Why is the Meat Counter Bulletproof?

Go see Hot Fuzz.

Now.

This is, without doubt, one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. To call it a spoof doesn't do the movie justice. It's equal parts comedy and all-out, over-the-top action movie.

3 words: Rooftop fight scene.

That's it. That's all you get.

Why are you still sitting there?

Film Score Friday: Miklós Rózsa Edition

Wednesday April 18 was the 100th anniversary of Miklós Rózsa's birth. He died 10 years ago just a few months after his 90th birthday.

Rózsa was one of the first composers to come to Hollywood that didn't try to emulate the sound of Korngold or Steiner (and central European late Romanticism). He was also one of the few composers of Hollywood's Golden Age to maintain a parallel career as a composer of concert music as well as film music with lots of great stuff including a violin concerto for Jascha Heifetz, a cello concerto for Gregory Piatagorsky and a large-scale symphony that smacks of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra (written about 20 years after Rózsa's Symphony). His autobiography A Double Life is both an entertaining read and a scathing critique of Hollywood during its Golden Age (his story about how he met Stravinsky is particularly entertaining).

Rózsa is interesting also in that had three distinct phases to his film scoring career. The first deals largely with exoticism like The Jungle Book and The Thief of Baghdad. The second phase deals largely with psychological dramas like Hitchcock's Spellbound, Billy Wilder's The Lost Weekend. The third phase deals largely with historical epics. This began when he signed with MGM and was given one of the best contracts a composer had received since Korngold worked for Jack Warner. It was in this part of his career that he got to dive in to musicological research that he loved so much (his Ph.D. was in musicology from the Leipzig Conservatory). This period includes films like Quo Vadis, Ben Hur, King of Kings (Rózsa is the only composer to ever be required in the course of his assignments to score the crucifixion 3 times!), Knights of the Round Table, El Cid, Beau Brummell and Sodom and Gomorrah.

Today's playlist is to be drawn mostly from the historical epic category...mostly.

Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ

El Cid

Knights of the Round Table (good score, baaaad film)

Julius Caesar

Ivanhoe

The Epic Film Music of Miklós Rózsa

Spellbound: The Classic Film Scores of Miklós Rózsa

King of Kings

Time After Time (Nicholas Meyer's first version of Star Trek IV)

Yeah. I'm a big Rózsa fan.

Don't Let It Sneak Up On You!

It's spring and it's getting warmer. The ground is beginning to thaw. The smell of rain, freshly grown grass and fresh herbs is in the air.

You know what else it means, right?

BASEBALL SEASON!!!

My Cardinals will be kicking off the season against the New York Metropolitans on ESPN Sunday night. Don't think for a moment I'll be doing anything else that night!

It's just a pity that there's no professional baseball team here in Kansas City.

Rejected!

A while back the composers organisation to which I belong announced a collaboration with a regional orchestra in Iowa and held a call for scores.

Naturally I submitted the only orchestral concert work I'd finished to that point, my master's thesis composition, a ten-minute work entitled Dream Meditations (several of you are already familiar with this work; dammit! I need to get a myspace music page going). Dream Meditations has its weaknesses but I think it also has its strong moments. It's definitely programmatic and has a dark cinematic bent to it (would you really expect much else from me?). I also think it happens to be nicely constructed in a lot of ways and musically doesn't really betray any direct influences (though they're certainly there. I'd be a liar not to admit that).

So the submission deadline was a while ago and I've finally heard back. As you've probably guessed...rejected!

Am I surprised? Not really. I more-or-less expected that this would happen. Why? I don't know. Myriad reasons, I suppose. The piece is too conservative (though I don't think so). The piece isn't conservative enough. It's too short. It's just not good enough. These are all reasons I can handle.

What would really piss me off, though, is if my piece was rejected based on my age or my scant 1-year tenure within the organisation.

Those that were selected are largely older than me.

Through some cunning detective work I was able to find excerpts of recordings of a couple of the works. One has been professionally recorded. On that alone I think it should be disallowed. Good on that composer for getting his work recorded recorded. I think, though, that because of the relative small size of our group, that there should have been a stipulation in the rules that you just couldn't do that. It automatically unlevels the playing field. My second issue with the piece is that it sounds like warmed-over Shostakovich and Copland mixed together. There's nothing wrong with those composers but why continue to reinvent the wheel?

The other piece (out of 7) that I was able to find was a work for soprano and orchestra. It was like Ives without the brilliance or the ballsiness (thanks to the Bard for the description) therefore was more annoying than anything. Both the soprano soloist on the recording and the text setting were just plain bad and the orchestration was really uneven.

So if these two pieces are indicative of the remaining 5 pieces from which to select the concert program I'm going to be quite disappointed. It's one thing not to be selected because of superior work, but it's another thing altogether if other things are coming into play.

Aural Potpourri

Nothing to report. Except an early-life artistic crisis. I'm working it out. Details to follow.

Meantime here's today's listening list:

Erik Bergman - Concertino da camera; Triumf att finnas till; Lament and Incantation; Silence and Eruptions - Almaviva Ensemble, Ulf Söderblum, cond.

Esa-Pekka Salonen - Piano concerto - Yefim Bronfman, NY Philharmonic, composer cond.

Evan Ziporyn - Frog's Eye - Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Gil Rose, cond; This Is Not A Clarinet - Evan Ziporyn, clarinet(s)

Steve Martland - Horses of Instruction - The Steve Martland Band

Messiaen - Turangalila Symphony - Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille, Myun-Wung Chung, cond.

Ligeti - Violin, cello and piano concertos - Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez, cond.

Goin' International

So I found out that recently that a short I scored in May of 2005, The Importance of Blind Dating (which I've discussed before), was screened for a Valentine's Day Film Night at London's Carnsforth Station.

Does this mean I get to say my music has been heard internationally?

Or is that in poor taste? I mean, it's not like it's a big-budget international film or anything.

78 Years Ago Today

Jerry Goldsmith was born in L.A.

There's an article in Newsweek about Ennio Morricone (since he's being given this year's lifetime achievement award at the Oscars) which refers to him as maybe the greatest film composer ever. For my money, after Herrmann, it was Jerry. He may not have created instantly recognisable scores for certain iconic Spaghetti Westerns, but he did score a lot of iconic films, many of which have withstood the test of time pretty well (Charlton Heston's bellowing aside!).

Memorandum

I have come to a conclusion.

Like it or not, love it or hate it, the single most influential piece of popular music written in the past 5 years is (drumroll please!)

Pirates of the Caribbean.

Now I know you're thinking, "Herr, that can't possibly be true, can it?"

Yes, Bambi, it's true.

I've done a painstaking amount of passive research on the subject. Watch any broadcast sporting event, sports show, reality tv or anything else that requires energetic music and you'll discover it's being ripped off; most of the time not so lovingly.

For the record I like the Pirates of the Caribbean films and their music.

Yo-Yo Ma(nia) Film Score Friday

Yo-Yo Ma is in town this weekend for what is probably the biggest series of concerts we've ever done.

To that end I offer the following hodge-podge for Film Score Friday:

Hero - Tan Dun
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Tan Dun
Memoirs of a Geisha - John Williams
Yo-Yo Ma Play Ennio Morricone
Fire, Water, Paper: A Vietnam Oratorio - Elliot Goldenthal
Concerto for Cello - John Williams
Silk Road Journeys - Silk Road Ensemble
The Protecting Veil - John Tavener (who is an honorary member of the category as he wrote some original music for Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men)

Contemplation Music for Sad Days

Choir Concerto - Alfred Schnittke
Coptic Light - Morton Feldman
You Are (Variations) - Steve Reich
Requiem - Herbert Howells

By the way...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, Festivus, Chanukkah, New Year, Kwanzaa...whatever.

I would also like to contribute the following:

We made it. It was tough and not a little grueling but it's over. It's like the elephant in the room and nobody seems prepared to discuss it. You know what I'm talking about.

The Mozart Anniversary Year

Congratulations, everybody. I think we managed to go the entire year in the call center listening to virtually none of Wolfgang's works. I understand that the concert season isn't over yet so there's still some to endure, but the technicality is the thing and the year is officially done.

And since the demise of our "Mozart Anniversary Year Countdown" clock you will (hopefully) notice that it has been replaced with a new clock that is simultaneously depressing and hopeful.

Happy New Year!

Wintry Mix

It's the last day of work before our little holiday break.

Christmas Cocktails - Various Columbia Artists
Christmas Carols and Hymns - Robert Shaw Chamber Singers
When My Heart Finds Christmas - Harry Connick, Jr.
Une Cantate de Noel - Arthur Honegger
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Good. Music.

To get through a quiet day at the office:

Steve Reich: Drumming, Tehillim
Harrison Birtwistle: Earth Dances
Sibelius: Symphony no. 6
Wayne Siegel: Devil's Golf Course
Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra
Joonas Kokkonen: Requiem
Rautavaara: Book of Visions

Happy Thanksgiving

And happy birthday!

In Memorium

Jerry Fischer was a friend of mine in grad school. He had just begun composition studies in my second year at Truman State. Jerry was a non-trad. He had made his living in software sales of a system that he had devised that took him all over the world. He was an organ player who rarely missed mass. Most of all he was a family man who cared deeply for his wife, children and elderly mother. He had decided, though, that it was time to return to school and study composition. So he drove to Kirksville, Missouri from Quincy, Illinois every Friday for his lessons and the composers master class. He was quiet, thoughtful, kind and always thoroughly engaged. I didn't really get to know Jerry as well as I would have liked. But the person I was able to get to know was an extraordinarily good human being.

On this date three years ago Jerry was gunned down in his driveway by his business partner over a business disagreement. Later that school year we programmed on one of our composers concerts the only piece he completed as a student; a breezy set for flute and piano written about his three cats. It was an extremely emotional day as his family was there, too. And one I'll never forget.

Once again, you're remembered Jerry.

I Can't Handel It Anymore

It's Saturday afternoon and I'm at work.

Selling Messiah tickets.

The Community of Christ Church (formerly RLDS) sponsored an annual performance of the Messiah that dates back 90 years. After the performance 2 years ago the church announced they were letting it go after the 2005 performance. Well in swoops our E.D. (read about him here and/or here) and "saves the day" by taking over the performance. Great. Now we get to sell 2 performances of the Messiah. As if o1 isn't bad enough.

I first heard Messiah complete when I was a junior in high school.
I heard it again 2 years ago. The only reason I went was because Jaques was performing the alto solo (not too shabby; actually he was pretty awesome!).

That makes it 10 years between performances. I guess that's okay.

I think perhaps we should use Messiah as a yardstick of good taste. If you ask a person if they like Messiah you can probably deduce that they have little in the way of good taste.

Perhaps we should use Sir Thomas Beecham's orchestration next year!

It's Sir William Herschel's Birthday...

...He discovered Uranus (1738).

A Sad Film Score Friday

Basil Poledouris died two days ago of cancer. This week's Film Score Friday will honor his memory with the following:

Big Wednesday
Conan the Barbarian
Flesh and Blood
Robocop
The Hunt for Red October
Lonesome Dove
Quigley Down Under
Starship Troopers
Les Miserables

Reich at 70

On October 25th the Warrior Bard and I made the trek (in the rain) to St. Louis for the symphony which, in conjunction with Synergy Vocals, gave a concert celebrating Steve Reich's 70th birthday.

The concert was, for the most part, great. I'm not going to nitpick too much simply because I don't get to hear this kind of programming closer to home that often. It never struck me until the downbeat of the concert just how difficult Reich's music is to actually perform. I take it for granted because the recordings are all pristine and flawless yet still magical. Anyway, you could tell David Robertson and the performers were without a doubt committed to the performance even if it wasn't perfect.

The Program:

Proverb
City Life
New York Counterpoint
You Are (Variations)

I could go on and on about how great most of this music is, but that would be redundant.

It was a great show.

Thank God That's Over

Die Frau and I sing in the Saint Joseph Community Chorus.

"But Herr Vogler, you and die Frau live in KC. Why do you drive an hour every week for this chorus? Surely there must be one closer," you ask. True. We first started dating as members of this chorus so we have kind of a sentimental connection to it. Additionally it's directed by the choir director from our undergraduate college for whom we both have a great deal of respect.

A week ago Sunday (10/29) we had a concert. It was one of those pull out all the stops concerts where we had an organ (the concert was in a church with a really nice organ; actually it was the church at which I was paid to sing for 4 of my 6 undergraduate years) and an orchestra. Luckily there were no dancers.

Now a little background. Early this summer an anonymous donor gave a large sum of money to the chorus to present this concert. So somewhere along the line someone heard a new cantata by Mark Hayes and said, "HEY! I'VE GOT A GREAT IDEA! LET'S PERFORM THIS!". But wait, there's more. They also decided that we should do more-or-less an entire concert dedicated to his...uh...music. And "HEY! WE CAN HAVE HIM COME UP HERE AND PLAY PIANO, TOO!!! THAT'LL BE GREAT!!!"

For those of you that don't know who Mark Hayes is, consider yourselves lucky. His music is supposed to be liturgical but is in reality awful schlock that tries to be spiritually deep where really it's just trite and pedantic (and annoying to those of us that feel it's merely superficial and pandering). We performed several of his anthems and a new cantata, a Te Deum (or tedium if you prefer). Basically it was enough to make my head feel like a tomato in a microwave. To make matters worse, all I heard during the Te Deum was warmed-over John Rutter and even a snippet of "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera. There's nothing spiritual about it. It is merely self-serving and says, "Listen to how pretty I am". There's no glorification of the Creator of the Universe anywhere in this music, just glorification in the creator of the music. All things being equal I'd rather have performed some Rutter.

Anyway, I feel very strongly about the programming and there just doesn't seem to be enough new or interesting music being presented. For example, we also performed Randall Thompson's Frostiana set for chorus with piano, orchestra or band this past weekend. It's a nice series of Robert Frost settings (a couple of them are completely uninteresting, but others are good), but I've performed with this group six out of the last eight years and this was the third time(!) we'd performed it (though only the first time with orchestra).

Anyway, for more than just artistic reasons die Frau and I feel as though our time with this group has run its course. We just don't have the time or the resources (not only are we expending fuel, we have to pay dues, too!) to devote to it anymore. In a way it's sad, but we all have to move on sometime and this seems to be the time. So after Carmina Burana in the spring that'll be it.