oo-ray and up she rises

er-ly in the mor-ning, just as the… (the last sunrise of july) and all wrong

and franz liszt, died today, in 1886… but i’m not a big fan (as in, why would you want to listen to a liszt symphonic thing, when you can have a beethoven? or a mahler?) and why listen to liszt piano stuff when you can have chopin? i’m just saying…

van the man goes bang

today, down in arles… vincent van gogh, back in 1890
blew his brains out by this wheatfield, here…

but enough with the mourning, i’m down the pub…

the sun sets, the sun rises, the sun sets… (here comes the night. starry or not)

cyprus avenue, madame george, and so the stories go…

what no underpants?

today in 1862, and with a roll on some beethoven drums, klimt is born

The Kiss… framed here

that he didn’t wear underpants? did you know that?
that he just wandered around the house in sandals and robes, pausing every now and then to paint the odd picture or two, take care of the odd lady or two, all without any underpants on? it’s true! see wikipedia! – well, i don’t know what to think… i don’t think it’s right anyway, i don’t think i want a picture hanging on my wall that was painted by a man-artist without his underpants being on at the time… it’s not right!

drink, drugs and death

and some debauchery in between, amadeo modigliani is born today, 1884

that’s jeanne hebuterne that is, looking like she’s being painted by someone who’s smoking too much hashish and babbling thus spake zarathustra at her while he’s painting (all true), and then two years later she jumps out of a window… oh well

my favourite anarchist

pissarro is born today, in 1830, in the virgin islands, no less

best mahler recordings

well, it’s his birthday…

so why not? it’s something we mahler-lovers do, so…

and let me begin by presuming you to be a mahler newbie, if i may (and how i envy you, if true, you just starting out as you are on the journey into the world of mahler’s music. but to begin… the best/easiest place to start, if you are a complete newbie, is here, with his 4th

all excellent reading here…
a synoptic survey of mahler symphonies by tony duggan at music web

and then to move onto the 2nd, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 9th, 10th, 6th, 7th and 8th… and finally, to perhaps the end, where you might arrive where we are now… you will come to the song of the earth, to das lied von der erde… Enjoy!

ok, the artwise by candlelight choice of best mahler recordings

1st – NYPO with Bruno Walter – tony duggan on the 1st
2nd – NYPO with Bruno Walter – tony duggan on the 2nd
3rd – NYPO with Leonard Bernstein – tony duggan on the 3rd
4th – Cleveland Orchestra with George Szell – tony duggan on the 4th
5th – VPO with Leonard Bernstein – tony duggan on the 5th
6th – Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Georg Solti – tony duggan on the 6th
7th – NYPO with Leonard Bernstein tony duggan on the 7th
8th – London Symphonica with Wyn Morris – tony duggan on the 8th
9th – Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Carlo Maria Giulini – tony duggan on the 9th
10th – New Philharmonia Orchestra with Wyn Morris – tony duggan on the 10th

Das Lied Von Der Erde – VPO with Leonard Bernstein, James King and Dietrich Fischer Dieskau – tony duggan on das lied von der erde

and what about this? there i was looking around the youtube, found this, with glenn gould conducting… ain’t the internet just wonderful!

and he shall fly no more…

july 6th, 1916, odilon redon is laid to rest… the wingèd man, the wingèd horse, those dreams are done… pegasus expired, buddha a broken stone (ophelia flown) – but here, some flowers, still in a vase, blooming forever… enjoy!