October 8, 2008 by Christopher Born.

This time of year I tend to get nostalgic about my fall semester in Osaka, back in 1997.  It’s been over ten years now and I still remember the crisp fall days as the summer heat and humidity dropped off into the night.

I used to smoke Mild Seven cigarettes and walk from the small two-story home I was staying at to the bus stop at Korigaoka Go-chome.  It was on the Keihan line that would take you all the way to Hirakata station.  I lived not too far from Hirakata park, but never really wanted to go to the amusement park.  I tended to like going to Kyobashi when I had free time.

Every time the weather gets like it is now, I reach for my outmoded MD player and pull out a disc of Marie-Claire Alain’s renditions of Bach’s most famous chorales.  I used to listen to these just about every day on my way down to the station.  In fact, I am listening to them right now!  Pure sunlight and sharp days are so well complemented by MC Alain’s renditions of these amazing pieces.  As a good Shiraz to a sharp cheese, so does this music match the fall days.

The think I enjoyed most about my Aiwa MD player is the fact that it always produced such excellent bass response; it was almost as warm as an analog recording.  When I attempt to enjoy these pieces of my iPod, something is lacking sorely.  These pieces, like the weather and smoke they accompany in my mind, meet up perfectly with the MD of the late 1990’s.  It is no mistake then, that when I put these chorales to my ears, all the memories come flooding back.

I never thought I’d be writing about these things on an old Dell running Ubuntu!

Posted in Omoidasu Koto Nado, Music | No Comments »

October 3, 2008 by Christopher Born.

A few months ago I was in the upswing of my cyclical obsession with Dupre’s Prelude and Fugue in g minor.  That passed as I was discovering the joys of Mint Royale and Verve remixes on iTunes, punctuated with Portishead’s odd intervals.

Now I am dreaming Dupre’s Prelude and Fugue in f minor all night long.  Mostly the fugue.  Over and over.  Specifically, the opening 4 phrases of Todd Wilson’s interpretation of the piece on disc 2 from the Delos release of “In A Quiet Cathedral”

I can’t say enough about this awesome album.  Wilson’s selection along with quiet, peaceful rendition is simply outstanding.  Add that to Delos’ phenomenal recording techniques and you have something special.  (And 2 discs at $19.99 isn’t bad either! Although I got my copy 9 years ago in Tower Records’ annex for clearing out overstock in St. Mark’s Place, NYC.  Sadly, it’s gone now.)

I love how the prelude has the same gentle arpeggios all throuought the movement, and then gives way to a sentinel principal expressing the theme, with the string stops breathing underneath and then taking the theme again, dueling with the principal pipes.  The Aeolian-Skinner does not disappoint as the artist makes great use of the swell and great.

I bought another interpretation of this piece on iTunes,  from Naxos’ Organ Encyclopedia series.  While Janette Fishell plays well, (Props to anyone who can play Dupre!) she does not have the same fluidity and softness that Wilson achieves.  What’s more, she closes the swell too much at times, and it squeezes the sound.  Other times, she loses momentum and it feels like the fugue is almost lost.

The piece ends gently, with the same ending chord progression, almost exactly like the fugue in g minor.

While the prelude and fugue in g minor are evocative of a rainy day, riding on a train, this piece is more evocative of a botanical garden on spring night, where the clouds are purple and the sun is illuminating the horizon in that honeysuckle orange, pouring through tht trees.

Posted in Music | No Comments »

October 3, 2008 by Christopher Born.

I’ve decided to recycle this site and use it primarily for my musical and theological journeys and discoveries.

Musaic did not have much to do with J-Pop culture originally, but evolved into it.  Hence, I moved the content over to Doshiyo.com and am about to return this site to its original purpose.

Posted in Omoidasu Koto Nado | No Comments »