Pass the Eye

More Good Stuff From Naxos

In just under a week, Naxos has become my go-to place for "work music," background music I put on while playing around with spreadsheets, putting together traffic reports, or writing.

For a little under $20 a year, you get access to their overwhelming library of classical, jazz, and even some spoken word. But, of course, if you're choosing Naxos you're a classical nut looking for some real obscurities. Ligeti, anyone?

I can't say that I've worked my way into their vast store of musical arcana just yet, but I've been delighted to stumble upon some real gems.

Today, another: Music to Die For, an album made up of a tightly curated collection of requiems and other sorrowful selections. It's perfect music for a somewhat gray Wednesday.

Many of these I've come across before. The Mozart and Faure requiems were a gift from my first college boyfriend (yes, we were *that* couple). And, of course, others have become pop culture staples (Carmina Burana, Moonlight Sonata, etc).

But there are some real gems here that were news to me, most notably Samuel Barber's beautiful, melancholy, love-and-longing drenched Adagio for Strings, Op. 11.

The song apparently formed the musical backbone for Oliver Stone's Platoon, which I'm ashamed to admit I still have not seen in its entirety. But here's a nice sum-up I found on Amazon, attributed to James Stockstill:

"Barber's violins play first at the aftermath of the torching of a Vietnamese village and then again as the undercurrent for Charlie Sheen's reflective monologue at the film's finale. Each time, they embody the pain and anguish of the previous moments, searching for cause but finding only loss and despair. The strings become the screams of the wounded, the souls of the lost, and the conscience of the living, and in so, the Adagio for Strings itself serves as a testament to an experience that must be faced to be understood."

NB: Before you plop down your $19.95 for the Naxos subscription, there is one drawback. You have to manually play each song. That is, the cheaper subscription doesn't allow you to play an entire album with one click or create a playlist.

The Early Fruit of My Naxos Subscription

I finally coughed up the $19.95 annual fee to become a subscriber to the Naxos music library via their website.

(This is the basic membership, btw. There's a much more expensive option aimed at professional musicians, composers, and scholars.)

Today, I stumbled across a nice discovery, Alexander von Zemlinsky's The Mermaid.

I don't think I can describe it any better than the Naxos site:

"Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of the mermaid who sacrifices herself out of unrequited love for a prince, the work places greater emphasis on thematic development than on mere illustration. Written over three decades later, when Zemlinsky’s music was taking on a more astringent manner, the Sinfonietta is remarkable for its nervous energy, anguished passion and sheer virtuosity."

Here, here. It certainly puts Disney to shame. I wonder what a film (or even an animated version) would look like with Zemlinsky's music and a director like Tim Burton?

Speaking of, the trailer is out for Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Looks intriguing. He keeps experimenting with mood. The colors here are gorgeously overripe; in some scenes from the trailer, it looks like the characters are running around in an aquarium filled with unstirred tea. Excited to see it.

A Beast of a House Music Playlist

My first boyfriend turned me on to House music. I think the first song he ever played me (or at least the first one I remember) was Gypsy Woman by Crystal Waters. Followed in quick succession by Devotion by Nomad and The Pressure by Sounds of Blackness and The Whistle Song by Frankie Knuckles. And, just about anything by Black Box. BTW, whatever happened to Black Box?!?

Once bitten, I surrounded myself with people with a keen appreciation for House. I remember driving madly through the streets of Colonial Williamsburg in my Honda Civic blasting songs like "Atom Bomb," "Seven Ways to Love," "Percolator," and -- yes -- "Work This Pussy." I learned what it means to have a "House baby." I'm not even going to attempt to explain it here. If you've ever had one, you know it.

Today, I'm working on a numbers-heavy presentation and I popped over to iMeem to find some music with a beat to soundtrack the somewhat tedious exercise. This playlist has just about everything you could ask for. Enjoy!

This Week's Playlist

Want Two. Rufus Wainwright
Never thought of myself as an R.W. fan, until some drunk guy played "The One You Love" on the jukebox at my local gay dive bar. I made him play it again -- and buy me a drink. I also love "The Art Teacher," which I originally thought was a cover but it seems to be an original composition and reportedly Phillip Glass's favorite R.W. song.




In Ghost Colours. Cut Copy
A great electronica album that I saw mentioned on somebody's blog. "Lights & Music" is my favorite song so far.

Beautiful Garbage. Garbage
Yes, it's an old album, but I was in a real funk earlier this week. A new little romance of mine took a wrong turn and skidded off the tracks, tumbled down the hillside, and burst into flames. I don't know about you, but when I need consoling, I turn to Shirley Manson. "Cup of Coffee" is the song that brought me back.




Two Against the World. Rose McGowan
Yes, that Rose McGowan (Almost Mrs. Marilyn Manson, star of Charmed, etc.). It's from Planet Terror ("the decent one" in The Grindhouse double feature) and the song ends the movie. While anyone would be hard-pressed to call the movie that inspired it beautiful, the song is touching, sad, and upbeat at the same time.