(no subject)
I went to a concert last Saturday: The Komische Oper here in Berlin staged Shostakovich's "Lady Macbeth," and the music was FANTASTIC! I'm so glad I got to see it, though I do have to say that some of the staging choices (including these Britney-Spears-backup-dancer-esque triumvirate that would appear when Katarina was thinking about the death of her father-in-law and her husband-to-be... It almost ruined the beautiful ending for me because they were wearing these pink-striped black shirts and pink kneepads, and it just didn't fit at ALL with the mood of that last act, or with anything, really.)
In any case, Berlin is a great city, though I'm beginning to miss Seattle and English-speaking people walking around in the streets! It's especially strange to be here and for the most part not know what anyone is saying to you.
I've already written two songs using William Carlos Williams poems, and they turned out to both be short (combined ~ 2:30"). Now I'm working on some bagatelles, which are what I'd be working on @ Juilliard with Dr. Adler had I not come to study with him this summer. THe instrumentation is not so fun: flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, percussion and string trio. Fortunately, he's letting me have different combinations for each bagatelle... Otherwise, I don't know how I'd get them all to "work" and sound fine.
That sums it all up... I think. Next time I'll tell you about the annoying kids here. :)
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(Oh, and I feel like I'm going to die:
• my head hurts (as in explosive throbbing).
• my ears hurt.
• my throat is sort-of swollen, or constricted, or something.
• my joints hurt.
• I'm dizzy when I walk around.
• etc.
And I have been drinking water, but that apparently is not the problem.
In any case, Berlin is a great city, though I'm beginning to miss Seattle and English-speaking people walking around in the streets! It's especially strange to be here and for the most part not know what anyone is saying to you.
I've already written two songs using William Carlos Williams poems, and they turned out to both be short (combined ~ 2:30"). Now I'm working on some bagatelles, which are what I'd be working on @ Juilliard with Dr. Adler had I not come to study with him this summer. THe instrumentation is not so fun: flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, percussion and string trio. Fortunately, he's letting me have different combinations for each bagatelle... Otherwise, I don't know how I'd get them all to "work" and sound fine.
That sums it all up... I think. Next time I'll tell you about the annoying kids here. :)
----------
(Oh, and I feel like I'm going to die:
• my head hurts (as in explosive throbbing).
• my ears hurt.
• my throat is sort-of swollen, or constricted, or something.
• my joints hurt.
• I'm dizzy when I walk around.
• etc.
And I have been drinking water, but that apparently is not the problem.