Thursday 15 February 2007

"AH DUNNO!" - 15th February

Yesterday wasn't a good one for anticant. No valentines - not even from lavenderblue! And a stressful and disappointing day at hospital, where I was unable to tolerate the MRI Scan because I couldn't breathe comfortably in the position I was expected to lie in for half an hour and so ended up having a much shorter [and less thorough] CT Scan.

Then returned home, already tired and upset, to receive news of an old friend's death - see previous post.

Altogether not the best of days. But, as they say, "today is the first day of the rest of your life".

35 comments:

Richard W. Symonds said...

Good to see you back, AC

Anonymous said...

Anticant - you are always my Valentine.
So sorry to hear about your bad day..
Later I will indulge myself by reading your writings..I am looking forward to it
Thinking of you xx

Jose said...

One of those days, Anticant. It's better to forget them because despite everything life also has many beautiful things to be happy with.

Anonymous said...

anticant -
Ah, I see what you mean now.

I didn't know you had this other site. Well there's one more to add to my page. My condolences regarding your friend.

Thank you for taking the time to read my page on this difficult day.

Sounds like you could use an uplifting (insert you favorite composer here) symphony final movement to listen to.

All the best.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, Perhaps some Enigma Variations would be apt?

Again, best wishes.

anticant said...

I adore nearly all Mozart [except the operas - I'm a very selective opera listener]. My favourite symphony of all is K543, no. 39 in E flat. It was my first big classical set of 78s, conducted by Bruno Walter, given me for Christmas 1939, when I was 12 - if you can believe it! I still play one of my many more modern recordings of it every Christmas morning. And I shall play it right now as I'm going to bed. Thanks, Brian.

Anonymous said...

Here's one for merkin and lavenderblue:

"Got the Mrs sorted for Valentine's Day. Got her a new belt and bag.

The Hoover's working great now."

Anonymous said...

#39. A lovely symphony. I've played it many times. I hope it brings you comfort tonight.

I'm familiar with many Watler recordings. I am more inclined to the period practice performances and recordings of the Baroque and Classical created by the likes of Gardiner and Jean Lamon of Tafflemusik.

Whatever floats one's boat. As long as it does it for you, thats all that matters.

Cheers

Anonymous said...

It's a good job I love you lot, is all I can say !! Very Funny ! Made me laugh !
Sorry about your bad day Anticant xx

anticant said...

Yes - I enjoy those "authentic" style performances too. But they didn't exist even when I was your age; they came into fashion in the 1970s and '80s. Very little Mozart was played in English concert halls until Beecham pioneered more of his works in the 1930s. [Hope you liked my piece on "Tommy", btw.] Only a handful of the piano concertos ever saw the light of day. When my partner's school orchestra played some Haydn symphonies, they had to borrow the scores from London and blow the dust off them!

Happy birthday, old young man. I hope that when you reach my age, in 50 years' time, the world will be a much more peaceful, pleasant, sane, and tolerant place to live in.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the birthday wishes anticant. Who says 30 is a milestone?
My wife and friends tell my I haven't yet reached 4. So, I take that as a great compliment.

Hopefully I'll be around in another 50 years or so to see how it continues to turn out.

I'm attempting to educate myself as much as I can so as to ensure it is a more peaceful and tolerant place (sane and pleasant I find to be subjective). I'm finding it quite helpful to read the thoughts of those who have had real life experience and are willing to share their wise notions.

Thank you all in these threads for that.

I love the idea of having to blow dust off of Haydn. Amazing!

Old composers are being recreated anew even today.
I've been working on a recording project with the Toronto Camerata for Naxos for the last 4 years or so that is "rediscovering" buried or lost works of obscure composers and recording them for the first time in "historical or period" fashion. It is a great project that I'm enjoying immensely.

We've recorded wonderful symphonies of Arnold, Ordonez, and Wanhal. I just got back from a trip last week where we recorded a few unfamiliar Leopold Mozart symphonies which were excellent. This excellence should in fact be no surprise. After all, he did teach young Wolfgang (and many other greats) everything he knew.

Well- now that I've brought this thread completely off topic I will sign off. Actually this thread has had quite a loose topic (other than the continued wishing you well). And again, I wish you well.

So as not to bore the lesser fans of orchestral music here and in case there are no music posts coming up I'd envite you to email.
jedi_oboe@yahoo.ca

I have not been inclined to post any orchestral music related topics on my blog as of yet. I am finding this virtual world is a wonderful escape from the constant music that is my life.

Anonymous said...

1loneranger
and Happy Birthday to you......
I don't think I could ever be bored by music, knowledge not good at all to my shame.....I cannot tale Mahler, or ,damn, the one who did 'paintings at an exhibition'
Can't even wiki it, such is my bad knowledge.
Earlier today, idling along to the Radio, I heard that
some 20 to 25% of pain and / or depression can be alleviated by music.
This sounds true.what does anyone else think...?

Anonymous said...

lavenderblue-

Thanks for the wish. Re: music alleviating pain. I would say that's a fact, for the listener that is. For the musician it is a lifetime of sore backs, tendenitis, jaw muscle pains, tired lips, hearing loss and so on and so forth. But, after all's said and done....it's all worth it. I'm lucky enough to get paid for what I'd be doing as my hobby anyway. So, I've got that going for me.

That would be Mussorgsky’s 'Pictures at an Exhibition'. Try that on wiki. It's is on of the great masterworks of the repertoire.
Mahler is definately in my top list of favorite composers.
cheers

Anonymous said...

anticant- did k543 help alleviate any of your ills last night? I hope so.

It looked to me like you got the inch to start writing after you'd said you were ready for bed?

I enjoyed your piece on patriotism and will comment on that one later. I am humbled that you mentioned my little story on 'life on a military base'.

These threads and posts kept me up late last night reading and thinking and this morning's rehearsal was a bit of a slog as a result.

Being new to blogging and these really being the first threads in which I've kept up with people for more than an hour, let alone a day,
I'm fascinated and very appreciative of the creative and open dialogue that is inspired within this relatively new genre of communication.
Thanks!

anticant said...

What we need to do, 1loneranger, is to build a civilised worldwide community of friendly bloggers who are prepared to debate issues without squabbles or bullying, and keep their tempers when not in agreement [unlike icps!]

Not easy, but a very worthwhile and indeed important endeavour. So please stay with us!

Anonymous said...

What's 'icps' ?

anticant said...

icps is a tricky pro-Bush American who gets very stroppy with people who disagree with him, and deletes their posts from his site. Ask merkin.

Anonymous said...

Thank you !

I like the saying ' Tomorrow is also another Day'.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget to ask Jose and me too. I like to call ICPS, Mr. Hyperbole!

A world of friendly bloggers would be a nice idea. How about a world of friendly anything. Do you think true debate can really be performed without being in the same room with someone though.

Oh, I doubt I'm going anywhere. These threads add tons to my dad to dad adventures.

Anonymous said...

1loneranger

I did go onto his site.
Extraordinary -so few comments, just him.
There is a medical term for his 'condition' I am sure.
He is not rational.
I do not think he is very nice.

A world of friendly anything would be delightful - as long as it is not friendly fire.

And yes,true debate is possible on the net.- the only problem being that the written word is open to misinterpretation

anticant said...

There are millions like him over there, more's the pity. He trumpets on about "freedom" and then deletes posts he dislikes and denies that he has done so. Straight as a corkscrew.

Anonymous said...

lavenderblue-

Misinterpretation indeed.....

["dad to dad"]????

What I meant to say was "day to day". I know all of you new that. Perhaps it was a Freudian slip on my part. Funny I did it twice. Consistancy, I am told, is one of my vitues. ;)

It is quite a task keeping up with my own grammatical errors let alone all you "friendly" people.

Anonymous said...

"vitues" = funny case in point.

That one I chalk up to an espresso martini with one too many shots of vodka.

Anonymous said...

1Loneranger.
I did wonder.................
I like the idea of the one too many shots of vodka.
Or whisky.
Hang on to your vitues !

Anonymous said...

Thanks lav.

It's morning here now, well actually afternoon.
And me and my vitues are doing much better now.
Thanks. ;)

Anonymous said...

1loneranger
I like the idea of being a 'Woman of Vitue'.
Has a certain charm to it.
Glad you made it safely back through the martinis and vodka !

Anonymous said...

Lavblue,
Thanks. A good sleep and a long run still does the trick. I wonder how long that combo will keep working.

I too like the "Woman of Vitue" idea. It does have some kind of ring to it. A sort of 'Debutant With a Lisp' ring.

Not that I presume you're a Debutant.... unless you were (or are) and in that case I respectfully offer my most humble of apologies and invite you to smack me in the face with your limp glove. ;)
(not that I'm in to that sort of thing)
ok, I'll just stop now.

Anonymous said...

1loneranger!
love it !
I looked in on your blog - lovely, will spend more time there in the next day or two - it looks fascinating.
Superb photo at the top.
Hope there are more photos to enjoy.....
My gloves are velvet.......

Anonymous said...

Thanks lavblue, I hope you are provoked to comment over on my site too. I'd be glad to see you there.

I've been reluctant to post more photos on my site. I kind of like not knowing what everybody on these threads looks like and sort of thought other people kind of liked that imagination game too. It's like the radio personality thing. You hear that voice on the radio for so long and you've got this mental picture in your head of what that person looks like and dresses like. Then you see a picture of them somewhere and inevitably it's never what you expected.

Oh by the way, Velvet...... yeah, know that I'm into. ;)

Anonymous said...

1loneranger.
Velvet is so Midnight, don't you think..........

Anonymous said...

lavblue-

Velvet is for Elvis
Velvet is for Royalty
Velvet is for NYC wise guys
Velvet is for you and me...

at Midnight

Hah!

Anonymous said...

and Velvet is Nina Simone .
Deep purple..........late into the night..peel me a grape.
Like your writing, Iloneranger
looked in on some of it on your site,
going back for more........

Anonymous said...

This thread may be running out but,
"hi" to everyone.
Thanks lavblue for your compliment and interest. A work in progress.

'peel me a grape' was an old flame's favorite imagery. She would imply it when need be. It worked every time.
It doesn't get any better than that.

Anonymous said...

1loneranger !

Good Morning......
and enjoy these sites, good fun and some serious stuff....
and you are right, that phrase works every time -
certainly doesn't get any better than that!

Anonymous said...

I had an MRI scan and felt so claustrophobic. But it did the trick. Hope you are well and answer my email and are better now from last year.