The Mountain and the Tree

So, that went well. Very well, in fact.

I was in charge of the lighting board for the 1400-capacity Concert Stage (a large blackout marquee) and mostlyacat was my deputy, which worked well for both of us. He picked up board op skills very quickly - it helps that he's an engineer, used to computer equipment, and has a pretty good eye for visual arts.

I was seriously impressed by how casual and trusting the organisers were with us - basically, the Stage Electrics contractors (Rebecca and Suzi) programmed in a few presets and showed us what was where, and left us to decide how to light everything entirely for ourselves. I'd been expecting a more formal setup, with cues programmed in for particular artists & songs, so this was a pleasant surprise.

People & groups I lit over the weekend, whom I'd already heard of: Home Service; Spiers & Boden (who performed New York Girls as their encore!); the Spooky Men's Chorale; Coope, Boyes, & Simpson; Emily Portman; Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick.

Ditto, whom I'd never heard of but can recommend: Tyde; Red Hippo; Moore, Moss, Rutter; David Ferrard (Scottish/American singer-songwriter); Kate Rowe (kooky, melodic, catchy Australian singer-songwriter); Saltfishforty. (More details about all of those can be found linked from here.)
( more, including some videos )

In the course of writing this review, I discovered that SF author SP Somtow is also the Artistic Director of the Bangkok Opera, and a composer. There are quite a few high-quality excerpts of his work, both as composer and as conductor, here. I particularly recommend Michael Chance singing Ganesha's aria "O Ramachandra".

This evening's treat was a performance of Handel's Messiah at the ENO, courtesy of the kind offices of the_alchemist. I enjoyed it thoroughly; the staging was mostly underwhelming (admittedly, I have high standards - it was by no means bad) with some standout points. The high point of the evening, for me, was seeing Sophie Bevan (soprano) singing I Know That My Redeemer Liveth flat on her back in a hospital bed, surrounded by rows of corpses on plexiglass biers. Which then woke up slowly while Brindley Sherratt (bass) sang Behold, I Tell You A Mystery. I'm not nearly educated enough to be able to comment on the music, beyond having enjoyed it immensely, so I shall comment on the theatrical aspects instead.

Technically, it was good, though using a mirror-shiny floor was a Brave Decision - and anything shiny enough to send reflections into the dome of the Coliseum is SHINY. It takes quite a bit of technical skill to combine that and Stage Clutter with gauze and front projection, but they pulled it off, and despite the reflectivity the production didn't even come close to looking too polished and glittery.

They didn't go for a continuous visual narrative, which was sensible; doing that would have come rather too close to dumb-show, and detracted from the focus on the music. Instead, we had the principal singers enacting a few scenes here and there, and a lot of interesting but not obtrusive group action for the rest of it.

I picked up Kila's new album, Gambler's Ballet, the other day. It's Irish fusion folk, really good.

One thing that's really bugging me, though, is that on the instruments list for one of the songs (Fir Bolg) is something called a stormbone, and I have no idea at all what this instrument is.

Fiddle; stormbone, clarinet, lute, tablas, bongos (all the same musician); vocals, clarinet; tambourine, dumbeg; guitar, bass; piobai uillean, tin whistle; guitar; additional clarinet.

In context, it's presumably either woodwind or percussion. Will have to listen hard to the track to see if I can find it.

In other news, I'm finally getting (some of) the hang of my new cameraphone. Pictures here, for those of you who don't read Eithin.

Via a post on the never-to-be-sufficiently-praised Making Light, I am simultaneously informed about CD Baby (CDs direct from independent artists, no distributors, lots of cool stuff, has extensive mp3 samples on their website) and reminded about Cordelia's Dad, a US folk/rock/experimental/fundamentally weird (but I mean that in the good way) band owlfish introduced me to years ago. Never been able to find any of their CDs over here, and if I kept credit cards I'd be shopping away. Possibly a good thing I don't.

Take a look here for an eclectic variety of samples. All cut off at two minutes' worth of mp3, but still worth the listening to.

Go through your music collection, pick out everything you have two different versions of, and play those. Not three, not more, only two.

Playlist files:

1. Clare Teal - Clare Teal - Messing With Fire (1) (2:54)
2. Clare Teal - Clare Teal - Messing With Fire (2) (3:19)
3. Clare Teal - Clare Teal - Moon River (3:07)
4. Audrey Hepburn - Moon River (1:35)
5. Dixie Chicks - Amazing Grace (1:48)
6. Louis Armstrong - Amazing Grace (2:02)
7. Ella Fitzgerald - Ella & Pops - Summertime (4:55)
8. Lady Day - Billie Holiday - Summertime (2:57)
9. John Lennon - Imagine (3:04)
10. Amos, Tori - Imagine (John Lennon Cover) (3:29)
11. Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun (2:24)
12. indigo girls - blister in the sun (violent femmes cover live) (2:51)
13. Joan Baez - House of the Rising Sun (2:55)
14. no artist - The Animals - The House of the Rising Sun (4:29)

Meme from earthcapricorn

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