Random birthday notes: music, miracles, silence
Once again, the “birthday” of this blog passed without fanfare, without me even noticing until it had passed. Anyhow, two years and still going, though hardly “strong”: my frequency of posting seems to have tapered off in the last few months… So, here are a few random notes to stir things up again:
Hats off to Gabriela Montero. I just discovered her — she’s a classical pianist from Venezuela who is doing something “shocking” and “revolutionary” in the staid classical world: improvising. It’s what used to be done a lot more, by folks you may have heard of, like Mozart, Beethoven… Her latest album is Baroque (if it ain’t), and she has this to say about it:
It has taken a few years for people to understand and believe the inexplicable mystery of free improvisation, which is what I do and have always done since a very young child. I would like to make clear that every piece on this record was created on the spot, based on themes that are well known of the Baroque period, and every free improvisation was born without any influence of an external theme.
The CBC wrote a little article about her recently, because this past week she played at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.
To take a 90 degree turn, and speaking of other “gifted” Latinas, yesterday I remembered why people aren’t handing out any hard-hitting news awards to news site 20 minutos. One of their top headlines yesterday was about los pechos milagrosos de Salma Hayek. Assuming she was not quoted out of context (or perhaps joking…please?), apparently in junior high she asked God for larger breasts, so kids would stop teasing her. She dipped her hand in the holy water at church and said: “God, give me breasts.” And then: “He gave them to me!” A few months later she developed a real pechonalidad (this does not translate to English; it’s a wordplay on “breasts” and “personality”). I guess a miracle is a miracle, but it’s really too bad she didn’t ask God for world peace, an end to poverty, or something…useful. (Though evidently those breasts are currently “useful” for her newborn daughter.)
Even bigger news in Spain this week — you know, besides Salma’s miraculous breasts — was the Spanish king’s comment to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, at the Ibero-American summit in Chile: “¿Por qué no te callas?” (”Why don’t you shut up?”) You can now buy this slogan on t-shirts; the internet domain is up for sale on eBay (latest bid: 10,000 Euros); someone invented a popular new tapa by that name (it’s topped with a Spanish flag). In the meeting, it’s obvious Zapatero was trying to stay respectful, even defending his politically-opposite predecessor Aznar, but the king had a shorter fuse, and just couldn’t take Chávez’s comments any more. My question: whatever happened to diplomacy in international politics? (Answer: Screw that! — we can make more money and bigger headlines with confrontation, patriotism and pride.)
Oh yeah, one more thing. I saw the movie “Once” on an airplane last week. Simple, authentic, moving. Yes, it’s a musical, but…I liked it a lot. Go figure. No, there are no “show tunes.” The actors actually composed and sang the songs. Now you can stop “figuring” and just go see it.