Drab Day Ditties for Me.

  I find that some days just call out for melancholy melodies.

  When this occurs I find myself struggling to find the right album to wallow with and because of this, end up listening to something that changes my mood. This really is not a major problem. Music is enjoyable to me even if it has an unintended a effect.
  Oddly enough, it happens to be on the days when I am chipper and looking for some happy tunes that I stumble across Hayden's Elk Lake Serenade. Now do not get me wrong, this is a great album, but I find myself in a state of hum-drums after taking in this musical snack. It has the right elements for those chilly, somewhat dark days. Mumbled lyrics, simple instrumentation and a lot of minor key melodies.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B00026KGHO/ref=pd_krex_listen_dp_img?ie=UTF8&refTagSuffix=dp_img

One of these days I will play this in the appropriate mood. Until then it will continue to surprise me.

Why I love soundtracks.

  The impact that a soundtrack has on a multi-media experience is one of the most important aspects for me.

  For instance, my decision to buy The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was influenced greatly by its accompanying musical tracks. I ordered the soundtrack months before I purchased the game and the effect it had on the gaming experience was awesome! To see the landscapes, objects and characters that had inspired the music after the fact, was very interesting. Normally I will have watched the movie or played the game for which a soundtrack is written before dissecting it from its greater whole.

  Soundtracks, believe it or not, can be great works. The Star Wars saga would not have had the impact it did without John Williams at the wheel with the London Symphony Orchestra performing. I would also argue that Howard Shore captured the spirit of middle earth perfectly with his score for the Lord of the Rings films.

  Today I purchased the soundtrack to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and look foward to getting to know this music before I enter its virtual reality counter-part.

https://www.directsong.com/index.php#/shop/product/SR102

  http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Return-Complete-Recordings/dp/B000V6BE6M/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1321735150&sr=8-8

  Renée Fleming performs on a number of the Lord of the Rings tracks along with Annie Lennox and Enya. I love how Mr. Shore, who is a Canadian I might add, succeeds at utilizing these different vocal styles to enhance his scoring to such great effect.

Shostakovich!

No other composer has inspired me more deeply than Shostakovich.

  Go and listen to his 10th symphony. I do not believe you will tell me that your time was wasted. This work is incredible. It haunts me, sends me into fits of ecstacy, has me jumping out of my seat in high energy and leaves me singing its melodies for the remainder of the day.
 
  #13  This symphony was not a quick love for me. It grew slowly, but all the more intensely for it. Shostakovich had a powerful way of commenting on tragedy. His personal sense of horror at the treatment of the Jews during World War II is astounding. He took a personal stake in revealing and reminding people of the holocaust.

  "...It would be good if Jews could live peacefully and happily in Russia, where they were born. But we must never forget about the dangers of anti-Semitism and keep reminding others of it, because the infection is still alive and who knows if it will ever disappear."  (quoted from Volkov, Testimony, 158—159.)


 

 10th Mvmt. I   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zA5lv8uZHw&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL973071124207D84A

10th Mvmt. II  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZbJOE9zNjw

10th Mvmt. III  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LTGNZrkcDQ&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL973071124207D84A

10th Mvmt.  IV  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFDLGj_SJRM&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL973071124207D84A

13th  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpSnWW1du0Q&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL541BB26B3C9099C5

  Playing Cello was fun right from the beginning, but I did not awaken to the emotional impact and soulical effect it had on me until I learned Shostakovich's Sonata for Cello and Piano in D minor, Op. 40.

  From then on, the world of music became a more intense place for me.

  It is November 11th today and in Canada it is a time for remembering those who fight and have fought on our behalf to bring peace.

  I am thankful for the heroic actions taken by our veterans to stop the violence that had infected many during WWII.

PRINCE

It is my birthday today and I have received one of the best things I could have hoped for:

Tickets to a Prince concert in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

  My wife and I agree on only a few pop artists. Prince happens to be the one that we end up gushing about the most. As far as we are both concerned his talent and skill are superior to all other pop artists. Yes, I know that this statement may cause controversy amongst Michael Jackson fans, but that is just too bad.
  Prince can stand in one place on stage and clap and his charisma will draw you in instantly. That is all he has to do. He does so much more, but he is not required to in order to catch your complete attention. I also respect him for the fact that he writes, produces, and performs all his own work. The man can play a guitar superbly, as well.

  As far as albums go, he has yet to produce the perfect album. That being said Diamonds and Pearls is the closest thing to it in my opinion.


I would post a picture and a link to samples if it were not for the fact that Prince will not allow it. He is fairly strict when it comes to licensing issues. It is alright, I love him anyways.