Modest tribute to Mussorgsky

It's the gentleman's 170th birthday.

The Rite of Spring

Here's - not only :) - to the spring.

Fazil Say playing four hands on an electronic Boesendorfer 290SE piano.

Sabbat Shalom ...

... to those who have moral and courage to speak out!

"I don't think he felt too bad about it, because after all, as far as he was concerned, he did his job according to the orders he was given. And the atmosphere in general, from what I understood from most of my men who I talked to ... I don't know how to describe it .... The lives of Palestinians, let's say, is something very, very less important than the lives of our soldiers. So as far as they are concerned they can justify it that way," he said.

Quote from this Haaretz-article.

Just a thought 007

Following the spirit that always negates is obviously easier than offering proposals how to change "things" for the better.
May be it's due both to the dominance of our laziness gene and - to the devil in the details.

PS: As it would have taken too long, and not to multiply the complexity, for a beginning I did not mention the intelligence matter. :)

A hint as subtle as ...*

Ladies, gentlemen, friends,

may I attract your attention to The Wife of Bath.

I had forgotten to press the publish button the other day; and - as it would 'sound' strange to read on the 19th a 'yesterday' refering to the 15th, hm? :) - I decided to keep the chronological order.

Hence this subtle hint.


* feel free to insert the metaphor of your choice. :)

Happy Pubs' Day

As it's the same procedure as last year, rather than writing a lenghty post I can prepare myself mentally for what I shall whisper to my first 'only man' tonight.

So, here's Tetrapilotomos' 17th-of-March-opening-groaner, to which* - in my borderless clemency as always I contributed the 'stupid questions'.

Tiny tip: To give yourself the thrilling illusion of reading Omnium's Breaking News!, all you have to do while reading is, replacing 'Wednesday' by Thursday.

In a minute or so, I shall receive a message like this one.

That's it. May the snakes bite me, if I tried to keep my esteemed Irish readers any longer away from the magic spirits.

In this sense: A nice (pub-?)crawl, everybody!

May the black magic source never run dry, may your landlord's drawing-power never weaken.

Sláinte!

Wife of Bath

Yesterday, on the Ides of March, and thus 2055 years after Caesar rattled "Et tu, Brutus?" and three years after Bock the Robber wrote his first post; 93 years after Austria-Hungary declared war to Portugal, 83 years after the first telephone-line between London and Berlin started to work, 53 years after the first performance of "My Fair Lady" in New York and on the 102nd Birthday of Zarah Leander who once sang "Ich weiß, es wirrrd einmal ein Wunnn...derrrrr gescheh'n ..." (I know there will once happen a wonder ...), and one year after I went down in history, out of the blue I felt fancy to enjoy re-reading Chaucer's Wife of Bath. Well, and this morning I found myself typing Chaucer Wife of Bath youtube and, although it was ... hm ... not exactly what I had hoped to find, after about nine minutes I thought 'Nice idea, anyway' and decided to share it.




Enjoyed a bit?
Fine. And now to the main course.
At least in case you have not enjoyed the pleasure, yet, you should switch to the original.
As an exception from the rule - if you were I you'd always prefer to feel the book in your hands - here are the links to both the .... [writing all adjectives would take too long] ... Prologue and the Tale.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia?

Here's good news for all those who suffer from Triskaidekaphobia [fear of the 13] and even more from Paraskavedekatriaphobia [fear of Friday 13th]: 209 years ago, on March 13th, 1800 which happened to be a Friday, the great-grandparents of my grandfather (photo/1898) exchanged wedding-vows and ... ... never got divorced since. Now, if that's not a reason, with thanks to the fairies and leprechauns to raise one's glass. Happy anniversary, dear great-great-great-grandmother, and dear great-great-great-grandfather!

Lampposts, ropes and crows

1.) Can you imagine anyone in any country giving her / his signature to any contract concerning anyone's treatment who abused children (or committed any other crime) that would cost UK£290,000?

2) Can anyone explain why (even) I do sometimes see lampposts, ropes and crows?

Plaidoyer pour l'art

Three years earlier born than Maurice Ravel, on March 7th, 1872 his fate was to become a painter: Piet Mondrian.

Do I (particularly) 'love' this kind of art?

No.

Why would I mention him then?

To attract your attention to an impressive post by A Doubtful Egg.

He's written a wonderful plaidoyer pour l'art.

Take your time. You'll regret rien. :)

Praise of a 'mad man'

"I only composed one master work, that is the Bolero; unfortunately, there is no music in it", Maurice Ravel once remarked with regard to what is said to have been his master work.

In so far, it had been not consequential if, after the first performance a lady whose name remained unknown cried: "Oh God, a mad man!", the composer had not said she was the only one to understand him, hm?

Well, anyway.

If I told what the Bolero achieves to conjure up whenever I happen to hear its first tone there'd certainly more than one (wo)man understand :) me.

That's why I won't tell.

Instead, I restrict myself to write: Happy birthday, 'mad man'!

And here's ... the Bolero. Enjoy!



... can't get enough? Longing for the finale furioso? :)
Here's Part II:

David and Sam

As it's still St. David's Day and I happen to think of another David I thought I should share what recently warmed my heart with those who did not already watch what I'll just call The Story of David and Sam.





H/t Colin Campbell and Freeborn John.

And did you see this at Ardent's?

Personal note

Ladies, gentlemen, friends,

it's not that I'd not answer your comments. Google does not let me!

Neither I can comment on my own blog nor on many others.

Slightly strange. Hope this will end soon.

With burning patience,

Yours,

Sean