Random Monday: Funnel cakes, turkey horns and extreme unfairness

• Lost in translation
  Miss Mussel points out a new translation for bells up. A muting notation that is a personal peeve of mine is mutes on and mutes off, as if mutes were powered by electricity. (?)

• That lip tingle
  Julia Rose writes about a phenomena that I have experienced myself. It is generally a positive indicator that something good is happening. Caution however if that tingle turns to a hard sizzle – it may be time to quit for a while.

• Genghis art
  The new grrl power quartet caught attention in the New York Times. Glad to see that the Times dance critic doesn’t spit the same venomous prose as others do.

• Ring crossover
  To those familar with Wagner’s Ring cycle, the plot similarities between Wagner’s Ring and Tolkien’s Ring are fairly obvious and noticeable. What might be less noticed is the use of music in the recent film version of Tolkien’s Ring. It too shares many similarities.

• Turkey horns
  Kittywampus compares mellophones and vuvuzelas.

• Born to run
  A future French horn player?

• Herr Richard likes the ladies
  Another one from Miss Mussel – this time on Wagner tuben.

So here’s a good one: Richard Wagner goes to Paris in 1853 to visit saxomaphone creator Adolphe Sax. Why? Because he was working on the Ring Cycle and was searching for something (according to Wikipedia, at least) “that could intone the Valhalla motif somberly like a trombone but with a less incisive tone like that of a horn.”

• When things go horribly wrong
  In Richardson Texas, the orchestra management just decided out-of-the-blue to no longer honor its contract or acknowledge the musicians union. This move has landed them on the AFM International Unfair List. Some are calling this a “showdown” when the reality is that is is nothing less than a hostile takeover – plain and simple.

  It all looks very petty (and even perhaps spiteful) on this end, given too the bizarre rehearsal incident — a major Maestro meltdown –  caught on tape and posted on the Interwebs.

  Drew McManus is keeping track here.

• Coming up on Wednesday
  A review and interview with David Griffin on his new recording, which features the new Bruce Broughton sonata.