h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Testing 1,2,3

Boo! seem's to be working now

I'm not that computer literate myself there's always so much to learn isn't there? That's the attraction with them hence the addiction.

Have a great weekend

Must loads to do.

BD

Hi !

As you are a Dr. Who fan as well click on my Dr. Who link - maybe you have already seen it - but it's great fun to play with

Did you watch it last night? I thought it was brilliant Liked the documentary that was on as well.

SO HOT here, and we are promised bad storms later on this evening with heavy hail!

I see a lot more of the MBs went DNA at the weekend - looked in on the Welsh MBs and found the type very difficult to read because of the colour of the background.

Hope you're having a good weekend

Hi

just love Dr. Who the window cleaner called for payment half way through last night's episode how dare he HP (Harry Potter) and me were glued to the set......sad to see Christopher E go and got a shock when David Tennant appeared looking as he did had visions of him looking as he did in Casanova. The Bad Wolf theme running through the whole series was good....bit of a shock too Dr. Who giving his assistant a passionate kiss how times change eh? Bit of a shame Captain Jack appears to have been left on the Satelite as well quite fancied him

Busy weekend a cyber friend visited today so we had a wonderful day in the garden. The storms arrived here around 5pm and we had massive hailstones about 3/4 inch in size!! Still hot and muggy fan going full blast in computer room .

Have you a busy week ahead at work? I only work part time but very busy week off to Wales on Friday to visit The JV Allotment so looking forward to that listen out around 1.30pm R2 if you can?

Back in a bit last minute things to do for kids for school tomorrow.

BDG

Hi there, A.S.!
I noticed you in the "cat people's" group, and decided to look up your page. If you need any advice or recomendation for "classical" music, I'd love to help. I have a couple of degrees in violin, and years of playing experience in that, as well as other types of music. There's also a link to some quotes and conversations about music.(I think it was started by Jaz'd up curry"- a Canadian Jazz buff.) You can pick it up from my page if you like. It's called Music3 or something like that.
I'm curious. Sapphire is the September birth stone. Are you a
September person too?
Welcome to H2G2.

Hi hstwrd!

No, I am not a September person, but an April person, so I guess I should have chosen Diamond

The passion classical music came about by accident really. It had never been a part of my life but a couple of years ago I stumbled upon a music forum and wondered why all these people were getting so excited about classical music! So I decided to explore it and with their help (and I have made some good friends there) I embarked upon my journey. Initially, of course, I started with Beethove, Bach, Handel, etc., then Shostakovich (who I adore) and thence onto more modern composers, Cage, Varese, Kancheli etc., then back in time again to Monteverdi, Josquin, Palestrina, then forward again to Stravinsky, Janacek, Messiaen et al. Obviously I won't list all the composers but I have wide ranging tastes and find the whole experience fascinating

At the moment I have been playing a lot of Peter Sculthorpe, have just discovered John Foulds my latest cd is of Australian music played on the Stuart piano (the one with the extra octave)

If you ever want to recommend anything to me then that's fine I just adore hearing something new!

I used to have 2 cats but unfortunately the elder one (she was 18) died last month.

Thank you for the welcome. A.S.

"Diamond"is my calico. Like many calicos, she's nuts. Stick to the Sapphire, even if you aren't a September.
My condolences on your late cat. 18 yrs is quite old for kitties, and I'm sure you were very attached.
Well, I will have to look into that Stuart piano. I know there are pianos with an extra fifth below, but the octave thing I haven't run into. If you like Shostokovich, I hope you have found his string trio (violin, cello and piano). Quite dark and very beautiful. If you like that, Claude Debussy's cello sonata might interest you too. He wrote it late in his life, and I think it's one of the most perfect things that notorious perfectionist wrote.
Sounds like you have an adventurous ear. So many people have no patience for music that lasts more than three minutes or changes key or beat pattern, etc... Kind of like getting someone to eat raw veggies after a steady diet of mushy fast food. Congrats on deciding to listen with your brain engaged!
When I taught music appreciation at a 2 yr. community college, I had many adults in my class that had never been to any sort of live concert. Many couldn't write in standard English or compose an essay to save their souls; but I decided if I could at least get them to broaden their experience with a trip to the symphony and have them say they might do it again some time, that I had done something worthwhile.
Do you know http://www.classicalarchives.com ? My grandnephew uses it to find recordings of things he wants to learn, and I was impressed with the variety of stuff there. Of course, a live performance is always best.
later!

Hi hstwrd,

I think I posted wrongly about the Stuart piano, it has an extra 9 notes so is 8 octaves from F to F. It is at the Newcastle University in Australia. Well worth googling for and also Tall Poppies are an Oz record company worth investigating - there is so much terrific new classical music coming out of Oz.

Got loads of Shosta - adore Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk btw altho not really into opera - but no Debussy (only Prelude) - just can't seem to get into him at the mo, but there again, comparing what I was listening to 2 years ago to what I am listening to now At the moment I have on Turnage, not too sure about it, but I'll give anything a go! I listen according to what mood I am in and I'll jump from, say, Purcell to Martinu without any problem

Do you listen to BBC Radio 3 at all? We have just had a complete week of Beethoven, 24/7, everything he ever wrote. Absolutely wonderful and they had downloads of some of the symphonies with more downloads to come next week.

I'll investigate that classical site you recommend.

A.S.

I used to enjoy the BBC newsreel, but my local public station gave that up long ago. (cuts in government funding and so forth). I seem to have a compatibility problem with Radio3 from this site, but should probably try again later and see if it can be solved.
The "preludes" are a good place to start with Debussy. They were somewhat revolutionary in their day, with the titles written in unobtrusive letters after the piece, instead of placing the program at the top (like most of the romantic composers would have done) to give you a definite picture before you heard the music. Still think you might like that cello sonata.
Lady McBeth huh?! That's really complex stuff. Wonder what you'd think of Carlyle Floyd's "music drama"(his term) "Of Mice and Men"? Based on the Steinbeck novel of course, so very sad. Most folks know Floyd's "Susanna", but I think "mice" is much better. If you like the Samuel Barber violin concerto, you would like the Floyd I think. I'm assuming there's a recording. Most of my experience with it is from inside the orchestra pit.