WMV Music Web Log

Marilyn writes from VCCA:

I am in the library, in the midst of well over a thousand interesting books. Right next to me here at the computer is the music section. Each bedroom has about a hundred books on the built in shelves - old, but some are interesting. It is like a candy store for ......

Two new people arrived this morning - a composer and a visual artist. Very upbeat. Jewish as well. We have a large Jewish contingent, escaping Christmas, holiday parties, shopping, etc. - the commercialization of the holiday is nowhere around here.
There is a Christmas tree in the huge living room, and we will have a menorah with candles each night of Chanukah. (thanks to a visiting writer who will get one from the Charlottsville rabbi tonight.)

My studio is unbelievably huge. It's the luck of the draw - and I got the big one. They are all generous - mine is huge. Windows on three sides, full of light.
I am doing small encaustic paintings - adding some plain wood, will have to explore this. That's the kick of being here - time to follow an idea and not have to deal with traffic and tasks and "real life" before you try it out.

Last night I met the new sculptor, from Japan via Pittsburgh. Turns out he knows my old thesis advisor from Mass Art, Lowry Burgess. Not only KNOWS him, but is his teaching assistant. Boy do I wish I had a Lowry around somewhere, in my present life. Maybe it's true that you get what you really need, when you need it.

Here is another one I love, called "New Music".

I must miss her - she is at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts for the entire month, happy as a clam.

Marilyn's encaustic painting "Fragment" sold this week, and just from the postcard "sight-unseen"! I delivered it to the buyer (another artist) and she was indeed delighted to see the actual piece (of which the WMV postcard is only a detail). It turned out that it has another name - on the back of the painting she had written, "There Was a Time...", and then forgotten about it. So when I asked her what it was called, she named it "Fragment" - that's just as good. But the words on the piece itself are "There was a time when music came into my life."

Here it is again:




It is of course very beautiful, and it was hard to part with it since I love it too, but there are still some of the music pieces left that are just as wonderful.











Here, for instance is "Lucky":

Just finished our first rehearsal of Mozart's glorious Quintet for Piano and Winds K. 452. Here is a clip from the rehearsal:
K452.2.clip.mp3

The beauty of this work is truly astonishing. Ben Greanya said he had heard that it was Mozart's favorite.

Here is a longer clip:

452.3a.mp3

Here is another good clip:

K452.1.clip.mp3

Altogether, a very satisfying day.

Chamber music with tuba and french horn! Blair Goins and Heidi Littman came over to rehearse. Here is Blair warming up:

blair_1.mp3

Two clips from the rehearsal:
wilder_2.mp3

wilder_1.mp3