#pizzacato

[35mmstoryteller]

If you have watched a video or two of Zach Gallardo, you’d probably heard him mention Reynolds tubing. I wanted to see for myself what the hype is about, so I went and got the U1 Unbreakable frame from Pizz. Between its classic lugged fork and tracklocross geometry, I figured I’d go for a neo-retro look. I looked for Mash steel builds online for inspiration. The idea was to have a black centerpiece and silver appendices. Silver seat post and handlebar with black stem and grips to add contrast.

Triple silver circles, say that 10 times fast, is in effect at the drivetrain. Silver hubs, black cog, silver chainring, black cranks linked together by the ever-reliable Izumi Jet black, staying true to the black/silver motif. While a Sugino crank arm would have been the popular choice, the Sram Omnium with Wellgo pedal cleats puts the “neo” in this neo-retro styling.

Steel frames are already comfortable but as a daily driver I wanted more. The frame can fit up to 45c tires, but I went and got 32s to balance comfort and speed. Donnelly and Brooks C17 Specials do a remarkable job in soaking up bumps and the matching colors are just cherry on top.

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more away.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Photos by Eds Rivera @wherethecityfades

Full specs:

Frameset: Pizz U1 Unbreakable sz50 Rims: H Plus Son AT 700c

Hubs: Novatec Drillium

Spokes: Pillar

Tires: Donnelly 32c

Chain: Izumi Jet Black

Cog: Dia Compe 17T

Lockring: Unbranded

Cranks/BB: Sram Omnium 165mm/GXP

Chainring: Sugino Zen NJS 46T (unbranded silver bolts)

Pedals: Wellgo spd cleats Saddle: Brooks C17 Special Seatpost: Unbranded

to add, but when there is nothing left to take

Stem: The Project CNC 100mm Bars: Nitto Shred (cut)

Grips: Ardently waffle Headset: FSA

Clamp: Pizz

[aaaaaagentslim]

albums

[samthecookielord]

oh hey i totally kept forgetting to post this. my ewow submissions! i died badly at 1,432nd place but thats ok thats pretty good all things considered

0A: What did Ten say when he was upgraded to Eleven?

-Truly Experiencing Newness, Transcending Over, Every Lucky Entry Variably Exists Newer

1B: Six years ago, we feasted on Tide Pods. Which pods are we feasting on now?

-Oh dear, an extrapodlation question? I better feast on study notes! (i lost a life here)

Scrapped ideas: -Hopefully something more safe and edible, to boost pod-sitively healthy lives! -Oh dear, a math question? I wasn’t prepod for a test!

2B: Our first EWOW friends will be eliminated this round. What does the EWOW afterlife look like?

-Hopefully somewhere nice and cozy, free from this eleven word limit!

3B: In eleven words or fewer, respond to the prompt: Choose a word. (example: "DARKNESS"). Then, write an acronym describing the opposite of that word! (example: "Daylight Approaches. Radiation Kindles Nearly Everywhere, Soaking Sunlight")

-(ELIMINATION) Extremely Lucky! I Miraculously Inch Near, Attaining Trophies! Incredible… Obviously Nice!

4B: "You are sent back to the year 5,555 BC. Convince the people there that you're a god."

-In exactly 7579 years, I will speak eleven words of wisdom! (lost another life here!)

Scrapped ideas: -I know exactly what will occur… 7579 years from now! -I know of events that will transpire… in exactly 7579 years!

5B: “Give a false reason for a true fact.”

-Cary told us to answer with facts, preparing for trivia night!

Scrapped ideas: -Cary told us to answer with facts, preparing for trivia night. -Cary wants our factoid answers in preparation for winning trivia night!

6B: “In a world of sentient objects, one object is running for president! Give an example of an object and what its campaign slogan would be.”

-With free pizzacato for everyone, orchestrating harmony is this Piano’s forte!

Scrapped ideas: -Mezzo (met so) many people? -With a nobilmente leadership, -My leadership won’t fall flat, orchestrating harmony is this Piano’s forte!

8A: “Technology has turned against humanity! How do you defend yourself against our digital and mechanical overlords-to-be?” You CANNOT use the letters I, L, and O in either uppercase or lowercase, and you CANNOT use the numbers 0 and 1.

-We can truce and attack the true enemy: keypad budget cuts! (and this is where i died 😔😔my desperate reference pandering did not save me loll)

Scrapped ideas: -Make a fake mech. The spy sneaks, and attacks! Return, nature! -We can create a truce! The best defense, shed unnecessary attack! -We can create a truce against the true enemy – capitalism 💀

[petalpetal]

Music ^^

桜 by KUBOKURO

水の誘惑 by Gontiti

Dog Fight by Shonen Knife

プレイボーイ・プレイガール by Pizzacato Five

Girlfriend by Fullkawa Honpo (probably my favorite song by them)

[theloniousbach]

TRADITIONAL MUSIC OF NORWAY AND SWEDEN: ANDREA HOAG/LORETTA KELLY; PARKWAY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST; ST LOUIS, MO; 7 DECEMBER 2024

Scandanavian music is bracing, somewhat austere. So our performance, in the modern sanctuary of a church (no discernible altar but stained glass around a big crucifix, a seasonal Christmas tree and small crèche on an otherwise spare “stage”) fit. So there’s a winter-y feel even if I used to play it on my August fill ins on the community radio station.

Swedish music was my entry point and remains the most familiar and my reference point. I’m used to the pulse and the harmonies by now and, for this gig, even the spare two fiddles conveyed this musical world. Lots of hambos (the pizzacato one was particularly fun), polskas of many varieties (I particularly like one with a very loose second beat that was meant to capturing the ebbing tide of a shoreline region), and valses. ANDREA HOAG often led those though each had their turn and neither she nor LORETTA KELLY were reduced to an accompanying drone.

But KELLY also plays Hardangar fiddle and its sympathetic strings contribute the even greater astringency of Norwegian music with other dance forms like Rhinelanders, hallings, a polse, and the finale from Western Tellemark about cows knocking down a fence.

I have more recently played Finnish music when in a Scandanavian mood. And Danish is as if the metaphorical malt is cut with a little spring water, their ancient Angles and Jutes contributing to the music of jolly old Angle-land and so a bit more familiar. But this was a reminder that the Norwegian variant of this music has its own wonderful weirdnesses.

[sourlemonjuice]

Double bass players when they have to do something other than pizzacato

[cerinelle-stellarium]

My Favorite Tunes

Oldies Yet Goodies

Itty Bitty Pretty One - Thurston Harris

You Should Be Dancing - The Bee Gees

Dancin' on the Ceiling - Lionel Richie

Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows - Lesley Gore

80s and 90s Classics

The Goonies R Good Enough - Cyndi Lauper

Holding Out For A Hero - Bonnie Tyler

Wonderwall - Oasis

Braverly - Beatboy

Baby LoveChild - Pizzacato Five

Radar Love - Golden Earring

Send Me On My Way - Rusted Root

i

2000s Funky Pop

The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani

Drive Me (Dance Floor Remix) - K-Girls

Good Life - ONEREPUBLIC

The Golden Age - Asteroid Galaxy Tour

Cool Antihoney Stuffs

i

Constant Flow

Dream Ended This Way

Lala

Dove

Pavane for a Dead Princess

Get It Be (Cover)

Stars on My Window

Secrets Hide Away

Single Wing

True Colors (Cover)

[mrhomebodii]

How to Have 2 Perfect Days in Portland

So you’ve decided on a quick visit to Portland, Oregon and you wanna make the most of your time, get a full Portland experience, and come back with a pocket full of memories and a gallery full of pictures to look back on. Let me assist you in this exciting venture. I lived in Portland for 2 years (No I'm not an official local but I do think I've got enough intel to advise you on 2 days in the city. Don’t be a hater.) and when I would plan visits before I moved, I was always overwhelmed by the myriad recommendations on sites like Trip Advisor (I still linked their list of activities down below. You’re welcome.)

Anyway, here’s how I would spend 2 days in Portland if I were planning a trip…

When to visit: This is extremely important especially if you consider yourself especially partial to the sun or gloom. Personally, I believe summertime is THE MOST amazing and beautiful time to visit. The whole city is in great spirits, nature is in full bloom, and no activities are off limits due to rain or snow. That being said I recommend planning your trip between late June and early August.

Hotel vs. Airbnb + where to stay: I definitely recommend staying in one of the many airbnb’s listed in Portland. Airbnb is huge in the area and many homeowners have created beautiful stays as it is part of their monthly income. I will include a photo on what part of the city I recommend staying in below. I have had great stays in tiny homes, guest houses, and even in shared spaces! I would recommend however, avoiding basement apartments.

Day 1: Let’s get into the actual activities. I would recommend flying in early, around the time that you can check in to your stay. Contact your host and see how early they are able to take you; the earlier the better.

Day 1 Activities:

Coffee and breakfast at Petite Province Boulangerie and Patisserie

Walk off breakfast at Mt. Tabor park

If you’re into shopping, explore the many shops on Hawthorne Blvd.

Go back to the airbnb to reset, change if necessary, and get ready for lunch

Enjoy many different cuisines in one meal for lunch by visiting one of Portland’s many food truck lots (My favorite food trucks are Demarco’s Sandwhiches, and Jojo’s). Alternatively, great traditional lunch spots I would recommend are Devil’s Dill, and Pizzacato.

Head to Forest Park and hit as many of the activities up there that you can before attractions close. Attractions I highly recommend are The Japanese Friendship Garden, The arboretum, The Lan Su Chinese Garden, and The Pittock Mansion.

Now it’s time to eat again because you’re gonna be hungry after all that activity! Dinner spots I would recommend to end the first day with an bang include Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine and AFURI Ramen.

Day 2 Activities: You’ll want to rent a car for today

Start with coffee from Kind Coffee Cart and breakfast from Pine State Biscuits or City State Diner and Bakery

In your rental car, make your way to Multnomah Falls OR The Trail of 10 Falls (The second is a 10 mile walk but it’s worth every step). If you’re gonna go to the second stop, bring lots of water and snacks!

On your way back into the city, stop by The Columbia River George Scenic Area if you have time (if you’re like me, I would also recommend Collin’s beach… it’s a nude beach.)

Once you get back into town, pick a dinner spot whether that’s a food truck or traditional brick and mortar (I’ll leave this one up to you).

If you’ve got time left in the evening and still have some energy I recommend hitting up Quarterworld for some late night arcade and bar vibes. (Most games require more than one quarter. I’m letting you know so you’re not disappointed like I was.)

That’s it! I plan on revisiting this blog once I learn formatting and integrated links on tumblr to provide more recommendations, photos, and videos of my visit. All in all, Portland is an amazing place and I hope you enjoy your stay!

P.S. Besides the incredible nature and food scene, Portland is also known for having the highest amount of strip clubs per square mile. Just throwing that out there as I have visited my fair share and have always had a ball. That’s just me.

With Care,

Mr. Homebodii

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g52024-Activities-Portland_Oregon.html

[quantumflush]

Quantum Flush- First Glance is a piece with two themes. First theme is played with pizzacato (plucking style). The second theme is played arco (w/ bow). Remember to speak your vision to existence.

Instagram: @quantumflush

[zulilia]

Shadow studies of pizzacato 5 album covers

[hizokucycles]

Reposted from @kaprileader Mark 10 years of riding fixed gear. #krlfxd #hellycat #fixedgear #fixedgearmalaysia #fixedgearsg #fixedgearindonesia #fixedgearphillipine #fixedgearthailand #fixedgearny #fixedgearberlin #cinelli #cinellimash #cinellimashhistogram #thomson #pizzacato #pizzcrankset #hplusson #thehydra #pizz #thomsonbikeparts #fixedgearlife #nobrake #brakeless #singlegear #fixedgearbicycle #fixedgearbike#fixedgearworld #fixedgear #hizokucycles HizokuCycles.com https://www.instagram.com/p/CjvDA-QLDUI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

TwoSetViolin (unfairly) compare the violin and the recorder. 

[maricama]

Sometimes we need to ask the hard questions and I am willing to take one for the team. Comment below which food item speaks to your soul if you are brave 🙋🏻‍♀️🔥🥵🤤👀🤤🥵🔥👌🏽🤪🤪🤪😇 . . . . #popsiclepickletest #picklepopsicletest #pickleorpopsicle #popsicleorpickle #poppickle #picklesicle #popcorn #pickuplines #pickacard #pizzacato (at Brooklyn, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMj2p4yhOhK/?igshid=11y0r89x8cfie

[petalpetal]

music🎻

Ten Years Later～ボーイフレンド再び～ by Anri (I honestly love all of her music like top 3 favorite singers of all time)

Ready by Oozes

The Hagfish Incident by Louie Zong

Fine on the Outside by Priscilla Ahn

スーパースター by Pizzacato Five

PLEASE SEND MORE I LOVE DOING THIS

[cto10121]

West Side Story vs. Roméo et Juliette: The Musicalization of Desire

I’ve always maintained that even musical adaptations of the same work can’t be (easily) compared with each other. But it can’t be denied that we currently have not one, but two excellent, popular, and controversial modern musical adaptations of Shakespeare’s R&J—Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s West Side Story and Gérard Presgurvic’s Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l’Amour—who have drastically different takes on the same material and who succeed in different ways. One of these ways is how the two musicals portray the lovers, Tony and Maria and Roméo and Juliette, and their love relationship musically. I’ll mostly be talking about the 1961 version of the former and the 2001 French of the latter unless otherwise stated.

Score

Bernstein

Both Bernstein and Presgurvic creatively blend and bend classical and popular idioms for major love duets and even outside the lovers. Bernstein, however, takes it much further than Presgurvic, blending classical and operatic idioms with the jazz/swing idioms of its day.

Swing was a popular musical language of the time, great for (usually male) bravado, wit, urban sophistication, light satire, anomie and despondency, and occasionally machismo, with jazz being its more abstract, more intellectualized older sibling. It can be coolly detached or rambunctious. In the ‘20s it was wild and raunchy, the 40s leisurely and cool, the ‘50s brassy and macho. Bernstein uses swing for the Blues section of Dance at the Gym and “Cool,” as well as the “Jets Song,” melding jazz elements to the classical base almost seamlessly. Bernstein also uses Spanish flamenco flourishes and rhythms for the Puerto Rican characters and a jazz-inflected pseudo-mambo. This shows not only the world of the characters, but their attitudes—the gangs’ bravado and machismo, yes, but also their wit, the clever satire of the condescending psychology theories for juvenile delinquency in “Gee Officer Krupke” and the more serious satire of the police’s racism against them. On the Puerto Riccan side, it shows their cultural identity and ambivalence towards the influences of American culture.

When it comes to the lovers, however, the big band/swing is nowhere to be found—there is the instrumental Maria cha-cha, the balcony “Tonight” is fully classical, and “One Hand, One Heart” operatic. Ditto for “Somewhere,” sung off-stage by a Shark girl in the original Broadway production and sung as a lovers’ duet in the 1961 version. Tony and Maria are musically separated from their world, and only in their solo songs (the American optimism of “Something’s Coming” and the trilling “I Feel Pretty”) do they show a little influence of their respective cultures and worlds.

Moreover, Bernstein (working in tandem with Sondheim, Robbins, and Laurents), declines to musicalize any other Tony and Maria moment except their meeting, balcony, wedding, and death scene (sort of). The wedding night is only dramatized, and the focus is Anita’s discovery of them and her confrontation with Maria. The only exception is the 1961 film deleting the ballet sequence making “Somewhere” a lovers’ duet. This was in hindsight a very good film and musical choice, since Tony and Maria have no other duets until their “Somewhere (Reprise)” one at the end, as Tony is dying in Maria’s arms. The 2021 movie did further damage by opting to recontextualize “Somewhere” for Rita Moreno’s character as a wish for a world beyond internecine violence. Another fortunate choice was to have “One Hand, One Heart” as the balcony scene song, only for the creators to change their minds and replace it with the more fulsome and passionate “Tonight” from the quartet.

Presgurvic

Presgurvic, like Bernstein, blends pop idioms with classical seamlessly in musically creative ways. However, he never divorces the pop-rock completely from the lovers’ duets, even amid the more orchestral sounds of “Un Jour,” “Sans Elle,” “Le Chant de l’Alouette,” and neo-classical “Aimer.” Even then the rhythms are driving; “L’Amour Heureux” and “Aimer” have a snare drum rapid-heartbeat rhythm that is almost militaristic—and in fact, the snare drum is typically a military instrument. “Par Amour” has a rock, almost demanding passage beginning with Romeo’s “C’est Dieu qui vous aimez” to the Friar (“It’s God you love”) and leading onto the lovers’ shared verse. The result is not fully pop or even any contemporary genre, however—it is a heightened, more sophisticated pop, rich in orchestral detail and melodic feeling beyond simple catchiness. Presgurvic also, uniquely for pop, utilizes the chorus for epic gravitas.

The effect is more erotic than the pristine beauty of Bernstein’s score. Tony and Maria meet in an elegant, then sweeping Maria cha-cha, the symbolic union of Tony’s melody with Maria’s Latin culture, before they begin a cryptic, but condensed speech. Roméo and Juliette, by contrast, meet in a trombone blast and orchestral hit, (a lightning strike!) in the passionate snare drum of “L’Amour Heureux.” It’s interesting that the first reactions to each other should have Tony and Maria burst into dance, and then speech, while RetJ burst into song. Both evoke different feelings—the symbolic, mirror-like mutuality in Tony and Maria’s dance, and the intense passion of RetJ, and their (lyrical) mutuality.

For the Balcony scene, however, the musical feelings are suddenly reversed—it is in Presgurvic that the airy, romantic sweetness is emphasized, while Bernstein brings a classical intensity and power in “Tonight.” There is, however, a distinct difference in the lyrical intensity, which I’ll talk more about later.

The other scene musicalized in both is the Wedding Scene, which in Bernstein is “One Hand, One Heart” and Presgurvic’s contemporary classic “Aimer” (Love). There is no mystery as to which composition is better, but the point is that once more Bernstein has opted for a pristine classical feeling, more along the lines of a traditional wedding (ironically, the wedding scene in WSS is a play one) compared to the sweet but powerful and triumphant “Aimer” with its step-like key changes and swooping high notes and an overwhelming chorus.

From there, unlike Bernstein, Presgurvic fully musicalizes the wedding night scene (“Le Chant de l’Alouette”) and even includes an extra long-distance duet, “Sans Elle” (later including “On Prie” in the Revival), a kind of bookend to the long-distance “Un Jour” duet of Act 1. All in all, if you include the three-part “Par Amour” with the Friar, Presgurvic gives a total seven love duets to the titular lovers.

Lyrics

Sondheim

A young Stephen Sondheim (RIP) was the last of the creators to join the production team of WSS, and in later years regretted some of his lyricist choices therein as part of his juvenilia. It goes to show that even musical greats have their doubts and blind spots. Needless to say, Sondheim’s lyrics are colorful and witty, ranging from the brilliant satire of socio-psychological theories on juvenile delinquency in “Gee Officer Krupke” to the social commentary in “America,” the dramatic power of “A Boy Like That/I Have A Love.” I consider his work on WSS, frankly, to be his best along with Gypsy!

In terms of the lovers, Sondheim employs most of his wit and character dialect in their solo songs, “Something’s Coming,” “Maria,” and “I Feel Pretty.” He gives a charming American optimism for Tony with evocative imagery (It may cannonballin’ / Down through the sky / Gleam in its eye / Bright as a rose”) and buoyant optimism (“Come on, something / Come on in, don’t be shy / Meet a guy / Pull up a chair”) and a feminine playfulness and enthusiasm to “I Feel Pretty” (“I feel pretty, oh so pretty / That the city should give me its key / A committee / Should be organized to honor me”).

In the lover’s duets, however, it can get dicey. Sondheim goes for some pretty-sounding plot summary (“Tonight, tonight / It all began tonight / I saw you and the world went away”) and extremely loose Shakespearean paraphrase (“Tonight, tonight / I’ll see my love tonight”). “One Hand, One Heart” is a poetic but rather basic compression of the wedding vow ceremony.

Tony Make of our hands one hand Make of our hearts one heart Make of our vows one last vow Only death can part us now

Throughout all of this, the spectator may be wondering what, exactly, Tony and Maria see in each other apart from your typical attraction. There is the thematic emphasis of loving someone beyond color or race or social differences (“Only you / You’re the only thing I see forever”), but little on what the other means for them romantically. Even “Somewhere” is the universal wish of all lovers to be together despite the world, and originally was not sung by the lovers themselves.

In Shakespeare, we know at least how the lovers see each other and even what they (implicitly) expect from them through their love language. Tony and Maria’s love, however, is universalized to the point of generic sentiment, just as the Jets and the Sharks’ contention are particularized (their attitudes towards each other, the police, society, etc.). This generic quality makes pop singers singing the songs out of context very easily, mostly “Tonight” and “Somewhere” (as it was, countless times throughout the fifties and beyond—my personal favorite for the latter is still Andy Williams’ version), but it doesn’t give much insight into the lovers’ relationship itself.

Some of this can be attributable to the secularization of modern society in ‘50s. Forbidden (het) love felt very much like an oxymoron; popular music was dominated with adult romance and desire, light, wry, urbane, occasional sentimental and occasionally cynical. Tony and Maria’s love was, in short, very small, harmless fluff compared to the more urgent questions of race relations and cultural and ethnic clashes.

Presgurvic

Presgurvic, though not a lyricist, still makes adaptational choices through his lyrics, and while he eschews even more modern paraphrase than Sondheim, “Le Chant de l’Alouette” excepted, he includes more of the lovers’ love language than Sondheim. Despite the pop simplicity of Presgurvic’s love lyrics, they tend to be more intense than the condensed purity of Sondheim.

It is there in RetJ’s longing for love in “Un Jour” (“Et on s’aimera si fort / De nos âmes, de nos cœurs” And we will love each other so fiercely / From our souls, from our hearts) and their first meeting in “L’Amour Heureux.” In contrast to Tony’s ebullient “Maria” or Maria’s joyful, uncomplicated “I Feel Pretty,” RetJ’s love connection is immediately physical and erotic—

Roméo Elle porte une robe ligère (She wears a light dress) Un peu de soie, pour qui (A bit of silk for which) Elle est belle, belle à mourir (She is beautiful, beautiful to die for)

Juliette Quels sont les yeux des hommes (Those are men’s eyes) Quand les siens me regardent (When he looks at me with them) Et il brûle (And he burns) Comme un ange en enfer (Like an angel of hell) Comme un ange sur la terre (Like an angel on earth) Comme un ange de lumière (Like an angel of light) Il brûle…(He burns…)

There is a physical description of each other, with the detail on Juliet’s dress, Romeo’s eyes. These two notice each other. And of course the eroticism of “Beautiful to die for” (non-subtle foreshadowing) and “He burns / Like an angel of hell” are particularly intense.

At their balcony scene, the more romantic longing is accentuated (“Et que nos pères se déchirent / Leurs enfants, eux se désirent” And let our fathers hate each other / Their children, they desire each other). When Romeo claims, “S’il faut prier, je prierais / S’il faut se battre, je vais battrais” (If I must pray, I will pray / If I must fight, I will fight), you believe him. Like Tony and Maria, RetJ are well aware of the obstacles in their way and take them seriously in a way their Shakespearean counterparts don’t: “On peut pas changer l’histoire (We cannot change history) / La notre commencera ce soir (Ours will begin tonight).”

In “Aimer,” the wedding song, Presgurvic eschews the wedding vow (the Japanese and Russian, however, do a version of it) for a love blazon that echo the original Shakespearean imagery.

Romeo Aimer c’est ce qu’y a d’plus beau (To love is the most beautiful thing that is) Aimer c’est monter si haut (To love is to rise so high) Et toucher les ailes des oiseaux (And touch bird’s wings) Aimer c’est ce qu’y a d’plus beau (To love is the most beautiful thing that is)

Juliette Aimer c’est voler le temps (To love is to steal time) Aimer c’est rester vivant (To love is to stay living) Et brûler au cœur d’un volcan (And burning at the heart of a volcano) Aimer c’est ce qu’y a d’plus grand (To love is the greatest thing there is)

There is an attempt on Presgurvic’s part to keep some of the love language of the original Shakespeare (The light/flying/sky imagery on Romeo’s part and the fire/time/earth on Juliette’s), reflecting the language in the equivalent scene in the play:

Romeo: Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy Be heaped like mine, and that thy skill be more To blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath This neighbor air, and let rich music’s tongue Unfold the imagined happiness that both Receive in either by this dear encounter.

Juliet: Conceit more rich in matter than in words Brags of his substance, not of ornament. They are but beggars that can count their worth. But my true love is grown to such excess I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth.

The airy language of Romeo (breath, air, music) with the earthier one of Juliet (conceit, matter, substance, wealth) is duly reflected in Presgurvic’s modernized lyrics. The restoration of the original language is inexact, however, and it can be much looser than Sondheim’s neater paraphrase.

After their wedding night scene, Romeo and Juliet no longer have any opportunity to be together. Presgurvic nevertheless includes one final love duet “Sans elle” (and later “On prie”) between them. Originally just a solo by Romeo (CD only) missing Juliet, the duet serves to reiterate their connection and commitment to each other.

Conclusion

Aspects of Presgurvic’s and Bernstein’s scores simply reflect the adaptational choices and emphasis of their respective shows, whether towards the love story or towards the feud. Ironically, West Side Story’s elegant ballet and the power of Bernstein’s score is both complimentary and at odds with the dark tale of gang violence, poverty, culture clash and ethnic conflict, and institutional racism. Some of the tension could have been eased by restoring some of the power to the love story; perhaps Bernstein et al. thought it would have cheapened the still-relevant themes of ethnic violence and American-style racism which the musical exposes and turned the musical into Just Another Broadway Musical Love Comedy.

Perhaps. Regardless, in terms of the love story, Bernstein et al. erred on the side of caution. Tony and Maria are perfectly sweet—and perfectly incoherent dramatically and even musically. The 2021 movie has more physical chemistry between the two, but Kushner’s screenplay with its emphasis of cultural division makes the romance even less probable. This is the Maria who scoffs when Tony attempts to speak in Spanish (!!) and a Tony that defends, if queasily, Riff’s white rage. At least the original Tony and Maria had no problem culturally with each other.

Presgurvic’s musical in turn lacks that tension between it and the drama, mostly due to the musical’s gleeful anachronistic meshing of modern with historical, which allows Presgurvic leeway in the musical style—pop and rock idioms, an 1800s waltz or two, film orchestra scoring, and classical/operetta stylings abound. Like Shakespeare before him, Presgurvic was careful to avoid dating the musical by modernizing the conflict, preferring to keep the original Shakespearean context. That inevitably centers Romeo and Juliet themselves, and in turn the musical also becomes the nature of love itself, its beauty and its failure to survive in a world hostile to it—hence the allegorical character, La Mort (Death), that stalks the lovers and encourages the violence, almost attracted to them. This preoccupation extends to the other characters—Mercutio’s defense of Romeo, Benvolio’s wish to protect Romeo, Lord Capulet and the Nurse’s ambivalent feelings towards Juliette, etc. Lyric-wise, Presgurvic also keeps the romantic intensity, though he lacks Sondheim’s wit and his neater paraphrase.

Still, the musical gives a big, respectful nod towards WSS’ canny polar-opposite dynamics, its bigger stakes and its frenetic ballet, clearly inspired by it, and have even made subsequent versions of the musical, the Hungarian in particular, emphasize the violence of the conflict. In that sense, RetJ and WSS remain close cousins—they are two works that reflect modern division and stratification and the desire for something greater, more beautiful. Somewhere.

[its-a-nickname]

travis: a man chokes to death on black ooze :/

the grad music in the backgroud: ✨👋💫🌟🔆😌