Friday, February 25, 2005

all ye lesser mortals, bow down before mitsuko uchida!

Sorry folks, but I'm going to commit the cardinal blog sin: I'm going to write an entry outlining what I did today. *gasp* It's gonna be one of those:

"Today I did this, today I did that. It rained today. I got wet. I didn't do this, but I did that." Blah blah blah. But it's my blog, so I'm gonna type whatever I want. Ha.

It's not often that I say this, but today's a good day. I had a lecture on Strauss's Elektra, I adore that opera to bits. And then, a lecture on "Symmetry in Music", by my all-time-fav lecturer George Benjamin, who's also an amazing composer (yup, he's alive). Very interesting. And...

I got to watch a Schubert vocal recital by Ian Bostridge and Mitsuko Uchida at the Wigmore Hall!!!! It was sold out, but Cla and James managed to get returned tickets. 18quid for the last row, but it's worth it.

The programme was Die Schone Mullerin, which is my 2nd-favourite Schubert song cycle. And let me tell you, it was excellent. Absolutely amazing. Extremely intense performance. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time with a choked throat, and simply absorbed in the sound world that they've created. It was such a raw and powerful experience. Orgasmic.

There were some funny bits though. Uchida was mouthing the text along with Bostridge the entire time, so it's quite funny seeing two identical changing mouth-shapes and you hear only one voice. And Ian Bostridge! Why, he galloped all over the stage. He only settled down at the last two songs, which was a shame. He sang better when he wasn't moving so much. Those last two songs were technically his best.

That aside, Mitsuko Uchida is not only one of the elite pianists around, she's also a fantastic accompanist. Very, very sensitive accompanying from her. The two of them have this mystical rapport: I can hear them singing/playing as one, and thinking as one.

After listening to her perfect playing *swoons*, with all those subtle changes in colour, faultless technique, overwhelming musicality, and her beautiful singing tone... I'm so inspired to practise piano and do more accompanying work. For now. Heh.

Okay, enough gushing for now. I'm saving it for Saturday: Lou (my classmate who's a brilliant pianist) is gonna play the Shostakovich Piano Concerto with the Strand Ensemble! Programme also includes Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (I THINK) and Mozart's Symphony No.40. All are welcome to drop by at Kings College London, Strand Campus, this Saturday at 730pm. Venue: Great Hall. F-O-C.

Ooohh. I want to watch more concerts! More, more, and MORE! There's the Beethoven Violin Concerto coming up, Magic Flute opera next friday, Bach's St Matthew's Passion, Dvorak's Cello Concerto, and tons more!

Happy, happy, happy.

blueprint

I will like to spend my days, as though they are my own, which I mostly end up doing in halves, for duty beckons, and I am answering its clarion call. Soon enough! I am also a veteran procrastinator.

fresh monodies

missing lens.
pineapple high!
schumann and what not.
the problems of being Lynne.
why me?
first fall of 2005.
wussy slimeball.
amused.
fuming.
procrastination and maria.

previous rants

August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
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April 2005
May 2005
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July 2005
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October 2005
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June 2009
July 2009
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November 2010
January 2011
February 2011
August 2011
October 2011
May 2013

treatises on life

arty jen
betty boop
carmentica
charming-linn
chasing snowy cars
cheeky lynn
cheryliciously glam
clean and cute
cyclist-mad bass
darling dominic
feisty jing
fellow ditz-sista/porkSTAR
hail mary!
hell's kitchen
hero on the beach
h-Euge heart
hunky lenny
lipgloss queen
little cheryl
live n learn, baby
lolita lou
loony loon
mr popular
musically dan
m y s t j
phringe
princess tania
roger smurf
runaway pigeon
sabotage king jeremiah
sibling angst1
sibling angst2
spector dan
spunky tian
steffy bunny
sun-sunzzz
teeny wee-nee
weeeee, leonard!
yangtze yang'en

frivolous pursuits

for shallow ppl
for very geeky ppl
for the truly bored
spun prose
binary thoughts
past imprints
some stamps
montage of images
other memories

mulling over

And there were phlegmatic souls.