Friday, December 31, 2010

Michel Corrette: Les Six Symphonies de Noel (Noël) (La Fantasia / Rien Voskuilen)

聖誕節的古典樂,大家一定提到柴可夫斯基的「胡桃鉗」,不然就是韓德爾的「彌賽亞」。聽古樂的,或許會再提到Corelli開始,及後來義大利作曲家跟進的「聖誕協奏曲」(裡頭算「比較」有名的有Torelli和Locatelli)。

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas 2010 (Chinese)

這幾天灣區天冷又下雨,所以沒啥太多事可做,不過女友特地飛過來找我,總是得找些事情來做,多半和食物有關~~~ 

Monday, December 20, 2010

Farina: Le Sonate (Lukas Friederich et al)

Carlo Farina (c1604 - 1639) 是十七世紀初重要的義大利作曲家,在小提琴技巧的發展還有音樂上有極重要的貢獻。許多人甚至認為,他是小提琴雙絃(double stopping)技巧的發明人。因為在德奧的宮廷擔任音樂家,所以直接影響了同輩和後一輩德奧作曲家在小提琴上的重視,其中包括到Hamburg(漢堡)發展的同時期作曲家Johann Schop,晚一輩的Schmelzer,甚至再晚一輩的Biber, Westhoff,還有Walther的音樂裡都有他的影子。

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Concert: Ciaramella - A Piper's Noël (12/12/10)

12/12/2010

Collection of Medieval Christmas songs and music played during Renaissance Italy, Spain, Flanders, France, Germany and England...

Ciaramella 

Adam and Rotem Gilbert, Doug Milliken, recorder, shawm, bagpipes
Greg Ingles, Erik Schmalz, slide trumpet, sackbut, recorder


Dylan Hostetter, countertenor
N. Lincoln Hanks, tenor
Joel Nesvadba, baritone
Jinyoung Jang, bass




St. Mark's Lutheran Church, San Francisco

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Gift CDs from Mrs. Ingrid Matthews Olson

Just got these in the mail today.  During the week of Thanksgiving, I was browsing on the internet for music of Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre.  I had previously bought a disc of her complete harpsichord works (and am in the process of attempting to play one of the pieces).

I read about a recording of Ingrid Matthews's recording de la Guerre's set of 6 violin sonatas written in 1707.  I tried to find where it was available for purchase but had no luck.  Instead, I came across Ingrid Matthews's website (now Ingrid Matthews Olson).  The purchase link on her website is also defunct. 

Friday, December 10, 2010

Hellendaal: Concerti Grossi (Op.3) (European Community Baroque Orchestra / Roy Goodman + Andrew Manze)

Pieter Hellendaal (1721-1799) 和Geminiani(傑米尼亞尼)還有大師韓德爾一樣,在自己國家不被重用,而到英國去發展的作曲家。仔細看他出生日期,會發現他比韓德爾他們足足晚了一輩,所以很有可能是看到這些前輩們在英國過得相當風光而步上相同之路的。Hellendaal自己也不是什麼省油的燈;他成為了十八世紀最有名的荷蘭籍作曲家之一。

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Movie: Me and Orson Welles

Directed by one of my favorite directors (Richard Linklater), this movie is about another director that I like very much (Orson Welles).  Set in the 1937 before Welles directed the great Citizen Kane, we get to meet Orson Welles through high school senior Richard (Zac Efron), who gets a minor speaking role in Welles's first production of Julius Caesar, set in fascist Italy.  Richard, a determined young actor, believes that his role in the play will make it big for him.  Also, he starts a romance with the administrative assistant Sonja (Claire Danes), not too bad for a kid his age.    

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Marais: "La Folia" and other music for viols and violins (The Purcell Quartet with William Hunt)

Marin Marais (1656 - 1728) 是法國中期巴洛克的作曲家,是古中提琴(viol 或 viola da gamba)的大師。任何有在拉古中提琴曲子的音樂家,不可能不知道他的。可惜問題是,古中提琴以外的人,就連音樂家,也幾乎沒人知道。

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Movie: Little Ashes

Little Ashes is a film portraying young surrealist artist Salvador Dali's intimate relationship with poet Federico García Lorca in the 1920s, amidst all the social unrest in Spain.  Dali arrived at the Madrid's Students' Residence, which attracted the greatest young talents of Spain of the time, and it was only time before Lorca and Dali would cross paths.  A close friendship develops into a romantic one, which Dali cannot quite handle.   

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Concert: Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (11/08/2010)

11/08/2010

CORELLI: Concerto grosso Op. 6, No. 11 in B-flat major
PERGOLESI: Sinfonia in F major
VIVALDI: Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons)
ZAVATERI: Concerto decimo a Pastorale, Op. 1
DURANTE: Concerto No. 5 in A major

Elizabeth Blumenstock, violin solo
Nicholas McGegan, conductor

Monday, November 22, 2010

Cancun 11/2010 Part 3 (Chinese)

11/18/2010

前一天離開Cancun,在外面跑了一整天,這一天則乖乖地待在會場。中午的時候,和Stanford長期在秘魯做研究的同學碰了面,並在開會旅館的餐廳吃中飯。我們點的前菜是一海鮮雜燴ceviche。Ceviche是墨西哥有名的涼菜,將生的魚還有海鮮是用檸檬汁還有不同的香料醃製而成。檸檬汁的酸性除了調味用,還會將肉的蛋白質變質,變「熟」。

Cancun 11/2010 Part 2 (Chinese)

11/17/2010
Coba

這一天我決定不乖乖參加會議的行程,而溜出去參觀附近景點。這天音樂聲學的主題是講墨西哥傳統樂器,比較算是非專業的討論。雖然題目有意思,但這種資料性的演講,大多可能也是聽完記不大住的那種。再者,來到Cancun這邊但不去看看古蹟,一味只待在觀光的地方,也太浪費了。

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Cancun 11/2010 Part 1 (Chinese)

學術主辦單位選擇在渡假聖地或是迷人的城市開會,無疑是吸引大家前來參加的一種好方法。半年一次的美國聲學學會會議,既上次四月在Baltimore那個不甚吸引人的城市舉辦之後,這次十一月的會議很明智地選擇在墨西哥的Cancun。在這兒之前,我並沒去過墨西哥,因此有這次的大好機會,當然也不放過。


Saturday, November 20, 2010

Fischer: Musicalisches Blumen-Büschlein (Olga Martynova)

Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer (1656-1746) 是我之前寫那一篇有關法國鍵盤組曲時有提到一位巴洛克中期的德國作曲家。他是將法國鍵盤組曲那特別的風格,引進德國的人,其作品也深深引影了年輕的巴哈與韓德爾。他被許多同時期的音樂家稱為是當時最厲害的鍵盤音樂家,也極優秀的作曲家。可惜,歷史對他不盡公平,今天並沒很多人知道他是何許人也。

Monday, November 15, 2010

Movie: Alice (2009 Miniseries) & Alice in Wonderland (2010)

It seems nowadays that, films that follow the original novel faithfully just don't seem to create any interest in the public as much.  There has to be something cool or new in the movie to capture anyone's attention.  One thing today's directors like to do is either shoot a film with a story that "takes place after the main events of the book," or a "present day setting."  English classics Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass has been adapted to film numerous times, yet as the embodiment of the fantasy genre itself, it never stops to fascinate people.  It is interesting that two very different attempts at injecting new life into these 100-year-old stories are released so close to each other.
 

Sunday, November 14, 2010

In Cancun 11/14-11/19/2010

In Cancun for an academic conference, how nice ! 
Will post any photos if I get a chance. 

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Facco: Pensieri Adriarmonici 6 Concertos Op.1 (L'Arte Dell'Arco / Federico Guglielmo)

Giacomo Facco (1676-1753) 是位巴洛克晚期的義大利作曲家。Facco雖然出生於義大利的威尼斯,但日後到西班牙發展,和小史卡拉第有類似的際遇。當時十八世紀初,威尼斯來了一位西班牙的候爵,Marquis de los Balbases,叫 Carlo Filippo Antonio Spinola。Spinola家族原本來自北義大利Genoa,因為政治鬥爭失利,轉向投靠西班牙帝國,而後來被封候的。Spinola在威尼斯的時候,結識了24歲的Facco。從此,西班牙的宮廷開啟了這扇大門給Facco。

Friday, November 5, 2010

Movie: The Ghostwriter

The Ghostwriter is a political thriller by Roman Polanski, starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, and Olivia Williams.  Ewan plays the ghostwriter, who is supposed to finish the memoirs of the former prime minister of UK, Adam Lang.  Lang is now involved in a political scandal of alleging turning over prisoners to the CIA for torturing and questioning.  Furthermore, Lang's previous ghostwriter committed suicide another suspicious circumstances.  Despite the extremely good job offer, Ewan's character starts to suspect a larger conspiracy going on as he continues to dig deeper and unravel the inconsistencies of the existing manuscripts.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Telemann: String Concertos II - Sinfonia Spirituosa (Musica Antiqua Köln / Reinhard Goebel)

直接在這兒開宗名義:如果今天發生了天災,只能從手邊的CD裡挑選出幾張跟著逃難,那這張會是其中之一。在我生日的這一天,特別為它寫那麼長的篇幅,就可知道我對這一張CD的厚愛。

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Concert: Archetti Baroque String Ensemble (10/24/2010)

Handel : Concerto Grosso in G major Op.6-1
Geminiani : Concerto Grosso in C major, after Corelli Violin Sonata Op.5-3
Vivaldi : Concerto in D minor for 2 violins and cello, Op.3-11
Corelli : Concerto Grosso in F major, Op.6-12
Handel : Concerto in F major for Organ and Strings, "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale"
Locatelli : Concerto Grosso in B flat major, Op.1-3

Davitt Moroney

Monday, October 25, 2010

Movie: Law Abiding Citizen

Law Abiding Citizen stars Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler in a thriller film that will dumbfound the regular audience until the last scenes of the movie.  Gerard Butler plays Clyde, a husband and dad whose wife and daughter was murdered by two perpetrators breaking into his home.  When Philadelphia prosecutor Nick (Jamie Foxx) makes a deal with the criminal instead of going to court to maintain his high conviction rate, Clyde loses hope in the justice system.  Instead, after 10 years, using his insane sets of skills he acquired through various intelligence work, he becomes the main villain of the film and exacts total revenge on the justice system itself. 

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Concert: Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra + Lars Ulrik Mortensen (10/19/2010)

10/19/2010

J.S. Bach

Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major, BWV 1066
Concerto for Harpsichord in D minor, BWV 1052
Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten (The Wedding Cantata), BWV 202
Concerto for Harpsichord in D major, BWV 1054

 Lars Ulrik Mortensen


Quantz: Flute Sonatas Nos. 272 - 277 (Verena Fischer)

Johann Joachim Quantz (1697-1773) 是長笛版的韋瓦第,在長笛上寫了三百多首協奏曲,四十首多首三重奏鳴曲,以及兩百多首奏鳴曲等,是極量產的作曲家。除了是十八世紀歐洲最優秀的長笛手以外,他最重要的著作為1752所寫的On Playing the Flute,清楚記載當時十八世紀的長笛吹奏技巧和表演方法。這和C.P.E. Bach(大巴哈的兒子)為鍵盤以及Leopold Mozart(莫札特的爸爸)為小提琴所寫的論文並稱十八世紀最重要的音樂教科書。

Friday, October 15, 2010

Movie: Date Night

Date Night is a screwball comedy starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey, a married couple in the New Jersey suburbs who experience a crazy night on their weekly date night, when they decide to do something for a change and dine in at a fancy Manhattan restaurant.  They get themselves into one absurd situation after another, and next thing they know, they are held at gunpoint, are in a car chase, you name it.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Austria Trip Part 5 : 9/1 Vienna Day 1 - Mozart Stüberl (Chinese)


回到旅館快八點。許多奧地利的餐廳通常不會開那麼晚的。所幸,青年旅館Hotel Ruthensteiner外面轉角就有一家餐廳,而且是開到半夜清晨,造福了這一帶旅行的年輕人。

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Hebden: 6 Concerti for Strings Op.2 (Cantilena/Adrian Shepherd)

John Hebden (1712-1765) 是十八世紀晚期巴洛克時期英國的作曲家,在他死後基本上被遺忘了。直到二十世紀末,他的曲子才又被發掘,音樂被灌錄在CD上,得以再繼續保存下來。

Austria Trip Part 4 : 9/1 Vienna Day 1 - Schönbrunn Park Part 2 (Chinese)

Gloriette 光榮門

Gloriette是來參觀Schönbrunn的遊客一定會來光顧的景點,是Schönbrunn宮後面山丘上最高點的建築。和海神噴泉一樣,它是Maria Theresa任內完工的。一來,這是為表現出皇室的富貴和權位。二來,Maria Theresa蓋Gloriette也是紀念當初催殘整個歐洲的七年戰爭的結束。奧地利雖然無法將Silesia從普魯士(Prussia)帝國搶回來,但整體而言,幾場戰役中也是有得到勝利的。

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Movie: Brothers

Brothers stars Toby Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Natalie Portman in a war-related drama.   Toby Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal, where Toby plays a respected Marine captain Sam who is sent to a mission in Afghanistan.  Jake Gyllenhaal plays Tommy, who on the the other hand, keeps getting into trouble and frequents the jail because of various crimes.  To their father, he is a disgrace to the family. 

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Austria Trip Part 3 : 9/1 Vienna Day 1 - Schönbrunn Park Part 1 (Chinese)

Schönbrunn後面的庭院非常大,也分很多區。有些是開放的空間,免費供人參觀。有些地方則要再收額外的門票。因時間關係,再加上不想再隨便貢獻錢,所以我們沒進別的要繳錢的地方。

Great Parterre 皇家花壇

這是Schönbrunn宮正後方(南邊)最大的花園,屬十七,十八世紀盛行的巴洛克式花園。花園左右對稱,整個圖案採簡單的幾何形狀,中間的走道也都呈直線。這種花園,人工修飾的成份居多,大自然的成份較少,花的擺設也都是精心設計過的。巴洛克花園,除了擁有片加工過的大自然外,更用來突顯統治者的地位跟權勢。說穿了,這些花園就是用來展示給全天下看,滿足虛榮心的。因此,花園不可缺少的其中一個元素是人。Schönbrunn的皇家花壇,在Habsburg家族統治時,常舉辦社交活動,如戶外的音樂會。這樣,可時時刻刻提醒前來參觀花園的人,Habsburg王朝的興盛。 

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Handel: Organ Concertos Op.4 (Simon Preston/Pinnock/The English Concert)

韓德爾當時被公認為最優秀的風琴家之一,和同輩巴哈在風琴上的技巧和即興能力可說是不分軒輊。一個有名的小故事,是年輕的韓德爾1709年的時候,遇到同歲的Domenico Scarlatti(小史卡拉第)。他們在主教Ottoboni(為愛樂者,贊助了許多音樂家,包括之前提到的Corelli)的宮殿裡較量起鍵盤樂器的功力。在大鍵琴上,二人平分秋色,不過Scarlatti專攻大鍵琴,因此還可能佔了點上風。但是到了風琴,則明顯不敵韓德爾。這次的音樂比劃,沒有讓二人產生任何心結。反而使二人成為一輩子的好朋友。Scarlatti更是這次交手後,才了解風琴上音樂表現的潛力。

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Austria Trip Part 2 : 9/1 Vienna Day 1 - Schönbrunn Palace (Chinese)

在維也納第一天只有半天,因此將剩餘的體力集中在一個大景點。 Westbahnhof火車站在維也納市中心的西南邊,要進市區還需轉幾趟地鐵。恰好,Schönbrunn Palace(麗泉宮)也在市中心外,而且在Westbahnhof火車站的西邊。更重要,坐58路街車一直坐就到了。(地鐵的U4也會到,不過從Westbahnhof要先坐U6線往南再轉。)


Sunday, September 26, 2010

Austria Trip Part 1 : Departure 8/31 - 9/1 (Chinese)

之前一直期待回到奧地利這一趟開會兼遊玩之旅,終於盼到出發的這一天。出發前,其實心裡有滿多不同的感受。這是睽違十年之後再度踏上歐洲,到一個不說自己語言的國家。

我大學修過一些德文,去過德國一個暑假當交換學生,不過當初回到美國之後,就沒有認真再碰過德文了。奧地利是說德文的,因此這是一種既陌生又一點點熟悉的感覺。真的到了奧地利,我的德文溝通能力和理解能力還有多少? 到時在那兒行動,會不會因此受限?

種種的不確定,事後看來都是多餘的,不過行前的不安是必然的。原本要使用高科技,將一部電子德文字典存放到女友的Iphone上,不過最後還是用傳統方法,將十年前在德國時隨身攜帶的德英字典隨時放在左邊口袋裡。

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Movie: Daybreakers

Daybreakers is a science fiction horror film, that of the vampire genre.  There are no werewolves this time, only vampires and humans.  The movie is set in a future where vampires are the majority population in the world, while the few remaining humans are under hideout.  Humans captured by vampires are put in labs, where their blood is taken up as the food source for the vampires, much like in The Matrix.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Farnaby: Complete Fantasias (Glen Wilson)

Giles Farnaby (1562-1640) 是英國文藝復興晚期與巴洛克早期的英國鍵盤作曲家。和他爸爸一樣,他的職業其實是木工接合者,但他於1592年,從牛津大學取得了音樂的學士學位。當時的大學很嚴荷,除了要念七年以外,還必須熟讀拉丁文。另一位英國的鍵盤大師John Bull,在同一年在牛津取得了博士學位。

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Movie: The Messenger

The Messenger is a grim and serious drama about two people in the Casualty Notification Office of the military, bringing the news that their loved ones have died in combat.  Ben Foster plays Will Montgomery, a staff sergeant who has been injured in combat in Iraq.  After his recovery, he is assigned to Casualty Notification, much to his dismay.  He is to be paired up with Captain Stone, played by Woody Harrelson.    Captain Stone has the tough guy image, but later on we find out he has a past drinking problem.  The partnership is uneasy at first, but they soon bond to form an unlikely friendship.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

In Austria 09/01/2010 - 09/15/2010

Traveling in Austria now, and I am literally midway through my trip.  As a serious classical music lover, my stay in Vienna was very mixed.  In Vienna, endless number of people dressed up in period costumes try to sell you tickets to these concerts happening EVERY NIGHT.  

Mozart and Haydn and Johann Strauss are being marketed to the extreme (understandably) that they seem almost cheap.  This was not what I expected and certainly not what I wanted.  My most emotional experience must have been visiting the Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery), where Mozart's monument and Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Johann Strauss's graves were side by side in the "grave of musicians" area.   Here lay the classical giants that have come to shape Western music as it is, and the composers have I literally grew up listening countless number of times.  I was at a loss for words and wept tears of emotions that I'm not entirely sure are of. 

I suppose I will blog my Austria travels in detail in the future.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Pandolfi: Complete Violin Sontas (Andrew Manze + Richard Egarr)

Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli (ca 1630 - ca 1669) 是義大利的巴洛克早期/中期的作曲家。他的生平不詳,但只知道他是奧地利皇太子Charles Ferdinand宮廷裡的音樂家。Charles Ferdinand是一位極權的統治者,但他同時也熱愛音樂,重用四處各地的音樂家。

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Movie: Leap Year

Leap Year is a nice sweet romantic comedy of Anna (Amy Adams) wishing to follow an Irish tradition and propose to her boyfriend on leap day (2/29) while he is at a business trip in Dublin.  Things go wrong when bad weather kicks in and she is forced to land somewhere else.   She manages to make her way to the Dingle Pennisula, where she asks a cynical local innkeeper Declan (Mathew Goode) to drive her from the countryside to Dublin, who initially refuses and constantly ridicules her on her idiotic behave.  What happens next is easy to guess.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Corelli Concerti Grossi Op.6 (The Brandenburg Consort / Roy Goodman)

最近想聽聽知名度比較大,但又不是過於熱門的音樂,於是將科賴里(柯瑞里)(Corelli)(1653-1713)的作品六大協奏曲集(Concerti Grossi)拿出來複習。

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Movie: The Blind Side

The Blind Side is a sports-drama movie, with a pretty Hollywood ending, except that most of it is actually real.  It tells how Leigh Anne Tuohy, an interior decorator whose husband is a successful owner of many fast food franchises, decides to help Michael Oher (offensive lineman of the Baltimore Ravens) get off the rough neighborhoods of Memphis, providing him food and shelter and eventually becoming his adoptive mother.   The movie ends when Michael Oher successfully is accepted into University of Mississippi on a football scholarship.  This is a movie about how one person's total kindness and love has helped to completely change another person's life. 

Monday, August 16, 2010

D'Anglebert: Complete Harpsichord Works (Christophe Rousset) (English Version)


The Chinese version ended up being too long, so I had to split the entry into two different versions.

Jean-Henry D'Anglebert (1635-1691) was one of the most important French keyboard composers of the second half of the 17th century.  His collection of 4 suites published in 1689, two years before his death, represents some of the finest harpsichord works written before Francois Couperin and Rameau.  Actually, I would still rank them among the best along Couperin and Rameau's works.

D'Anglebert: Complete Harpsichord Works (Christophe Rousset) (Chinese Version)


發現如果中英兩語言對照的話,這篇會過長,因此拆成了兩篇在寫。英文版在此


Jean-Henry D'Anglebert (德安格博特)(1635-1691) 是法國十七世
紀後半最重要的法國鍵盤作曲家之一。他的四首大鍵琴組曲,也被認為是當時法國鍵盤音樂最優秀的代表作,成為一種指標。

Sunday, August 15, 2010

French Baroque Harpsichord Keyboard Suite 法國巴洛克大鍵琴鍵盤組曲 (Chinese Only)

說到法國早期鍵盤音樂,不得不淺談一下組曲。組曲(Suite)一詞,在今天大眾古典樂裡,指的是多首(通常長度較短)曲子組合而成的一 種音樂形式。今天這些組曲裡的曲子可能是歌劇(比才(Bizet)的卡門組曲)和芭蕾舞(柴可夫斯基(Tchaikovsky)的天鵝湖)改編的,也很有 可能是原創(霍爾斯特(Holst)的行星組曲)。

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Pachelbel: Canon & Gigue (卡農與吉格) + Chamber Works (London Baroque)

直接將話說在前頭,帕海貝爾(Pachelbel)(1653-1706)寫的曲子,不只有那一首世界超級名曲「D大調卡農」!!!而且這首卡農是二十世紀之後才爆紅的曲子,不然中間兩百多年,它一直是個不起眼的小曲子。今天市面上可以看到不同的卡農改編版本不計其數。而「我的野蠻女友」一片在亞洲造成轟動的時候,那首卡農頓時間又成了熱門搶手的音樂。連不會彈鋼琴的高中同學還跑來問我說他有辦法彈嗎~~~

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Vivaldi: Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (Op.8) Fabio Biondi/ Europa Galante

如果光只說韋瓦第的作品八協奏曲集「和聲與創意的嘗試」,那許多人可能一點概念都沒有。但如果再補上,裡面前四首小提琴協奏曲是「四季」小提琴協奏曲,那幾乎是無人不知,無人不曉。這些音樂是通俗到連不聽古典樂的人都一定聽過。