Dmitri Shostakovich, a Lyrical Waltzer

Dmitri Shostakovich
Russian-born neo-classical composer and pianist
(25 September 1906 - 9 August 1975)
The MP3 below expired on mm-dd-2012.
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Riccardo Chailly
and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (1993)
- Lyric Waltz 'from Jazz Suite No. 2' (Shostakovich)
With the arrival of autumn and Shostakovich's birthday, I'd posted a music video for the last days of summer in 2010. The YouTube link is as follows:

Janine Jansen, violin (2003)
Romance (The Gadfly Suite, Op. 97a)
Film Score: The Gadfly (1955)
Dmitri Shostakovich
Click here to view this L'Envoi YouTube.

Relaxing on First Autumn Evening, 2012

"I've hummed the music after thee as well
As changing tones of youth allowed, and fear,
And vexing sprites that choke the upward swell.
But yet, perchance, some bosom it may cheer,
By recollection making thee more dear
To those who've drunk thy music at its spring,
To some, mayhap, who never learned to hear,—
Alas! poor, wretched souls!—its sound may bring
Some semblance of thy strain, some wish to hear thee sing."
--W. M. MacKeracher (1891)

The MP3 below expired on 09-25-2012.
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Music for This First Autumn Evening
Duet - Canzonetta Sull'aria (Le nozze di Figaro)

Enchanting Dawn of Autumn Days

Enchanting dawn of autumn days,
So clear, so cool, so calm,
O'er all creation breathing forth
Thy sweet refreshing balm!
The woodland dons its brightest hue,
Its rainbow-tinted gown;
Each soft and dreamy breeze that blows
Brings showers of crimson down.
Old earth now groans beneath her load
Of grain and fruited vine,
That thickly hangs o'er orchard wall,
And drips with mellow wine.
The birds fly lazily above,
Bathed in thy misty light,
While on the hillside loll the kine
In morning's gold delight.
Wrapped in thy folds of golden mist,
This restless soul of mine
Is lulled into a blissful dream
Of peace and love divine.

-- Ester Nelson Karn (1900)

The First Day of Autumn, 2012

September 22, 2012
1010 Hours PDT
Current Temperture and Condition:
71.2° F | 22° C
Clear

Astronomy:

September 22, 2012       Rise:        Set:
Actual Time            6:52 AM PDT  7:00 PM PDT
Civil Twilight         6:26 AM PDT  7:26 PM PDT
Nautical Twilight      5:55 AM PDT  7:56 PM PDT
Astronomical Twilight  5:24 AM PDT  8:27 PM PDT
Moon                   2:08 AM PDT  No Moon Set

Length of Visible Light 12h 59m
Length of Day 12h 07m
Tomorrow will be 2m 24s shorter.

Waxing Crescent, 49% of the Moon is Illuminated.

The Philosophical iOS 6 Siri

I updated my Apple i-gadgets to the new iOS 6 yesterday. Supposedly, Siri has also received further education as my personal assistant.

On the wonders wrought by "Miss Hunter's College on the Hudson River, New York, for young ladies of good families", I asked Siri, our poised and ebullient graduate, this question:

L': What is the meaning of life?
Siri: I Kant answer that. Ha Ha.

Touché! Very clever, Siri.

Note: "I Kant" is Immanuel Kant.

William Boyce Birthday Anniversary

William Boyce
Venerable English-born 18th century composer,
who, like Beethoven, became deaf in later life
(11 September 1711 - 7 February 1779)
The MP3 below expired on 09-22-2012.
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William Boughton
and The English String Orchestra (1996)
- Symphony No. 1 in B flat major: I. Allegro (Boyce)

Sin's Bonds Severed

Dear S:

I read and viewed your referred video sermon on, "It's Friday, Sunday's Coming." I deferred replying in part due to an epistolary inertia; this refined expression I owe to Harry James. Also in thinking the better, I should not sport with your kind intentions for sharing this article by offering crude and premature remarks. Some coherent thoughts have finally emerged today.

Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" I have not seen, although I own an unopened DVD version of the movie. For its portrayal of the last dozen hours of Christ leading up to his crucifixion, I recall this movie was generally well received. The referred sermon through its tenancy with the "The Passion", however adroitly elicited resounding amens from the fold, I weighed it, and found wanting.

Given the focus of the sermon centered on juxtaposing the many iterations of "It's Friday, Sunday's Coming" with selected imageries from the "Passion", it could never free itself from the snare of the latter. The result then was almost a haughty yet inchoate explanation on God's word to the affect the "cross of Christ would not be made void."

As Spurgeon insightfully considered, "No art like the art displayed in our salvation, no cunning workmanship like that beheld in the righteousness of the saints. Justification has engrossed learned pens in all ages of the church, and will be the theme of admiration in eternity." So it is, cinematic arts and any humanistic expressions, sacred or profane, can never triumph above or mock God's providential grace and promises. On that ordained Friday, the first to enter into God's kingdom was one of two criminals being crucified alongside Jesus. Hanging on the cross beside, our Savior said to the repentant man, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” The glory of the cross and the salvation of the first condemned soul beyond physical death began on that day at Golgotha.

In the resurrection of Christ, there was put forth nothing short of divine grace and power. In His resurrection, as in our salvation, Christ has overcome death; so that He makes His own to share in the righteousness He won. By His power, believers are too now resurrected into a new life. Finally, by Christ's resurrection, it is ensured there will be a glorious resurrection of those whom He called by name.

"Sin's bonds severed we're delivered;
Christ has bruised the serpent's head;
Death no longer is the stronger
Hell itself is captive led,
Christ has risen from death's prison;
O'er the tomb He light has shed."

To Him be glory forever!

L'

- a L'envoi iPad 3 post

Humor Me, Crazy

Antonin Dvořák
Czech-born late Romantic classical composer
(8 September 1841 - 1 May 1904)
The MP3 below expired on 09-11-2012.
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Crazy Otto, honky-tonk piano (1960)
- Humoresque (after Dvořák)

Harvard Law Review - Obama Born in Kenya

Alleged 1991 Harvard Law Review Year Book
Statements of Fact:
A. The supposed Harvard Law told the truth that Obama was born in Kenya, Africa.
or
B. Obama told the truth that he was born in Hawaii, USA.
Either A or B is true. Both cannot be true.

For All the Saints

On this Labor Day, a William Walsham How hymn, "For All the Saints", comes to mind. Ralph Vaughan William re-arranged the hymn to his Sine Nomine setting. This is one of the most beloved hymns in Christendom.

The first stanza of the hymn reads as follows:

For all the saints, who from their labours rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.

Obama SUX

"Obama Welcome to SUX - We Did Build This."
(SUX is the 3-letter airport code for Sioux City, Iowa)
1 September 2012
Notice the words "welcome to" are in much smaller print than "Obama SUX". A cleverly word juxtaposed double entendre by the Iowans who built this facility.