Since Mondays are my day off they are also my cleaning day. I actually look forward to Mondays; I like a clean house.
So this morning I was cleaning the kitchen and I was in the mood for some music. Sometimes I want silence, but today just calls for blasting music.
I began with a CD I put together of various oboe works and one WWQ work that I’d downloaded from emusic. It began with Holmboe’s Oboe Concerto (Say who?! I’ve never heard of the guy … anyone out there know him?), moved to Lars-Erik Larsson’s Oboe Concertino (delightful!), to the Soderlundh Oboe Concertino (another nice work) and then finally the Saeverud WWQ, Tunes and Dances from Siljustol. All but one of these were new works to me when I located them on emusic. Great fun!
Then I moved on to Yo-Yo Ma plays Ennio Morricone. I guess some of my colleagues might think I’m nuts for loving this music so much. It is, after all, “just” soundtrack music. But it really love it. And it’s good to blast when no one else is here to be bothered by it.
Oh … and if you don’t like any of this music, please just don’t tell me! If you wonder why, just read my pattyo blog today. Am I nuts? Probably. But I honestly don’t want to connect anyone’s negative comments with this music. 🙂
Now that the kitchen is clean, I guess I’ll “shop around” and see what else I should work on around here. It’s quite rainy, and I don’t plan on leaving the house until I have to. Not only is Monday my cleaning day, but rainy days are for staying home anyway (whenever possible, of course).
Now I have to find something new to listen to, as Yo-Yo Ma has finished playing for me. (So nice of him to show up here on a rainy Monday morning.)
Vagn Holmboe: Danish, mid-20th century. Kind of a dry, intellectual
composer, a bit hard to get to know. But supposed to be worth it.
Lars-Erik Larsson: Swedish, same age. Wrote a lot of little
concertinos like that one. The most pastoral composer I know: there’s
a serene calmness that pervades his most characteristic work that nobody else quite matches.
I love Yo-Yo Ma. Any Yo-Yo Ma.
I got to attend a dress rehearsal of his here in Urban Metropolis a few years back. It was delightful.
Not only is Yo Yo Ma a fabulous musician — he’s just an all around nice guy! I’ve always been so impressed with him when he’s come to play with us. He also oozes with joy. I’ve never met another musician of his calibre who is like this … well … maybe Bobby McFerrin … but that’s it!
Thanks for the info! I have learned to visit Naxos,com to get bios on some of these guys — handy place, that!
I love “serene calmness” and can use it. Frequently. We oboists are notoriously neurotic although some have kindly told me that I’m not typical in that. I have a feeling, though, that they are only being kind. One never knows ….