by Peter Cates Robert Frost American poet American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) was one of the very few who could earn a living from poetry alone, not having to do other jobs . He was also the only winner of four Pulitzer prizes for poetry. Frost’s main subject material was living in New England, mostly […]
by Peter Cates The Desert Song Mario Lanza, Judith Raskin etc.; RCA Victor LSC-2440, LP, recorded 1959. Mario Lanza (1921-1959) was one of the finest tenors who ever lived, when it came to beauty, tone, powerful one-on-one communication and love of singing. I have a number of his recordings covering opera arias, popular songs from […]
by Peter Cates Peace Pilgrim became renowned during her lifetime for crossing the entire United States at least six times on behalf of peace, feeling this leading from God. She began her 29 years of walking in 1952 with hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in one season. The trail is 2,200 miles/3,500 kilometers of length, […]
by Peter Cates Adagio and 2 Rondos Lena Neudauer, violinist, with Bruno Weil conducting the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrucken Kaiserslautern; SWR Music, 2 CDs, recorded 2013. Lena Neudauer, born in 1984, displayed extraordinary talent early in her childhood, but steered clear of starting her career during adolescence. In quoting her from the set’s liner notes, […]
by Peter Cates The Man Who Came to Dinner starring Monte Woolley, Bette Davis, Reginald Gardner, Ann Sheridan, Jimmy Durante, Mary Wickes, Richard Travers etc.; directed by William Keighley; Warner Brothers, dvd, released New Year’s Day, 1942, 112 minutes. Although Monty Woolley (1888-1963) appeared in a number of other films and plays, his most well-known […]
by Peter Cates Leonard Cohen Songs from a Room Columbia/Legacy-88697047402, CD, recorded 1968. Quebec-born singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) was arguably most well-known for Hallelujah but, back in the 1960s, his Suzanne and That’s No Way to Say Goodbye held their own as very frequently sung. The lyrics dealt with politics, loneliness, integrity, faith – the […]
by Peter Cates Grieg Peer Gynt Suite No. 1; Symphonic Dances; Two Elegiac Melodies Sir John Barbirolli conducting the Halle Orchestra; Mercury MG 50164, LP, recorded August 9, 1957. Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) forged a musical style that was compounded of his life experiences amidst the beauties of the Norwegian landscape; health issues and one major […]
by Peter Cates Paragraphs from E. B. White I offer two paragraphs from E.B.White’s One Man’s Wheat in which he writes about the movies from the sweet peace of his Brooklin, Maine, farm in May 1939: “There is no movie house in this town so I don’t get to many pictures; but I keep in […]
by Peter Cates Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 Ida Czernecka, pianist, with Laurence Siegel conducting; Nutcracker and Swan Lake ballet excerpts; Alberto Lizzio cond.; Orbis CCC 001, CD, recording date unknown. Ida Czernecka was born in 1949 in Bratislava, Slovakia, and has lived there since. She is well-known there as a pianist and teacher but […]
by Peter Cates Last week, I listened to a live link, via computer, from the Bucharest, Romania, Radio Hall; it is one of two major venues in that city to see classical music concerts, the other being the Atheneum. And very frequently, these concerts can be heard worldwide on romania muzical. The concert featured the […]