Articles

if we have phones, almost for free, whats the use to miss people? when can we find out how much they really mean to us?

and if music inspires our feelings,whats the use to live ourselves as unique creators of unique feelings?

what's the use of birds, and wind?

and if we live in films and movies, whats the use for us to live? Its the only way that we can find out what it means to live 7 lifes in one day...


and if we play computer games, what's the use of having people around us? what's the use of finding adventure in your own life, and trying to be your own super hero? what use is to try things out anyway?

and if jokes, and shows make us laugh ,what's the use of having sense of humour ourselves? what's the use of friend gatherings , when they get bored without a tv/computer/mobile anyway?

and if people have SIMS , whats the use for a family? when you play that game you create your own perfect family anyway, instead of learning to get along with yours.

and if we have cool cloths, whats the use for warmth and love anyway?

and if above all, we have civilization, whats the use for love? its more important that we're smart, civilized and neat and perfect like everyone else, then being ourselves, loving people , and being loved for who we trylly are, with our flaws and imperfections.

what's the use?

this really has nothing to do with music, but it has to do with arts. so good enough for me.
dont read it if it bores you.

this theater piece ... i consider to be a work of art.

the composer name is marin sorescu, and the piece is named " iona". he wrote it in 1965, it was published 3 years later, and after its premiere it was given the prize from the "union of writers".


the piece consists of 4 acts, and as you very well know , it has something to do with the biblical iona. in the bible, he was a fisherman who was sent by god to deliver his message to the city of ninive. iona refused to do so , and he tried to run away to a different country, on a ship. there was a storm, and all the sailors were afraid, they started to pray to their god for help. in the end, he admitted that he was the reason why the storm came to them, so he asked his fellow sailors to throw him from board. they threw him, and in the water, a wale swallowed him, and kept him in his stomach for 3 days, until the wale landed on the shores of ninive. when iona realized where he is, he delivered the word of god, and the city, which was really sinful was saved.

the modern iona in this case, is also a fisherman. he seems a bit idiotic in the beginning of the work. he is talking to himself a lot, and he switches the tray of thoughts very easily, making it a bit hard to follow. he starts from concrete ideas, and ends up in making abstract sentences.
he knows he's a very unlucky fisherman, so he brings along a bowl with small fishes.
he speaks a lot about catching "the big fish", but the funny part is, he's standing on his mouth. ( suggesting maybe that his dream is close to fulfilling, yet he is unaware of it, or that there's peril close )
besides the fact he brings the bowl with fishes, he also talks to himself, as if he's a different person. and he tells himself " iona is unlucky; iona isnt here ( telling that to the fishes, hoping that maybe the fishes just dont like iona alone, but they might like anyone else)" etc.
the first act ends as iona decides that that was another unlucky day , and he starts fishing from the bowl, hopping he'd get luckier there.


the second act starts as iona finds himself in a different situation... the fish swallows him. he is inside the tummy of the fish. the first thought is " when did it get dark all of a sudden? i didnt know its so late. i should go home". then he realizes, as he starts to run out of air that he's inside a fish.
his speech starts being more and more ironic. the weird part is, from his speech you start to realize that iona understands more and more about the notion " time-space". he really tries hard to keep his mental awareness tho he keeps saying that he feels bad, and he's out of air.
another ironic thing is, he makes fun of the wishes that are being swallowed by the wale.and a note - he constantly has with him a knife. symbol of freedom/decision?

the third act is the longest one. iona manages to cut the belly of the first fish, to realize that the first wale was swallowed by another one. and that he's in the second fish now. ( a limited universe is limited by another universe? ) he starts noticing how the human life is constantly limited by something, and how, the more you manage to get out of certain restrictions, you find more and more restrictions.
in the scene , there appears a windmill.reminding of don quixote probably, who was fighting with his own illusions.
iona is still very talkative, running from idea to idea. his thoughts become more and more wise, and thoughtful ; he talks about twin souls, that they never feel alone, or about the fact that children talk to each other , while they are still in their mother's womb. ( communication issue is present a lot, if you notice.)
he also talks about how god cannot revive ( talking about the easter thingy. that jesus was dead for 3 days , and in the 3rd day he revived / thats the myth around which christianity is stated over). he says that god is like a magician that has tried every trick, and ended up not being able to revive himself again. then he states " i cant revive. not yet. i tried, but i cant revive"( he identifies himself with god here)
in the scene appear 2 more characters. 2 fishermen, that carry a large plank on their backs. they are totally mute. they come in the scene , and sit in a corner. ( carrying their planks, doesnt this remind you of the expression " we all carry our own crosses"? and the fact they are mute remind again of the communication issue. bottom line is, people arent communicating right.)
the fact the fishermen come into the scene wake his imagination.he starts picturing how it would be to reach the village of the fishermen and tell their wives that he saw them, and that they are fine, and they will come home themselves soon enough and such.
this picture in his head gives him strength and starts feeling like he is the "toenail of god" , so he starts to scratch the tummy of the fish with his own nails.

he manages to come out of the second fish to find out he's in a third fish. his wish to communicate is so strong, that he cuts out a piece of his skin from his palm, and writes on it with his own blood, a letter to his mother.when the fish moves a lot ( being swallowed by another fish) the "letter" falls from his hand.in the letter he ask his mother pretty please that she gives birth to him again, so that he could start all over. he starts to wonder if the fish is not his mother,him being in her womb, and he starts to wonder if he wont be born soon enough. he wonders if children are aware of themselves while in their mum's womb.

his speech is even more abstract. he starts talking about some bugs that , if they fall on their back, they die,even if on the other side they have many legs , and wonders why god made them like that, and suggest there should be a revolution of bugs, so that they would get legs on both sides.

http://www.hlasek.com/foto/carabus_violaceus_2774.jpg

then he starts to wonder a vital question " why do we in this life do so many things which are useless to us , after we die???"

- iona makes a move, and accidentally steps on the letter which he dropped. that makes a loud noise ( he is after all in the stomach of a fish you know) and he starts seeing a lot of eyes in there. all watching him, all going closer to him ( is it the idea that " the sleep of ration gives birth to monsters?)

in the 4th act, he managed to get out of the last fish. in the outside world he realizes , its nothing as it was before. he's thinks he's happy to be out... he breaths in the air, and feels its purity.but he starts dreaming now of fishing the sun itself, not the big fish anymore.but he's shocked. he doesnt see the sea anymore. he presumes that there was a storm of fire around here and took the sea with it. or that it evaporated.
on the land, he sees the two fishermen again carrying their planks. he is amazed he sees them there again noticing " the world is so small"
iona starts realizing he isnt really happy now. so he starts to remember things from his own life, but not the things itself, just their definitions. " that round thing with legs, around which we used to run when we were little", or " that nice lady that was always around and caring about me". he wonders who he is... when all of a sudden he realizes " i am iona" he doesnt deny himself anymore. but looking at the horizon line, all he sees is fishes-bellies. all around him and everywhere.

so in the end he decides to take the knife and shove it in his own belly, for freedom. not freedom in the outside world , but in the inside world.freedom of the spirit. he decides the spirit is more important then the physique.


i hope you wont find this text depressing, thats not the idea.
but then again, you can think for yourself, so find the idea behind the text yourself ( even if i stated it so many times). but find your own idea, not mine.

***this summer, after i finish the exams, i promise to translate " iona" in english.

****

celestial classical = my favorite selection of classical.

classique = raffined/soft/gentle classical

celestial jazz = my favorite selection of jazz.

celestial rock = my favorite selection of rock

celestial brass = my favorite selection of brass

celestial but random = my favorite random selection(that isnt classical/jazz/etc, and i have no idea what it is, and maybe its better i dont know )

lovesong = guess!(romantic works/etc :P )

classique noir = dark classical

jazzy = softer jazz(mostly piano jazZ)

jazzz = strong jazz with plenty of rhythm

music box = crappy music made on the computer.

frogs and rock = nice jumpy melodies in rock

clasica = heavy&slow&powerful classical.

devilish = wicked music

jale si dor = nostalgic music.

exotic= hmmm... i wonder what this is.anything that would sound exotic to an east european :P

heavy slow classical

strong klezmer

angelic voice

frogs in rock - my mistake, sorry

for some reason, i have once felt like it. like the song itself.

i felt like an ego maniac kid.

the bells start ringing. total suspense, every time i hear them, its like the first time.

then a soft voice of the singer starts saying something, that brings me in such an unknown world. i dont know where her voice takes me, but its not on planet earth. i can barely distinguish her words that seem to be charged with pain or at least ... i dont know...

then her voice goes a bit higher, as if starting to swollen with hope, and higher... the guitare helps fulfilling her voice... keeping the suspense...
her voice goes a bit desperate again... but a soft gentle desperation filled with a certain determination.

its like she finds hope in giving up...

the guitare fades...

the bells ring...

ding... ding...ding...

ca y est! ( thats it)

and now again :D

i felt like an ego maniac kid , because i was egocentric, and felt a bit maniac in my kid-ishness :P
nevermind that.


Ego Maniac Kid

for this work i could definitely imagine a video that would fit it.

this is the image that it evokes :

in the beginning i imagine a little girl , dressed in a beautiful white nite dress , getting into her small bed.
before the part when the voice start , she opens a little music box next to her bed ( on a table). in the music box there is real life...

the music box is in the shape of a circle , and in the middle of that circle there is a gap that separates a small toy-woman, and a small toy-man , that constantly try reaching each other.

they are both asleep , but the moment the little girl opens the music box - to hear the song , its like the two catch life ; they rise , and see each other , and try reaching each other too.
the music is magnificent this moment. it is weird, yet kind to the ears , and to the mind. its sad, but calming at the same time.
the little music box's inside moves in a slow dance , in the rhythm of the song , and the two inside it gently try reaching each other, having sad faces, but full of hope at the thought that they could manage.
when the voices stop around minute 3, she closes the music box, and slowly falls asleep.

but in the world of the small music box, life is different.
- silence -

at minute 4, we get to see a glimpse of how the world inside it goes. it is sad, and cold , and dark.
the only lights there are given by some ( ), that draw their light from the light of outside ; but its enough to let us see how the two reach a moment of despair. the circle of the music box moves faster , and so do the arms of the two , trying to get hold of the " loved - toy".

from somewhere below the place where they have their legs caught up in the music box floor, you can see on both sides, 2 groups, on the toy -woman , smaller toy -women, that sing along with her , and on the toy-man side, small toy -men , that also sing in despair.

then the lights of the ( ) fade and fade, and the small groups beneath them become less visible, so that in the end, the two fall at their own feet . ( the battery finishes)

the last picture is in the morning - when the little girl wakes up. when she tries to play the music box, she finds the two fainted, and she's amazed how the battery finished ( since it isn't a mechanical music box !!)

Medtner's Sonata Reminiscenza gives such a state of lack of memory...it makes one feel like in an old loft( not sure if thats the word... ) looking in some old dusty things... reading old notes... it makes you feel like that loft is your own life.. and your mind is the old and dusty... the notes are the lines from your life...
this piece starts out calmly... like how the baby's life is in the beginning, like a lullaby... then all of a sudden, an outburst of sound fills your ears - teenage?thats when everything in life feels hyper.nothing is lived in a small way... everything is big, everything is fantastic... or everything is black.
the song then has periods of calmness... and the fingers on the piano of the performer moves faster, more dramatically, step by step... only to slow down , and calm itself...
it's almost dazzling...deep deep sound deep deep..... very deep and ... and all of a sudden the same lines from the beginning softly tease your ear , but not in the same rythm... slightly faster.... and when that line is over... it starts off wilder then ever...more dramatical then you could imagine...
the melody softens up once more, but doesnt give up the speed.oh no... whirlpool?its like being in one.... and it speeds up and speeds and speeds.... and the intensity grows, once more ... a short pause.....then the rhythm comes back to normal.... not too fast, not too dramatical. in some way, almost forgetful....but the composer did not want to bore the one who would hear his work... this small bit of his soul.... no.... the song losses its intensity once more, to grow in speed... and once again, the dramatism is something he cannot give up... almost sounding like the concerto no2 by rachmaninoff.... one more outburst.. this time of feelings of sentiments.....losing speed...and intensity... and then the same calm calm calm notes from the beginning charm you... making you want to sleep... or at least it does that to me....
it is somewhat resembling concerto no2 of Rachmaninoff, with one big difference. that concerto gives you the feeling that that outburst of feelings is your own, and it is of fantastic proportions.while on medtner's music, its the same proportion of feelings, only you dont live them yourself. it's like an "alter ego" lives them. it's like your spirit is on the outside, and your soul is living them...

Rakoczy March sounds to me like ,

false - order - over which the music brings total disorder - for the sake of a superior order.

its like the force of destruction has a role of creation at the same time.
it is a very powerful song, and for me, in times of change, it breangs enormous force.

:D like now haha

it feels like i cant fit in my old skin, and i need to break it, in order to grow, grow grow, big, huge, with tremendous force, and by the time the growth will make a pause, a new skin will grow.

this song is like the song that breaks the old skin....

this is why i myself am a contradiction.

with order and positive energy i elevate my spirit, and with chaos i bring excitement, and the need for change and constant improvement.

if a person wouldnt break a shirt, he wouldnt buy a new one, right? (supposely)

chaos for me, is like a vaccine. you inject the germs inside your body, and when the body fights it, it grows stronger, so that type of germ wont be able to win over the body.

(1853 - 1883)

Romanian composer, born in Suceava, he is one of the most renown in the Romanian music .
He composed over 250 vocal and instrumental works, that have roots from the Romanian music folclore .THe opera "Crai nou", "Balada" (the ballade) for viollin and piano,"Cantecul pentru 1 Mai" (song for 1st may), "Serenada" ,etc are the most popular of his works.

here you can find a sample of "Balada" ( my personal favorite :D )

http://www.ici.ro/romania/ro/cultura/m_porumbescu.html