Oh look – it’s HRH and Autumn’s next Hallowe’en costumes:
“Are you kidding?” said t!, who brought over the soundtrack today (and who called it “Rick and Evy go to Sleepy Hollow”). “You guys dress like that every day. Where’s the fun in that?”
(Hey, wow – it’s rated PG-13 for “non-stop creature action violence and frightening images, and for sensuality.” How’s that for a night out?)
Lord of the Rings CD Specials
Howard Shore, the composer for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has announced that the soundtrack from the films will be released on a nine-CD set. The first eight will include the soundtrack from the films with the ninth CD containing previously unreleased music.
That means approximately two and a third CDs of music per film. Just think of all that delicious music we heard in the theatre that wasn’t on the albums, and of the new music scored for the extended release DVD sets! And an extra CD of music that didn’t end up being used, too? Oh, it’s too much happiness…
Howard Shore was interviewed back in 2001 and mentioned that the album releases were condensed from the longer musical cues in the films. Those of us who listen to music closely in films know this. To be able to hear the entire musical story from start to finish, with all its developments and revisitations of motifs and themes, is going to be an incredible gift.
(via the SF Site News. Anyone have a release date?)
UPDATE: Here’s the original exclusive interview Shore did with Empire. A snip: �The plan is that we would feature all of the music in the theatrical cuts of the films,” said Shore, talking exclusively to Empire. “Currently, two discs for [the first], three each for [the second and third films] and a ninth disc of rarities with host of rare, unreleased music from the films with commentary from me.� Looks like there’s also to be a two-disc release of the symphonic version of the LOTR music Shore’s been touring about the globe. As for a release date, all we know is “next year.”
I woke up with every intention of having a wonderful day, and bit by bit it trickled away from me. My cold got worse, I had to deal with a frustrating phone call which involved an elderly gentleman assuming I had taken over a project I’d never been asked to handle, and I only got 1K done on the book when I thought I’d done at least 2K. That last was really the kicker. There are times when I think that what I know wouldn’t fill up even 30K of this book, which is inversely proportional to how I feel when I’m teaching this subject in a live workshop.
I also missed last night’s improv workshop t! whipped up for actor friends because my voice kept cutting out and I couldn’t stop coughing, which annoyed me because I don’t get the chance to do theatre any more. HRH persuaded me to go out for a nice long walk after dinner and took me to the Dairy Queen for ice cream, which was just fine by me. We bought more cold medication on the way home too.
Last night’s dreams were an odd blend of orchestra rehearsing in church basements (courtesy of theatre-associated thoughts, most likely); large sedate toy/department stores which sold beautiful aquariums near large displays of Harry Potter books; Virginia Woolf memorabilia which transported me to being VW as a child when I held it or put it on; fish chained in the aquariums so they couldn’t get out; grocery shopping during the break at orchestra, and not being able to get back in time because I was driving in the sun on the West Island and the car clock was wrong. My dreams have been quite vivid lately. What they mean is anyone’s guess. What on earth do second violins trying to sit with the cellos have to do with VW, or me showing my dad the chained fish crawling out of the aquariums?
Well, well; the radio news is reporting that according to StatsCan, if you make it to your fifth year of marriage, you’re more likely to stick it out in the long run. I take it that the statistics indicate most contemporary marriages dissolve in the first four years. Evidently HRH and I have about four months to save ourselves from a lifetime of loving companionship and intelligent conversation.
Now that our bills are paid and we have groceries, I intend to pick up the new Diana Krall album on my way into the store today. I am determined to be in a good mood, or at least in a better mood than yesterday. I think I’ll pick up the VW biography I put down a few months ago too.
I’m better today, thanks to my selfless husband leaving during Smallville last night to pick up DayQuil/NyQuil for me.
Since I didn’t get out yesterday, I made sure I went out this morning. It felt so good to be outside in warm weather instead of grey overcast damp world in which I usually end up travelling. I went downtown to deposit a cheque and pay the next three months on the post box I rent with a friend. At the bank I discovered that my money has apparently thawed, since I was able to transfer a chunk to my other account and then access it via debit. Huzzah! Bills to pay! Costume elements to pick up! Groceries to buy!
Tonight Skippy‘s coming over to do the final modem switch between my current computer and my brand-new-used-to-be-Scott‘s computer. So if all goes well, tomorrow I’ll be using a new system. (It’s never that easy; I know this well. Let me be optimistic, okay?)
During today’s writing jam, t! and I listened to various 80s rock and 70s punk albums. No one will ever believe that the first half of Chapter 7 was written to “Holiday in Cambodia” — either of the versions we heard. (1.5K today. Not great, but not bad.)
I mentioned to t! today that I feel like a traitor spelling words like “color” and “emphasize” a la American in this text, as opposed to good solid UK/Canadian spelling. He assured me that I was traitorous. Such love and support.
And I’ve somehow missed this Memphis Slim song up till now, but thanks to the new Susie Ariloli album it’s firmly entrenched in my brain:
MOTHER EARTH
(words and music by Memphis Slim)
You may play the race horses
You may own the whole race track
You may have all the money to buy anything you lack
I don’t care how big you are
I don’t care what you think you’re worth
When it all comes down we got to go back to mother earth
You may own half the city wear diamonds and pearls
You may have a jet plane and fly it all around the world
I don’t care how big you are
I don’t care what you think you’re worth
When it all comes down we got to go back to mother earth
You may have a great army at your command
You may have some politician eating out of your hand
You may have some servant who’ll do anything you say
But mother earth is waiting, it’s a debt you gotta pay
I don’t care how big you are
I don’t care what you think you’re worth
When it all comes down we got to go back to mother earth
Doing heavy magic on an empty stomach is a bad idea.
However, doing heavy magic to the Matrix: Revolutions soundtrack is a good idea.
So is making scones aftwerwards. Nice and grounding — both the making and the eating. Mmmm.
NAGANO TO LEAD MONTREAL SYMPHONY — Kent Nagano will succeed Charles Dutoit at the orchestra
American conductor Kent Nagano has been named the next music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
The announcement of Nagano’s appointment ends a nearly two-year search that began with the controversial resignation of his successor, Charles Dutoit. Nagano made a splash with the orchestra during guest appearances last season.
Nagano will step down from his post at Berlin’s Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, where he has become a popular part of the city’s musical establishment. He is also music director of the Los Angeles Opera and will take over from Zubin Mehta as music director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich in 2006.
The OSM has been without a conductor for a couple of years now, and Nagano won’t be taking over until 2006. For the National Post article, click here.
I just lost a longish decent post and I’m in no mood to recreate it. So, the salient points:
We’re playing a bunch of neat stuff. One symphony, many shorter pieces. Most actual chamber pieces, some with vocal accompaniment from a Hudson music group. Good rehearsal, everyone bright and bushy-tailed.
There. It hardly conveys how terrific an evening it was.