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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" xml:base="http://www.robshouse.net" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
<channel>
<title>RobsHouse.net [Arichive]</title>
<link>http://www.robshouse.net</link>
<description></description>
<language>en</language>
<item>
<title>J.S. Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier complete video for people who truly love music</title>
<link>http://www.robshouse.net/content/js-bach-well-tempered-clavier-complete-video-people-who-truly-love-music</link>
<description><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>I have recently had the privilege and honor of being the producer of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPHIZw7HZq4">best recording of J.S. Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" (Volume 1) ever made on the piano</a>. My opinion - you're welcome to show me evidence to the contrary =)</p>
<p>Now there's a video on YouTube that combines the entire recording with the musical notation in a way that is bound to thrill music lovers and anybody studying these works. Two sources for scores were used. For the Preludes, the Open Well-Tempered Clavier score from Musescore was used. For the Fugues, the public domain engraving by Kyle Rother using Lillypond software was chosen. As a consequence, you can easily compare the default engraving styles of Musescore and Lillypond, side by side.</p>
<p>Enjoy the video - you deserve some Bach today!</p>
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nPHIZw7HZq4?showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/piano" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Piano</a></div></div></div></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 02 Dec 2015 13:30:23 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Robert Douglass</dc:creator>
<guid isPermaLink="false">310 at http://www.robshouse.net</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>8.0.0 ways you can participate in the Barcelona Drupalcon Prenote - even if you're not there!</title>
<link>http://www.robshouse.net/content/800-ways-you-can-participate-barcelona-drupalcon-prenote-even-if-youre-not-there</link>
<description><div class="field field-name-field-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p style="font-size: larger !important;">The "Prenote" is a time-honored DrupalCon tradition; it is the first session of the conference, directly before the Driesnote, and it is loads of fun. This year, everyone has a chance to participate in the Prenote, even if you're not coming to Barcelona. Here are 8.0.0 reasons how you can pitch in and make this Prenote <em>totalmente excelente</em>.</p>
<p style="font-size: larger !important;"><strong>1.0.0, Come to the show:</strong> If you're attending DrupalCon Barcelona, <a href="https://events.drupal.org/barcelona2015/prenote">come to the show</a>! It's at 8:00am on Tuesday, Sept. 22, in the same room as the Driesnote, so you get good seats to see Dries. You also have a good motivation not to drink yourself into oblivion Monday night, and start the DrupalCon bright and early.</p>
<p style="font-size: larger !important;"><strong>2.0.0, Watch the livestream:</strong> This is for those of you who won't be there in person. Thankfully, you can watch the live stream and be with us in spirit. 8:00am is 2:00am Eastern Standard, so it's just right for you night owls on the East Coast.</p>
<p style="font-size: larger !important;"><strong>3.0.0, Make a video cameo:</strong> We wil be incorporating video volunteers into the show. <a href="#signup">Sign up below</a> and indicate that you want to be a "video volunteer" and you'll get a set of instructions to follow to make a few very short, very easy videos that we can use. No et preocupis, és molt fàcil!</p>
<p style="font-size: larger !important;"><strong>4.0.0, Be an offstage volunteer:</strong> We need a few people who will be at the session who can help us run some critical systems offstage. You get to be part of the show but you don't have to memorise any lines.</p>
<p style="font-size: larger !important;"><strong>Onstage volunteers:</strong> We need people who can rehearse with us on Monday (and possibly Sunday) and actually be part of the show. We've got big roles and small roles, so if it sounds like fun, let us know by <a href="#signup">filling out the form below</a>, and we'll do our best to work you in. In particular, we definitely need people who can be the following:</p>
<ul style="font-size: larger !important;"><li><strong>5.0.0.</strong> Spanish language and cultural guides</li>
<li><strong>6.0.0.</strong> Catalan language and cultural guides</li>
<li><strong>7.0.0.</strong> Musicians and dancers of all sorts</li>
</ul><p style="font-size: larger !important;"><strong>8.0.0. Send us photos of yourself:</strong><br />
That's right, we're going to make a cool photo montage that has special meaning in the show, and you can be part of it by taking pictures of yourselves in these poses and <a href="#signup">sending them to us</a>. Detailed instructions are below, but let's just say that it's significant that this is point 8.0.0. =)</p>
<p style="font-size: larger !important;"><strong>Photo instructions:</strong> Take all four photos with a white wall behind you, ideally as devoid of visual features as possible.</p>
<ul style="font-size: larger !important;"><li>Photo 1: Stand with your left arm to the wall, look forward (not at the camera), cupping your hands together, as if you're expecting a present from Dries. Who knows.... maybe you are?</li>
<li>Photo 2: Stand with your left side to the wall, look forward (not at the camera). Right leg forward, left leg back, bend at the knees. Right arm forward, fist facing up. Left arm back fist facing down.</li>
</ul><p><strong style="font-size: larger !important;">Here are the poses for Photos 1 &amp; 2.</strong></p>
<table id="barcelona" style="width: 90%; table-layout: fixed;"><tr style="width: 99%;"><td style="width: 99%;"><a href="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/pose1_1.gif"><br /><img src="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/pose1_1.gif" width="342" /></a></td>
<td style="width: 99%;"><a href="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/pose2_0.gif"><br /><img src="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/pose2_0.gif" width="342" /></a></td>
</tr></table><ul style="font-size: larger !important;"><li>Photo 3: Stand with your left side to the wall, look forward (not at the camera). Put both arms forward and <em>git push</em>. Important, make sure to stick out your bum towards the rear!</li>
<li>Photo 4: Stand with your left side to the wall, look <strong>at the camera and grin like a fool</strong>. In a half squat, pump both fists, elbows in at your sides, and think <em>Drupal 8.0.0. ROCKS!</em>.</li>
</ul><p><strong style="font-size: larger !important;">Here are the poses for Photos 3 &amp; 4.</strong></p>
<table id="barcelona" style="width: 90%; table-layout: fixed;"><tr style="width: 99%;"><td style="width: 99%;"><a href="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/pose3_0.gif"><br /><img src="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/pose3_0.gif" width="342" /></a></td>
<td style="width: 99%;"><a href="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/pose4_0.gif"><br /><img src="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/pose4_0.gif" width="342" /></a></td>
</tr></table><p></p>
<!--break--><p><a name="signup" id="signup"></a></p>
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<label for="edit-submitted-name">Name <span class="form-required" title="This field is required.">*</span></label>
<input required="required" type="text" id="edit-submitted-name" name="submitted[name]" value="" size="60" maxlength="128" class="form-text required" />
</div>
<div class="form-item webform-component webform-component-email webform-component--e-mail">
<label for="edit-submitted-e-mail">E-mail <span class="form-required" title="This field is required.">*</span></label>
<input required="required" class="email form-text form-email required" type="email" id="edit-submitted-e-mail" name="submitted[e_mail]" size="60" />
</div>
<div id="edit-submitted-photos1-ajax-wrapper"><div class="form-item webform-component webform-component-file webform-component--photos1">
<label for="edit-submitted-photos1-upload">Photo -pose 1 </label>
<div class="form-managed-file"><input type="file" id="edit-submitted-photos1-upload" name="files[submitted_photos1]" size="22" class="form-file" /><input type="submit" id="edit-submitted-photos1-upload-button" name="submitted_photos1_upload_button" value="Upload" class="form-submit" /><input type="hidden" name="submitted[photos1][fid]" value="0" />
</div>
<div class="description">Files must be less than <strong>20 MB</strong>.<br />Allowed file types: <strong>gif jpg jpeg png</strong>.</div>
</div>
</div><div id="edit-submitted-photo-pose-2-ajax-wrapper"><div class="form-item webform-component webform-component-file webform-component--photo--pose-2">
<label for="edit-submitted-photo-pose-2-upload">Photo -pose 2 </label>
<div class="form-managed-file"><input type="file" id="edit-submitted-photo-pose-2-upload" name="files[submitted_photo__pose_2]" size="22" class="form-file" /><input type="submit" id="edit-submitted-photo-pose-2-upload-button" name="submitted_photo__pose_2_upload_button" value="Upload" class="form-submit" /><input type="hidden" name="submitted[photo__pose_2][fid]" value="0" />
</div>
<div class="description">Files must be less than <strong>20 MB</strong>.<br />Allowed file types: <strong>gif jpg jpeg png</strong>.</div>
</div>
</div><div id="edit-submitted-photo-pose-3-ajax-wrapper"><div class="form-item webform-component webform-component-file webform-component--photo--pose-3">
<label for="edit-submitted-photo-pose-3-upload">Photo -pose 3 </label>
<div class="form-managed-file"><input type="file" id="edit-submitted-photo-pose-3-upload" name="files[submitted_photo__pose_3]" size="22" class="form-file" /><input type="submit" id="edit-submitted-photo-pose-3-upload-button" name="submitted_photo__pose_3_upload_button" value="Upload" class="form-submit" /><input type="hidden" name="submitted[photo__pose_3][fid]" value="0" />
</div>
<div class="description">Files must be less than <strong>20 MB</strong>.<br />Allowed file types: <strong>gif jpg jpeg png</strong>.</div>
</div>
</div><div id="edit-submitted-photo-pose-4-ajax-wrapper"><div class="form-item webform-component webform-component-file webform-component--photo--pose-4">
<label for="edit-submitted-photo-pose-4-upload">Photo -pose 4 </label>
<div class="form-managed-file"><input type="file" id="edit-submitted-photo-pose-4-upload" name="files[submitted_photo__pose_4]" size="22" class="form-file" /><input type="submit" id="edit-submitted-photo-pose-4-upload-button" name="submitted_photo__pose_4_upload_button" value="Upload" class="form-submit" /><input type="hidden" name="submitted[photo__pose_4][fid]" value="0" />
</div>
<div class="description">Files must be less than <strong>20 MB</strong>.<br />Allowed file types: <strong>gif jpg jpeg png</strong>.</div>
</div>
</div><div class="form-item webform-component webform-component-radios webform-component--i-speak-spanish">
<label for="edit-submitted-i-speak-spanish">I speak Spanish </label>
<div id="edit-submitted-i-speak-spanish" class="form-radios"><div class="form-item form-type-radio form-item-submitted-i-speak-spanish">
<input type="radio" id="edit-submitted-i-speak-spanish-1" name="submitted[i_speak_spanish]" value="1" checked="checked" class="form-radio" /> <label class="option" for="edit-submitted-i-speak-spanish-1">No </label>
</div>
<div class="form-item form-type-radio form-item-submitted-i-speak-spanish">
<input type="radio" id="edit-submitted-i-speak-spanish-2" name="submitted[i_speak_spanish]" value="2" class="form-radio" /> <label class="option" for="edit-submitted-i-speak-spanish-2">Yes </label>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="form-item webform-component webform-component-radios webform-component--i-speak-catalan">
<label for="edit-submitted-i-speak-catalan">I speak Catalan </label>
<div id="edit-submitted-i-speak-catalan" class="form-radios"><div class="form-item form-type-radio form-item-submitted-i-speak-catalan">
<input type="radio" id="edit-submitted-i-speak-catalan-1" name="submitted[i_speak_catalan]" value="1" checked="checked" class="form-radio" /> <label class="option" for="edit-submitted-i-speak-catalan-1">No </label>
</div>
<div class="form-item form-type-radio form-item-submitted-i-speak-catalan">
<input type="radio" id="edit-submitted-i-speak-catalan-2" name="submitted[i_speak_catalan]" value="2" class="form-radio" /> <label class="option" for="edit-submitted-i-speak-catalan-2">Yes </label>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="form-item webform-component webform-component-textfield webform-component--i-play-an-instrument">
<label for="edit-submitted-i-play-an-instrument">I play an instrument </label>
<input type="text" id="edit-submitted-i-play-an-instrument" name="submitted[i_play_an_instrument]" value="" size="60" maxlength="128" class="form-text" />
<div class="description">Which one?</div>
</div>
<div class="form-item webform-component webform-component-textfield webform-component--i-can-sing-and-dance">
<label for="edit-submitted-i-can-sing-and-dance">I can sing and dance </label>
<input type="text" id="edit-submitted-i-can-sing-and-dance" name="submitted[i_can_sing_and_dance]" value="" size="60" maxlength="128" class="form-text" />
</div>
<div class="form-item webform-component webform-component-radios webform-component--i-love-dressing-up-in-costumes">
<label for="edit-submitted-i-love-dressing-up-in-costumes">I love dressing up in costumes </label>
<div id="edit-submitted-i-love-dressing-up-in-costumes" class="form-radios"><div class="form-item form-type-radio form-item-submitted-i-love-dressing-up-in-costumes">
<input type="radio" id="edit-submitted-i-love-dressing-up-in-costumes-1" name="submitted[i_love_dressing_up_in_costumes]" value="1" checked="checked" class="form-radio" /> <label class="option" for="edit-submitted-i-love-dressing-up-in-costumes-1">No </label>
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<div class="form-item form-type-radio form-item-submitted-i-love-dressing-up-in-costumes">
<input type="radio" id="edit-submitted-i-love-dressing-up-in-costumes-2" name="submitted[i_love_dressing_up_in_costumes]" value="2" class="form-radio" /> <label class="option" for="edit-submitted-i-love-dressing-up-in-costumes-2">Yes </label>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="form-item webform-component webform-component-radios webform-component--i-want-to-be-a-video-volunteer">
<label for="edit-submitted-i-want-to-be-a-video-volunteer">I want to be a video volunteer </label>
<div id="edit-submitted-i-want-to-be-a-video-volunteer" class="form-radios"><div class="form-item form-type-radio form-item-submitted-i-want-to-be-a-video-volunteer">
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<div class="form-item form-type-radio form-item-submitted-i-want-to-be-a-video-volunteer">
<input type="radio" id="edit-submitted-i-want-to-be-a-video-volunteer-2" name="submitted[i_want_to_be_a_video_volunteer]" value="2" checked="checked" class="form-radio" /> <label class="option" for="edit-submitted-i-want-to-be-a-video-volunteer-2">Yes </label>
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<div class="form-actions"><input class="webform-submit button-primary form-submit" type="submit" name="op" value="Submit" /></div></div></form></description>
<pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2015 19:41:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Robert Douglass</dc:creator>
<guid isPermaLink="false">309 at http://www.robshouse.net</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Wildly popular on YouTube: Kimiko Ishizaka's "Goldberg Variations" and MuseScore </title>
<link>http://www.robshouse.net/content/wildly-popular-youtube-kimiko-ishizakas-goldberg-variations-and-musescore</link>
<description><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Two things to learn about the success of Kimiko Ishizaka's YouTube video <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15ezpwCHtJs">"Goldberg Variations Complete (J.S. Bach BWV 988), with score, Kimiko Ishizaka piano"</a></em>:</p>
<ol><li><strong>People love using YouTube to listen to music.</strong> This can be seen in the video's analytics: while it accounts for 44% of the roughly 20,000 monthly views the channel gets, that number goes to 84% of the minutes watched. People watch 125,000 minutes of the video each month - that's 86 days and 21 hours of viewing, every month!</li>
<li><strong>Both the length and the video score are attractive features.</strong> Surfing YouTube is hard work. Why not sit and watch something entertaining and educational for an hour or more? Plus, the appeal is broad. People who know the Goldbergs can simply listen, maybe with the video on in the background. People studying piano, or trying to get a visual sense for how the music is put together can see then notes going by, clearly marked in realtime on the MuseScore.</li>
</ol><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/15ezpwCHtJs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><!--break--></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/kimiko-ishizaka" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Kimiko Ishizaka</a></div></div></div></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2015 15:31:59 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Robert Douglass</dc:creator>
<guid isPermaLink="false">308 at http://www.robshouse.net</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Gramophone Magazine Reviews: The Well-Tempered Clavier by Kimiko Ishizaka</title>
<link>http://www.robshouse.net/content/gramophone-magazine-reviews-well-tempered-clavier-kimiko-ishizaka</link>
<description><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>The <a href="http://www.exacteditions.com/read/gramophone/june-2015--42762/3/3">June 2015 issue of Gramophone Magazine</a> features an interview with <a href="http://kimiko-piano.com">Kimiko Ishizaka</a>, and a review of her <a href="https://welltemperedclavier.org">March 2015 release of J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1</a>. Apparently it is only available to readers in the USA and Canada. Why Gramophone made this decision is anyone's guess; perhaps because the label, <a href="http://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv5993/">Navona Recordings</a>, is located in the USA? </p>
<p>The interview goes straight for the juicy details, such as Kimiko's history as a competitive athlete, the fact that the album was backed financially by over 1,000 fans, and that she practises in the complete darkness.</p>
<p>The review, however, focuses on the music. Let me share some of the quotes:</p>
<blockquote><p>
Ishizaka plays the 24 preludes and fugues with impeccable taste and technique, finding many levels of musical meaning even as she brings utmost clarity to the multiplicity of textures.<br />
...<br />
She scales her Bach to the rhythmic, structural and sonic needs of the music, without touching the sustaining pedal. Her articulation runs the sensitive gamut from cushioned to bitingly crisp.<br />
...<br />
It is the fugues where Ishizaka goes furthers in demonstrating how intimate she has become with Bach. Each line has a transparent place in the scheme of unfolding things, and the pianist seems to take enormous pleasure in weaving together all of the miraculous strands.<br />
...<br />
Ishizaka plays these compact monuments with intense and shapely finesse. Playing in darkness has led her to illuminating views of Bach.
</p></blockquote>
<p>You can read the <a href="http://www.exacteditions.com/read/gramophone/june-2015--42762/3/3">whole interview and review online</a>. </p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/kimiko-ishizaka" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Kimiko Ishizaka</a></div></div></div></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2015 18:17:21 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Robert Douglass</dc:creator>
<guid isPermaLink="false">307 at http://www.robshouse.net</guid>
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<title>Operatic - the land of musical smiles, a review of "The Cast: Live from Paris"</title>
<link>http://www.robshouse.net/content/operatic-land-musical-smiles-review-cast-live-paris</link>
<description><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><img src="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/blog/cover_0.jpg" width="30%" style="float: left; padding: 0.5em" alt="Album cover" />Tomorrow I'll be attending a cinema premiere, which is a first for me. It is a <a href="http://operaticthefilm.com/">film called Operatic</a>, and is a documentary that follows six singers and their <a href="http://thecastmusic.com/">opera "band", The Cast</a>, on their 2014 Parisian tour. The soundtrack for the film, which is in fact a recording of a live concert, is <a href=" https://thecastofficial.bandcamp.com/">being released on Bandcamp</a>.</p>
<p>The format is simple: six singers (three men, three women), with voices spanning from the cellar to the stratosphere, entertain with selections from popular arias and choruses that likewise run the musical gamut, from Wagner to Lehár. What's compelling about <em>"Live from Paris"</em> is the energy, enthusiasm for the music, and the raw determination of the performers that you will have fun. In fact, this may be the most striking feature of the recording: the conviction that opera - the interactive experience of singing and being sung to - is as natural an activity for a group of friends as sharing food or drink. </p>
<p>Campbell Vertesi, the basso profundo (and strongest French speaker) of the group, <a href="http://thecastmusic.com/blog/daring-make-live-classical-album">writes that</a> <em>"studio recordings leave out half the point of music: the audience"</em>, and that the exciting moments of the music <em>"wouldn't be the same without the audience roaring to its feet afterwards"</em>. This is apparent on <em>"The Cast: Live from Paris"</em>. Acoustically, you can not only reach out and touch the singers, but you're also right there in the middle of the audience. It's a small venue - you hear the comments and reactions of the listeners almost as clearly as you hear the singers themselves.</p>
<p>You know right away that this is not a traditional opera recording. The first track is the announcement, in French, that taking photos and videos with your mobile phone is allowed: <em>"of course"</em>, and that sharing the experience on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram is encouraged. Oh, and enjoy yourself: <em>"it's OK, you can smile, you're allowed to have fun,"</em> and <em>"please sing along"</em>.</p>
<p>And then the singing starts, with <em>Brindisi</em> from <em>La Traviata</em>, the chorus of six, with Dimitrij Morozov on piano, playing the part of the orchestra. You hear right away that the venue is not a concert hall. It sounds more like a cabaret (in fact, it's a recording studio). There's not a lot of "hall" in the sound, but the spacial imaging is good. You hear the singers moving across the stage, and can position them individually from left to right. The small space and close mics also serve to remind exactly how powerful opera singing is: it's nearly impossible to make a truly satisfying recording of even one singer operating at max volume; this band has six. </p>
<p>The show then proceeds to introduce each of the singers. Bryn, playing the "party girl" sings a "love song" - <em>Sempre Libera</em> - with its high and clear vocal acrobatics stunningly delivered. Madness! Euphoria!</p>
<p>Till - the only German in the otherwise Anglo-Saxon group - introduces himself in English, explaining that he "never really liked Wagner" until he heard <em>"O du, mein holder Abendstern"</em> from <em>Tannhäuser</em>. He explains that it is the sense of loss that it expresses which makes it so dear to him. He then delivers the first (and possibly the biggest) real musical highlight of the evening. The interplay between the singer and the piano tremolo creates a magical sense of space - <em>"Ein sanftes Licht"</em> - which for me required an immediate second hearing (one of the advantages of recordings). The text is also true poetry, more closely related to the Lieder tradition than any of the other arias on the program. </p>
<p><cite>grüsse sie, wenn sie vorbei dir zieht,<br />
wenn sie entschwebt dem Tal der Erden</cite></p>
<p>Somewhat continuing on the contemplation of death, the three ladies join forces in a trio rendition of <em>"O mio babbino caro"</em> from Pucinni's <em>Gianni Schicchi</em>. This is lovely music, and one is almost powerless but to enjoy it, and the ladies deliver a solid reading. Yet, having just floated out of the valley of the Earth in the sombre shroud of Death, I found myself wanting to prolong the mood of introspection. I don't quite believe Lauretta when she says she'd like to die. She doesn't mean it the same way Wolfram does:</p>
<p><cite>Mi struggo e mi tormento!<br />
O Dio, vorrei morir!<br />
I am anguished and tormented!<br />
Oh God, I'd like to die!</cite></p>
<p>But nevermind Death! He's no fun. Onward with the famous Quartet from <em>Rigoletto</em>. The Cast succeeds wonderfully with this number, aided by the aforementioned spacial separation of the voices in the recorded sound. The different personalities and overlapping textures come through marvelously.</p>
<p>Then comes Brigitte, with the <em>Seguidilla</em> from Bizet's <em>Carmen</em>, with her powerful lower tessitura, and surprising strength at the top of the range. The compelling rhythmic clarity of the Bizet and Verdi before it keep things moving nicely.</p>
<p>Next up is Allison, whose voice immediately overpowers the microphones with the vocal warmups in <em>La Fille du Régiment</em> by Gaetano Donizetti. She breezes up to some effortless high Cs - and is rewarded with much cheering from the audience.</p>
<p>The Cast rounds out the solo pieces with Kevin and Campbell singing <em>"Das Land des Lächelns"</em> (Franz Lehár), and <em>"Si la rigueur"</em> from the little known <em>La Juive</em> by Jacques François Fromental Halévy. Kevin then delivers a highly entertaining <em>"Largo al factotum"</em> from Rossini's <em>Barber of Seville</em>: </p>
<p><cite>Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!, etc.<br />
Dear me, what frenzy!</cite></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3437150941/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2646849984/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="http://thecastofficial.bandcamp.com/album/the-cast-live-from-paris-operatic-official-soundtrack">The Cast: Live from Paris | "Operatic" official soundtrack by The Cast</a></iframe><p>
With the solos behind them, the program hits a sort of a coda with a series of tutti pieces, starting with the trio <em>"Una voce poco fa"</em>, also from <em>Barber of Seville</em>, a girls-only tag-team virtuoso romp where everybody gets a chance to flex their pipes, and Bryn earns bravos mid-aria with a sustained note that leaves you wondering where the air supply comes from.</p>
<p>The performance culminates with a pair of feel-good tunes from the world of operetta, Lehár's <em>Lippen Schweigen</em> (sung in English), and then <em>Brüderlein und Schwesterlein</em> (sung in German) from Johann Strauss' <em>Die Fledermaus</em>, where the audience is instructed to give kisses. <em>Brindisi</em>, reprised, is offered as an encore.</p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3437150941/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=534051724/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="http://thecastofficial.bandcamp.com/album/the-cast-live-from-paris-operatic-official-soundtrack">The Cast: Live from Paris | "Operatic" official soundtrack by The Cast</a></iframe><p>
The audience was clearly well entertained, the evening an apparent success. But how does the format work as an album?</p>
<p>In opera, one of the primary tensions (and strengths) of the medium comes from the uncomfortable balance between storytelling and music. The more "music" there is, the less the audience can follow what's happening in the plot, thus the need for recitative and aria. By choosing only arias from different operas, sung in a variety of different languages, <em>The Cast</em> is clearly not staging an opera, or even singing real "opera": it is, as the name of the film suggests, <em>operatic</em>.</p>
<p><cite>op·er·at·ic: adj. Of, related to, or typical of the opera: an operatic aria.</cite></p>
<p>The real joy is in the singers, and the singing itself, not the story, not the characters. And that's what this album is really about: the beauty of singing, unencumbered by tragic plot lines, overblown scenery, complex staging, or a large (loud) orchestra. <em>"Have you ever sat close enough to reach out and touch the singers?"</em> asks <a href="http://operaticthefilm.com/">the Operatic website</a>. Listening to <a href="https://thecastofficial.bandcamp.com/">"The Cast: Live from Paris"</a>, you really have the feeling that you're in the front row, and yes, you can reach out and touch them.</p>
<p>In closing, I'd like to quote Campbell from his <a href="http://thecastmusic.com/blog/daring-make-live-classical-album">discussion on the place of live recordings in today's classical music scene</a>:</p>
<p><cite>"If you want to record the atmosphere of a show, if you want to keep the excitement of the audience and the intimate feeling of a performance, you have to make a live recording. That doesn't happen very often anymore in the classical industry. So we're bucking the trend, and daring to release a live album - warts and all. You can hear us get excited and improvise, you can hear us make mistakes. But most important, you can hear the audience loving every minute."</cite></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div></div></div></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2015 11:38:39 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Robert Douglass</dc:creator>
<guid isPermaLink="false">306 at http://www.robshouse.net</guid>
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<title>The Open Well-Tempered Clavier is here</title>
<link>http://www.robshouse.net/content/open-well-tempered-clavier-here</link>
<description><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>For several years, the recording I wanted to hear the most was <a href="http://welltemperedclavier.org">Kimiko Ishizaka's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1</a>. Now, after several world tours, a successful Kickstarter campaign, and an enormous amount of hard work and perseverance, it is here. You can download and enjoy this public domain creation, and share it with the people you love. I hope that you will find joy in the music, as I have.</p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1770973892/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="http://music.kimiko-piano.com/album/bach-well-tempered-clavier-book-1">Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 by Kimiko Ishizaka</a></iframe><!--break--></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/tags/kimiko-ishizaka" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Kimiko Ishizaka</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/well-tempered-clavier" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Well-Tempered Clavier</a></div></div></div></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 26 Mar 2015 01:19:47 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Robert Douglass</dc:creator>
<guid isPermaLink="false">305 at http://www.robshouse.net</guid>
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<title>Robert Douglass, Horn Player: The Archive</title>
<link>http://www.robshouse.net/content/robert-douglass-horn-player-archive</link>
<description><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>This is an archive of all of the important extant performances from my time as a horn player prior to moving to Germany. I am very happy to have them. They remind me both how beautiful and amazing the music is, and also how damned hard the art is. Thank you to all the musicians on these recordings who played with me. I loved this part of my life dearly, and as such I love you.</p>
<iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/86644996&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe><iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/194426144&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;visual=true"></iframe><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/194420827&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe><iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/86637479&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe><iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/86685196&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe><iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/86692342&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe><iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/86672711&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false"></iframe></div></div></div></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2015 00:47:49 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Robert Douglass</dc:creator>
<guid isPermaLink="false">304 at http://www.robshouse.net</guid>
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<title>Orchestration, Code, Deployment, Infrastructure</title>
<link>http://www.robshouse.net/content/orchestration-code-deployment-infrastructure</link>
<description><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Managing code is a solved problem. Git plus Github are everything we need and more. Docker and LXC containers, plus Ansible, Puppet, Chef, on IaaS like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure provide previously unimaginable possibles for deploying services onto consistent infrastructure. Yet no web application is really whole without data, and, in fact the code, data, and infrastructure all need to fit together in exactly the right way, or you don't have an application, you have an unholy mess.</p>
<p><a href="https://platform.sh">Platform.sh</a> solves the problem of starting every branch of your development on a fully orchestrated environment that has a consist copy of the code, data, and infrastructure of the live application. In other words, you develop directly on a clone of the app. Think about this problem: the metadata for uploaded files is stored in your database; if you synchronize your database from a live application to a development environment, but not your files, you have an inconsistent application. Same with a Solr or Elasticsearch index. </p>
<p><a href="https://platform.sh/features"><img src="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/blog/ocd-development_0.gif" width="360" /></a></p>
<p>Without the four components of orchestration, code, infrastructure, and data, web application development is non-deterministic, and therefore risky. The big challenge is setting up and infrastructure that extends these guarantees to each developer on your team, for each branch of development that they're working on. That's the promise of <a href="https://platform.sh">Platform.sh</a>.</p>
<table border="0"><tr><th colspan="2" style="text-align:center;">
<h2>Platform.sh is optimized for Drupal and Symfony</h2>
</th>
</tr><tr><td><a href="https://platform.sh/drupal/"><img src="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/blog/drupal-platform-1.png" alt="Drupal on Platform.sh" height="200" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://platform.sh/symfony/"><img src="http://www.robshouse.net/sites/default/files/blog/symfony-platform.png" alt="Symfony on Platform.sh" height="200" /></a></td>
</tr></table></div></div></div></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:43:48 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Robert Douglass</dc:creator>
<guid isPermaLink="false">303 at http://www.robshouse.net</guid>
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<title>When is the Open Well-Tempered Clavier going to be released?</title>
<link>http://www.robshouse.net/content/when-open-well-tempered-clavier-going-be-released</link>
<description><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Kimiko Ishizaka's recording of J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1, will be released in March 2015. Do you want to be amongst the first people to download it? You have two options. Either you can refresh the <a href="http://www.welltemperedclavier.org">Well-Tempered Clavier website</a> every five minutes and find out that way, or you can sign up for Kimiko's mailing list, and get a notification directly. Your choice.</p>
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</script><!--End mc_embed_signup--><!--break--></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div></div></div></description>
<pubDate>Sat, 20 Dec 2014 22:23:13 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Robert Douglass</dc:creator>
<guid isPermaLink="false">302 at http://www.robshouse.net</guid>
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<title>Kimiko Ishizaka's "Goldberg Variations" are now on Bandcamp</title>
<link>http://www.robshouse.net/content/kimiko-ishizakas-goldberg-variations-are-now-bandcamp</link>
<description><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Bandcamp is a service that allows musicians to release albums for distribution. It's <a href="http://kimikoishizaka.bandcamp.com/album/j-s-bach-open-goldberg-variations-bwv-988-piano">ideal for the Open Goldberg Variations (and for the upcoming Open Well-Tempered Clavier) recording</a> because it supports the "pay what you want" model. This allows us to offer the files for gratis download, but fans can still decide to pay an amount of their choice to promote Kimiko's efforts to make more recordings and go on more tours. Some of Kimiko's fans are very generous! The other advantages of Bandcamp are the natural audience that they bring (people search the site to discover new music), the high quality of the transcoding and metadata, analytics, and a very nicely designed landing page for albums and artists. Color me impressed.
</p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 470px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=4173461786/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/transparent=true/" seamless=""><a href="http://kimikoishizaka.bandcamp.com/album/j-s-bach-open-goldberg-variations-bwv-988-piano">J.S. Bach: "Open" Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (Piano) by Kimiko Ishizaka</a></iframe><p>
<a href="http://kimikoishizaka.bandcamp.com/album/j-s-bach-open-goldberg-variations-bwv-988-piano">Download the libre "Open Goldberg Variations" for gratis, or a price of your choosing.</a></p>
<!--break--></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/tags/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div></div></div></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2014 21:17:26 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>Robert Douglass</dc:creator>
<guid isPermaLink="false">301 at http://www.robshouse.net</guid>
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