What happens when you have lots of little topics? Miscellany! 😀
First I want to congratulate the Seattle Symphony on their recent good fortune. As some of you know, long ago in a city far far away I worked for the SSO and I have a soft spot for them still. Please join me in congratulating the SSO on two awesome events: First they received a $50,000 donation from Taylor Swift (yep, that Taylor Swift, who in addition to writing pop masterpieces is a great philanthropist). And then they received 3, yes 3!, Grammy nominations! How cool is that?! The nominations are for Best Orchestral Performance; Best Engineered Album, Classical; and Best Classical Instrumental Solo by Augustin Hadelich for their recording of Henri Dutilleux’s Métaboles, L’arbre des songes, and Symphony No. 2, Le double.
Here’s a piece from the nominated album (not quite my cup of tea, but interesting and well performed and dare I say Grammy-worthy):
And the music that inspired Taylor to make her generous contribution, Become Ocean by John Luther Adams:
In other news, I want to wish my Jewish peeps a Happy Hanukkah. I heard this on the radio yesterday and had to share. Flory Jagoda is singing in Ladino or Judeo-Spanish–it is pretty easy to follow along if you are familiar with Spanish. Regardless, it is a fun little song for the Festival of Lights. 🙂
I wish you all joy and peace as we enter the holiday season!
And remember to listen responsibly–musicians need a good holiday season, too! And if you find yourself in the Seattle area, be sure the check out the SSO at the beautiful Benaroya Hall. 🙂