Marriage of Figaro
Here’s a cute video of one guy did playing a four-hand transcription of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. He says in the comments it took a lot of takes to get it together, but I think he did a pretty cool job.
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Culture
I would classify things in this category that were related to arts, literature, cinema, performance. Things that make us and the world better.
Bernie – A Movie Review
In the tiny, rural town of Carthage, TX, assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede was one of the town’s most beloved residents. He taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Everyone loved and appreciated Bernie, so it came as no surprise when he befriended Marjorie Nugent, an affluent widow who was as well known for her sour attitude as her fortune. Bernie frequently traveled with Marjorie and even managed her banking affairs.
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Conservatives Hate Freedom
Michael Lind has a great story at Salon.com today about how conservatives say one thing, but do another. I know that will come as a shock. Despite their claims of being the people bent on protecting Americans’ freedoms, they are actually the people who have, over the past 60 years, most sought to curtail those freedoms. Lind is careful to make the distinction between true Libertarians and conservatives, and points out that, since World War II, conservatives have opposed every expansion of personal liberty in the U.S. This really is an article you need to read, especially if you are a conservative.
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NPR Embraces Hate Groups
Apparently NPR Religion Correspondent, Barbara Bradley-Haggerty, has decided that religious groups which claim to be Christian can’t possibly be hate groups. It also seems she makes decisions about who to interview for stories based on who returns her call the fastest.
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Starting out 2012
I’m back. I know I haven’t posted much this entire year. I was writing a lot for work, and frankly there hasn’t been much of interest going on in my life. I admit a lot of the aspects of life I’m not happy with are under my control, and I plan to work to make some changes this year.
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Una Voce Holiday Concert
Sunday afternoon we attended the annual holiday concert for Una Voce The Florida Men’s Chorale. This was their 10th annual holiday concert, and Lay and me have been to each of them. This might have been the best concert yet, and I had a great time. The theater was very near, if not, sold out, and I believe straight couples might have outweighed gay couples.
Read moreDecisions Decisions – Sometimes Life Gives us Tough Ones
So, should I eat ice cream, or take a nap. I can appreciate the young man’s dilemma, they are both a pretty good way to spend an afternoon. They’re usually mutually exclusive, but he’s doing a pretty good job of multi-tasking. Call is the lazy, hazy days of summer I guess.
Read moreSome Beauty in the World
Director Spike Jonze has posted an amazing video of Los Angeles street dancer Lil Buck (Damian Woetzel) doing a collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma. This is an inspiring and beautiful blend of both old and new. It combines amazing modern dance techniques by Mr. Woetzel with the usual beautiful accompaniment by Yo-Yo Ma of “The Dying Swan” from Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. This will ease you into a nice mood for the weekend. Enjoy.
Read moreName That Tune
Sounds a little different on a pipe organ, but this is an incredibly cool way to render a song, and this one in particular. I wish I had the kind of time it would take to set this up. This is about three minutes and is definitely worth your time. I especially like how they did a couple of the tremolo phrases.
Read moreAnd The Hits Just Keep Coming
I had occasion to hear the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus several times when I lived in Dayton. In fact, it seemed their Christmas Concert and that of the Cincinnati Gay Men’s Chorus were often the same weekend, so I’d do Cincinnati Saturday evening, and then go to Columbus for their Sunday afternoon concert. Both were excellent choruses, and they both had very different styles, so it was a great fun. Here the Columbus Chorus provides a youtube for the “It Gets Better Project” with the Columbus Youth Choir. I’ll just let the music speak for itself.
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