Category Archives: Personal ruminations & essays

Mary Trump’s Too Much and Never Enough

Posted on July 29, 2020 by

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 →

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An omen

Posted on July 29, 2020 by

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 →

Posted in Books & Literature, Personal ruminations & essays | 1 Comment

Walking the University of Toronto Campus Guide

Posted on July 27, 2020 by

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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The last three

Posted on July 27, 2020 by

When we speak of old films we’re usually looking at images of performers who died long ago. Some died young like Marilyn Monroe or James Dean. Some had long full lives like Jimmy Stewart or Ginger Rogers. There was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Beethoven discovery, aided by my dog

Posted on July 22, 2020 by

I’m framing this analysis around Sam my dog. She’s a 13+ year old rescue, and in my opinion amazingly well-behaved. Sometimes she’ll occupy the ottoman beside the piano, allowing her to read along with me if she so desires (no … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An agnostic musing about leadership & talent

Posted on July 22, 2020 by

As I was tidying my office today, I fell into a book. You know how it is. You open it and are seduced or abducted, suddenly lost to yourself, deep in the book. While Jim Fisher’s The Thoughtful Leader: A … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception, University life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Douglas Chambers: The Reinvention of the World

Posted on July 18, 2020 by

I have been stuck on this one for awhile, not knowing quite what to write. I’m trying to avoid being a downer, but it’s hard to see the silver lining when you’re deep in the dark clouds of a pandemic. … Continue reading →

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Ennio Morricone has passed

Posted on July 7, 2020 by

This is almost an insult, to post this short little thing in response to the passing of Ennio Morricone. I’m merely doing this to call attention to his range, to his influence, and yes, because it’s fun posting something moving … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Stewart Goodyear – Beethoven piano concerti

Posted on June 27, 2020 by

It’s 2020, a year I’m tempted to call “World, Interrupted,” recalling the 1999 film set in a psychiatric hospital. At times our virtual online lives resemble the simulation of real living as though we’ve been wrapped in strait-jackets, locked up … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Knave in the House of Cards

Posted on June 20, 2020 by

A meditation on dayjobs A long time ago I was an undergraduate, a university student fresh out of high school. At the time a summer job was indispensable to help me afford my life between September & May, living in … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, University life | Leave a comment