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Uncle Dave Lewis lives in a hole in the back of his brain, filled with useless trivia about 78 rpm records, silent movies, unfinished symphonies, broken up punk bands from the 80s and other old stuff no one cares about. This is where he goes to let off a little steam- perhaps you will find it useful, perhaps not. Who knows?

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Wednesday, August 06, 2003

Interesting (?) Conversation heard today

Outside of Kroger's: A retarded cabbie comes to pick up a stroke-damaged old man. He wants to place his groceries inside her trunk. But the trunk is sealed by the cab company and there in no way to get into it.

I was waiting outside by the car for my wife to bring out our groceries. I almost went out of my mind, as the retarded cabbie and the stroke-damaged old man launched into an argument that no writer on the face of this earth could reproduce with accuracy.

On my platter: Horatio T. Parker's Concerto for Organ and Orchestra (1902). Forget everything you heard Charles Ives say about Parker. Ives had his own axe to grind, and in his writings sliced through many necks that were undeserving of such treatment (such as those of Mozart and pianist Ossip Gabrilowitsch). Ives reserved some of his flintiest barbs for Parker, his former composition professor at Yale.

This is seriously great stuff. A big-boned Romantic organ concerto such as perhaps Mahler might've written had he been interested, but with an American accent. Too bad E. Power Biggs never talked Bernstein into recording it with him - Biggs certainly must've known this work. It's a real thundering showpiece that has some very tender moments also. Outstanding. The recording I have of it, eh- could be better. It's paired with Parker's hoary oratorio "Hora Novissima", and as the filler to THAT work no one will ever find it.

Uncle Dave Lewis
UncleDave41@comcast.net
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