I think this blog is now about iTunes.
I'm listening on shuffle and just got to "Girl" by Tori Amos. It's on Little Earthquakes, so it's part of the soundtrack of my freshman year of college. I haven't listened to this song since late 2006 (says iTunes, and I believe iTunes, because I don't listen to CDs anymore) and I was singing along, loud and tunefully, getting all of the slightly random twists and turns of the melody right.
So I learned this song more than 15 years ago, I haven't heard it in two years, and I still know exactly how it goes. Memory is something, huh? If only I had that kind of memory for numbers or facts. Perhaps I need to set my stories to music so I could actually remember what they're about. (I wrote this thing about how [topic] is good for you. Or it's not. Shoot, I forgot. Let me get back to you.)
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
we're coming down to the ground
I'm trying to make my apartment livable by clearing up some of the disastrous mess - turns out when you bring all your office stuff home, then get a new desk, then buy a new computer, printer, phone, and camera, then start planning a trip to a very cold place that requires a lot of special equipment, things can get a bit cluttered.
To help me clean, I'm listening to my five-star-rated songs in iTunes. I define five stars as a song that, at some point in my life, I've been able to listen to on repeat without getting sick of it.
The Peter Gabriel song from Wall*E, "Down to Earth," just came on. I found that song, all cheerful and full of hope, very helpful in gearing up for work on days last fall when I was feeling particularly miserable. When it started, I thought, oh gosh - I haven't heard this in a while! I checked the stats and the last time I listened to it was ten and a half hours before I got laid off. Cool. It's a new era!
To help me clean, I'm listening to my five-star-rated songs in iTunes. I define five stars as a song that, at some point in my life, I've been able to listen to on repeat without getting sick of it.
The Peter Gabriel song from Wall*E, "Down to Earth," just came on. I found that song, all cheerful and full of hope, very helpful in gearing up for work on days last fall when I was feeling particularly miserable. When it started, I thought, oh gosh - I haven't heard this in a while! I checked the stats and the last time I listened to it was ten and a half hours before I got laid off. Cool. It's a new era!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
lulajze jezuniu
I'm singing this at church on Christmas Eve. Pretty, eh? I'm supposed to study the youtube video to learn how to pronounce the Polish.
I think I'll do that later. Now it's bedtime.
I think I'll do that later. Now it's bedtime.
Friday, December 12, 2008
bertuccing
One of the great joys of the Christmas show is going out afterward. As if it weren't exhausting enough to spend a couple of hours getting dressed, putting on makeup, warming up, then three more hours performing, we get out of costume and meet up at a nearby chain Italian restaurant that is never quite prepared for us, even though they know we're coming, and we order food and we sing really loud. I kind of blew out my voice last Saturday night. Heh. Anyway, here's a picture:
It's really nice. It's not the best singing you'll ever hear, but it's energetic and everyone has a good time. And comes together through singing. Which is kind of what we're all about.
It's really nice. It's not the best singing you'll ever hear, but it's energetic and everyone has a good time. And comes together through singing. Which is kind of what we're all about.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
doctor atomic
Yesterday I finally made it to one of those Met Live in HD broadcast thingies. It was Doctor Atomic, John Adams's opera about the Manhattan Project. It focuses on Robert Oppenheimer in the time leading up to the Trinity test. I gather that I slept through the best part, Oppenheimer's aria at the end of the first act about losing his soul, but I still really liked the show.
Peter Sellars, the librettist, used actual excerpts from documents - letters and reports and stuff. So you get a military meteorologist singing about inversion layers and subtropical airmasses (while the obnoxious general tries to bully him into letting the test go forward). They were worried about the weather because don't want some sudden winds to kick up and spread fallout through nearby towns. People sing about the psychological effects of dropping giant bombs on Japanese cities and the responsibility of scientists to speak out about the moral implications of their work. It's good stuff.
A lot of the crowd was who you'd think would go to an opera - I've never seen so many walkers in a movie theater. But there were younger people, too, and I didn't feel too out of place in my "Science + Music = Sexy" t-shirt. Before the show starts, the screen shows the scene inside the Met - live cameras and real crowd noise. You see the stage manager call the conductor to the pit, then follow him as he walks in. Gerald Finley walked off stage from his big aria at the end of act 1 into the arms of the interviewer; they wandered the halls backstage and chatted, then she traded him for the composer.
I pretty highly recommend the whole thing. It was $23, but that's a heck of a lot cheaper than going in person, and opera houses generally don't allow popcorn. They're rerunning Doctor Atomic a week from Wednesday, the 19th. The next live broadcast is The Damnation of Faust on Saturday, November 22. I can't go to that one, but I'd love to catch Thaïs on December 20th with Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson.
Omg. I just checked and Thaïs is sold out at this theater. Gosh...guess I'd better start buying tickets for later in the season.
Peter Sellars, the librettist, used actual excerpts from documents - letters and reports and stuff. So you get a military meteorologist singing about inversion layers and subtropical airmasses (while the obnoxious general tries to bully him into letting the test go forward). They were worried about the weather because don't want some sudden winds to kick up and spread fallout through nearby towns. People sing about the psychological effects of dropping giant bombs on Japanese cities and the responsibility of scientists to speak out about the moral implications of their work. It's good stuff.
A lot of the crowd was who you'd think would go to an opera - I've never seen so many walkers in a movie theater. But there were younger people, too, and I didn't feel too out of place in my "Science + Music = Sexy" t-shirt. Before the show starts, the screen shows the scene inside the Met - live cameras and real crowd noise. You see the stage manager call the conductor to the pit, then follow him as he walks in. Gerald Finley walked off stage from his big aria at the end of act 1 into the arms of the interviewer; they wandered the halls backstage and chatted, then she traded him for the composer.
I pretty highly recommend the whole thing. It was $23, but that's a heck of a lot cheaper than going in person, and opera houses generally don't allow popcorn. They're rerunning Doctor Atomic a week from Wednesday, the 19th. The next live broadcast is The Damnation of Faust on Saturday, November 22. I can't go to that one, but I'd love to catch Thaïs on December 20th with Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson.
Omg. I just checked and Thaïs is sold out at this theater. Gosh...guess I'd better start buying tickets for later in the season.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
more lord, more rings
Ooh ooh ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Wolf Trap has scheduled the Two Towers for next summer! I don't know yet if I'll be singing in it, but it's on my calendar for August 28 & 29!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
opera day in my office
For a few seasons now, the Metropolitan Opera has been broadcasting some of their performances live in HD to movie theaters across the country. Apparently it's been a huge success, so they're up to 11 shows this year. Here's the schedule - tickets go on sale Friday. Lots of great stuff, including my all-time favorite opera, Rossini's Cenerentola. (It's Cinderella, and the impression it made on me at the age of six has never faded.)
I've never been to any of these broadcasts, but Aunt Towwas is a huge fan. (My parents saw one this winter and liked it, too.) The last time I checked, the closest place to see them was in Virginia, but now there's a theater in D.C., too, so I hope I can make it to some of the 2008-09 season!
In other opera news, today I got the message about the Washington Opera's "Generation O" - age 35 and under - discount subscriptions, so I signed up for Carmen, Peter Grimes, and Siegfried. I'm taking S.Ball to Carmen - it'll be her first opera! - and seeing the other two alone, because I couldn't think of anyone under 35 who I could drag with me, even for the low-low price of $50 a show. *I'm* only going to those two because I think they'll be good for me. And I really hope they don't fall during a miserable time at work the way Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra did earlier this summer at the Shakespeare Theatre, 'cause I don't think I can take Peter Grimes on top of any other stress.
She Gre tells me I must listen to this before going to see Siegfried - it's an episode of Radio Lab about the Ring Cycle. Seriously, I'll be looking for any Ring-related homework I can get, 'cause Wagner is *tough*.
I've never been to any of these broadcasts, but Aunt Towwas is a huge fan. (My parents saw one this winter and liked it, too.) The last time I checked, the closest place to see them was in Virginia, but now there's a theater in D.C., too, so I hope I can make it to some of the 2008-09 season!
In other opera news, today I got the message about the Washington Opera's "Generation O" - age 35 and under - discount subscriptions, so I signed up for Carmen, Peter Grimes, and Siegfried. I'm taking S.Ball to Carmen - it'll be her first opera! - and seeing the other two alone, because I couldn't think of anyone under 35 who I could drag with me, even for the low-low price of $50 a show. *I'm* only going to those two because I think they'll be good for me. And I really hope they don't fall during a miserable time at work the way Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra did earlier this summer at the Shakespeare Theatre, 'cause I don't think I can take Peter Grimes on top of any other stress.
She Gre tells me I must listen to this before going to see Siegfried - it's an episode of Radio Lab about the Ring Cycle. Seriously, I'll be looking for any Ring-related homework I can get, 'cause Wagner is *tough*.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
approval wherever I can get it
Free validation: When, at the end of the day, I go to close iTunes and it warns me that someone else is connected to my shared music library.
Someone likes my music! Yayy!!
(Someone knows I left work at 4:45 today! Boooo!!)
Someone likes my music! Yayy!!
(Someone knows I left work at 4:45 today! Boooo!!)
Friday, July 18, 2008
the two happily bouncing towers
One of the many excellent things iTunes will do is go and find the cover artwork that goes with albums that you load into it. I've never had a problem with it, until it came up with this for the soundtrack to the second Lord of the Rings movie:
In case you can't read it, that's the Lords of Bhangra. They would've given the battle of Helm's Deep a whooole different mood.
In case you can't read it, that's the Lords of Bhangra. They would've given the battle of Helm's Deep a whooole different mood.
Friday, July 11, 2008
and yet of course I rather like to revel, ha ha!
This is fun: The soprano who sang Cunegonde (and rocked it) in Candide has a blog. Here's a post about rehearsal and one about the performance.
Monday, July 07, 2008
washington times, 50 cent
Here's a review of Candide from the other paper in town. One would expect that paper to be snippy about the political jokes. Still waiting to see if the Post reviewed it. (They did write into it.) (UPDATE, 7/8: Post review. Doesn't even mention the chorus! Bum!)
The Washington Times is definitely the #2 paper in town. A distant #2. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it's #3 or 4 now, after the free papers they hand out outside metro stations.
For the last couple of weeks there's been a teenage boy outside the station closest to my work wearing a "Washington Times Summer Youth Hawker Program" sign around his neck, holding a little stack of newspapers. I can't imagine he sells many. Every time I come up the escalator he looks so hopeful, it just kills me. I could take pity and buy one, but...I don't want a Washington Times. (And I don't think anyone else does, either. Aah! The guilt!)
The Washington Times is definitely the #2 paper in town. A distant #2. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it's #3 or 4 now, after the free papers they hand out outside metro stations.
For the last couple of weeks there's been a teenage boy outside the station closest to my work wearing a "Washington Times Summer Youth Hawker Program" sign around his neck, holding a little stack of newspapers. I can't imagine he sells many. Every time I come up the escalator he looks so hopeful, it just kills me. I could take pity and buy one, but...I don't want a Washington Times. (And I don't think anyone else does, either. Aah! The guilt!)
what a day what a day for an auto-da-fé
Right, so, I sang Candide on Sunday. I think it went really well. I certainly felt like I was singing well. And the conductor cooled his bat-out-of-hell tempos a bit for the performance, so we got out more of the words than in the other rehearsals with him.
An unfortunate fact of the hall is that you can't hear a dang thing when you're seated at the back of the stage. So the soloists and narrator were chatting away and it sounded like mush. Completely unintelligible. It was kind of sad not to get to appreciate this performance that was, judging by the audience's reaction, hilarious.
E.C. took pictures of us at rehearsal on Saturday, so she got two free tickets and took Miss Shirley. N.Lu and S.Vix came, too, but left at intermission because their butts were wet. (There was a lot of rain during the day and I gather the lawn was not very hospitable.) Everyone said they liked it, so, yay!
I love when people come to my performances. I know I'm just one completely indistinguishable voice in a big mass of performers, but it means a lot to me when people come to see me.
That's it for my series of random choir concerts - no more performing til...probably December! Crazy!
Blog posts about the show: Someone at the park got to party with Jason Alexander. (Also, a bit about rehearsal.) An audience member. Another one. (Nobody mentions the chorus. Sigh.) And another. (Which mentions the chorus, but inaccurately - we were amplified, too.) And here are some official photos. (You can see me in one of them, if you're looking really closely and know what the woman standing next to me looks like.) Another official post, mostly about Jason Alexander.
An unfortunate fact of the hall is that you can't hear a dang thing when you're seated at the back of the stage. So the soloists and narrator were chatting away and it sounded like mush. Completely unintelligible. It was kind of sad not to get to appreciate this performance that was, judging by the audience's reaction, hilarious.
E.C. took pictures of us at rehearsal on Saturday, so she got two free tickets and took Miss Shirley. N.Lu and S.Vix came, too, but left at intermission because their butts were wet. (There was a lot of rain during the day and I gather the lawn was not very hospitable.) Everyone said they liked it, so, yay!
I love when people come to my performances. I know I'm just one completely indistinguishable voice in a big mass of performers, but it means a lot to me when people come to see me.
That's it for my series of random choir concerts - no more performing til...probably December! Crazy!
Blog posts about the show: Someone at the park got to party with Jason Alexander. (Also, a bit about rehearsal.) An audience member. Another one. (Nobody mentions the chorus. Sigh.) And another. (Which mentions the chorus, but inaccurately - we were amplified, too.) And here are some official photos. (You can see me in one of them, if you're looking really closely and know what the woman standing next to me looks like.) Another official post, mostly about Jason Alexander.
Monday, June 30, 2008
candide
Of all the random things I signed up to sing this summer, Candide was the one I was most excited about. And it turned out to be the most difficult. Candide is a comic operetta by Leonard Bernstein based on the 18th-century novel by Voltaire. It's about how it's dumb to go around saying everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds. It's satirical and dirty and very entertaining. There's a big aria about syphilis.
The notes aren't hard, if you're me and have had them memorized for over a decade. But stylistically it's tough. We're supposed to be singing like an opera chorus, which means like soloists who are trying to make it but are choosing to blend. I normally sing in a sweet little choir voice. This is not that.
Also, Bernstein wrote stuff that is insanely difficult to sing in tune. Like this chorus, which is lovely but REALLY wants to go flat. Like, a half step flat. Or more. (The accompaniment helps a little, but mostly I have to raise my eyebrows a lot.)
Come hear it for yourself Sunday night. It's great music and a fun show, and this guy is in it. Yeah, apparently he has a great Broadway voice - who knew? (I won't hear him until Sunday afternoon at the dress rehearsal.)
The notes aren't hard, if you're me and have had them memorized for over a decade. But stylistically it's tough. We're supposed to be singing like an opera chorus, which means like soloists who are trying to make it but are choosing to blend. I normally sing in a sweet little choir voice. This is not that.
Also, Bernstein wrote stuff that is insanely difficult to sing in tune. Like this chorus, which is lovely but REALLY wants to go flat. Like, a half step flat. Or more. (The accompaniment helps a little, but mostly I have to raise my eyebrows a lot.)
Come hear it for yourself Sunday night. It's great music and a fun show, and this guy is in it. Yeah, apparently he has a great Broadway voice - who knew? (I won't hear him until Sunday afternoon at the dress rehearsal.)
Sunday, June 22, 2008
twice in one weekend? what are the chances?
Theme week: We're old.
Teenage boy working at the farmer's market: What does "TMBG" stand for?
Me: They Might Be Giants.
Him: [puzzled] Oh.
Me: It's a band.
(Also in this picture: garlic scapes, my new favorite thing.)
Teenage boy working at the farmer's market: What does "TMBG" stand for?
Me: They Might Be Giants.
Him: [puzzled] Oh.
Me: It's a band.
(Also in this picture: garlic scapes, my new favorite thing.)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
oh, I only talked about the audience before
Michael Stipe was happy. The band rocked. The first song they played was Finest Worksong, which was a pretty awesome declaration: "We are going to play old music and it is going to rock." And it did. It was great! I'm just going to keep repeating this. It was great! Yay R.E.M.! Yay! Great!They were so great that I very briefly toyed with trying to see them on Long Island on Saturday. There are good tickets available...if it were Manhattan, I might go for it, but I don't really want to get involved with multiple trains and buses. (The Manhattan show is on a weeknight.) Anyway, anyone who lives anywhere else they're going should consider going. All the reviews I've seen have been good, and they're playing lots of old stuff.
Yay! Great!
rocking awesome concert awesomeness
That's Mike Mills singing "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville." I think they're contractually obligated to do that every time they sing around here. (Excellent essay on the genesis of Rockville and the nature of memory and truth and whatnot.)
Setlist.
My review: Awesome. This was definitely the best of the three times I've seen them (Minneapolis 1995, around here in 2003). I had the best seats of the three times, and the crowd was super energetic and fun, other than the loser guys next to Spice who kept leaving and coming back while we were getting our dance on.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Saturday, June 07, 2008
peer gone
Peer Gynt is over now. It was really a pleasure to sing. Also, I'm told by people who came to the concert that it was fantastic. And most of these people didn't even give birth to me.
Tonight when we finished there was tons of lightning. As I drove home I put on a recording I'd been using to practice. The first few miles of my drive home are along a dark winding woodsy road - with In the Hall of the Mountain King playing and lightning turning the sky purple. Not a bad end to the evening.
The conductor has apparently been taking this Peer Gynt show on the road for the centennial of Grieg's death, so if you get a chance, you should definitely check it out. And if you can, arrange for lightning afterward.
Tonight when we finished there was tons of lightning. As I drove home I put on a recording I'd been using to practice. The first few miles of my drive home are along a dark winding woodsy road - with In the Hall of the Mountain King playing and lightning turning the sky purple. Not a bad end to the evening.
The conductor has apparently been taking this Peer Gynt show on the road for the centennial of Grieg's death, so if you get a chance, you should definitely check it out. And if you can, arrange for lightning afterward.
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