random thought dump

Lots of work to do this week, so there’s not a huge amount of time to devote to a coherent blog post. Instead I will devote this post to frequent updates of the minuscule sort (yes, I know I should have a tumblr for this, but I don’t need yet another thing to write for!).

• 10/23 @ 6:15pm – On Thomas Adés’ music: Listening to it feels a bit like looking at Victorian era pornography. Everyone is so formal and seemingly straight-laced, but what are they doing to each other?!
• 10/23 @ 10:37pm – Schumann’s music is, for me, some of the hardest music to effectively realize. It is so changeable, so quirky, and so human. That’s why I love working on it in spite of the challenges it presents.
• 10/24 @ 5:09pm – Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ quartet is so brilliant. Even if it didn’t have the incredible variation movement at its heart, it would still be a masterpiece. His late chamber works (as late as they can be when he died at the age of just 32) are so miraculous, it’s a wonder that such works came out of a life that was often so miserable. I guess that’s part of what makes music so incredible.