Archive for July, 2006
Shopping
After weeks of abstinence I finally bought new CDs, scores, and books yesterday. For those of you who live in Berlin, check out the Kulturkaufhaus Dussmann. It has a huge collection of classical music CDs in the basement. Here is what I bought: 1) The Camerata Salzburg conducted by Sandor Vegh with Bartok’s Divertimento for [...]
Musical Moments
In a recent blog post at On a Pacific Aisle, Joshua Kosman, the music critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, introduces us to what he calls a “magic moment” in Gustav Mahler’s 9th Symphony. The passage in question lasts only one quarter note, and in his article, Joshua shares with us his thoughts and feelings [...]
Post Scriptum Figaro
Here is what the Deutsche Presse Agentur has to say about yesterday’s premiere of Le Nozze di Figaro at the Salzburg Festival. As always the premiere drew a very distinguished and elitist crowd of politicians, stars, artists, and business people. But not only those who were lucky and rich enough to get tickets enjoyed the [...]
Anna Netrebko in Salzburg
Yesterday at the Orchesterhauptprobe (main orchestra rehearsal) for Le Nozze di Figaro at the Salzburg Festival I had the chance to hear, for the first time, the Russian soprano Anna Netrebko. What a big disappointment. It’s not that Netrebko is a bad singer (she is a fairly good one), or that she doesn’t look well [...]
Untersberg
When I first came to Salzburg in 1992, 15 years old, I lived in a small room on Moos Strasse that had a beautiful view on the Untersberg. From that first day on, I wanted to climb this mountain which casts its shadow over the town on sunny days (and believe me there aren’t many [...]
The Muezzin’s Silence
In Turkey five times a day all music stops. The loudspeakers on public beaches stop pounding dancing rhythms, the DJs in bars and clubs grant their audiences some time to get new refreshments, the shopkeepers’s radios cool down their tubes: all of Turkey listens to the Muezzin’s call to prayer (click here to hear a [...]
Ästhetik des Performativen
Imagine a world in which there is no way to record music. Imagine a world in which there is no possibility to broadcast sound. A world without CDs, radio, cell phones that play mp3s, websites that stream music. A world in which music sounds only in live performances. Most people would find this world terribly [...]
Concrete Balls
It’s all over. Yesterday night Germany lost against Italy. While I am trying to get over this, you should rush to DER SPIEGEL to read this news story about footballs filled with concrete. As soon as I feel better I’ll come up with something more illuminating.
Looking Bismarck over the Shoulder
Riding my bike along the numerous paths through the Tiergarten today, a friend of mine showed me a spot where one can see Begas’ Bismarck monument from behind. Set back from the huge traffic circle on the Großer Stern, it sits there between trees and bushes, almost hidden from those who rush by in their [...]
Music for the Masses
Last night the Deutsche Symphonie Orchester Berlin, Maxim Vengerov, and Hakan Hardenberger gave an open air concert at the Brandenburger Tor. “Nice!”, some of you may think, “what a cool place to have a concert!” Right. Alas, as those of you who follow the world cup will know, the place in front of the Brandenburger [...]
Vergangenheitsbewältigung
Spuren alter Reklame an Hauswänden. Schilder längst nicht mehr vorhandener Geschäfte und Werkstätten. Hinterhöfe voller leerstehender Garagen und Schuppen - wer arbeitete und lebte hier einst? Geschichten der einsamen Alten. Unterirdische Kanäle und Tunnel.
Wie lassen sich die Zeitschichten einer Stadt freilegen?
