Two memorable concerts in the spring

January 27, 2006 AT 7:30 P.M.
Perelman Theater, Kimmel center

Natalia Gutman, Cello
Slava Moroz, Violin
Dmitri Shteinberg, Piano

Program:
Johann Sebastian Bach: Suite for Cello solo No. 3 in C major, BWV 1009
Johannes Brahms: Trio No.3 in C minor, Op. 101
Franz Schubert: Sonata in A minor, D. 821, ''Arpeggione''
Dmitri Shostakovich: Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67

Notes: Russian musicians rock! All three members in the group are from Russia. Studying for thirteen years with Galina Kosolupova in Moscow conservatory, since she was young acclaimed Russian cellist Natalia Gutman worked with Mstislav Rostropovich and Sviatoslav Richter, and her later husband, the great violinist Oleg Kagan. Richter called Gutman "an incarnation of truthfulness in music."

In the concert, the openning of Bach is a little bit plain to me, although other two friends applauded it was richly overlaid and colorful. The highlights to me were the two piano trios. In Brahms's No.3, the speedy and high-pitched start of Moroz's violin is shocking and explosive, quickly captivated my ears. As a NYT critic wrote, "Mr. Moroz is a wiry, muscular player with a quick, edgy vibrato and a huge Slavic tone". The collaboration between the cello and the violin was very convincing, although the piano was relatively a little weak. In the begining of the Shostakovich's Trio, it was a very slow and low-pitched lyric style cello solo, like in a childhood memory, then it turns gradually into rhythmic marching by strings plucking ("Pizzicato"?) and explicably strong emotional eruption. This process is repeated in variational forms.



April 27, 2006, AT 8 P.M
Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center

The Philadelphia Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Stephen Hough, piano

Program:
RAUTAVAARA Cantus Arcticus (Concerto for Birds and Orchestra)
RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
SIBELIUS Symphony No. 6

Notes: This concert is named "Northern Lights", because the conductor Osmo Vänskä is from Finland, and all three selected music pieces are related to this north European country. It is said that Rachmaninoff composed the rhapsody in Finland. Honestly we were not interested in Finland too much, but Rachmaninoff gave us enough reason to go. Stephen Hough's hands were swifty, and luckily we could see his hands flying on the keyboard from our seats. It seems easy to tell good music. Although I can't say Sibelius's symphony and the other Finnish composer's modern concerto are ordinary, obviously Rachmaninoff's rhapsody was too splendid in the evening and overshadowed the other two pieces. At least I could tell the orchestra was not very much involved when they played the Finnish concerto. "good music is both personal and universal". The theme of the 24 Paganini solo violin caprice is very interesting and there are many variations by a number of composers. In this Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody, the theme of Paganini is embodied of the characteristic grand but subtle Russian sentiment. Stephen Hough exactly interpreted such Russian sentiment. It was electrifying.

文革四十年

［引］5月16日是中国“无产阶级文化大革命”爆发40周年。今年10月6日，又是这个文革结束30周年。德国之声中文网列出文革十大事件。(请点击标题).


用任何文字来描述文化大革命带给中国人的伤痛都很勉强。休谟说，想像中的痛苦和真实感受的痛苦完全不同。文化大革命不仅使牵涉数亿人的生灵涂炭，更是对中国文化传统致命的摧残。外族人可以掠杀我们的肉体，却不能掠杀我们的灵魂。文化大革命由暴民政治演变为对民族文化大规模自残，远不是“十年“的浩劫可以概括。

礼乐的精神

今天中午去听中国文化春季学期的最后一次课，是学生们作专题演讲。上课的学生大部分是UPenn的本科生，由台湾来的蒋老师讲授。因为去晚了，错过了安排在前面的报告，包括张子虞同学讲的关于中国的茶文化，甚为遗憾。后来听的是但莹和杨立影同学讲的是海外华人对中国经济发展贡献的诸多途径，仔细的划分出五六种类型，比如“落叶型“，“哑铃型“，“候鸟型“等等，很象是中国人才引进的政策研究。接下来是温则圣同学讲中国民族文化。他列举了从龙山出土的文物，从夏朝到汉朝的疆域变化，云南白族的佛像，以及回族的书法艺术。其中回族的书法看上去很新鲜，但容易看出笔法很受汉字书法的影响。温则圣同学生在美国，并自认为是“美国人“，但他却有强烈的兴趣去追根溯源寻找中国文化的来龙去脉，也是难得。

最后一个报告是两个女生做的，可是我不知道她们的名字，只知道其中一位是Wharton的研究生。她们讲的是中国“礼“的精神，是我认为非常精彩的，因为她们的确抓住了中国文化中非常核心的内容，而且她们的阐述也相当透彻。用“礼乐崩坏“来形容当今中国之状况不为过，而欲真正的复兴，必须重建“礼乐“。难得的是， 她们引用了孔子在《论语·阳货》中提出的：“礼云礼云，玉帛云乎哉？乐云乐云，钟鼓云乎哉？” ，以论证正如钟鼓等乐器不能等同于音乐一样，“礼“并不等同与形式上的“礼节“，而是更为内在的精神。我不由得在内心为她们击节赞叹。难得，难得!

我自己有一个没有解答的问题，为什么古人总把“礼“和“乐“连在一起讲，二者之间存在什么样的内在联系呢？可惜五经之一的《乐经》早早就失传了。

红楼梦---紫菱洲歌

池塘一夜秋风冷，
吹散芰荷红玉影。
蓼花菱叶不胜愁，
重露繁霜压纤梗。

不闻永昼敲棋声，
燕泥点点污棋枰。
古人惜别怜朋友，
况我今当手足情。

红楼梦中有许多诗词，唯这一首最能打动我。它是宝玉在晴雯屈死迎春許嫁后于池塘边随口吟出，却淡淡地道出红楼梦的主题之一“散“。大观园中的热闹非凡，最后都变成了“生离“或是“死别“。这在贾母元宵节猜灯谜“爆竹“想到的“一响就散“时已埋下伏笔。众人口里屡屡出现的“千里搭长棚，没有不散的宴席“更是不断的暗示。如此流水般的无奈，和人生如梦一般的虚幻，或正是红楼梦欲寄托的悲情。

Art matters

There are several interesing exhibitions being around.


Picasso: The final years' at BMA (Baltimore museum of Art)
January 11 - April 16, 2006
It is advertised to show the artist's intensity and growth even as he reached his mortal end. I never get into Picasso's world, but I
am pretty much intrigued why such a man can consistently have the passion and energy no matter of his age. As one commented, "eroticism, energy, passion, imagination, and all the things that we think wane to nothingness as you get old. his vitality seems age-defying..."


Ansel Adams: Celebration of Genius (Michener Art museum)
February 18 through May 14, 2006
Adams is no doubt a hero for many American in art world. He has unusual eyes, but more important he has a big heart. His landscape photographs have some mystical power, energy, and overwhelming beauty. the strong shadows and grand landscape create stunning effects that can hold our breath and beat our hearts. When I look fixedly at his works, i almost feel I stand there along with him, with the same veneration and adoration.

Ya'lla: shake ya body like a belly dancer!

Ya'lla (Let's go), Penn Middle Eastern Dance Troupe, performed in Houston Hall tonight. Although they are undergraduate and graduate students at Penn, their dance is amazing, especially the solo dancer, Hayet (Lesley Hickman), who received NEUROSCIENCE PHD from PENN! Hayet dances just like a professional, and she can dance many styles of belly dance. Her cane dance with another girl was also very entertaining. There were often clapping and cheers from the audience, with the rhythm of
the middle east music, which was exotic and sensually tasteful.

Be an INTJ

my personality is identified as INTJ in a online Jung Typology Test, while there are 16 different psychological types defined by Dr. Jung. the characteristics of INTJ are:

very expressed introvert (I)
distinctively expressed intuitive (N)
slightly expressed thinking (T)
moderately expressed judging (J)

Brief description: For INTJs the dominant force in their lives is their attention to the inner world of possibilities, symbols, abstractions, images, and thoughts. Insight in conjunction with logical analysis is the essence of their approach to the world; they think systemically. Ideas are the substance of life for INTJs and they have a driving need to understand, to know, and to demonstrate competence in their areas of interest. INTJs inherently trust their insights, and with their task-orientation will work intensely to make their visions into realities.

it is interesting that i agree much of its analysic of my personality, including weakness and strength.

to know your type, do the test:
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm