Happy Birthday to German composer, Richard Wagner, born in 1813.
Known for his vignette operas such as Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal, and Der Ring des Nibelungen (a.k.a. The Ring Cycle).
One of my favorite memories at Eastman School of Music was when my composition teacher, Christopher Rouse, asked me to listen to the entire Ring Cycle (16 hours) over the course of two weeks to discuss as part of my studies.
So with that in mind, grab a nice glass of German Riesling and cuddle up to four hours of Wagner opera tonight.
I’ve been a huge fan of Salvador Dalí for years and his work has influenced my compositions, specifically two of the movements of Five Images.
The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory (5:19, 7.3 MB) — In an earlier piece, Winter Octet, I had based the opening movement on the famous Salvador Dali work, The Persistence of Memory, known for its ant-infested melting clocks. For Five Images, Dali’s painted sequel, The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory, literally became the emotional sequel for the music. The crash of TWA Flight 800 and the Olympic Park bombing directly affected the composition of this movement. The emotional roots of Five Images come to the forefront in the form of the solo cello.
Shades of Night Descending (5:01, 6.9 MB) — The fourth movement comes from another desolate painting by Dali, Shades of Night Descending. The quasi-passacaglia motion in this movement allows the continuation of the melodic outpouring of the third movement. However, any optimism that might have remained is lost in the corruption of the dark corners of the Dali painting.
So, happy birthday Salvador. Dig the mustache. You can see a collection of his works at VirtualDali.com.
In the news today, buried under just about every other headline you can image, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composer of such hits as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, celebrated his 168th birthday today. The composer could not be reached for comment.
At a recent medical checkup, the doctor noticed sound waves coming out of my ears. He deemed this “rather odd” and ordered additional tests.
Three specialists later and it has been confirmed that there is an actual piano inside my brain. It is a Steinway micro-grand, which is about the size of a book of matches. The micro-grand was a limited edition available in the late-60s and early-70s, and only 23 were sold to pediatricians looking for a solution to over exuberant red-headed children.
The experimental procedure was done without the parents knowledge or consent. To date, no long-term side effects (other than the ringing sounds emanating from the ears) have been recorded.
According to my father, this explains a few things. My mother was not available for official comment but unofficially she disavows any knowledge of the piano inside my brain.
The hardest thing for me is not composing. And since it is perhaps the most personal thing that I do, I tend to put it last in line in terms of priorities. The good news is that my brain never stops writing music.
I mentioned it before to friends and family, but something is brewing. And I plan to have something for everyone to hear soon.
But while I make progress, I’m going to post some “greatest hits” material. Stay tuned.
Happy Birthday to German composer, Richard Wagner, born in 1813.
