My recent review on Cleveland Classical of a book about 17th-century music: nationhood, time, and sex -- oh, and also modes and tonality!

http://www.clevelandclassical.com/090712mcclarybookrev

Great expectations

Dickens is often, rightly, accused of saying too much. No one can miss the over-determined denunciations of London, the sappy announcements of faith in barely-developed children. But every once in a while he speaks with an almost modernist reticence. He sometimes won't give us the baby with the bath water-- though mostly hell give us both with gusto.

Case in point: Great Expectations. Pip can't say enough about his distant, proud, disdainful Estella.


But here he says it all with one tiny verb, 'touched'.

'We played until nine o'clock, and then it was arranged that when Estella came to London I should be forewarned of her coming and should meet her at the coach; and then I took leave of her, and touched her and left her.'

'and touched her'! What was that touch? Dickens, or Pip, or whoever controls the story, won't tell. It is a barely physical touch, of course, and semiotically barely sentient. But it tells a whole history about this strained and tragic relationship.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Beethoven at Blossom

I went to Blossom again on Saturday, for an almost-all Beethoven program with the amazing Gil Shaham. Read my review at Cleveland Classical: http://www.clevelandclassical.com/073112tcojuly28rev

Here's a version of Shaham playing the Beethoven in LA:

Mozart under the stars. . .

We went Saturday to Blossom for the all-Mozart program.


Hope you'll check out my review—Haffner, Jupiter, Clarinet Concerto. What a beautiful evening. 

Next Saturday is all-Beethoven! 


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