Archive for August, 2007

Are We Really Missing Out?

Newspapers and bloggers the world round have picked up on the article published recently in the Beethoven Journal indicating that Beethoven died from lead poisoning at the unwitting hand of his doctor. The general argument is that had his doctor prevented rather than abetted his death, Beethoven would have lived to create x number [...]

Beaten To The Punch

Deep in the recesses of The Omniscient Mussel’s draft folder is a post entitled “In Praise of Elitism.” It was meant to discuss the dictionary definition of elite versus its popular connotation of snobby and rigidly exclusive; as the much-bandied epithet of anyone wishing to denounce anything they don’t immediately understand.
The plan was to then [...]

Soho The Dog: Autumn Quiz

1. What’s the best quotation of a piece of music within another piece of music?
Without a doubt, Miss Mussel has to nominate In A Vernacular Way (1990) for solo harpsichord by Canadian composer Peter Hatch. Where else can Super Mario Brothers theme music happily rub shoulders with Jimi Hendrix and 18th century dance forms?

2. Name [...]

Music Toronto: Fall 2007

Ok, this is the last of the concert listings. A body can only be in so many places at once. All of these concerts take place in the Jane Mallett Theatre at the St Lawrence Centre for the Arts. They have a very imaginative pricing policy for those aged 18-35…you simply pay [...]

Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Music Society: Fall 2007

Miss Mussel’s concert diary is getting full but here are a few chamber music indulgences.
September
21st — Flatiron Trio; Brahms Trio No.2 Op 89; Shostakovich Trio No.1 Op 8; Beethoven Symphony No.2 arranged by composer
30th — Irshad Khan sitar
October
6th – Penderecki String Quartet; Szymanowsi Quartets 1 & 2; Beethoven Op 74 ‘The Harp’
31st — [...]

Idiocy and the Border Patrol

The Rambler is spot on. The US Border guards are the most “inappropriately incompetent, lazy, smugly authoritarian individuals” Miss Mussel has ever encountered too. She has also been through Heathrow. And Luton. The Niagara border patrol people are definitely on the OM black list. When shopping around for Master’s programs some years ago, [...]

Toronto Symphony Picks: Fall 2007

The Toronto Symphony Brochure made an appearance in today’s mailbag. Here’s what Miss Mussel is canceling all other engagements to attend.
October
3rd & 4th — Prokofiev Violin Concerto; Ravel Daphnis and Chloe with Vadim Repin, violin and Thomas Dausgaard, baton
24th & 25th – Dvořák Symphony No. 8; Guillaume Connesson Symphonic Dances (Canadian Première); Jolivet Concertino [...]