by Peter Cates Ralph Meeker Ralph Meeker (1920-1988) was labeled perhaps a bit misleadingly as a character actor; on film and television, he did portray men on both sides of the law but he didn’t have the characterizing artistry of a Rod Steiger or Sir Lawrence Olivier. What Meeker did have was a tough, almost […]
by Peter Cates MobLand A new Paramount series MobLand depicts the activities of Conrad Harrigan, a gentlemanly head of a crime family in London and his calculating, slightly shrewish wife Maeve, both portrayed with consummate persuasion by Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. The gentlemanly quality masks a ruthless cold-blooded evil and greed as he decides […]
by Peter Cates Khachaturian Khachaturian: Gayaneh Ballet Excerpts; Piano Concerto; and Masquerade Suite – Jiri Belohlavek conducting the Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra, in Gayaneh, and Masquerade; pianist Mirka Pokorna with Vladimir Valek conducting the Prague Symphony Orchestra in the Piano Concerto. Supraphon SU 3107-2011, recorded between 1972 and 1980, CD. Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) composed some […]
by Peter Cates Sir Eugene Goossens Sir Eugene Goossens (1893-1962) conducted the Rochester Philharmonic during the 1920s; succeeded Fritz Reiner as Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1931 to 1946; moved to Australia to lead the Sydney Symphony for ten years until forced to resign in 1956 due to his involvement with a […]
by Peter Cates Samuel de Champlain In his fascinatingly detailed Voyages, Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635) wrote of traveling up the Penobscot River in the following entry for September 5th, 1604: “The same day we passed also near to an island about four or five leagues long. From this island to the main land on the […]
by Peter Cates Poet Lee Sharkey Poet Lee Sharkey (1945-2020) moved to Maine in 1971 and taught writing for several years at the University of Maine’s Farmington campus. She was also a social and peace activist, mentored aspiring writers from many walks of life, particularly those in prison and psychiatric hospitals, and protested the Iraq […]
by Peter Cates The Cathedrals The Cathedrals – Masters of Gospel; Riversong 84418-2876-4, 1992 cassette. The Cathedrals is a gospel men’s quartet in the tradition of the two most well known ones from the Deep South – the Blackwood Brothers; and the Statesmen. This cassette is a generously filled anthology of 15 previously released selections- […]
by Peter Cates Listening to a pile of 78s After listening to a pile of 78s that are both long forgotten and musically captivating, I wish I could write about each and every one of them, but, for reasons of time and space, can only pick a few; hopefully they can be heard via YouTube. […]
by Peter Cates Maine Speaks anthology The 1987 Maine Speaks anthology contains what has elsewhere been often considered the most famous 20th century short story from our Pine Tree State – The Ledge, by Lawrence Sargent Hall (1915-1993). However, before today (February 2, 2025), I was totally unfamiliar with the story, and the writer, let […]
by Peter Cates Gershwin & Ravel Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue – Adolph Drescher, pianist; C.A. Bunte conducting the Pro Musica Symphony Orchestra. Ravel: Bolero – Samo Hubad conducting the Radio Symphony Orchestra. Sony Music Special Products BT 22444, cassette, 1991. The late 1980s tearing down of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet […]