Category Archives: Music
Western civilization
An interesting article appeared in the Melbourne Age recently – a review of ‘Civilization – The West and the Rest (Now a major TV series)’, by Niall Ferguson (Best selling author of The Ascent of Money). The review was by … Continue reading
First Blog post for 2011: What’s so good about Umi?
Recently two forwards of young children doing extraordinary things landed in my inbox. One was of a little boy waving his arms in tempo to a recording of a Beethoven Symphony, and for all those who are not entirely sure … Continue reading
What could this exciting piece be?
When I was about 14 I heard the most amazingly passionate and exciting piece of piano music on the little transistor radio I carried to my ear, while waiting for a bus outside the two apartment blocks entitled ‘Marlo’ and ‘Oberon’. … Continue reading
In the Fingers
My young friend in Canada, Alexander Lang, writes to me that he is starting to work on Bach’s Italian Concerto. His repertoire up to now, “but not warmed up” (sounds like eggs for breakfast; in my terminology, it’s “in the fingers”) … Continue reading
How does the brain work?
It’s not a mystery, as is often said, but it’s very complicated. And it’s physical as well as mental. The two are totally intertwined and can’t be separated. Just saw http://www.wimp.com/bigmind/ Truly weird video. I don’t think you can expect this … Continue reading
We have a book
I had a wonderful friend, a great lady who grew up in Edwardian England. She loved to recall anecdotes from her childhood, many of which went into the folkore of her family, and turned up over the following eighty years as … Continue reading
On Richter
It’s funny how the impressions we receive when we are young are so indelible. They make everything that comes in life later one seem lacklustre and one long anti-climax. We desperately try to recreate the excitement of discovery and revelation … Continue reading