Sing Faster: The Stagehands' Ring Cycle - The Story

Sing Faster: The Stagehands' Ring Cycle

I watched Sing Faster last night. It's been around for a while, but I only recently found out about it. If you want to see a lot of opera, this isn't the movie for you. If you want to get a taste of what happens backstage (and on stage) during rehearsals and performances then you should check it out. Also, the stagehands have a great way of explaining the complex story of The Ring so that anyone can understand it (sort of). Despite all the hi-tech "Mission Control" aspects of the production, it still takes a lot of people moving a lot of wood, metal and foam from here to there. It's amazing that things go as well as they do. Well, except the smoke. It seems that no one can control the smoke.

You probably won't find it at your local video store, but if you have Netflix, click here to add it to your queue.

Welcome, Foolish Mortals, to DOOMBUGGIES.COM

A number of years ago I became quite an expert on Disney animation and theme parks. I read everything I could get my hands on and I still have a lot of beautiful books about the animators, the comic book artists and the theme parks. I also have a pretty nice collection of antique Disney toys and comics.

Due to the "real world" encroaching on me I have been neglecting my "Disneyological" studies lately. I have spent a lot of time on this site, though. It really is an amazing behind the scenes look at The Haunted Mansion. It covers both the original one at Disneyland as well as the ones at the other parks.

If you've ever experienced the ride, you know how incredible it is. It was 1976 the first time I rode through the mansion in a Doom Buggy. I was 6 years old and was thoroughly impressed. I was a little freaked out in the "stretching room" but my mom assured my that no harm would come to me. After that I was able to relax an enjoy it.

If you've never riden it, you should probably get on a plane right now. If you have ridden it, I think you'll really love DoomBuggies.com! Check it out.

Welcome, Foolish Mortals, to DOOMBUGGIES.COM

Mstislav Rostropovich, Cellist and Conductor, Dies - New York Times

Mstislav Rostropovich, Cellist and Conductor, Dies - New York Times

Exciting news.... I think......I hope

I hope they can find the magic again. They have a long way to go to make up for the second (direct to video) Spinal Tap movie. I am cautiously optimistic.

Spinal Tap to reform for Live Earth | News | Guardian Unlimited Music

All in the mind

An interesting article about performing from memory.

I agree that it often has as many disadvantages (maybe more) as it has advantages. This article also offers a brief history of the custom of memorization

As a percussionist who usually plays without accompaniment, I face the problem of having my hands full with no rests available to turn pages. In pieces like Mackey's See Ya Thursday (rests for page turns are built in to the piece) or Druckman's Reflections on the Nature of Water (separate movements that require no turns) it is possible to read the score, but in a piece like Ewazen's Northern Lights there is nowhere to turn a page without breaking the mood of the piece.

Flat panel displays may soon change this for all of us. They offer the ability to scroll music by or to do page turns with a foot pedal. They can even be designed to "listen" to what you are playing and turn the pages at a predetermined spot.

All in the mind | Classical and opera | Guardian Unlimited Music

We need to revive the lost art of composition, says Stephen Hough | Classical and opera | Guardian Unlimited Music

A great article by Stephen Hough on the importance of at least trying to compose.

Just remember that the first thing you write will probably not be very good. Things will get better if you keep trying. I have plenty of embarrassing compositions hidden away (some very recent) and a few decent ones that I don't hide. Some would say that all of my compositions are embarrassing. They are, of course, entitled to their opinion. I learned something from all of them, though.

We need to revive the lost art of composition, says Stephen Hough | Classical and opera | Guardian Unlimited Music

Amazing!!!!

These percussionists are really letting Orff have it....Old School!

E-mail is the future!!

I was going through some old papers today and came across a letter from the assistant dean of students at Eastman. It's an interesting look back to September 1995. Here are some excerpts.

"It is my pleasure to announce that a deal has recently been negotiated on behalf of the student body......For a nominal charge of $10 per academic year, an E-mail account will be issued for you...Currently, the charge for such a service is $145 per account per year...Your account will also provide text access to the Internet, ftp, gopher, news, Telnet and the World Wide Web...It is expected that E-mail will be one of the primary means of communication between members of the Eastman community within the next couple of years....There will also be classes available on the River Campus to train you in the use of your new account. If you want to take these classes, you must sign up...as soon as possible."

I tried it. At the time it was just too much trouble. Seems like a different world. My computer at the time used the 5 inch floppy discs and had a dot matrix printer. I finally got an email account in the Summer of 2006. (Correction - make that summer 2007) It didn't do me much good since I hardly knew anyone else that had an email address. My 14.4 dial-up modem on the new computer was pretty great, though.

PASIC etc...

I saw and heard some great things at PASIC. I really enjoyed Keiko Abe's Saturday concert (in addition to her Thursday performances). John Riley's clinic was great. Tom Burritt played an awesome new piece by Thom Hasenpflug and I finally got to see Kai Stensgaard play.

Percussion Construction launched my new signature line of mallets. I'm really happy with how they turned out. They sold well and the people that tried them out at the booth seemed to like them. A new Percussion Construction website should be up in a couple of weeks so you can have a look at them.

I also found out that my good friend John Parks will be giving a solo recital at Carnegie Hall on May 4th of next year. He'll be playing my piece Vertical River on that recital and I'll be there to stand up and wave to the audience after the last note.

I also managed to get sick at PASIC, but I 'm back up and running now. Just a couple of days of teaching, a few rehearsals for Hansel und Gretel, and Thanksgiving will be here. We have some friends coming into town for a vegetarian thanksgiving and some early shopping on Friday morning. Probably won't buy much. It's just fun to go to the Waffle House at 4:00 am and then get in line with the people that really are buying lots of stuff. You can meet some very excited (and very crazy) people that way. I can't wait!

and I'm back

Things have been busy at UCA and I've been playing a lot of orchestral gigs lately. HMS Pinafore, then a few tunes with the Arkansas Symphony, today some Firebird with the Pine Bluff Symphony and Tuesday night a little Beethoven 4 with the Conway Symphony Orchestra. Then only a week until PASIC. My new marimba solo should be available at the Percussion Construction booth (don't forget to stop by the Malletech booth to pick up your very own copies of Vertical River and Anubis). Also, another special surprise will be waiting for you at Percussion Construction. More on that soon.

Ok. Off to the show.

Soho the Dog: Eight sentences about classical music I'd be happy never to read again

Well, at least someone has been posting to his blog. Me? I'll squeeze in a real post soon. In the meantime, this guy has some things for you to think about.


Soho the Dog: Eight sentences about classical music I'd be happy never to read again

Pinafore

I had 5 hours of rehearsal yesterday and another 3 today. More rehearsals to come during the week and then 6 performances of HMS Pinafore. It is part of the new season at Wildwood Park. Last years schedule is still on the site-new schedule soon, I would think.

When I was asked to play the show I intially thought I didn't have time. Then I thought, when will I ever have the chance to play Pinafore again. Never?.....Hardly ever! So, I took it.

The only problem is, I can't stop thinking of Sideshow Bob. For those of you that don't know what I mean, just watch this clip...

Arrested Development - Season 3

In the past 24 hours I've watched the first 7 episodes of Arrested Development's final season. The DVDs came out on Tuesday, but I didn't get them until yesterday. I didn't see any of season 3 on TV becuase FOX bounced the show around the schedule so much it was nearly impossible to catch it.

So far...GENIUS!!!

I can't believe how good it is. It is so funny, so brilliant, so quick, and the script so tight that you can't look away for even a second. The cast is incredible and so is Ron Howard's narration. Plus, the smaller roles are cast perfectly. Everyone from Henry Winkler to Charlize Theron, Scott Baio to James Lipton.....and let's hope Liza Minnelli makes it back in the last six episodes.

If you don't already have them, you really owe it to yourself to get all three seasons on DVD. Don't rent them or "NetFlix" them. You'll want to own them.

Seriously.....it's spectacularly good!

Precipice - Modern Marimba

My good friend Nate Bartlett has a new CD of works for solo marimba. It just came out and I haven't had a chance to hear it yet, but I've heard him play most of the pieces live and I'm 100% sure that it's incredible.

Check it out!

I can't get the link to the Albany Records site to work from here, so use the link below to go to Nate's news page and click the link there.

nathaniel bartlett: news

School is here

Have you ever wondered what it might sound like if you put Dave Matthews, Lisa Loeb and Outkast in a blender? Wonder no more. This guy has the answer for you in his great cover of Hey Ya!

Oh, and if you said to yourself "Putting those folks in a blender sounds like a great idea", shame on you.




Classes start today at UCA and I'm ready to go. We are settled in the new house, I've practically finished the new piece I've been working on, I have all of the percussion ensemble music programmed, all four percussion ensemble concerts already scheduled, a newly remodeled office, and a great percussion studio. I even bought some new clothes! Looks to be a great year. And...don't worry Parksie, the posts will flow more regularly now. I've even got a few "make-up" posts coming with exciting pics of my summer activities. Stay tuned.

Imagining The Tenth Dimension

OK, so you've watched that video about the size of things I posted a few days ago? Good. Now, watch this. If you miss something...rewind. When you're done your brain may feel a little sore, but Star Trek will make a lot more sense.

Imagining The Tenth Dimension

Thanks to Ektopia.com and CollisionDetection.net

Powers of 10

Want to feel small? Watch this. Don't worry. You'll feel big again when it's over.

Why do you stay up so late?

A poem by Marvin Bell with animation by Ernesto Lavandera. Beautiful!


Why do you stay up so late?

Tikhon Khrennikov and Dimitri Shostakovich

A great piece in The Guardian about Soviet artists, and Shostakovich in particular, under Stalin's rule. Based on an interview with Tikhon Khrennikov, head of the union of soviet composers, it also includes a brief interview with Shostakovich's widow.

It includes this classic example of Shostakovich being "sorry".

"I thank you comrade chairman ... I thought I had succeeded in developing a personal idiom that adhered to the wise demands of the Soviet people ... I now see I was mistaken and have underestimated my need for artistic correction. I acknowledge the rightness of the party's judgment. I shall work on the musical depiction of the heroic Soviet peoples, from the correct ideological standpoint. Equipped with the guidance of the Central Committee, I shall renew my efforts to create really good songs for collective singing."

So, was Khrennikov an enemy or a friend? He says he helped the composers and implies that someone else in his position would have been much worse for them. Still, it's seems obvious that he enjoyed the power that came with his post. The world is a complicated place, I suppose.

Here's the link.
Guardian Unlimited Arts | Arts features | The secret rebel

New House

We're finally in the new place. For those of you that just can't wait any longer, here are some pics of our new backyard.