Category Archives: music

Something for Thursday

Posted on May 11, 2023 by ksedinger

A few weeks ago I was doing a job at work. (I know, right! I was surprised, too!) It was a long job: repainting the walls of a small bathroom and then re-doing the floor, so I was in this … Continue reading →

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Tone Poem Tuesday (Rachmaninoff at 150)

Posted on May 9, 2023 by ksedinger

I’ve featured this piece before, and it’s not even by Rachmaninoff. So how does it tie in? Because when it was composed for the film Dangerous Moonlight, a World War II potboiler whose protagonist is a talented pianist and composer, it … Continue reading →

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Something for Thursday (May the 4th edition)

Posted on May 4, 2023 by ksedinger

It’s always a delight when Something for Thursday aligns with Star Wars Day! Here are some selections, with the little extra proviso for myself that none of them comes from any of the mainline “Skywalker Saga” films (e.g., nothing from Episodes … Continue reading →

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Tone Poem Tuesday (actually a symphony, but it’s MY blog, and I say it counts)

Posted on May 2, 2023 by ksedinger

So April is over and May is upon us! Sergei Rachmaninoff’s birth month is passed…but we’re not going to be turning away from him in my various online outlets, not at all. Stand by for more Rachmaninoff! But for now, … Continue reading →

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Rachmaninoff at 150: Variations

Posted on April 30, 2023 by ksedinger

We’ve already heard the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, which is one of Rachmaninoff’s enduring later works. By contrast here is another Theme and Variations, this time the Variations on a Theme of Chopin. Rachmaninoff composed this work in 1902, and … Continue reading →

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A song

Posted on April 28, 2023 by ksedinger

I happened on this artist yesterday via social media. I liked this song a great deal, and I plan to explore her music more. Her name is Áine Deane (the first name is apparently pronounced “Onya”), and she is from … Continue reading →

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Something for Thursday: Rachmaninoff at 150

Posted on April 27, 2023 by ksedinger

Two syrupy 1970s love ballads today! The lead artist here is singer-songwriter Eric Carmen, who was a big star in the 70s and has had a good career all along. You generally can’t go wrong with the 1970s, where power … Continue reading →

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Rachmaninoff at 150: The Towering Third

Posted on April 26, 2023 by ksedinger

If you remember the movie Shine, for which Geoffrey Rush won an Oscar, you may remember something of the reputation of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concert No. 3 in D minor. I’m no concert pianist–hell, I’m not a pianist of any kind, so … Continue reading →

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Tone Poem Tuesday: Rachmaninoff at 150, the many lives of “Vocalise”

Posted on April 25, 2023 by ksedinger

There are some pieces of music that take on lives of their own, extending far beyond their origins to become something bigger. Rachmaninoff wrote a song cycle in 1915 called 14 Romances, op. 34. We’ve already noted that Rachmaninoff was … Continue reading →

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Rachmaninoff at 150: Not an easy interview, that Sergei (but who would be, over breakfast?)

Posted on April 21, 2023 by ksedinger

One thing I’ve discovered in reading a lot about Sergei Rachmaninoff over the last few months is that while he led a rich inner life, he didn’t really like to talk much about it. Interviews with him tended to be … Continue reading →

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