Archive for January, 2008

Video: Alex Ross on Colbert

Well, at least a link to the video. For reasons that still baffle Miss Mussel’s not insubstantial technical brain, embedding from a variety of sources has simply refused to work. So, for perhaps the first time in the history of the world, it’s viola to the rescue. If that doesn’t work, try this.
Highlights [...]

We Have A Winner

Giorgia from Operabouffe has written in with the answer.
Romanian Concerto (1952) by Gyorgy Ligeti of all people.
The piece only came to Miss Mussel’s attention last year as the result of a program note commission and what a find it was. Here’s the scoop:
Gyorgy Ligeti (1923-2006)
Romanian Concerto (1952)
Andantino
Allegro vivace
Adagio, ma non [...]

Quiz #1 Second Clue

Things are heating up in the Name That Tune contest going on here at The Omniscient Mussel this week.
The amnesiac or purposefully mysterious Sine Nomine has guessed Orff or Copland. While these are plausible, they aren’t possible mostly because they’re not the right answer.
Here are a few more clues:
The piece was written [...]

Quiz #1 First Clue

Guesses so far have veered towards an English composition. The first movement and Miss Mussel’s anglophilia do make this a good, albeit cold, guess. The second movement is a sort of general country dance that could occur in nearly any country, so it’s not much help. The third and fourth, on other hand, [...]

North Korean Orchestra To Tour UK

This just in from the CBC:
And North Korea’s State Symphony Orchestra may be planning to play three concerts in Britain this September, its largest tour to date.
The BBC will broadcast all three concerts live, according to a report Friday on Radio Free Asia.
Neither state sources nor the BBC would confirm the tour, but a spokeswoman [...]

Come On Then, Have A Guess

Can anyone identify the piece, composer and year completed? There’s about ten seconds of silence at the first, so don’t be too hasty in turning your speakers up to eleven.
Send your thoughts in an email or drop a guess in the comments. A clue will be given each day this week until someone comes [...]

Saturday Photograph