Tag Archives: Percy Grainger

Thinking about Richard Strauss’s death in 1949

On September 8, 1949 composer and conductor Richard Strauss died after a long productive life. I think of him as a romantic composer carrying on the stylistic traditions of Richard Wagner. In Salome and Elektra he was the modernist pushing … Continue reading

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

Meghan Lindsay and Carson Becke in Recital

I was invited to an intimate performance by Soprano Meghan Lindsay and pianist Carson Becke at the Heliconian Club on Hazelton Ave last night. I’m a lucky guy. I think I’ve explained before that this is my mantra, a self-fulfilling … Continue reading

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Grainger’s rambling approach to popularity

There was a thread on social media not so long ago about music that gives you the shivers. It seemed like a fun topic, when I was walking along in nasty cold weather, to be able to shiver from a … Continue reading

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bridal lullaby

Without being able to ask the artist, one sometimes wonders about the depths of meaning one encounters.  Are they intentional creations—where the creator sought for and purposefully aimed at those depths—or, are they serendipitous brilliance?  There’s a third possibility, that … Continue reading

Posted in Books & Literature, Essays, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments