I have not read either one of the aforementioned titles, but since this book about Atlantis declared that it would unveil “History’s Greatest Mystery,” I figured I’d give it a try.  Besides, it would help to kill time during traffic jams.

Instead of the mysterious mystical Atlanteans, Menzies’ Atlantis is the island of Crete, with its advanced Bronze Age culture of the Minoans that created a vast trading network. Just like Atlantis, the island of Thera in the Aegean Sea disappeared overnight, destroyed by a huge volcano that sent a tsunami wave that destroyed the palace at Knossos in Crete. Like a detective, Menzies uncovers the fingerprints of the Minoans everywhere from Egypt to India to the Iberian Peninsula. Bits of Minoan culture (beside trade goods) appear to have permeated local traditions: the bull-jumping that was depicted on Minoan frescoes as long ago as the 18th century BC is still a semi-ritual amongst peoples as far flung as southwestern India and Spain.  Some of Menzies’ claims, however, seem rather mind-boggling–that Minoans and other ancient civilizations obtained pure copper for the smelting of bronze from Lake Superior, for example.  I’m still not convinced of some of his arguments, but it makes for an interesting story with well-detailed travels to exotic locales. I’ll let you, reader, make up your own mind.

The Allure of Lore

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russian folktalesOver the last half-year or so, I’ve been on something of a folklore kick. I’m not certain why folk tales appeal to me–perhaps it has been spurred by memories of my British grandmother telling me off-color stories that she remembered from her childhood (none of which I will repeat here).

To continue, some of the appeal would also have to be that they can be quickly read. Believe it or not, us library types are just as often pressed for time and don’t feel like reading a tome. But this is not to say that folk tales lack any depth, despite their being relegated to the realm of children’s stories (at least in our modern culture). But let’s leave any further analysis for the obnoxious literary theorist inside of me that I’ve been trying to suppress since finishing my masters. Folk tales are just entertaining and a great way of understanding people from around the world.

My current read (among others) is: Russian Folk-Tales retold by James Riordan. I’m reading the tale of Vassilisa, who is sent by her evil stepsisters to fetch firewood from Baba Yaga. Sounds like an easy task, right? One major problem– Baba Yaga is an old hag who flies around in a mortar and whose house is fenced by row upon row of the skulls of her victims (Warning: not every folk tale is safe for the children). The good news, though, is that evil is never victorious–well, most of the time.

Here are a few other books that I’ve read:

Latin American Folktales: Stories from the Hispanic and Indian Traditions- Particularly interesting are the Inca legends about their kings.

Russian Gypsy Tales- Amongst other things, explains why you shouldn’t try to summon the Queen of Spades at midnight.

Folk-Tales of the British Isles- Includes the tale of ”Tom Tit Tot,” an inspiration for Rumpelstiltskin.

The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales- As opposed to the Disney version of Cinderella, the evil stepsisters get their eyes plucked out by birds as punishment.  They don’t call it Grimm for nothin’.

“The unexamined life is not worth living,” or How to Give Yourself a Headache.

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Did you know that besides carrying the latest bestsellers, the library carries books for us overly contemplative types?

After finishing grad school, I’ve been looking for a new challenge to prevent my brain from turning into treacle.  I’m trying to brush up on my understanding of philosophy, regardless of how abstruse it may be. I started last fall with Great Courses’ Introduction to Greek Philosophy. The presenter, a philosophy professor at Carnegie Mellon, makes the whole mess accessible and entertaining. And I could listen to it in my car. It definitely cut down on the road rage, although I’m certain that my driving concentration was probably somewhat compromised.

Certainly, philosophy may be hard to comprehend, but the library has excellent resources for trying to do the mental gymnastics required that would drive others mad.  My current reading companion is The Philosophy Book, which puts the salient thoughts of the major thinkers in (mostly) Western philosophy in easy to comprehend language. Plus, it has pictures and brightly colored diagrams and shiny, glossy pages! Another great series of introductions is the Philosophers In 90 Minutes series, which is also written for the non-specialist.

Good luck and don’t become too much of a solipsist!