Recurring Themes

Remember "Rebecca", the Hitchcock movie based on the Du Maurier story, where a world-weary Lawrence Olivier asks innocent and naive Joan Fontaine (what a name) at some spot along the Cote d'Azur: 'So what did your father paint?' - after she'd told him that's what her father had been (doing). 'He painted trees'. 'Trees?' 'Well, yes, one particular tree. He made paintings of the same tree. All his life.' She does explain this to Olivier, a la seeking perfection, an ephemeral pursuit, hopeless, of course. 

This scene is not an important one in the Rebecca plot, but I'm reminded of it when I  listen to Anton Bruckner's symphonies; repeated (magnificient) attempts at conjuring the same atmosphere, composing the same tree, so to speak. A recent biography tells me that's not the case, but judge for yourself. Listen to Bruckner's 3rd, 6th and 7th, and let me know how you see it, hear it, rather. In any case, Bruckner offers a delightful melange of the bombastic and fine, the brassy and violinistic, the lightly dancing and portentous, I ask you to give him some 'time of day', some time. 

Not quite sure how I believe this image from Urbino relates - religion, maybe? For Bruckner, yup, could be a match.

Music makes the world go round

Those high notes, jingles, beepy jumps up the scale, they get me every time - be it a disco song or a symphony (listening to Bruckner's 3rd just now). Is this genetic, Pavlovian conditioning perhaps? Whatever.

MGMT, or Management, a band of two young men plus entourage have touched upon my high note g-spot with their song "Electric Feel".  It's a psychedelic tune, with some depth (you know, not this flattish synthesizer sound), upbeat, dancy. For some reason, I imagine MGMT is on the verge, creating a singular sound, they'll experiment more and do good stuff.

On another note, Jorge Ben's "Take it easy, my brother Charlie" played on the radio a few weeks ago and struck me. Never heard of the musician before, ordered a CD, which finally reached me via the US or UK, thank the internet. Another kind of happy sound, Brazilian version, which I hope you enjoy.

Once in a while I do sit down and just listen to music, fervently, attentively, allowing myself to become enveloped with it. Wonderful.

Sweet and astringent

It's been a while. And this movie hit the spot, my spot, anyway. Lemon Tree. Few words spoken and all of them convincing, essential; like a biblical story, if you see what I mean. Israel, West Bank, that's where the plot unfolds. Lemon trees have surely never been more symbolic, but there is no heavy-handedness to this film - well, very little. Three female Supreme Court judges hear the case of the Palestine woman wanting to retain her lemon tree plantation, which the Israeli state wants to erase for security reasons. The judges do not engage in female bonding, nor do they risk questioning the logic of current security legislation. No heavy-handed Hollywood happy end, I repeat.

Facial expressions that speak a 1,000 words - the heroine does a fantastic job of that. Absurdity is lovingly portrayed, carefully, but for the end, where it's laid on a touch thick - not in any way annoying though. The ending fits. I entreat you to go see this film and lemonade will never taste the same.