I can remember as child being swept up by the music from the Nutcracker thanks to Fantasia. Then as I got older being swept up by his piano concertos, the ballets, the symphonies, the horrid Ken Russell bio-film.
dance of the dishes
This man wrote grand, compelling, emotionally raw yet soothing music – sentimental romanticism at its sweetest & stickiest but never lapsing into kitch (at least not to me). How did he do it?
I have nearly all of it – the piano sonatas, the symphonies, the ballets, the string quartets, the opera – the man was prodigious but there are many who wrote even more.
dead grass rondo
I didn’t know he was queer though – that info is rarely mentioned in the liner notes. For classical composers you’d get things like ‘wrote in memory his deceased wife,’ never ‘wrote after his lover Dimiter died of consumption.’
cadenza credenza
I’ve read biographies that are somewhat informative as to dates, places etc but they’re never satisfying. The Music Lovers film bio is an unwatchable mess. I tried watching it recently & gave up after twenty minutes. But his music is astonishing – patriotic, romantic and always a delight.
Chain chain chain
Brad wondered if the rain would stop. The fence still needing repairs and he couldn’t keep putting that off. He managed the first gate post and had stopped to greet the mailman. He hadn’t seen a real stamp on a letter in years; four $2.00 green special delivery stamps in fact. Was a time when he collected things like that – a garden of little memories.
‘Red would be a good color.’
‘I’m game once this rain stops.’ Brad answered. ‘Anything interesting on television?’ Anything to kill time.
‘Ken Russell’s The Boyfriend at 3.’ Sue handed him the TV Guide. ‘Why does rain always kill good TV? As if there was some danger in us actually enjoying this chance to relax. It’s like a dance that never ends. I enjoy it but … by the way Carol called.’
‘Oh oh. Time for her seasonal visit I suppose.’ Carol was his sister-in-law. Her visits were only more stress to his already troubled marriage.
‘She still married to that French guy?’
‘Yeah. The climate in Montreal must suit her.’
‘Then why doesn’t she stay put. There isn’t a beach within miles of here.’ The last time he’d seen Carol she’d made a sunset pass at him. What a mess that turned out to be. She’d deliberately tipped over her carry-all so Brad would help her. He thought her ankle was broken the way she carried on. ‘Is she bringing one suitcase or three. The fewer the shorted the stay.’
‘After the last visit I’m surprised she’d set foot in our house.’ Sue glared at him as she unwrapped another candy and crunched hard on it. ‘Not that my home isn’t her’s but my husband isn’t. How did she ever get the idea you were interested in her?’
‘Who knows?’ Brad pulled on his jacket. He wanted to go to the store to get out of the house. ‘Maybe the way I did the lambada?’
‘Oh that’s nice. Mister innocent here. I suppose your pants dropped in shock?’ She opened her mouth to crunch down on another candy.
‘You know I’m not that sort of person.’
‘And my sister is? We treat her like a queen and this is what she does to me. To us. She spent an hour in the rest-room crying when I confronted her. Until she apologizes she’s not coming here.’
Bran could still smell the violet perfume Carol was wearing that night. ‘Now that’s not the way to talk.’ He didn’t want to seem to be for or against a visit. ‘Only yesterday you were wondering how she was doing.’
‘Right. My words were I wonder how that over zealous bitch is doing. She has the morals of an alley cat. And so do you.’
He got his keys from a bracket by the back door. ‘Rain seems to letting up. I’ll get you some more candy.’
This piece was written from an exercise know as the chain, in which you use a set of random words that have to be fit into the story as you write. I have no recollection of where the list I used came from but here it is: fence post mail stamp green time garden red game television boyfriend danger dance Carol seasonal stress French climate beach sunset carry-all broken suitcase foot candy home idea jacket lambada nice open person queen rest-room until violet way yesterday zealous alley bracket
Last year’s queer music blogs:
June 2 Billy Strayhorn http://wp.me/p1RtxU-L0
June 9 ‘Hangin’ On The Telephone’
http://wp.me/p1RtxU-Ll
June 16 Tea Room Tramps
http://wp.me/p1RtxU-Mg
June 23 Ned Rorem
http://wp.me/p1RtxU-Mx
September 3-6 – attending – Fan Expo
( I’ve registered already 🙂 )
http://fanexpocanada.com
October 18, Sunday – feature: Cabaret Noir: Inner Child Sacrifice
November 1 – 30 Participating NaNoWriMo
http://nanowrimo.org/
Like my pictures? I post lots on Tumblr
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/topoet
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