Baroque and roll

what is bad - according to this guy - about some of the "authentic" performances of Bach and Beethoven. He has a point to make, but there is good and bad musicianship in both camps. Article is good as it has links to musical examples.


Speed Freaks Do Bach - Please, stop turning sublime classical works into dance music. By Jan Swafford
- posted by Paul Davies @ Friday, September 12, 2003

 
Dalai Lama about to meet Bush: the sublime and the ridiculous

His Holiness is, in fact, more interested in meeting scientists at MIT than with Bush at the White House.

In a lengthy interview he talks about his hopes for a deal with the Communist bastards in Beijing and there have been some signs of a thaw. Still a long way to go.

He also talks about how he has tamed the demon of sexual desire by not eating after midday. So doubt if he ever sends out for a Chinese take-away.

Mind you, if anyone knows about the Chinese taking away, it is the Dalai Lama,

Ignore my silly comments - read the interview


Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Full transcript of interview with the Dalai Lama
- posted by Paul Davies @ Friday, September 05, 2003

 
Let there be Enlightenment

Always good to bash the cultural relativists - those with the benefit of enlightened education who wish to surrender insight and intellectual integrity for misguided political reasons.

Time to take on the anti-anti-Islamic nonsense that has been trotted out since September 11.

Take a look at this little example of "islamic maths"

Little Omar has a Kalashnikov with three magazines. There are twenty bullets in each magazine. He kills 60 infidels with two-thirds of the bullets. How many infidels does he kill with each bullet?

This book review pulls few punches and if, in approving of it, I fall into the "orientalist" and "cultural imperialist" camp, so be it. But, as shown elsewhere on this Blog, I'm not that hot on a lot of western things either.


The Spectator.co.uk
- posted by Paul Davies @ Thursday, September 04, 2003