I'm in the Radio Times again :-) (Next week's edition, with a very purple cover - in newsagents etc. today.) It's a good deal better than last time I was mentioned by name in the Radio Times, when I was described as a sad case. However, the making of that programme was not a pleasant experience, so I should've known they weren't going to put a positive slant on anything. This time, it was thoroughly pleasant, so hopefully the result will be more positive. However, I'm a bit scared, because this is the first time there's been a programme in which I was the main person....
This is the interview I told you about in July, and it's being broadcast next Tuesday (9th September) at 9.30am on Radio 4 (and of course on iPlayer for the following week). The series actually started today, and I've just listened to the first episode, and now I'm a bit scared - the guy that today's show was about sounded pretty impressive and well-rounded, and although I know it's extremely stupid of me to be worried about how I'll compare to him, I am!
So, any other news? Well, of course for the past 24 hours all the news has been football-related, but anyone who's interested in that will already know all of it, so I won't go on about it here. Non-football news: well, Last Choir Standing finished on Saturday, and of the ones that were left, I think Only Men Aloud were worthy winners, although I don't think they were the best in the series, as I've said before. (If you haven't seen any of the series, that link takes you to a page that has a video of their winning performance. And even if you disapprove of the fact that a choir competition placed so much emphasis on choreography, listen to their multi-part close harmonies. They sing complex arrangements, and they do it well.)
Other stuff: Martin has pointed out that there is apparently now a release date for the best CD ever made. Can't find confirmation of this anywhere else, and online shopping sites are notorious for inventing release dates for forthcoming items, but it's still exciting!
A few more random links, in no particular order:
A fascinating Spectator interview with Daniel Barenboim.
Yet another of those articles about how choirs are good for your health.
An article about a London concert hall I'd never heard of.
Björk has some things to say about being a female producer.
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra blog is always thought-provoking, and the latest entry is no exception.
Edinburgh Royal Choral Union is 150 years old, and they are getting a civic reception as a result. Hmm, surely there can't be many other choirs that are 150 years old...
And today there was news of a Welsh choir that's not having much luck.
The Guardian had an in-depth interview with Simon Rattle on his return to Liverpool.
Report of a visit to Bayreuth.
Something that's been bugging me this week - I suddenly remembered the fabulous painting that's hanging in Symphony Hall (right near the front entrance - go in and turn left immediately, and there it is). But I realised I don't know which bit of Mahler the painting is describing, and a brief bit of googling didn't help (although that is how I found the artist's website). Does anyone know? Or is it just supposed to represent Mahler in general? I think that when I first saw the painting, I assumed it meant Mahler 8, but now I'm wondering whether it could be Mahler 2. It's probably just non-specific Mahler, though.
Finally (for the links), a good site for you to bookmark - if you frequently find yourself wondering what the music from an advert is, there are many sites that claim to tell you the answer, but Commercial Breaks and Beats is the best I've found. I was reminded of it when I found I couldn't identify the music currently being used to advertise the Nissan Qashqai, and this fabulous site helpfully tells me on the front page :-)
Anyway, finally finally, I promised to give some hints about memorising stuff, and I will, but I'll put them in a separate document and add it to the list of downloadable stuff at the top of the page. Check there again soon, if it's not yet there when you read this. EDIT: It's there now.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
About the cutting - IMHO didn't think it called you a sad case, just that the circumstances it described were sad; you may say that is the same thing but I would beg to differ.
I'm sure you're right, but my version was better when it came to milking sympathy at the time! I did consider having a T shirt printed saying "SAD CASE" :-)
Hi, just heard your programme, and I can relate a bit to the circumstances you describe (good to know I'm not alone so thanks for telling your story). I ended up playing down my qualifications in order to get basic admin jobs...and never enjoyed them at all. You get the job, enjoy it for a few weeks, then rapidly outgrow it, so you've not missed anything in that respect :-) In the end I said 's0d it!' and went solo, working for myself doing the things that I loved so much in the early days, and now run my own business which just about pays the bills. I'm happy though! Good luck in all that you do, hope it all works out for you :-)
Post a Comment