Having had some health challenges lately, I haven’t been able to hike much, but recently managed a short walk in the Sespe with Robert and Barry. As usual, I was taken aback by the subtle and fresh beauty of the chaparral, so different from the countryside in my native England. Its grey-greens and golds, the …
You know all those upbeat articles that tell you how to avoid stress and live positively? Well, here’s one that takes the opposite tack on the same issue, and it really made me sit up and think. Love it.
I heard this morning that Mstislav Rostropovich, one of the greatest cellists in history, has died. I was immediately reminded of time spent in his London home back in the 90’s, when I played piano for one of Vishnevskaya‘s students.
I haven’t posted anything much lately, and I’ve really missed it! We found out a week ago that we have to move by June 1st, so I’ve been busy house-hunting, and am pleased to report that we have found a nice rental right in the heart of town. In any normal town, I wouldn’t consider …
I think I just found the most horrible classical music website on the net. Or useful, depending on where you’re at. Here’s the blurb from www.kickassclassical.com . “Get to know the most popular Classical Music in pop culture today! You’ve heard these famous Classical Music pieces in movies, trailers, commercials, cartoons, video games and ringtones. …
I’m really enjoying Christopher Foley’s Collaborative Piano blog at the moment. He has some wonderful tips for collaborative pianists (otherwise known as piano accompanists) on getting work and learning to be a professional. Lots of advice I would love to have had when starting out. Hugh Sung also has some great practical tips for budding …
I’ve always thought that becoming disillusioned was one of the worst things that could happen to a creative artist. I’ve seen it happen to friends of mine– “I’ll never have the career I want”, “No-one is ever going to give me a rôle”, “Even when I am working, the work isn’t what I expected it …
Today’s Washington Post story about Joshua Bell posing as a street musician was so thought-provoking that it has been on my mind all day. Joshua’s magnificent playing apparently aroused so little attention that he himself was alarmed and the reporter certainly bemused. Should we be so shocked? Does it really mean the end of civilization …
Photo: Aeioux– A Man Passes on a Bicycle It’s 4 o’ clock and the Singing Man has just gone by. Every day at around this time, a man rides by our house on his bicycle singing long, luscious tenor notes. The first few times, I thought it must be someone drunk –a sad reflection of …
Photo: Ange Four Seasons– Autumn http://www.flickr.com/photos/gallettas_pics/ I turn on the car radio to a blast of sound from KCRW, our great local indie station. My tastes are eclectic these days, partly thanks to Robert, but today I’m not in the mood to be blasted out of my seat. Instead, I switch to Classical KUSC. Instantly, …