[Erik, dapper and proper as a gentleman in his top hat and evening coat, appears, masked. But his voice is fairly ebullient ( Read more... )

[Back to audio. Erik's voice is soft, contemplative, almost as though he is speaking to himself.]

Such a little thing you all take for granted. For it is the little things which, when denied, are most noticed. None of you miss being geniuses, or suffer for your artistic failings. If you had never seen Paris, the Taj Mahal, heard Don Giovanni, you ( Read more... )

[The video is of a young man, dressed in some combination of Western and Middle Eastern wear, with a black mask covering his features. He might be in his late teens, he might be thirty--it is difficult to tell. What is immediately noticeable is that, unlike the Erik seen until now, he is... seen. In full view, and apparently comfortable with that ( Read more... )

Will someone kindly tell me why if my entire life story is considered popular entertainment, it must be so... popular? By which I mean the deplorable quality of this "musical" I have heard tell of. The man would not get a job notating scores, where I am from. And while opera is rarely notable for great poetry, lines like "it's over now, the music ( Read more... )

[The feed is simply audio, no frills, no announcement, just an experiment by a very gifted and quite vain performer and composer. It is merely his first foray in this new medium, on solo violin.

Erik launches into Saint-Saëns' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, sans orchestra (though his timing is perfect). He emphasizes the virtuosity of the ( Read more... )

[Erik has not figured out how to type yet, nor does he know what video even is. He can, however, switch on the device. It shows little; deep shadows--or are those black drapes?--surround an off-kilter image of a black coffin. Absurdly, there is an antique Louis-Philippe sofa in red next to the coffin. A voice issues from the right, unseen. It is ( Read more... )