Underground House

My week-long “day dream” type of activity has been to start designing a house in Sketch Up. I only finally got to the task this Friday evening.

The idea here is that the one side on the right goes below ground, to connect to a larger area below ground (green), likely by some elevator shaft. The section above the house, on the left, is a pool.

More to come… I find the process relaxing. When i want more detail, okay, then I’ll stress.

Goldberg Variations – DongHyek Lim

Goldberg Variations Dong-Hyek Lim

One of the pieces that’s been with me for quite some time is Bach’s collection of variations on a ground bass, BWV 988. His so-called Goldberg Variations or “Aria with 30 variations,” is one of his major works. As I’ve told the story before, I discovered baroque music through recordings in my public library when I was still in high school. Someone’s wise purchase there of recordings by Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert led them to pick up Pinnock’s reading of BWV 988. It was a blue cover, with a golden harpsichord on the cover. (Just to be clear, a harpsichord with gold accents, not a gold-plated instrument. Pinnock is no Liberace.)

I never bought that recording, but I did recently pick up one on piano by the young Korean pianist, Dong-Hyek Lim. It’s recorded in a rather fresh, open acoustic, but close enough to capture the percussive nature of the instrument. I’d say as piano recordings go, and especially those capturing the music of Bach, the folks at EMI did a superb job.

Mr. Lim is playing in a dangerous area. Being the age he is, he’s got credibility yet to earn. He can’t stray too far off a path, so to speak, with interpretation. The Goldbergs also offer any pianist to flaunt their technique.

Not comparing Lim’s work to any other one pianist, there’s something in his recording that’s missing in many others. It’s a sense of emphasis. Lim’s constantly pulling out little licks, little themes, and little microphrases with emphasis in touch and in volume level. It’s such a welcome interpretation.

And yes, he’s got excellent technical chops. When he chooses, he can play all them notes just as fast as he likes, and makes it sound like it was nothing at all.

The pianist Vladimir Feltsman did a reading of the Goldbergs that too made emphasized gestures. He went further afield than Lim did. Some might suggest he earned the right to, with a more established career before recording the Goldbergs. Or, that he’s just a more “out there,” creative pianist.

Lim manages to play along that fine line between meeting expectations, offering us an authentic interpretation, and tickling our fancy just enough. I wonder what I’ll be saying about Lim’s second Goldberg recording, say, 40 years from now.

Today Dong Hyek Lim offers listeners a very engaging reading of Bach’s Goldberg Variations on piano. His interpretive license is smart and I find myself nodding in agreement to what he’s chosen to emphasize here and there. Beyond the technical bravura spent on some variations, there’s depth too.

Warmly recommended.

Teatro d’amore

Every time I watch the video, I’m yet further enamored of this album and the collaboration.

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend it’s a good time for reflection. I am going through some of my photos I’ve taken over the past five years and am finding some favorites.

I took this photo a couple years ago when visiting Staunton, Virginia. I was about to get into my car. We were parked right next to this church. I looked up, and the sun was right behind the tower.

This weekend is also a good time to catch up with new music purchases.

Man on the Move

I am trying to decide which application best suits my personal photo needs and my photo needs at work. The two organizers: iPhoto and Aperture.

In going through my photos, I came across this shot of my friend, Todd.

I used Photoshop to add the “crosshairs” and text. I got the whole vibe of crosshairs and such since I was in the hotel, watching him come “home,” with my camera. I suddenly felt like a private eye or something in a big city, having finally “found his man,” and catching evidence.

Nothing so glamorous or intriguing, I confess.

RV 576

Vivaldi supposedly wrote some rather colorful concerti for the orchestra at Dresden (think Heinichen or Pisendel). Among these is RV 576 in G minor. I have three performances:

• Danny Bond (bassoon) featured with the AAM under Christopher Hogwood
• I Concerti di Dresda with the Freiburger Barockorchester
• Concerti con molti strumenti with Biondi and the EG Orchestra

Neither of them is ultimately satisfying. Biondi, a usual favorite, got cheated this time around by a bad acoustic. He plays with the fastest tempo and the most unusual interpretation (he’s always pushing the accents, isn’t he?).

The AAM simply sounds thin in comparison to the others in terms of “sound.” It also appears they are afraid to offer any type of interpretive edge. They play tempo-sharp (as if the practice metronome was beeping as they played). Everything is just right, but there’s a lack of passion from any of the instrument groups. This concerto is ripe with oboe, bassoon, recorders, and of course, violin.

The FB-O takes this one really slow. They have the best of the AAM and EG sounds: more colorful than the AAM, more live than the AAM, but not too distant, as with the EG recording.

Now, let’s consider the third movement: the FB-O turns up the heat with the tempo but have a less orchestral sound than the EG ensemble.

Not everyone is used to the Vivaldian concerto with quite so much color as can be found in his concerti written for export. Some have horns, others a variety of woodwinds. For those willing to listen to the music and add some inventiveness, there are many rewards to be found.

The ultimate question however is what would the Germans have done with this music? As I listen today to British, Italian, and German musicians play this music so differently by their interpretation, what might the differences been a few hundred years ago?

The variety from CD to CD is our treat although that ultimate question can never be answered. It’s not worth worrying about, I suspect. The differences among each recording is an area of interest to me. It’s not always so important to mark a winner among the group. In this case, it’s simply a modern trap of following the suit of modern commercialism: may I help you find the best choice, sir?

My run-down: AAM – a little too straight. Biondi – a little too big a hall, and Freiburg – just right.