A Lark Ascending

Only, as I remember, if you didn't think outside the box... Or clear the decks for blue sky thinking.

You'll enjoy that. They were tremendous in Sheffield a couple of years back.

The thing I worry about here is that as the big players move in we are likely to see a situation where certain music starts to get locked behind their walls, entry only permitted if you buy into one of their packages. At present I pay nothing for iTunes or Amazon so can access both - differences are slight, but sometimes one has something another does. As the 'efficiency' of free market capitalism ensures the smaller competition is driven to the wall, the temptation to buy exclusive rights on certain music will be very tempting (look at cable TV). There is more music available today than I have ever known. But it is not always easy to find it, especially on the big sites. If you know what you want it's a search away. But none of these sites have very good 'generic' search systems once you move outside the mainstream (try and find a 'folk' record on iTunes - you need to check either singer songwriter or World). I've noticed this of late after trying to get some idea of what has been happening in Scandinavian and French folk music in the last ten years. I can look up Ale Moller; but if I just want to know what's around, it's virtually impossible beyond the chance associations thrown up by the algorithms. Now 20 years ago, it was even harder to track this stuff down. But around 2000 there were some excellent specialist sites that could give you pointers and order the CDs. They've been driven out of business by the big boys. I know I'm to blame as I've bought extensively from Apple and Amazon and appreciate it is just the economic way of the world. Just wish someone with an interest in music was doing something to make 'browsing' in less popular fields easier.

I think that has now been superseded by 'The Working People'. ************************* There's an ever changing dictionary of educational jargon that floods out of academia. Some time in the late 80s/early 90s everything became 'problematic' (and if it didn't the academics would find ways to make it so). 'Accountability' seemed to become the buzzword about seven or eight years back. I was at a university meeting last night about training teachers and came across a new one. 'Performability'. I think it meant the capacity of a trainee teacher to perform to the exacting standards now expected. We were told this is problematic. [Let me say I love the people I work with at that university and they are very practical and down to earth when training teachers; but they seem to be required to invent a new language as a way of enhancing the significance of what is being done].

I know I use 'wonderful' and 'marvellous' as standard words for 'this gave me above average entertainment'. But those words lost their 'out of this world' meaning a long time ago. I know I overuse 'brilliant' as a verbal reward to student responses. 'Great' is an interesting one - in everyday use means 'something I really enjoyed' rather than indicating someone or thing that is way beyond the even good. How about 'master', a common one around here? 'Outstanding' is the highest grading OFSTED give to schools in the UK. Always strikes me as a misuse - outstanding would to me suggest something quite unique that towers above all around. But then OFSTED recently re calibrated 'satisfactory' (which to me means does the basic job) as 'requires improvement'. It's Humpty Dumpty's world - we just live in it.

Don't know if this article overlaps with those above but it suggests Apple are not just targetting other streaming services but radio itself: http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/jun/09/what-does-the-apple-music-launch-mean-for-music-fans

Somewhat far fetched Cold War thriller. Starts in the late 50s in a Profumoesque world moving through the Sino-Soviet dispute and, where I've got to, an Apocalypse Now-ish journey from South Vietnam into VC territory. Not exactly believable but enjoyable...I'll read more by him. It's also made me get a copy of:

"grumpy old men"

Yes! I'm notorious at work for going off on one when a younger colleague describes the fact that I've offered them a cup of tea as 'Awesome!' 'Cool' is another. I'm sure that disappeared as a hipster word for a while (in the UK at least) - when I was growing up it wasn't used. Seemed to reappear in the 90s. ******************** There a nasty bit of manipulation going on at present. Our re-elected government has appropriated the term 'working people'. Slowly the expression 'working class' is being neutralised; 'working people' are now differentiated from 'those scroungers on benefits'. I know - getting too political....but the manipulation of language is very much about power.

Spent the day at the folk festival in Southwell, 45 minutes away from me in the posh bit of Nottinghamshire. Odd that I travel all over to hear music but have never been to this one on my doorstep before. Nice, small festival with just three main tents of different sizes. A range of performers from just starting out youngsters through to a specially flown in Majorcan punk-folk band (who were great fun...not music I'd want to hear on the stereo but good in the flesh). Stars were Martin Simpson/Nancy Kerr/Andy Cutting who are English folk royalty and played a beautiful set from their new album. Also another peerless set from Chris Wood and Andy Cutting - they perform rarely together (I think the last time was when I saw them In Sidmouth last August) but their rapport is extraordinary. English tunes (and the occasional French or French-Canadian) but played in a slow, gently unfolding way that has you in a state of bliss. The group I was most looking forward to as I'd not yet seen them live were The Rheingans Sisters. I just love it when these utterly unique groups spring up from nowhere. Two sisters playing fiddles (with the occasional bit of banjo). Some English stuff but they both spent some time in northern Sweden so there's that element; and then the younger sister has just finished a degree in south west France learning the traditional music of that region so that goes in the mix. Utterly entrancing - again, like with Wood and Cutting, totally in synch, each one effortlessly taking over the lead lines from the other or gently embellishing the line started by the other. More confirmation of richness of the musical times we live in. I am never short of surprises.

Some beautiful waves here: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/may/22/ever-changing-seascapes-in-pictures

Again, a beautifully sharp photograph that conjours up images of Hollywood. I love looking at board members photos of their locality. There were some great ones from Southern Russia a few years back.

Oh how I loathed that man's voice on a Sunday evening. Fixed in my mind (along with the soporific music he presented in the 70s) with the horrors of the weekend being over. Only Sing Something Simple could bring you closer to topping yourself.

Somewhere I must visit. Lovely shot. Your own?

Lovely strata. Appleby, UK: Travellers wash their horses in the river Eden as part of the annual horse fair which has taken place since the 1600s http://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2015/jun/04/highwire-act-historic-horse-fair-photo-highlights Could be a Constable.

There are some stunning British landscapes here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-32960657

What happened to Windows 9? This is almost as difficult as making sense of Bruckner symphonies.

I like Stacey Kent's version. There...I've said it.

I'll add support for those Russians - Rimsky, Balakirev, Borodin, Mussorgsky etc...full of bright colour. My musical heartland is the 20thC (though I've learnt to enjoy music either side). Where I find a lot of mid-19thC a bit hard to connect with, the Russians have never been a problem. I can hear their influence not just in the composers mentioned by piano DAn but in many of the early 20th English composers I mainline on.

What a nice offer, HutchFan. It will be a year or so before anything materialises. The next year will be tied up in relocating within Britain. A different kind of English landscape: Not quite Babylon...well, maybe in the Rasta sense of the word...

I think it's magic! I struggle keeping level - when it starts going above or below the line I try and correct and send it even further out of synch. Normally takes me a few goes. Amazed how few blurs you get. I suppose it must be possible to have someone on the start of the shot and have them run round to the end before you have got there. Used to be a standard trick on those big school panorama shots.

Windows 10? I bought a new computer a month back and thought I was dawn wiv da kidz on Windows 8 and a half. Rendered obsolete already!

Nice panoramic. Here's one I did underneath the Menin Gate in Ypres last Oct: And one from the Eiffel Tower:

One of my retirement plans is to do a tour of some of these battlefields.

Not meant as a criticism - I read your list as personal favourites. In fact it reminded me of Takemitsu who I have on now as a result. More a general thought - these sort of threads generally become lists. I tend to react (or steer away!) when there's a bit of explanation. Not necessarily erudite analysis; but I'm always interested in the reasons why a listener is stirred by the music they admire, the context that enjoyment is set in (because that will be very different for everyone of us and affect how we hear it). But that's just me. I'm sure lists are very useful too.