Read: Counterpoint

Counterpoint in the latest novel by the Dutch writer Anna enquist. The structure of this book is based on Johann Sebastian Bach’s Golberg Variations. A woman of a certain age, decides to study the variations one more time. Meanwhile she overlooks her life, remembering her daughter and son. Each variations is an episode of her [...]

Cecilia and Chopin

I don’t like Chopin. I don’t like Chopin at all.
Okay, so I didn’t like Chopin. That changed slightly due to the numerous analysises of several Nocturnes, Waltzes, Etudes,… during the harmony lessons at the conservatory. In the end I even ended up buying ‘Impromptu, a movie about Chopin’s life.
A few weeks ago, I was watching [...]

Early one morning

Lentamente
igual como se escribe un poeme
surge de la nada
el amanecer

Silence

It’s been quiet around here due to my exams at the conservatory. Still 2 to go and then I’ll start blogging again. Until then, even more silence.

The story and the music

How important is it that there’s a story behind the music? I personally think that the music of performers who have a certain image in their mind while playing, has a greater value than the music of those who just play the notes (even if they do play musical lines and dynamics).
Yesterday  a class mate [...]

Sticky tunes

The last piece we sang at choir rehearsal today was this:

I first sang ‘Im Feuerstrom der Reben’ from ‘Die Fledermaus’ in 2003 (the choir part of course). Since then the tune has been stuck in my head every time I heard it. Grrr. Not that I don’t like the music, it’s [...]

Ah-tonality

At the Yahoo Answers website I read the following question:
Do you like atonal music? If so, why?
In my opinion this question is completely irrelevant. Atonality is not something you enjoy, like a nice warm bath. You don’t put on Schoenberg’s music while cleaning, eating dinner, reading or studying (except when you are about to read [...]

Brass sensation

From today on I’m also a fan of Christian Lindberg. That is, of his trombone playing, as wel as his compositions. Why? I think the following video’s speak for themselves.

[...]

Déjà entendu

The piano concerto (Michael Nyman)
And yes, I do know the theme, but I don’t know why, because no, I haven’t seen the movie ‘The piano’.

Too bad the fourth part, ‘The release’, isn’t on YouTube.

Slidin’ along

How do you recognize a trombone player’s child in the playground?
He doesn’t know how to use the slide, and he can’t swing.
Well, the inventor of that joke obviously doesn’t know these guys yet. New Trombone Collective, a group of enthousiastic Dutch trombone players who one day decided it would be fun to play something together [...]