Well, dear readers, right about now I’ll just say we need a pocketful of miracles – a big pocketful of miracles. This year has been challenging for a lot of people I know, and certainly despite many wonderful projects and creative endeavors it certainly has been challenging around these here parts. So, please send strong most excellent vibes and xylophones for a large pocketful of miracles because we sure do need ‘em. As I write these here notes, I continue down my little musical tour through closeted CDs that have happily come out of the closet. For example, I have now been through all the Chandos The Film Music of series – yesterday it was two volumes of wonderful Vaughan Williams film music and then the surprisingly delightful film music of Stanley Black, which I’d never actually listened to before. I listened to the piano concerto of Arthur Benjamin, which was okay, and his symphony, which I’ll come back to as I was so annoyed by the low volume at which it’s mastered that I had to stop. While you might not know Mr. Benjamin’s name, if you’re a Hitchcock fan you most likely know at least one of his works as it played a supporting role in Mr. Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew too Much – both versions. It’s Mr. Benjamin’s Storm Cloud Cantata that is the music being played at the concert where there is to be an assassination on a certain bar of said cantata. And then I dove into this Bernstein Mahler box. I’ve written about Mr. Mahler several times so no need to rehash – but I will say this fresh mastering of the Bernstein Columbia recordings is like hearing this music for the first time. I was never that fond of these performances in their original CD masterings because they sounded bad – shrill, muddy, and indistinct, whereas this new mastering has warmth and beauty and detail. Since I’d only uploaded the fifth, sixth, and ninth symphonies, I began with the fifth and it really is a wonderful symphony, especially it’s very famous slow movement, which has been used in several films. Whilst listening to it, I uploaded the first and second symphony. Beginning with the second, Mahler’s symphonies are huge, epic works of great length, so it’s a real commitment when you begin listening to one of them. But oh that music – such passion, such color, such great orchestral writing, such beauty, and Bernstein does a wonderful job bringing out all the emotion of the music. Highly recommended by the likes of me.
Otherwise, I did get nine hours of sleep, but really felt sketchy when I got up, so I did my usual illness precautions of Airborne and Sambucol and within a couple of hours I was feeling less sketchy. I answered e-mails, did stuff on the computer, then at two I moseyed on over to Jerry’s Deli to have my meal o’ the day. Unfortunately, some entitled Studio City person was having a private birthday party for their child – yes, you heard that right – they’d taken over then entire parking lot that services the bowling alley next to Jerry’s – that’s fine because Jerry’s has its own lot, and they’d also blocked off that entire block’s street parking for their valet parkers. The party was both in the bowling alley and the parking lot. The problem was that many of the guests used Jerry’s lot, too, so there was not a space to be had. Luckily I found one on the street just west of there, but it was quite irritating. I had a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and some fruit. Then I picked up a package that must have arrived late on Saturday.
This package contained a CD of Ruth Gipps music. I got a copy a week ago and went to put it into iTunes only to find that although the packaging and label film were all correct, the music on the disc itself was not Miss Gipps’ music, but some modern crap I would never listen to. So, I sent that back to the third-party seller, and then ordered one directly from Amazon. And guess what? That, too, had the wrong music – so what that means to me is that the label pressed the wrong disc or Amazon is burning CD-Rs from the wrong disc. Since I have not read of one instance of their being a problem with this CD, I have to believe it’s the latter. In fact, I found the label via Google, wrote them, and included a screen shot of what’s actually on this CD – we’ll see if they respond. Certainly on Amazon UK, which is where this label is located, there are reviews of the CD so that mean they got a proper CD. I called Amazon and they refunded the money right away. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, aside from dozing off several times, I watched two documentaries on the Flix of Net – the first documentary was about a Swedish serial killer who went by the name of Thomas Quick. While he confessed to eight killings, the fact is the mental hospital where he was staying had him so drugged up, and the two women who ran it had agendas, and he finally recanted all his confessions, cases were reopened and he was pardoned from all of them and released. It’s an interesting documentary but I don’t like when they have actors in them doing recreations. Just make the documentary and trust that the subject matter is interesting enough without having to act like you’re making a movie. The second documentary was about the actor David Prowse, best known for playing Darth Vader. That, too, is interesting, but also is undone by directoritus. My favorite documentaries are ones where the director isn’t making it about him/her, but letting the people and situations speak for themselves.
After that, I finished choosing and assigning the holiday show songs, so I can get everyone their music this morning, so that’s good. Of course, I listened to music all during that, then I also had a couple of telephonic conversations.
Today, I’ll probably be up by ten, then I have to write liner notes, eat, jog, hopefully pick up some packages, and at some point hopefully relax. And a miracle or two would be so nice.
Tomorrow I have a lunch with Richard Sherman and a writer friend of his, and the rest of the week is more of the same, with meetings and meals, a work session with Kay Cole, and then we record her album on Saturday and Sunday, so I’m sure that will be fun.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, eat, jog, hopefully pick up some packages, then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: As long as I’m revisiting all this wonderful classical music, who are your favorite classical composers and what are your favorite pieces? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I will hopefully arise with the beginnings of a pocketful of miracles.