Rach On!
With the Monster…
Sergei Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Opus 30. Vladimir Horowitz, Piano; Zubin Mehta, Conductor.
New York Philharmonic; September 24, 1978; Avery Fisher Hall.
As any regular reader might have observed, the Cowboy is a bit of a sentimental sap. So it should come as no surprise that one of his longtime favorites is the Monster. Yes, it’s all show and flash and raw sentimentality, but what’s wrong with that?
Examination: Current Events
Please review the material for each question, then fill in the blank.
1.
The student demonstrators in Tehran are protesting at the embassy of, and shouting death to, ____________.
A) the United States
B) Russia
Going Green
How many people does it take to create a trend? A revolution?
This one made the rounds a while back, but it is interesting to think about it in the context of events in Iran over the last several months.
Fathers And Sons
The Cowboy found himself thinking about Eva Evdokimova the other day. She died earlier this year at the relatively tender age of 60. She is undoubtedly still dancing in the heavens.
Autumn Rain
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897); Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in E Minor, Opus 38: Allegro non troppo.
Gregor Piatigorsky, Cello; Arthur Rubinstein, Piano. 1936
Autumn
Thou comest, Autumn, heralded by the rain,
With banners, by great gales incessant fanned,
Brighter than brightest silks of Samarcand,
And stately oxen harnessed to thy wain!
Thou standest, like imperial Charlemagne,
Upon thy bridge of gold; thy royal hand
Outstretched with benedictions o’er the land,
Blessing the farms through all thy vast domain!
Thy shield is the red harvest moon, suspended
So long beneath the heaven’s o’er-hanging eaves;
Thy steps are by the farmer’s prayers attended;
Like flames upon an altar shine the sheaves;
And, following thee, in thy ovation splendid,
Thine almoner, the wind, scatters the golden leaves!
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1845
