My son just turned 17, actually!He had turned 15 about a month before the Lincoln Center trip. They do all sorts of things, some classical, some black spirituals and various folktunes, sometimes jazz or pop standards (for example, "Lullaby of Birdland"). They have even begun to do a few early rock era pieces. At the last concert, they did a couple of pieces from the Pirates of Penzance.
I am afraid I have to be parsimonious with my time in Washington (one of the reasons I want to move closer after my son graduates high school), and therefore have not seen the Washington Chorus. "Carmina Burana" is, indeed, a difficult work, but should be manageable by any professional group, and most semi- pros.
I am glad to hear you have been exploring. If one has a strong visual sense, it hard not to conclude that, by and large, modern works are better designed and more inventive than many old master works. There are obvious high points, for example, Flemish painting of the 15th and 16th centuries; 17th century Dutch painting; Renaissance Italian painting; late Renaissance Spanish painting; and some others. But frequently the older sensibility is nauseatingly aristocratic, in a decadent, rococco sense, and the conventionality is stultifying.
I am an Ed Harris fan, and a Pollock fan, and therefore your inference is natural. Unfortunately, since I could not have seen the film in Annapolis, and would have had to have been on top of it when it came to Washington, I missed it. I have been busy or exhausted too many weekends this year. I am glad you reminded me, though. I will see if I can turn up a copy and give you a review.
I have been trying to catch up on sleep this weekend, which is why the timing of this post is a little off. I have been sleeping of and on during the day, got up to get some medicine for my sinuses, and looked into my messages while waiting for the medicine to kick in.
Anyway, take care, and don't be a complete stranger...... |
