Oh Be Joyful

 

A couple of weeks ago my friend, Rachael, invited me to go to the opening night of the Houston Symphony’s 2011/12 season.  More specifically it was Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (aka: Ode to Joy), which I had never seen in live performance!! This was also a chance to check off another venue from my “Places to See Concerts in Houston” list (having already gone to the Wortham, Alley Theater, Verizon Theater, and Fitzgeralds).  This year I’m hoping to make it to the ballet to knock another one off… any takers?

 

Getting prepped!

 

Here is the full symphony if you are interested in listening/watching.  Conductor Leonard Bernstein leads the Vienna Philharmonic with soloists Gwyneth Jones, Shirley Verrett, Placido Domingo, and Martti Talvela.  (This is actually the third of three clips but it’s the finale… watch all of them if you have the time though!)  

 

Rachel and I after the show!

 

And, because I still listen to this song about once a week, a different arrangement of the above music… and in my opinion, a much more technically demanding version to boot.  I mean, did Beethoven ever write a rap?  Check and mate.

 

Sheryl Lee Ralph! Lauryn Hill! Sign language! Jaw tension! Gospel music!  And that’s just in the first ten seconds alone!!!

 

Artist: Frank Wildhorn/ Album: The Civil War

The Bottom is Out of the Tub

 

I always love when Catherine comes into work with ideas for the gallery blog, partially because it gives me a chance to learn about something new but mostly because I know I can poach it for my own usage! 

The 150th anniversary of the American Civil War is being observed today and I thought it would be as good a time as any to look back at some of the oft-forgotten photographs from the late nineteenth century. (All examples taken from CivilWarPhotos.net, a fantastic compendium of over 1,200 high-quality pictures from the era)

George A. Custer and General Alfred Pleasonton on Horseback- Falmouth, VA, April 1863

 

Mathew B. Brady’s Photographic Outfit in the Field- Near Petersburg, VA, 1864

 

Dinner Party Outside Tent at the Army of the Potomac Headquarters- Brandy Station, VA, April 1895

 

Ward in the Carver General Hospital- Washington, D.C.

 

President Lincoln’s Funeral Procession on Pennsylvania Avenue- Washington, D.C., April 19, 1865

 

Artist: Frank Wildhorn/ Album: The Civil War