Click picture for larger version. Sorry for the crappy mouse-penmanship.

To those in the west who are used to being indoors this picture can appear to show a family sitting in the corner of a room with a window through which vegetation can be seen outside. Show the same image to someone in Africa however and the perception changes; the rectangular room corner looks like a tree and the window appears as an object being balanced on the woman’s head.

Hi Andrew!

You told me once — but I forgot — which of the Mahler symphonies you hold in general high regard.  Would you recite that preference to me again?

Any particular recording?

You will be hard pressed to find any more complex of thematic and orchestrational development than the music contained in his 5th and 6th symphonies.

Also, the sheer beauty of the slow movements of these two symphonies is without rival in the orchestral literature.

They are both very long, so consider listening to movements 3 through 5 of the 5th, and then movements 3 and 4 of the 6th to get your feet wet. When given a chance to really listen to the intricacies of his textures, I guarantee you will be blown away. They are not background music.

I have a recording of the Czech Philharmonic performing the 6th. I have a few recordings of the 5th, including (I think) one of Berlin with Abbado which was my first introduction to the 5th.

The grand sonata form of the final movement of the 6th is in the opinion of many contemporary composers the greatest achievement in all the symphonic literature. It is a whopping 30-minute universe in its own right that takes motivic development in directions not seen since Bach.  In fact, the Brandenburgs were a major influence on Mahler. Unlike most late-Romantic composers, Mahler’s music is extensively contrapuntal within its gigantic orchestrations.

These two symphonies are entirely instrumental and are an excellent contrast to the choral works he created in other symphonies. The 5th and 6th are mainstays of professional symphony programs each year. As you can see, I am unable to stop writing about them. I have listened to each hundreds of times, and still return to hear new themes and complexities I’ve not picked up on before.

They are genuinely grandiose. Enjoy!!

I don’t normally care to go off on political discussions, but these are two of my favorite Americans, and Steve’s flickr commentary is an interesting take on things:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/4156526243/in/photostream/

I have added a new photo category, called appropriately enough: Autumn.

Dozens more from this October here.

Well, the summer sunset season has come to a photogenic close.  Click here to see them all from the last few months, all here in Marshall, MI.

A few pix from my wanderings around town while there for Lollapalooza.  Click here for the full gallery, also click here for the Lollapalooza pix, and I’ll soon be adding many of these to the Chicago section in the photos menu above.

So many people I interacted with this week had forgotten the significance of this day.  And there was little mention of it in the national media throughout the day.  And this is healthy, as we gradually move on and desensitize ourselves from this event.  But when I do see the occasional heartfelt pause, like Ken’s, it is reassuring that there are a good number of folks out there who truly will “never forget”.

In case you missed it last year, here is my collection of compelling photos taken on that day… thousands of them, by no doubt thousands of people.  They have a time-worn look, almost, now.  But I suspect for me it will always feel very present.

Click here for the entire collection.