KLEM- Baby got Bach

I love High End Culture.

So to speak.

Bach for an overcast afternoon

Some time ago I heard a piece played by Alicia de Larrocha entitled Bach-Busoni - Chaconne in D minor. It sounded curious to me - not really very Bach-like. I listened to it a few times, time moved on, but I recently decided to learn more about where it came from and why it sounds like it does.

The history is fascinating, and it all goes back to an Italian guy who decided to transcribe works by Bach for a modern piano. His name was Ferruccio Busoni and he had a real knack for creating music that remained true to Bach's original score while making great use of the capabilities of a piano.

For more about Ferruccio, check out this Wiki link. There is much information in there, including a lot of German words used to describe what he did. He laid out his philosophy, methodology and goals and now that I have slightly increased my understanding of who he was and what he was going for I have a much greater appreciation for his work.

First off, Itzhak Perlman playing BWV 1004. The chaconne starts at 13:50 for those of you who want to cut to the chase. Do his friends call him "Itzy"?

Once you have a passing familiarity with the source material, one can move on to what Signor Busoni wrote. This is a version played by Helene Grimaud, and I really like how she played it:

That is all - no tall tales today.

Sunrise

Some Bach to go with the picture.

Music notation explained by Lenny

And played by the incomparable Glenn Gould.

Sonority

Get Bach.

I like long form music.

The wiggles

In an earlier post John linked to Scheherazade as played by the Gimnazija Kranj Symphony Orchestra, and in the comments there was mention of the movements made by the clarinetist, Nadja Drakslar. Some complained that her upper body was too animated. She explained that she is legally blind and has to move in to read the dots, then move back to see the conductor. Her eyeballs are wonkier than Hillary on vodka bender, but at least Nadja has real talent - she carries her solos with real confidence.

But that thread reminded me of a group that plays Bach on period instruments. This bunch writhes around like Ray Charles on smack. Seriously distracting. I like the sound but I cannot watch them. Way too wiggly. 

See more, at your own risk:

Takata and Feud

One of my vehicles was recalled twice due to defective airbag inflators. I just got the passenger side airbag replaced Thursday. This was my loaner car from the dealership:

 Ha - just kidding - that is an IRL car on display at the dealership. The seat was built for a driver who is 5'2" and who weighs 100 pounds, so it would be too roomy for me.

Last evening I drove nearly 50 miles to attend a bonfire party held by a friend and former coworker of mine. He has 10 acres near a lake and one of the things we talked about was utilizing parts of a dead white oak tree for table in the house he is planning to build. Now that I know where he is we can git 'er done, which reminds me of another comedy routine - if the directions to your house include the words "Turn off the paved road...", and you know the rest.

So I stood around talking to folks I hadn't seen in years, including one guy I was hoping to avoid - he was my boss from 1998-2000 and my first urge was not one of collegiality. Funny thing, though, once I saw him and talked to him all my anger subsided - he had nothing to do with me leaving that company - that was all on me. We talked of times, new and old, for close to a half an hour. It was nice to put aside that burden.

There were plenty of dogs running around, so that was good. There was even a large cat that holds his own out there in the wilds:

Sunset over the lake was nice:

But as always, that's not what I am here to talk about. The heat pump that provides warmth to my house has failed. I called a couple of local companies but they charge close to $150 just to show up on a Sunday, so I dragged out the electric heaters and I will be able to survive until get the thing repaired tomorrow. One guy was kind enough to remotely diagnose the problem based on the symptoms I provided him over the phone - it seems the blower motor in the heat exchanger has frozen up and needs replaced. I left out the "to be" in that sentence as the host of last night's part is from Erie PA and that's how he speaks. 

Which leads me to the actual point - machines don't break if you don't use them. That is a theory I have developed over a life time of using machinery. Sure, they might rust or corrode, but if you don't try to use them then you would never notice their state of disrepair. Stated another way, machines only break if you use them. Or maybe that is a corollary.

So whether it is airbags that shoot shrapnel into one's thorax or a heat pump blower, you will never know that they are defective until you need them.

That's my theory and I am sticking to it.

The only piece of music that fits this post and relates to what Troop posted earlier.