About the Composer

Hey buddy, siddown, will ya? You’re blocking the view!

President Bush’s attempt to draw a parallel between the Hungarian freedom fighters of 1956 and the Iraqis of today struck me as a bit freakish.

The 1956 uprising was largely about ejecting the military occupation of an invading foreign power, namely the Soviet Union, who invaded Hungary toward the end of World War II and flushed out the oppressive Nazi-installed regime.

Now, in Bush’s analogy who are the Hungarians and who are the Soviets? Weird, huh.

Making things worse was the 800-pound gorilla there on Gell�rt Hill with the President: Bush was completely silent about this country’s failure to act in any way on the Hungarians’ behalf during the 1956 uprising, despite hints that they might. But then, I suppose if any U.S. President is going to apologize for that, it’s not going to be this one.

(Sorry for the off-topic post. I just had to share.)

Here is my favorite Ligeti tribute so far.

Now I’m convinced: Hal Prince’s glasses are actually glued to his forehead.

I’m not quite interested enough in the Tony Awards anymore to actually sit through them, but I just happened to catch Mr. Prince accepting his (well deserved) Lifetime Achievement Award, remotely from Las Vegas.

Even here, on this rather special occasion, his giant glasses were pushed up onto his forehead, making him look like a bit of a meshugener as he delivered a brief message. It seems he is rarely photographed without the odd appendage.

All that aside, congratulations to the legendary Broadway producer and director who brought us the three best musicals of the past 50-or-so years: West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof and Sweeney Todd.

Last night I encountered for the first time the music of Silvestre Revueltas. I liked what I heard, and will be seeking out more of his work. (How have I come this far without knowing his music? As I’ve mentioned previously, I live under a rock.)

I say “Mexico’s Bart�k” because, like Bart�k, he infused his music with folkloric musical elements from his country, creating an original “Mexican” style of music. The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra treated us to two short works: a chamber version of the Orchestral work Sensamay�, and the “Duelo” movement from Homonaje a Federico Garcia Lorca.

In both works, the Stravinsky influence is more apparent to me than the folkloric influence. (I’m not that familiar with Mexican folk music.) Sensamay� is a wonderful series of polyrhythmic ostinatos underpinning layered melodic fragments. To my ear, there’s also a strong influence of Edgard Var�se in his choices of instrumental sonorities. Something about the blends of muted brass and woodwinds.

Here is some more information on Revueltas with links to some audio excerpts, including one of Sensamay�.

Also on this program was a very enjoyable piece, Altar de Ne�n by contemporary Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz Torres. This was one of those edge-of-your-seat pieces, also largely based on ostinatos and exciting rhythms, culminating a hair-raising percussion cadenza, making the most out of the four percussionists on the stage.

From a real music lover:

On a side note, I can’t help it, but I just love the Andante poco moderato from the Concerto No. 2 for Cello and Orchestra by Bohuslav Martin?. It makes me want to melt and let myself be sponged up by the carpet, in a good way.

This is via A Sweet Familiar Dissonance.