New Music 05/2023 – Neil Young, Beyoncé, Wet Leg
Author: yggdrasille
Sometimes you suddenly find yourself getting into the artists you were never all that interested in, and that was the case with Neil Young and Beyoncé for me. Plus, a debut album from one of last year’s most-hyped bands.
Childhood, Youth, Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen – Book Review
This trilogy of autobiographical novellas from one of Denmark’s best-known poets and writers is one of the most striking memoirs I’ve read, reflecting on life, art and addiction with remarkable, matter-of-fact clarity and honesty.
MSO: The Music of Hans Zimmer @ Hamer Hall (05/2023)
There’s no such thing as too much Hans Zimmer! I’ve already seen film music maestro’s own show twice, and this week I went to Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s tribute to some of the most iconic and influential film scores of all time.
Quote of the Day – Writing
“You should write, first of all, to please yourself. You shouldn’t care a damn about anybody else at all. But writing can’t be a way of life – the important part of writing is living. You have to live in such a way that your writing emerges from it.“
— Doris Lessing
Parker Pyne Investigates by Agatha Christie – Book Review
An enjoyable stand-alone collection of short stories featuring one of Christie’s lesser known detectives.
Mozart Requiem by Candlelight @ St Paul’s Cathedral (04/2023)
Mozart’s final masterpiece is one of my all-time favourite classical works, and it sounds even better when framed by the gothic splendour of St Paul’s Cathedral.
Top Ten Tuesday – Places of Worship Around the World I Visited
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic from That Artsy Reader Girl is a Non-book Freebie! My list was inspired by the recent classical concert at Melbourne’s St Paul’s Cathedral, and is dedicated to the memorable cathedrals, churches, temples and mosques I visited on my travels. I decided to limit to one place per country, otherwise nearly half of my list would just be Italy.
Though I’m not a believer myself, I’ve always enjoyed religious buildings, for their historical and artistic value as well as their atmosphere of peace and reaching out to something greater beyond. I have fond memories of my grandmother taking me to a Russian Orthodox church when I was little, where I listened to the choir and looked at the beautiful frescoes of angels and saints.
The Northman – Film Review
Sometimes I kick myself for not seeing a movie on a big screen during its cinematic run, and that’s how I felt after finally watching this ambitious, beautiful and brutal Viking revenge story soaked in blood and Norse mysticism.
Top Ten Tuesday – Book Covers with Animals
I haven’t done the bookish lists from That Artsy Reader Girl in a while, so I thought I’d jump back in with this week’s fun topic, Covers with Animals On Them. I deliberately decided to exclude domestic cats, since it would be all too easy for me to get carried away and make an all-feline list.
The Angora Cat by Jean Honoré Fragonard and Marguerite Gérard
The white angora cat will have none of that brushing business thanks very much! I like the small details in this painting: the dog in the bottom left corner, the servant woman in the shadow behind the door, and the eerie reflections of the other people in the room.
