Well, dear readers, I decided to keep munching on Munch, so I am sitting here like so much fish listening to his monophonic recording of Arthur Honegger’s second symphony, a classic recording – just prior to that we had Honegger’s fifth, also mono, also classic. Honegger is not for everyone, but I love his music – classical and film scores. Then again, I’m a fan of every member of what was called Les Six – modern French composers – Honegger, Milhaud, Tailleferre, Duray, Poulenc, and Auric. Love ‘em all. Coming up, Munch’s brilliant and best Daphnis et Chloe, recorded in January 1955 in stereo, but only released in mono on LP because the cutting tools for stereo hadn’t been perfected yet. It did come out on stereo reel-to-reel. Its first stereo release on LP didn’t come until 1961, interesting because Munch recorded it anew in 1961. Some prefer that performance – not I. The 1955 is pretty astonishing for the first stereo recording of this brilliant Ravel work. Let me put it this way – they’re not doing it much better today. The 1955 recording was also issued as an SACD release, and that’s even more astonishing than the two-track. Happily, both recordings were in the big ol’ Munch box of complete RCA recordings, a real treasure trove of greatness. It was out of print for years and very pricey, but I think they brought it back – let me check. Nope, I must be thinking of a different box – cheapest I can find for this is six hundred buck and it goes all the way up to two grand. Yikes. Glad I got it while the gettin’ was good. Otherwise, yesterday was pretty okay. I got nine hours of good sleep, got up, answered e-mails, got an Amazon Fresh order missing two items I keep reordering and that they’re always out of stock on. Once that arrived, I made two tuna sandwiches, ate them, could barely finish the second one – don’t know why, really – and took pill one and the Prednisone. Then I proofed for a few hours and I’m happy to say there is a light at the end of the tunnel, with only about fifty pages to go. I took a break and watched a few YouTube videos – I’ve Got a Secret and To Tell the Truth mostly – then proofed some more, had a couple of biscotti and took pill two, and then I sat on my couch like so much fish and watched Orphan: First Kill, the prequel to Orphan, made fourteen years later with the same actress, Isabelle Fuhrman playing the role she created when she was nine or so. The chutzpah of that is something else and they mostly pull it off. The prequel takes place one year before Orphan and covers an event only briefly mentioned in Orphan as a throwaway line. I’m not one for prequels or sequels, but I have to say that this one really works for a whole slew of reasons.
Firstly, just for the audacity of having an actress fourteen years older playing her same role and just because they really thought it out well and it’s got a good and fun script and is well-directed. They use very clever in-camera tricks to pull off the adult Fuhrman playing the role – a double from the back for the long shots and keeping her in the bottom of the frame and constructing the sets so she’s always the right height, as the adult Ms. Fuhrman isn’t short anymore. I never thought they could come anywhere near matching the surprise that awaits in Orphan, but you know what – they not only matched it but it’s right up there and holds its own as a surprise. I know most of our dear readers, no matter how highly I recommend these two movies, simply will not watch them – I wish it were otherwise because I’d love to know what you think – so, if there are any brave souls out there, both can be streamed quite inexpensively. While there is violence in each, these are NOT slasher films or over-the-top violent horror things. Orphan: First Kill also has some very amusing and slightly campy moments, but they work, unlike the complete failure that is the sequel to M3GAN. Julia Stiles is excellent as is everyone else. And Ms. Fuhrman is really something else, one of our best young actresses. I have two of her more recent movies saved to watch – Tape and The Novice.
After the movie, I made two eggs on an English muffin for my snack and took pill three. And here we are.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, and I’m going to try and pull a marathon proofing session so I can be done with this. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. I have hot dogs here, so I’ll probably have a couple of those with mustard and onions. I know I’ll have to take a few breaks, and I’m sure at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, IF I’ve finished, I’ll go to the Cheesecake Factory and have me a nice lunch. Then I’m resting on the weekend, oh, yes, I am resting on the weekend. By the way, if any dear readers missed our monumental release of the complete first time ever release of the soundtrack for A Boy Named Charlie Brown, we found a box. Doug is trying to get it back live on the site and hasn’t yet, but if anyone wants one, including dear lurkers, just drop me a message and I’ll tell you what to do, until it’s back up on the site. WHEN copies have been available, they’ve been going for huge money. Remember, this came out in 2017 and sold out pretty quickly.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, try and finish the proofing or at least get in spitting distance of finishing, eat, and eventually watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What sequels and prequels have you seen that you actually thought worked reasonably well? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to be munching on Munch, of the great conductors of all-time.