#the adagio complex

[cecilysass]

Milagro Fic Recommendations

These are good for any time of year, of course, not just February 14. But here are my favorite fics related to the season 6 episode Milagro, a long time favorite. (And @sisterspooky1013's favorite episode of all time: happy VD, girl!) I’ve been reading and sifting through these for some time, and I have tried to include some from all eras: newer AO3 fics, some written right after the ep aired, etc. But I'm sure I've missed some, so hit me with your own faves, please.

Because of Milagro's ending, this entire genre of fic tends to be heavy on the hurt/comfort and angst (which is fiiiiine by me), but that’s not all that’s here. Many of these are smutty, but not all.

Adagio - Terma99 A meditative, peaceful take on the aftermath of Milagro by a veteran author that includes both agents realizing something they had learned. Lovely.

Alma - 6hoursgirl (@sixhours) A lovely hurt/comfort Milagro piece. This one is Mulder POV, which is a little less common for post-Milagro, I think, and I like this characterization of Mulder as desperately wanting to help Scully, desperately wanting to protect her, but also a tiny bit scared of the intimacy and relationship he feels they’re on the cusp of. He’s so good-hearted and also a little dysfunctional here, and I love it.

Bated Breath - dreamingofscully (@dreamingofscully) This one has an original take on Scully's experience; it leaves Scully with clarity and new direction in her relationship with Mulder. DreamingofScully tends to write a more confident, in-charge Scully in the MSR than some do, and I appreciate it.

Beyond the Strokes of a Typewriter - storybycorey (@storybycorey) When Scully is stricken and ashamed that it’s been so long since anyone has seen her as a woman as Padgett did, Mulder is pushed to revelations. Mulder 3rd person POV. Very good smut build up. And nobody does a gorgeous feelings reveal from Mulder like storeybycorey, man.

I Believe - Diana Battis There are a lot of lovely, heartfelt hurt/comfort fics about the aftermath of Milagro (for obvious reasons), but this one is especially well done. Viewed from Scully’s third person point of view, it focuses on Mulder’s capacity for tenderness and guilt. Plus some smut.

Don’t Look Up - ArtemisX5 After Padgett's hallway revelation, Scully is horrified that she has no secrets left. But you know, Mulder is much slower on the draw than she gives him credit for. There is also such moving hurt/comfort in this.

Intimacies with Strangers -mldrgrl (@mldrgrl) This mid- and post- Milagro piece has Mulder and Scully simmering in tension and then boiling over. Their relationship is complex and painfully entangled, and I love how it plays out. There is also excellent Scully characterization. This one helps me to get more fully why she might have been drawn to Padgett initially, something I struggle with in the episode.

La Madrugada - h0ldthiscat A carefully told tale of RST that takes both characters seriously and is sincerely moving. Excellent.

Lacuna - Aloysia_Virgata (@aloysiavirgata) This is a longer work, not really a classic post ep per se. But I love this moody, angsty casefile set right after Milagro. This Scully has not come to terms with her emotions, is thoroughly freaked by how she reacted to Padgett, and hasn't even entirely worked out how she feels about Mulder. There is Scully/other here, but the ship is steering home. The end of this is so moving, but cw: dark themes in the casefile, extreme violence against children, traumatized agents.

Still Life - Seek_Its_Opposite (@seek-its-opposite) Ah, this is such a thoughtful and exquisitely written Scully character piece — and it contains some truly beautiful insights about Mulder, too. It suggests the heartbreaking idea that Mulder’s way of showing Scully respect (giving her distance) is continually hurting her. So tragic (and consistent with canon, e.g. Never Again.) One memorable line: “Every one of their fights is about how to care for one another, every last one.”

Alma Gemela - matchingfabric (@matchingfabric) After the events of Milagro, Scully (and Mulder) get accustomed to platonically sharing a bed for comfort. This is a slightly different take on post-Milagro. Exceptionally, irresistibly sweet. Oh, and smutty.

What did I miss? Tell me. And yes, I'm working on my own short Milagro fic that will be coming soon-ish.

[littlesmartart]

DRAWTOBER #19 - Adagio for Crickets and Train Whistle by ChaoticAndrogynous

Brilliant musician Xiao Xingchen is travelling with his old friend from university, Song Lan. They're headed to a rental property for a week of quiet before the next leg of Xiao Xingchen's tour begins. But something is bothering Xiao Xingchen.

a beautiful little modern AU that not only hits my songxiao requirements (exploring Song Lan's mysophobia and XXC's vision impairment!!!) it knocks the whole thing out the park! I've not seen an AU before that explores XXC's past as anything other than him being raised by Cool Hippy Mom Baoshan Sanren, so it's really intriguing to read a fic that allows him a bit more complexity, and Song Lan grappling with his desire for closeness with XXC vs his revulsion with touch is compelling and compassionately written. a sweet and emotionally bittersweet read with a lovely ending.

[ofgreatart]

Gustav Mahler allegedly advised to spend less time studying counterpoint and to read more Dostoevsky. In Mahler as in novels, happiness comes best at the edge of catastrophe

‘how a musical idea, seemingly exhausted, rekindles itself through the unexpected emergence of one of its facets suddenly revealed, how a main phrase becomes secondary under the intrusion of a counterpoint that consciously takes precedence, how this perpetual change of hierarchy occurs…’

Video: Gustav Mahler, Ninth Symphony (adagio). Leonard Bernstein

Adorno: “During a walk with Schönberg and his students, Gustav Mahler allegedly advised the latter to spend less time studying counterpoint and to read more Dostoevsky. If Mahler’s music recalls great novels, it’s not just because it often seems to tell a story. The very curve it describes is novelistic: the way it rises to exceptional situations and collapses. It performs gestures comparable to that of Natasha, the heroine of 'The Idiot,’ burning banknotes, or to Jacques Collin, the convict disguised as a Spanish priest who, in Balzac, prevents young Lucien de Rubempré from suicide and elevates him to temporary splendor. In Mahler as in novels, happiness comes best at the edge of catastrophe. (…) The attitude of those who lament Mahler’s lengthiness is no better than that of promoters of abridged versions of Fielding, Balzac, or Dostoevsky. The generous temporal extension of Mahler’s music… makes no concessions to the comfort of easy listening, which spares the listener from any memory and expectation. His music embraces duration. Mahler makes those who have outlived him shudder like a boat journey makes frequent flyers shudder. Mahlerian duration reminds them that they themselves have lost duration. (…) The epic symphony savors time, surrenders to it; it seeks to materialize measurable time in living duration. It sees in duration itself the image of meaning, perhaps in reaction to the disgrace that duration begins to suffer in the mode of production of advanced industrialism and in corresponding forms of consciousness. Music must cease to deceive the listener about time through a true 'auditory illusion’; time must not pretend to be the moment it is not. Schubert’s celestial lengths were already the antithesis of such an attitude.” (Translated from French. Theodor W. Adorno: Mahler, A Musical Physiognomy)

Pierre Boulez: “Adorno is right about the novelistic structure in Mahler, but he doesn’t delve deep into the analysis. His reflection doesn’t rely on the description of the form, whereas there is so much to say about the form in Mahler, especially in all the finales, which are truly the pages of the highest complexity ever written in music. It would have been fascinating, for example, to show how a musical idea, seemingly exhausted, rekindles itself through the unexpected emergence of one of its facets suddenly revealed, how a main phrase becomes secondary under the intrusion of a counterpoint that consciously takes precedence, how this perpetual change of hierarchy occurs… For instance, consider the adagio of the Ninth, a kind of extraordinary extension of Tristan’s gruppetto: it is truly the Liebestod magnified, amplified by polyphony, and something Wagner would never have dared to dream.” (Translated from French. October 26, 1988, Questions to Pierre Boulez, by Henry-Louis de La Grange, MUSICAL, Châtelet Review - Paris Musical Theater: Mahler and France)

Video: Isolde’s Liebestod “Mild und leise” - Richard Wagner, Waltraud Meier, 1995

'consider the adagio of the Ninth (Gustav Mahler), a kind of extraordinary extension of Tristan’s gruppetto: it is truly the Liebestod magnified, amplified by polyphony, and something Wagner would never have dared to dream'

[symphonybracket]

YouTube Links: Beethoven 8, Vaughan Williams 2

Submitter's Comments:

Beethoven 8 (1 submittal)

beethoven referred to this as his "little" symphony in F and was more fond of it even than his much more popular seventh. even today it's underrated standing between the giants of 7 and 9 but i think its charm comes from its brevity and levity. and it's certainly not lacking in its own complexities! the opening lacks an adagio intro and starts off with full, bright sunshine. the second mvt is witty and playful. the trio in the menuet is one of the most beautiful in all of beethoven, with a soaring horn call answered by the clarinet. and the finale is so exciting. underrated, and probably my favorite beethoven symphony!

Vaughan Williams 2 (1 submittal)

So dreamy and ethereal

[leebrontide]

Brain is being bleeguhg tonight so I couldn't do anything that needed it. So I redid the tea flavors based on my MCs from Secondhand Origin Stories, Doll's Eye View, and Names in Their Blood.

I'll add a Martin one when I can figure out what to put on the tin, since I have to upload art. Plus one other character you won't meet till Names in Their Blood comes out. Then I'll have all 6 needed for a fandom box set.

Jamie has bright and refreshing hibiscus and citrus notes in a Ceylon/rooibos tea blend, with a ginger kick

Opal has my best interpretation of a summery cottage garden with notes of rose, cream, raspberry, and cornflowers in a classic black tea mixed with a delicate peony tea.

Yael has a riot of juicy fruit flavors against a complex mix of black tea, green rooibos tea, and pu-erh, with rainbow sprinkles cause fuck it why not.

and Issac has a rich, deep-flavored blend of pu-erh, toasted mate, and black tea, flavored with dark chocolate, hazelnut and caramel, and just a little hint of raspberry leaves to round it out.

[elegantballetalk]

How does Vaganova teach the renversè? Any tips?

In the adagio, at the center of the room, slow turns are performed using the entire sole of the foot.

The renversé, as the term itself suggests, is a reversal of the body during a turn. The renversé has several forms and is one of the most complex movements in classical ballet training. It is very difficult to describe, and nothing can replace a live demonstration. To be able to teach it, the instructor must possess a solid virtuosic command of the technique.

Renversé en dehors

The movement begins in attitude croisée; perform a demi-plié and slightly tilt the body forward, emphasizing the movement with a tilt of the head. Then, spring onto demi-pointe in the attitude position, initiating the movement from the back. Initially, the back straightens, then arches strongly backward as the en dehors turn begins. The turn is executed by the body, while the legs follow only at the last moment, performing a pas de bourrée en dehors when the body, having shifted its center of gravity, forces the legs to step. It is the body that moves the legs, not the legs that move the body.

To execute this pas in a 3/4 count, proceed as follows:

• On “one,” the body tilts, and the turn begins with the rise onto the demi-pointe of the left foot in attitude.

• On “two,” the body remains with its back to the audience on the right leg, the back strongly arched, and the head tilted to a profile position. This pose should be held as long as possible (throughout the second beat) so that only a minimal fraction of the measure remains for the final part of the turn and the pas de bourrée.

The most common mistake by dancers with insufficient virtuosity is initiating the renversé turn with movements originating from the arms or leg transitions, letting the body follow the arms passively. This not only diminishes the quality of the pas—it leaves only the name of the step—but also causes the dancer to lose control. When repeating the pas multiple times in succession, they drift sideways, lose balance while seeking equilibrium, and fall out of rhythm.

Renversé en dedans

This is the opposite movement and is noticeably simpler and easier to execute. Begin with a développé en avant in croisé; tilt the body forward, perform the same back arching movement backward as in the renversé en dehors, stopping briefly in the croisée pose, and execute the steps of the pas de bourrée in the opposite direction en dedans.

Renversé en écarté

This begins from the fourth arabesque. From this position, the right leg bends at the start of the turn, bringing the toe into the en tire-bouchon position. En tire-bouchon refers to the position of the lifted leg at 90 degrees, bent at the knee, with the toe touching the knee of the supporting leg. A pirouette in this position resembles a corkscrew motion—touching the knee of the supporting leg, which itself is raised onto demi-pointe. Simultaneously, the body strongly inclines to the right toward the knee of the supporting leg. The body turns en dedans, arches backward, and at the same time, the heel lowers decisively and swiftly to the ground. Meanwhile, the other leg opens in écarté behind as the body tilts to the left; the movement stops abruptly in balance, with the heel of the supporting leg lowered.

From the fourth arabesque, the arms come together into the preparatory position with an energetic motion as the leg assumes the en tire-bouchon position. They rise sharply into third position at the same instant the leg and body open into écarté behind. This movement, like the first form of renversé, requires a well-trained body and the dancer’s ability to initiate movement from the back.

My personal tips are

-to do it many times over, because it’s hard to do it slowly, so do it with moderate speed, but film or watch yourself, so you can apply corrections to yourself.

-think of it as if it’s your shoulder blades which are doing a port de bra. It’s all about the back arm.

-breath and love the movement! It’s so expressive. Don’t be shy to show your pose, use that pose to give you momentum to finish in the bourree. But before that make sure hold the pose.

[waterlemon-melon]

✨welcome our international famous soloist: franziska von karma✨

phoenix, miles, maya and pearl ver

og headcanon text post

a bit of an edit but i think she’s more like hilary hahn with the clean playing and ‘ice princess’ rep rather than like anne sophie mutter

i think she leans more towards bach than beethoven (rather than the opposite for miles) because it’s logically complex and no nonsense, and i think she likes practicing pieces that challenge techniques.

(miles is the opposite because his character development is the blending of his emotional side from gregory and his prosecutor side from manfred, which is like betthoven being the bridge between the classical and romantic era of music)

here are her go-to pieces :D

the chords cutting aggressively but the phrasing just keeps going!! it’s her cutting down the defense’s logic immediately while strengthening her own argument!!

i know she’s a soloist but the battling between the two violins!! the aggressive chords!!! i like to think that this is what her vision of a battle with miles would be like and she wants to practice that

also additional pieces:

she and miles playing this!!! it’s not the beethoven string quartet from above but it’s better than that!! two violin soloist coming together to create the complex melody, sometimes in sync with one another, sometimes at opposite. they work together for the greater good and they are good at it!! they still have that competition side to them (siblings), but they still work beautifully together nevertheless

and of course fran will make phoenix play this with her

[bcbdrums]

Last night's winner was Ali Shan

This might be the most subtly complex tea I've had so far. The flavors are whisper-like, just a touch, but utter perfection. It's...floral? Green and grassy? I taste honey? But they're all just whispers... Absolutely delightful whispers that blend perfectly. And if you're the person who doesn't like that grassy flavor it's so, so faint, and definitely plays second fiddle to the honey and floral notes. WOW!

Adagio countdown! My last three new Adagio teas until they're gone, and then we move on to other things (till I get more Adagio lol).

Tonight's teas:

Yin Hao Long Zhu Wuyi Ensemble

Thanks for helping me get rid of the tea. :)

[thebarefootking]

Hello! Choose three wrestlers and assign a tea flavor/type to each of them!

-Elle/unlikelywrestlingfan

This might be the best ask I have ever gotten.

With the caveat that these are neither necessarily my favorite wrestlers nor my favorite teas, just the ones that were most easily and strongly paired in my mind:

Jon Moxley -- Pu-erh Dante by Adagio Black tea that is then wet-fermented. This tea tastes like a hike around the lake on a fall evening, wearing a leather jacket and old work boots. Hazelnut syrup can help kill the fishiness if it's too strong, but many enjoy the distinct and undeniable earthiness of a ripe pu'er.

2. Zack Sabre Jr. -- Constant Comment Black Tea by Bigelow It's orange and black and named for talking a lot! This is a strong black tea flavored with orange and spices. It's a comfort drink for me, because it was the tea I grew up on as a child when visiting Gran's house. Warm, sweet, spicy, and fruity.

3. Shingo Takagi -- Lapsang souchong (any) Black tea smoked over a pine fire. I use this tea in bulk as the base for my best chai masala (with crushed chilies for extra heat!). It tastes just like a campfire on a summer night, hot and heavy with smoke. Very suitable for the Rampage Dragon!

BONUS! (because I couldn't keep it to just 3 lol)

4. Mike Bailey -- Lichee Black Tea by Golden Sail The lychee sweetness of this tea is gentle, more floral and perfumy than fruity. However, the black tea base packs a solid kick -- don't over-brew it! I can't decide if this tea is very simple or deceptively complex, but I know it's one of my favorites, just like Speedy.

[madwickedawesome]

i need classical music recs for a tragic love story

NOT putting this under a cut actually because i wish to curse everyone's dashes with these songs . they are all so good please listen to them if you like classical pretty please with like 3 cherries on top!!!!

anywaysOK!! a lot of these songs may seem like regurgitated Sad Classical Music that i use for everything but u have to trust me . when u listen to some of these in a Mood ur entire soul will be crushed i Promise u u have to trust me u have to believe m

i didnt know what Specific vibe u wanted so i kind of took my own creative liberties hope thats alright .. !!Also youre going to have to ignore how LONG classical names are

rachmaninoff - rhapsody on a theme by paganini, op. 43: var 18 (andante cantabile) --- this song plays moreso into the love story part of it but this piece is genuinely sooo beautiful (as are all of rachmaninoffs works lets be honest here).. it is SO romantic it kind of feels like being with someone you love and feeling fireworks and explosions upon realizing you love them, it's very very very lovesick and goes to show the giddy feeling of knowing someone is making you and your life better just by being near you <3

albinoni - adagio in g minor --- this specific arrangement in my playlist is my favoriteee ever.. it uses both harp and general orchestral strings to complete an overwhelmingly Emptying piece of music . this song is very like. "i'm lost without them" kind of thing.it's so melancholy but it also just emphasis any holes in a listener's heart; it's kind of boring if you listen to it while you're in a good mood? but Trust me if you're even remotely sad or yearning you will LOVE love love this piece

ravel - pavane pour une infante défunte, m. 19 (pavane for a dead princess) --- this one is another Especially Life Ruining If You're In The Mood piece; as the name suggests, it's a pavane (slow dance, essentially) which already gives it a lovely undertone, but it's for a Dead Princess and is full of grief and is notoriously played excruciatingly slowly. this song really feels like loss, whether it's post-argument or post-relationship or post-right-person-wrong-time, it emphasizes the feeling of being without someone in retrospect and how different emotions manifest themselves. some points in the song are lovely, full of reminiscing on memories of happiness, but the whole song has a freezing blanket thrown over it to remind everyone that it's for a Dead Princess and a Dead Connection

grieg - holberg suite, op. 40: iv. air (andante religioso) --- this piece is just generally soul crushing??? it feels like the air after particularly heartbreaking disputes, losses, rejections, all the like .......?? it generally carries an emptying vibe like the others do, but this one is laced with love through the middle, showing complexities in relationships and how love is inescapable, despite obstacles

cimarosa - sonata no. 42 in d minor --- this piece is short but sweet..... this is mostly a lovey song, but has a vague melancholy vibe if you really listen.. i always love to interpret this song as looking back on memories with a loved one and realizing just how much you miss them, how dull life is without them happy and right by your side . a quite simple piece but it illustrates the vibe perfectly :)

shostakovich - five pieces for two violins and piano: i. prelude --- about 30% of this reasoning behind this song is that it's shostakovich and i must have him inall of my playlists because he is my special guy. BUT this song is So many emotions . it is so heartbreaking initially, briefly grows into moderately upbeat happiness, then returns to a slower tempo soaked in both love and regret. it feels like the air after a loss, the air while missing someone to the point of it eating you alive; it's a gut wrenching rendition of . horrified love ? is the word that came to mind? it is so Sad

tchaikovsky - valse sentimentale, op. 51, no. 6 --- this song is just. emotional . it's full of love and you can hear the happiest parts of love fighting the worst, it's suffocating and captivating all the same??? i'm not 100% sure how i'd place this piece into a situation . maybe desperate pleas with oneself or another to be loved, to experience connection, something like that??? all that's to be sure is that this piece makes chests constrict it is so full of love and care and life but is simultaneously so full of despair and pain and ouuguhgh i just adore this piece really

poulenc - flute sonata, fp 164: ii. cantilena --- this piece is so sad it is so sad. it feels like the realization that you may be losing someone, whether it's to another or to nature or to life or really anything. halfway through, it evolves into more of a hopeful piece, with a flute sounding like a bird singing, but still falls down the steep downhill slope that Will make you So distraught if you listen to this while in the right mood

the entirety of prokofiev's romeo and juliet ballet --- this is mostly a joke but also. juliets death piece (it was WAY too long to put in here) is so heartbreaking so ..? stares at you with big classical loving eyes?

here's all of those wrapped up neatly with a little bow !! (tumblr refuses to let me link directly for some reason???) i hope they work for you!!!!

[equestriaqueerz2024]

Headcanon for the Dazzlings (Sonata, Adagio and Aria)

Adagio Dazzle

Sexuality Headcanon: Biromantic Grey Asexual

Gender Headcanon: Cis female (she/her)

A ship I have with said character: Sunset, Flash, Timber, Aria, Sci Twi

A BROTP I have with said character: The other two Dazzlings, Rarity, Sunset

A NOTP I have with said character: The only person that I can think of right now is Rarity

A random headcanon: My nationality/ethnicity headcanon for her is African American/French/Greek.

General Opinion over said character: She’s beautiful, cunning, witty and an good antagonist. Even though she’s my least favorite Dazzling, I still appreciate her as a character.

Aria Blaze

Sexuality Headcanon: Bi (Female Leaning)

Gender Headcanon: Non-Binary (she/they & her/them pronouns)

A ship I have with said character: Sonata (no, I don’t consider them as sisters), Sunset, Lemon Zest, Fluttershy

A BROTP I have with said character: Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, Rainbow Dash, the other two Dazzlings, Sour Sweet, Starlight Glimmer, Timber, Fluttershy

A NOTP I have with said character: Rainbow, Sour Sweet, Starlight, Timber, Juniper

A random headcanon: She has many piercings. She just doesn’t wear her jewelry all the time.

General Opinion over said character: Aria’s pretty and cool. I like to think of her being a complex character, being laidback, sassy, wisecracking, sharp-tongued, and a grump, but has insecurities and self-loathing deep down.

Sonata Dusk

Sexuality Headcanon: Pan

Gender Headcanon: cis female (she/her)

A ship I have with said character: Aria Blaze, Pinkie Pie

A BROTP I have with said character: Aria, Pinkie, Lemon, Sci Twi

A NOTP I have with said character: Sci Twi, Flash

A random headcanon: She’s more intelligent than she leads on. It’s just her ditzy/airheaded/carefree nature that makes it seem otherwise. She also has prescription glasses, but doesn’t like them. Even though she seems sure that she doesn’t need them, she does. Explains some things, doesn’t it?

General Opinion over said character: Love her. She’s tied with Aria for my favorite Dazzling.

[snackpointcharlie]

As fate would have it, we were live the night after the election with a new episode of Snackpoint Charlie. I only promised only to do my best to make a space where we could breathe together or freak out or really, who knows, and that post-election meltdown is now up for download:

Snackpoint Charlie - Transmission 147 - 2024.11.06 https://wavefarm.org/wf/archive/f054j2 [ ^ click for download ^ ]

PLAYLIST

1) Tom Recchion - “Oaxaca Dawn” from OAXACA DAWN | BAMBOO https://tomrecchion.bandcamp.com/

2) Minna Hokka - “Finnish Lament Singing” https://soundcloud.com/yes-magazine/finnish-lament-singing-minna-hokka

3) Natalia Beylis - “Lost - For Annie” from LOST - FOR ANNIE https://nataliabeylis.bandcamp.com/album/lost-for-annie

4) Etta James - “I’d Rather Go Blind” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27d_Rather_Go_Blind

5) Midori Hirano & Brueder Selke - “Scale F” from SPLIT SCALE https://thrilljockey.com/products/split-scale

6) Andrew Artemyev - “Solaris - Ocean�� from SOLARIS (ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK) https://www.superiorviaduct.com/products/eduard-artemiev-solaris-original-soundtrack-lp

7) Pinchas Gurevich - “Getting Back to It”

8) Tengger - “Buna” from EARTHING https://tengger.bandcamp.com/album/earthing

9) Autechre - “Further” from AMBER https://autechre.bandcamp.com/album/amber

10) Myriam Gendron - “La belle Françoise (pour Sylvie)” from MAYDAY https://thrilljockey.com/products/mayday

11) Daphne Oram, Andrea Parker & Daz Quayle - “Frightened of Myself” from PRIVATE DREAMS AND PUBLIC NIGHTMARES https://aperturerecords.bandcamp.com/album/private-dreams-and-public-nightmares

12) Souled American - “Rise Above It” from AROUND THE HORN https://souledamerican.bandcamp.com/album/around-the-horn

13) Tomaso Albinoni - “Adagio in G Minor (excerpt)”

14) Nadah El-Shazly - “Riad” > “Adi” from LES DAMNÉS NE PLEURENT PAS (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) https://nadahelshazly.bandcamp.com/album/the-damned-dont-cry-original-motion-picture-soundtrack

15) Jandek - “Color Streaks” from VISION OF JEWELS https://corwoodindustries.com/product/0864/

16) John Cale - “Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed” > “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” from FRAGMENTS OF A RAINY SEASON http://john-cale.com/fragments/

17) Wakuénai (Curripaco) - “Ten men playing in the village plaza” from MUSIC FOR SHAPE-SHIFTERS: FIELD RECORDINGS FROM THE AMAZONIAN LOWLANDS, 1981-1985 https://sublime-frequencies.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-shape-shifters-field-recordings-from-the-amazonian-lowlands-1981-1985

18) Bonnie “Prince” Billy - “I See a Darkness” from I SEE A DARKNESS https://bonnieprincebilly.bandcamp.com/album/i-see-a-darkness

19) Alice Coltrane - “Om Rama” from THE ECSTATIC MUSIC OF ALICE COLTRANE - TURIYASANGITANANDA https://www.luakabop.com/products/copy-of-xx-world-spirituality-classics-1-the-ecstatic-music-of-alice-coltrane-turiyasangitananda

20) Jesse Paul Miller - “Temple complex at top of Sagaing Hill (U Ponya Shin Paya) / Nyaung Shwe town : paya (wat) grounds / U Ponya Shin Paya : on the covered stairway near the top / Kyay Sar Kone village : Buddhist broadcast through tannoy” from MYANMAR (BURMA) AMBIENT https://jessepaulmiller.bandcamp.com/album/myanmar-burma-ambient

21) Songs: Ohia - “United or Lost Alone” from JOURNEY ON: COLLECTED SINGLES https://www.discogs.com/release/5609065-Songs-Ohia-Journey-On-Collected-Singles

[tjgenvs3000f24]

Music In Nature In Music

To find music in nature one must first define what music is. With a quick Google search, we find the definition "vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion" (Oxford University Press, 2024). Nature is full of instruments and vocalizations, from the sound of a babbling brook to the chirps of birds to the crunch of leaves under a squirrel. These 'instruments' are used to create beauty, as anyone who's ever spent time admiring the nature around them can tell you, and create their form, harmony, and expression of emotion that musicians have tried to emulate for centuries. Beethoven's 6th Symphony 'Pastoral,' Tchaikovsky's ‘Rose’ Adagio, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee are just a few examples of this attempted emulation, even back in the 1800s, and pieces like it, especially Flight of the Bumblebee, are still recognizable and admired even now (Roberts, 2024). This is also where nature can be found in music, with these attempted emulations of natural phenomena like the flight of a bumblebee or the beauty and serenity of a pastoral farmland. This draw to replicate the ideals of nature and the complexity of the environment around us becomes their artistic muse, with their goal to translate this incredible experience and sight they have seen to the masses through their form of expression. In a way, they are nature interpreters themselves, trying to explain what they saw and what they enjoyed about their environment in a way they can share and understand.

Crop of portrait of the composer Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov, Valentin Serov, Wikimedia Commons, circa 1998. Public Domain.

Something powerful about music is its ability to grab onto specific environments and contexts in our minds, making us remember when and where we heard that specific song before. Though I can't imagine hearing them in any other context, repeat after me songs like Tree in a Hole, Animal Fair, and Get Loose Get Funky are songs built for campfires and entertaining children, but for me, the most important songs find themselves in the ending of things, from the ending of a session of camp to the final drive back after a week away in the woods. I associate these songs with the end-of-session slideshow they played every time, and despite not remembering the photos in those slideshows or even the names of the songs, if I ever heard them, I would be brought back immediately. Songs like Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver fill me with memories of singing it at closing campfire, or songs like Riptide fill me with dread because of the ungodly amount of times I've had to listen to it for the same reason. I have a specific place in my mind and my heart for these kinds of songs, and though I can rarely remember the titles of them, because some of them were definitely royalty-free, I am dragged back the second I hear that opening guitar strum. The textbook describes the use of digital media like advertisements and television to drive an idea in your head, but I think if you were able to link a song to the idea of camp, that song would never stop playing.

Roberts, M. S. (2024, June 19). 20 greatest pieces of classical music inspired by nature and gardens. Classic FM. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/best-classical-music-nature-gardening/

Oxford University Press. (September, 2024). Music. In Oxford English dictionary. October 27th, 2024.

[venushorned]

So, about the bells. She takes them out sometimes when she performs because the noise isn't always conducive to the actual music she's trying to keep time with. They are part of the package when she dances ballet, though.

In ballet, there's something called an adage or adagio: a series of slow and graceful movements which may be simple or highly complex, performed with fluidity and apparent ease. These exercises develop a sustaining power, sense of line, and balance. Here, the bells are part of the demonstration of her technique: she dances, they stay silent.

[symphonybracket]

YouTube Links: Mahler 1, Beethoven 8

Comments:

Mahler 1

cmon there's evil frere jacque in this symphony it's the best thing ever

The beginning is so beautiful… and very reminiscent of the Star Trek intro!

It's SO MUCH. The first two movements are gorgeous. Putting minor key "are you sleeping brother john" and then klezmer wedding music in the middle of it is the funniest thing anyone's ever done AND THEN CYMBAL CRASH an absolute deluge of sound and the most epic f***ing music ever (Wagner can go eat his socks). You have to love it.

Beethoven 8

beethoven referred to this as his "little" symphony in F and was more fond of it even than his much more popular seventh. even today it's underrated standing between the giants of 7 and 9 but i think its charm comes from its brevity and levity. and it's certainly not lacking in its own complexities! the opening lacks an adagio intro and starts off with full, bright sunshine. the second mvt is witty and playful. the trio in the menuet is one of the most beautiful in all of beethoven, with a soaring horn call answered by the clarinet. and the finale is so exciting. underrated, and probably my favorite beethoven symphony!

[back-and-totheleft]

The definitive portrayal of the Vietnam War

Directed by Oliver Stone and drawing inspiration from his personal experiences, Platoon stands as a definitive portrayal of the trauma inflicted by the Vietnam War. The film chronicles the journey of a young, fresh-faced soldier thrust into immediate combat upon his arrival in Vietnam, immersing viewers in the brutal realities of war.

Stone employs a subversive approach that eschews traditional choreography in favour of a vérité-like style, lending Platoon a documentary feel that authentically captures the unpredictable danger and disorienting chaos of the battlefield. Departing from conventional heroism, the film focuses on the moral degradation of the soldiers and their arduous struggle to preserve humanity amidst pervasive fear and violence.

While the broader political landscape remains distant, survival becomes paramount as the soldiers endure the challenges of battle, counting down the days until they may return home. Platoon also offers a critical examination of wartime masculinities, portraying the tensions between the ruthless Sgt. Barnes and the more compassionate Sgt. Elias.

Immersing itself in the visceral allure of war while punctuating moments of brutality with the sad serenity of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” Platoon unfolds with profound intensity. Its unwavering commitment to realism embraces deliberate ambiguity, casting a powerful spotlight on the futility of war and exploring the intricate psychological and physiological complexities underlying the human experience in such harrowing circumstances.

-Matt Micucci's review of Platoon, Dec 21 2023