God. Seen on the box!

It seems that the turning of the year has brought a deep welling of spirituality to British television. (I originally wrote “tv”, but then I thought Transvestites for Christ might think I was slandering their spirituality…).

Channel4 has a new series on Christianity.

BBC4 has two series on Islam – one about Islam in Europe, the other about the undoubted influence of Islamic science on modern thinking and science. (One of the BBC4 series the Story of Maths last autumn also dealt with the importance of Islamic mathematicians.)

And then BBC2 simply cannot make up its mind – lead by a C of E vicar, it is going Around the World in Eighty Faiths.
( Read more... )

God. Seen on the box!

It seems that the turning of the year has brought a deep welling of spirituality to British television. (I originally wrote “tv”, but then I thought Transvestites for Christ might think I was slandering their spirituality…).

Channel4 has a new series on Christianity.

BBC4 has two series on Islam – one about Islam in Europe, the other about the undoubted influence of Islamic science on modern thinking and science. (One of the BBC4 series the Story of Maths last autumn also dealt with the importance of Islamic mathematicians.)

And then BBC2 simply cannot make up its mind – lead by a C of E vicar, it is going Around the World in Eighty Faiths.
( Read more... )

Sleeping Beauty

I went to see Scottish Ballet’s production of Sleeping Beauty.

Much as I love modern dance, I wouldn’t say I am a fan of classical ballet, often finding it pretty but not engaging. But I loved Sleeping Beauty, perhaps because Ashley Page, the choreographer (and artistic director of the company), has a background in modern dance.

The whole experience was enjoyable. The music (Tchaikovsky) was excellent, the set was brilliant and the dancing was captivating.

I have no idea if they stuck to the classical story, but the story was easy to follow from the dance. I was a little surprised by the arrival of Little Red Riding Hood and other fairy tale characters (the friend I was with said that other dancers were Goldilocks, Belle [as in Beauty and the Beast], and Snow White – although one of them was Cinderella according to the photos on the Scottish Ballet website…), but they danced well anyway (and Miss Riding Hood had amazing legs!).

The dancers acted – their performances when not dancing were full of telling details (a courtier reading a newspaper; guests gossiping together), and the set was lovely – it worked really well.

I thought it was all excellent. It flagged just a little in the last act, with a string of solos and duets by the company at a celebratory ball, and I was also surprised that the wonderfully gothic wicked witch (actually, the evil fairy) Carabosse was so graciously forgiven by the Queen (but how else could she have danced at the ball with the Lilac Fairy?). And the dancing was all lovely.

Sleeping Beauty

I went to see Scottish Ballet’s production of Sleeping Beauty.

Much as I love modern dance, I wouldn’t say I am a fan of classical ballet, often finding it pretty but not engaging. But I loved Sleeping Beauty, perhaps because Ashley Page, the choreographer (and artistic director of the company), has a background in modern dance.

The whole experience was enjoyable. The music (Tchaikovsky) was excellent, the set was brilliant and the dancing was captivating.

I have no idea if they stuck to the classical story, but the story was easy to follow from the dance. I was a little surprised by the arrival of Little Red Riding Hood and other fairy tale characters (the friend I was with said that other dancers were Goldilocks, Belle [as in Beauty and the Beast], and Snow White – although one of them was Cinderella according to the photos on the Scottish Ballet website…), but they danced well anyway (and Miss Riding Hood had amazing legs!).

The dancers acted – their performances when not dancing were full of telling details (a courtier reading a newspaper; guests gossiping together), and the set was lovely – it worked really well.

I thought it was all excellent. It flagged just a little in the last act, with a string of solos and duets by the company at a celebratory ball, and I was also surprised that the wonderfully gothic wicked witch (actually, the evil fairy) Carabosse was so graciously forgiven by the Queen (but how else could she have danced at the ball with the Lilac Fairy?). And the dancing was all lovely.

Watch the skies

I have just been out - and back. I went to an early evening concert – Scottish Chamber Orchestra playing Mendelssohn. Unfortunately, when I got to the church where they were playing, I was surprised to see a sign that said “sold out”. Irritating, because I had tried to buy tickets today, but the ticket office didn’t answer the phone. Oh well.

Whilst walking there, though, I was surprised how bright Venus was – hanging fairly high in the west evening sky. It was starkly beautiful.

There will be a lot of people thinking they’ve seen a UFO tonight…

Edit: I have just noticed that Scottish Chamber Orchestra are on R3 this evening, playing Handel, Musgrave and Mozart. Presumably not live...

Watch the skies

I have just been out - and back. I went to an early evening concert – Scottish Chamber Orchestra playing Mendelssohn. Unfortunately, when I got to the church where they were playing, I was surprised to see a sign that said “sold out”. Irritating, because I had tried to buy tickets today, but the ticket office didn’t answer the phone. Oh well.

Whilst walking there, though, I was surprised how bright Venus was – hanging fairly high in the west evening sky. It was starkly beautiful.

There will be a lot of people thinking they’ve seen a UFO tonight…

Edit: I have just noticed that Scottish Chamber Orchestra are on R3 this evening, playing Handel, Musgrave and Mozart. Presumably not live...

Recognition

I have been playing jazz on the iPod through the hifi.

I just recognised a tune from the first note: a cymbal crash. I heard the sound and started singing (well, I call it singing…) the theme as it came in.

From that simple sound, I knew the tune and all its parts – the tempo, mostly – and knew all the rest.

It was of course a tune I knew well, and particularly like: Spiritual, by John Coltrane, from the Afro Blue Impressions album (which you can listen to for free on Last.fm: all of it. If you don’t know it, it is a brilliant album, full of exciting, life-affirming music. Go listen!)

I am pretty good at recognising artists from tunes, and often early on into a tune: a couple of notes in to what is playing now I knew it was Colin Steele – a trumpeter.

But I am still surprised that I recognised Spiritual from the first cymbal beat.

My last partner used to quiz me repeatedly on how I recognised pieces of music. I could never say; it annoyed the hell out of her. How do I know Coltrane when I hear him? How do I know that the saxophonist I’m listening to now is Andy Sheppard? (The really interesting thing is that I have just realised it is Andy Sheppard; but it is not an Andy Sheppard CD, which I had thought it was – it is a Gil Evans’ big band CD.)

Part of it is down to recognising the tune; a lot of it is down to recognising the style - but I don’t know how I recognise a musicians’ style: I know it’s Sheppard, but I can’t say why. Yesterday, shuffle threw up a piano trio piece, and I knew the bassist was Charlie Mingus. But I couldn’t say how I knew. Miles stands out on trumpet.

Part of it is in the music, too. I have little early jazz, so it is either going to be Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington – easy to tell apart. Small group 1940s jazz – either Lester Young (Count Basie) or Ellington again. The main practitioners of bebop are pretty easy to identify, too. Jazzrock? I have only a handful of jazzrock CDs, and they are ok to tell apart.

I suppose I should be good at recognising drummers, anyway. Art Blakey is a dead giveaway – something in the way he did his fills: there is something instantly recognisable about Blakey. Elvin Jones – the drummer most associated with Coltrane – had a unique style, too.

But I am still surprised to identify him off a single cymbal beat.

The human brain is really rather remarkable.

Recognition

I have been playing jazz on the iPod through the hifi.

I just recognised a tune from the first note: a cymbal crash. I heard the sound and started singing (well, I call it singing…) the theme as it came in.

From that simple sound, I knew the tune and all its parts – the tempo, mostly – and knew all the rest.

It was of course a tune I knew well, and particularly like: Spiritual, by John Coltrane, from the Afro Blue Impressions album (which you can listen to for free on Last.fm: all of it. If you don’t know it, it is a brilliant album, full of exciting, life-affirming music. Go listen!)

I am pretty good at recognising artists from tunes, and often early on into a tune: a couple of notes in to what is playing now I knew it was Colin Steele – a trumpeter.

But I am still surprised that I recognised Spiritual from the first cymbal beat.

My last partner used to quiz me repeatedly on how I recognised pieces of music. I could never say; it annoyed the hell out of her. How do I know Coltrane when I hear him? How do I know that the saxophonist I’m listening to now is Andy Sheppard? (The really interesting thing is that I have just realised it is Andy Sheppard; but it is not an Andy Sheppard CD, which I had thought it was – it is a Gil Evans’ big band CD.)

Part of it is down to recognising the tune; a lot of it is down to recognising the style - but I don’t know how I recognise a musicians’ style: I know it’s Sheppard, but I can’t say why. Yesterday, shuffle threw up a piano trio piece, and I knew the bassist was Charlie Mingus. But I couldn’t say how I knew. Miles stands out on trumpet.

Part of it is in the music, too. I have little early jazz, so it is either going to be Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington – easy to tell apart. Small group 1940s jazz – either Lester Young (Count Basie) or Ellington again. The main practitioners of bebop are pretty easy to identify, too. Jazzrock? I have only a handful of jazzrock CDs, and they are ok to tell apart.

I suppose I should be good at recognising drummers, anyway. Art Blakey is a dead giveaway – something in the way he did his fills: there is something instantly recognisable about Blakey. Elvin Jones – the drummer most associated with Coltrane – had a unique style, too.

But I am still surprised to identify him off a single cymbal beat.

The human brain is really rather remarkable.