An evening pause: Holst dubbed Jupiter the bringer of Jollity. To me, the central epic theme from this movement has always evoked vastness and epic planet-sized storms, even before we really knew how epic and vast the storms on Jupiter really were.
Hat tip Danae.
An evening pause: Performed live by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in Terminal 2, Dublin Airport.
Hat tip Danae.
An evening pause: As I head out for a week of caving in Belize, how about a little Latin American culture? (I know Belize is actually a former British colony, but it is in the middle of Central America, so that’s close enough.)
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
An evening pause: This cover of the Cyndi Lauper is fascinating and mesmerizing, all because of the singer’s face.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
An evening pause: Hat tip Jim Mallamace, who wrote, “Classic country music had loss, booze and infidelity as three main themes. This selection from 1974 is by George Jones, whose real-life often mirrored these classic country themes.”
An evening pause: I like the simplicity, as it forces you to listen to the words.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
An evening pause: This Metallica cover was performed by Daniela on guitar (14 years old), Paulina on drums (12 years old), and Alejandra on bass guitar (9 yrs old).
Hat tip Jim Mallamace.
An evening pause: I especially like the worm’s imitation of Mae West.
On a more serious note, these old animated films provide a very real window into the culture that existed in America in the 1930s. If you want to know where we are going, compare this to today’s art.
Hat tip James Mallamace.
A evening pause: Performed live June 13, 1987. I think of these words whenever I am in a truly glorious place underground:
My life goes on in endless song
Above earth’s lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it’s music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?
While though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
And though the darkness ’round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that rock I’m clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?
An evening pause: Make sure you watch for at least 20 seconds. You will watch the rest. As the website notes, it’s “the only thing that works every time.”
Hat tip Jim Mallamace.
An evening pause: This performance is especially interesting in its unusual use of instruments.
Hat tip Danae.
An evening pause: From the 1949 musical comedy Neptune’s Daughter, with Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalbán, Red Skelton, and Betty Garrett.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
An evening pause: Recorded live October 20, 2012 at Christians Church, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Hat tip Danae.
An evening pause: Performed live for the first time on April 6, 1974 during the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, winning the contest for the then essentially unknown ABBA.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
An evening pause: Hat tip Jim Mallamace, who asks the valid question, “What is our ethical responsibility to machines once they have feelings?”
An evening pause: I can never get enough of this John Denver song, a fact that anyone who has every spent any time in West Virginia will understand completely. This beautiful performance by Olivia Newton-John was performed live in 1972.
An evening pause: It is the quality of the sound that especially impresses me.
Hat tip James Mallamace.
