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Category Archives: Books & Literature
Le tombeau de Couperin: Ravel’s Six Remembrance Monuments
In the first days of November we remember. November 1st is All Saints’ Day, the celebration that gave rise to Halloween, even if modern culture pays more attention to the edgy rebellion implicit in October 31st than the day that … Continue reading
Beethoven 250: his double life
Composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770, almost 250 years ago. The Heiligenstadt Testament was addressed to the composer’s two brothers, Carl & Johann, as a last will and testament. Written in October 1802 as the composer approached his … Continue reading
Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception
Tagged Beethoven 250, Beethoven: biography of a genius, deafness, George Marek, Hearing Beethoven, Heiligenstadt Testament, Immortal Beloved, Ludwig van Beethoven, Robin Wallace, virtuoso
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Woodward and Cohen: odd couple
They’re an odd pair, Bob Woodward & Michael Cohen. Or more properly, their books make an odd couple. One man uses four letter words for his titles, the other book has a title with a sub-title followed by a sub-subtitle … Continue reading
Posted in Books & Literature, Politics, Reviews
Tagged All the President's Men, Bob Woodward, COVID-19, donald trump, Michael Cohen, Paradise Lost, Rage
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Aversion to the e-version
Confession: this is a meta-review, a preamble to what’s ahead. I’ve been reading lots of books, and will write about them in the next little while. Once again the pandemic seems to be changing our rules. I saw Singin’ in … Continue reading
Debating debates
Is it time to re-think debates? We have lived for quite a long time in a culture here in the western world, where the consensus is often unspoken. While there may have been something friendly & cordial in our past, … Continue reading
Question on the radio
I was listening to a Chopin Waltz played on the radio as it came to its brilliant conclusion. The host said something under her breath, not entirely complimentary. “Why” she asked “does it build to that big loud bang at … Continue reading
TSO Thais: via Massenet & Anatole France
The Toronto Symphony concert performance of Thaïs, recently released on Chandos, has me wishing we could see & hear more from Jules Massenet, the opera’s composer. I begin to understand why the late Stuart Hamilton in his time with Opera … Continue reading
Mary Trump’s Too Much and Never Enough
I read Mary Trump’s book yesterday. I couldn’t put it down, and no that’s not just a figure of speech. I confess it did take me past midnight, reading 200+ pages, skipping nothing, re-reading a few key passages. We bought … Continue reading
An omen
On my visit today my mother asked me to bring her a book from another room, which she was going to read later. And then she pulled out something else and started to read to me in Hungarian, asking me … Continue reading
Walking the University of Toronto Campus Guide
I shouldn’t have needed a book to wake me up to the nuances & subtleties of my many connections to the University of Toronto. But it’s a bit like a family album, these beautiful pictures of loved ones to remind … Continue reading
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