One is this exploration of the New York City Subway.

Another is the French word décalage, which is about the most useful musical term I’ve come across in French. Means something like “shift” or “displacement,” along with “not-togetherness.” Heterophony, polyrhythm, imitation, you can pass it all off as décalage.

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I thought I posted this several weeks ago. Still relevant, though I should add Berthillon banana split sundaes to the list…

Last Friday, La Villette showed The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly at their no-longer-free outdoor film festival. There a lot of different ways I could go with this, but for the sake of concision, I’m going to zero in on Morricone. I was excited to see the movie because of its cinematic reputation, of course, but doubly so because of the score. I don’t think I’ve seen many Morricone-scored films - The Mission comes to mind, but that was back in middle school, on VHS - so I was curious to hear, as an adult and a relatively mature musician, how he approaches film scoring.

(I should mention that if you do not want to know what happens in the film, you shouldn’t follow after the break)

I have to say, I found the music altogether weird, which is to say, beyond the famous whistling motive, not altogether appropriate. (more…)

As for national-holiday-with-fireworks hallucinations, Matthew Guerrieri, eat your heart out.

Sitting on the Champs de mars, next to an Afro-Brazilian drumming group when over the PA comes the Barber Violin Concerto. Twice. Louder than you’ve ever heard it before.

Why?

(OK, also, the best speakers I’ll ever hear it on, and there’s some nice bass up in that piece, so why not?)

Plus, this year’s fireworks theme, after a quick nod to 400 years of Quebec? Pavarotti and Callas.

I don’t know what to think.