Poem: Noble North (East Anglia.)

Noble North

East Anglia Landscape View

Noble Northern people of mine,
From two huge Islands; the sea, the trees,
Tradition of words and smiles,
Open spaces, fresh cold air.

Mixed bloods from Europe, entire,
Far from those Roman ruines,
With those fields in Green,
Gentle faces, woods, smokes.

Onced we shared tea, a sandwich,
And then, in the fields we played,
Near the courts, on the grass & sands, some leaves,No matter if we falt down, no hurt,
The sun was smooth, near the beach.


In our bikes, into forest,
Smiling and joking, 'this way,'
The vegetation and the sand; blond sand,
Have you ever seen this? 'That way'
I hadn't seen Nature like that.

Tennis, boats, sounds of past,
And the sea, valuable gold,
You knew how to treat well.

East Anglia Landscape View

Bilateral Relationships between the USA and Spain.

Today I've been watching the interview the King of Spain, Felipe 6th, had with President Mr Obama.
I was waiting to listen for a mistake from the translator, but I remember she was an interpreter as well. I think perhaps she din't want to be very accurate and to avoid hard words about particular country affairs. We all knew what Mr Obama meant with the strong relationship and with the unified Spain, but, at the same time, we understood the ex-Prince Felipe's words of Liberty, admiration, fortune and faith in the future for Europe, the US and all the world.

This time, I thought he actually was an intelligent reasonable man -no matter what I think about my country and other possible regions or federal regions (for giving Catalonia a neutral position in the conversation.) The main theme was there. I think about it most of the time, and we all are conscious about our own situation.We know it's not easy at all to forget our crisis. It's still here. Like Mr Felipe de Borbón remembered at the end, it's about Spain and Europe (for Europe is also part of this.) That was what made me feel he was in our time, not in the past or in an easy-to-imagine future. Mr Felipe knew it was present, up-to-date, an everyday problem (so it is a strong difference compared with his father, his family and the rest of the upper-class people.)

Though the king Felipe thought the translation wasn't very accurate (for he was listening to every word in English and Spanish) he finally didn't say anything about it. It was the media who did so.
Some people is under pressure when working in such kind of important vis-à-vis talkings, and, I think we musn't forget we are all human beings.
Last day, I saw the documental about the book of Lady Diana of Wales (seen by the biographer and by her elder son, now the Prince.) It's hard to be in front of so many microphones, cameras and all kind of devices, so the fact of being able to talk for the press is nothing coward; quite the opposite.
This has nothing to do with politics but with diplomatic relationships.
It was the first time Queen Letizia and King Felipe 6th visited the US like kings.
The King's attitude wasn't like his fathers' and he understood Obama's position. The was too much expectation on this travel, so let it be.

September 11th. (Year 2001.)

I was living in Tenerife on Sept 11th 2001. I shared an apartment with a guy studying sciences.
We shared some books.
I was reading a lot by nights, so I could attend a pair of exams that month, though I didn't finish my career and was forced to come back to Gran Canaria later on.

I remember I had my mobile off. It was one of those tiny colored Alcatel. Easy to handle, with a little antenna and a good SMS service one could use from time to time. 

I had susbscribed to an Spanish News Channel, 'Antena 3 TV,' (from Telefonica, S.A.) and received some news everyday. I was going to give up the channel for there was nothing interesting on it. 

I remember that day, at about 5 or 7 p.m., I turned the mobile on and then I read something like 'The US is attacked by a force of planes by whatever forces.' I inmediately thought it was impossible. It was like a game on the mobile. It was a joke made by the journalists there -I thought-. SMS world was starting to work in Spain. What a joke! Airplanes crashing in New York. An attack?! 

An hour later, I was watching the news very confused. It was breaking news from a few channels on TV. My colleague had cable TV and Internet, though the information wasn't very clear. I had to go to my sister's appartment. There, I watched to the same news, this time from an antenna TV, a Mexican channel I cannot remember. It was the most clear image of the Twin Towers and the planes I had seen. The journalists were impartial, so they didn't say anything about what it was, just some comments on the video. 

Then, I could read some news at my friends' computer. It was unbelievable. The radio on the walkman was talking about the same seriously. The news became different, like most people now know , but terrible uncertain information. It was then when I saw the 'zero zone' and people walking faster and faster. No fire, but a white-grey powder all over them and an earthquake-like movement.

Next day, I bought the newspaper and could read the detailed news. It was true. I remember some people watching a football match that day in a bar nearby. I was sitting around reading quickly and thinking about the future. A man, a Catholic priest, stared at me because I was astonished. I could hear the footbal match aloud. It lasted all day until night. The day after and all the rest of the days it was trending topic.
Nowadays, everything, even our time is sudden and moves faster; too fast, I'd say. Then, news were revised, told with calm and with an independent taste and feeling that today we would love , for we were able to realize about every detail that was told. It was harder, quite hypnoptic, I consider, but when five years had gone, one could realize about events and say: Yes, I remember what I was doing that day, what I thought, how I felt.

Suzi 4, The Rolling Stones and Totalitarism.

Last September, I was looking for some good music to listen to, when I heard something I was fascinated for: What it was?

It sounded like an old group of Rock-n-Roll or "Smooth Heavy". It was a rythmic music and a good voice recorded, but I didn't remember it or I had listened to it when I was a child , so I didn't know anything about that group.

They had a very good and modern way of dressing code that could be 90's or even nowadays if Suzie didn't wear that  metal collars and too much black. The drummer was also up-to-date. 

I thought they had all died. I thought 'perhaps they were famous and sold many LPs once a day,' but it was not true. The singer is still alive and was part of the group "Suzie Quatro." 

She's one of the most famous Rock'n'Roll girls. I didn't know anything, for new styles and years have become old-fashioned.

Suzie, the singer, is alive and still living in England. She recognizes it wasn't easy to have a role as a woman in Rock, but I realize she did it better than expected. Perhaps her family (with a father with a very good taste for Arts and who encouraged all the brothers when they were children to have their opportunity singing and making music was an extra point in her favour.)
I'm very happy with this meeting on the Web (not in time or in presence, but it's like this now.) Suzie Quatro is now one of my favourite modern &classical rock musicians-authors and I love her music.

I was writing this post, but had to turn 'youtube' suddenly off. A friend suggestted me to listen to some punk music and I couldn't stand its sound, so I have changed it to The Rolling Stones, which is a kind group I've heard to but never listened to, with detail, before.

The Rollings had a voice they could be proud of. What will be some new radios & TV (called new) be putting on air right now? I sometimes prefer not to know what the vacuum cleaner called Totalitarism Culture of Emptiness (that thing we can only find in the inner space, thousand kilometres away from the Earth) is broadcasting now. There are other channels, but I must pay and the rent is not fair.
I'll talk about of this very used word called Totalitarism in other posts . Jules Verne, e.g., mentioned it many times, for he had reasons to mention it when his time and environment started to change into a manipulated society he had expected.

Part 4th: Music as an Alter Ars. (Clavichord's Sound)

Recordings and Natural 'sound'.

Right now, I'm listening to a very interesting interview the musician and piano-clavichord player Wim Winters (who is doing  new recordings in AuthenticSound Project) made to Philip Newell, who lives in Vigo, Galicia, Spain.

Mr Newell is said to be one of the best technicians of our times, according to the interviewer, for he made recordings of rock and classical music like Mac Oldfield, Queen or Bernstein, amongst many others. 

Just listening to this video, I'm listening to the sounds they make in English and, for the knowledge I have in that language, I realize the recording is a high quality one: Each vowel, sound pattern and sentence is heard clearly. I'm using my earphones and a common computer like most of you must have, so I think some Digital Remastered pieces should be heard like this way.

When I listen or watch a video, the most important thing for me is not only a good quality image (just a clear one) but a high standard in sound.

We have an infinite numbers of digital microphones, mixers and tools, but sometimes the sound is not perceived the same it sounds. When it's changed for sounding better, the result is worst or not what we expected.

They are now explaining accurately how the sound moves in the air (that is what I have notion about, that is, phonetics-phonology.) 

I have used easy computer sound software for Podcasting, but I cannot remember well all the technical concepts. What I recognize is that nowadays, we have forgotten about 'the clear stereo natural sound' I can listen to here. 

Like Philip Newell underlines, it's something that goes with Art... From my point of view, it's something a music lover realizes listening old vinyls and CDs, or even new videos. One knows when the sound is special or not. 

I'm not fond on sound recording, technics or any of these. I'm just a radio listener and I like this. I realize what they say is trueth; like what I have thought for this last decade. There are many kind of new stuff there, but they do not remain the same. 

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(Teatro) - Lina Morgan.

El reciente óbito de Lina Morgan ha dejado cierto vacío en el panorama del teatro español. Como he leído en ciertos comentarios, si bien no era de una figura destacada en cuanto a físico, sí supo llamar la atención del público de todas las edades y condiciones, sobre todo en su última etapa como cómica, artista de varietés y cantante.

El País. Lina Morgan, Una Vida en Imágenes.

Cultivó un tipo de teatro que en los años 80 y 90 ya estaba en decadencia y lo salvó de que cayese en el olvido. También, en televisión, logró captar la atención de un público también muy variado y combinó series, escenas (como las de Fin de Año) y dio a conocer grandes obras suyas en el teatro La Latina. Todo esto no hubiera sido posible sin su gran alma y corazón, que se nota a larga distancia que querían con locura a su familia, al elenco de artistas que la acompañaban y a su público (fuera el que fuese). Reconozco, aunque no sea crítico de teatro, que no era una actriz especializada, pero sí una actriz buena, de calidad y capaz de hacer ver a determinadas capas o tipos de la sociedad española otras realidades que estaban aconteciendo. No todos los artistas de su edad eran capaces de hacer esto y por ello Lina Morgan seguirá muchos años en la memoria colectiva, al igual que sus compañeros del Cine de los sesenta y setenta. Que descanse en paz, Lina Morgan, actriz, vedette, cantante, pensadora, sastre y gran mujer.

Lina Morgan en "Celeste no es un Color", una de mis obras de teatro favoritas.

Enlace de El País del 20 de agosto de 2015.

5 y Más Consejos sobre blogs.

En muchas redes sociales, existen decenas de tutoriales que cuentan detalladamente cómo debemos hacer un buen  blog, a quién debe ir destinado, los puntos básicos que debería tener y cómo debe estar diseñado.
En cuanto a la parte de la modelación, a la de la programación, el lenguaje de programación CSS u otro cualquiera, hay más variedad, pero está más bien reunida en torno a cursos interactivos (online) o presenciales, y creo que goza de un mayor prestigio, ya que se trata de un lenguaje de metadatos que se enseña de una u otra manera.
El protocolo de cómo debemos escribir o no, de qué temas elegir a la hora de escribir y presentar un blog como el que estoy ahora realizando, tiene decenas de consejeros por todo el mundo. Los diseñadores siempre dan buenos consejos. Los coachers de contenido, por así llamarlos, a veces son grandes aliados y pueden dar un gran impulso a tu blog o a veces, si no saben bien qué tipo de contenido estás desarrollando pueden no aportarte nada.
Otra forma más un poco más corriente de crear buen contenido en un blog, podría ser la de ver múltiples blogs en la red, sin dejar de lado nuestras preferencias, gustos e ideas. Es la base de un blog porque por muchas florituras que tenga, hablar de algo parecido a uno que ya hemos visto cansa y aburre.

3ª Parte: La Música Clásica. Alter Ars.

Nuevo Programa de Radio: Play Ópera.

Hace dos fines de semana que he escuchado veces sí, veces no, el ahora medio famoso programa español de la Cadena SER, en colaboración con el Liceo de Barcelona. Su nombre no deja de ser original, Play Ópera. Me estoy dando cuenta de que toda la temática de estas entradas versa precisamente sobre algo parecido a lo que estos programas ponen de manifiesto: alcanzar la ópera al público normal y corriente, con un guion actualizado, ameno, más verosímil y variado en su contenido.
Como ocurriera con uno de mis programas favoritos de Radio Nacional de España (RNE) Radio Clásica, Clásicos Populares, que dirigiera el tristemente fallecido Fernando Argenta, pero que cautivaba a miles de radio-escuchas por toda la orbe, ahora es posible, con un poco de buena suerte, que Play Ópera siga una senda parecida (aunque personalmente echaré en falta siempre que RNE no haya recuperado su programa líder en audiencia con alternativas dirigidas a sus fieles oyentes; que lo dejasen caer en el olvido, justo cuando más lo necesitaban los dos locutores que lo realizaban y encima, después de una trayectoria tan larga). En el recuerdo queda también, Aracelys González Campa, que me parece que seguía hasta hace poco con su programa Correo del Oyente, en Radio Clásica. Esta radio era, hasta hace poco, una de las mejores difusoras en España de la cultura musical, pero algunos expertos que conozco me han informado de que está debilitándose su labor en este sentido. Sin embargo, al visitar su web, he encontrado este otro vídeo que les dejo, pues al final es el oyente quien decidirá lo que escoger o no.
RTVE, A la Carta. This is Opera. "Tristán e Isolda".

Quedará la nostalgia de los programas del desaparecido Argenta (Argenta hijo, su colega de radio, Aracelis y todo el equipo). Tenían una forma inigualable de hacer la música asequible a toda clase de público, fuera con un nivel básico de conocimientos musicales o con ninguno, tan sólo por divertimento.
Volviendo al presente y a este nuevo proyecto hecho realidad, creo sinceramente que Play Ópera(Play Ópera, ¿quiénes somos?)    podría llenar ese vacío que dejaron éste y otros programas del estilo descrito antes.

Programa de Presentación, Play Ópera.

2ª Parte: Music as an Alter Ars

My first blog post was in Spanish and it explained how Classical Music could be a new passion, as well as a kind of educative tool for anyone with some level of knowledge in music. I think nowadays, when we have reached some level of culture with some people which cannot access easily Classical Music, but, at the same time, is able to choose a varied kind of musical videos but with no explanation of what they are listening to or what kind of music they are watching (whether it is jazz, pop, rock, soul or any kind of a new piece of rap)this class of video can be the perfect solution.

I think old and new forms will reach each other and mix, not in form but in the net, like we can see a video about sciences or making a cake for a host.

In arts and culture in general, I think we should not give up and continue helping others, like children, other cultures and elders, for music (and Classical music in this case) is a divine art which is being substituted by common everyday noises.

We are human beings, so let's take a role and participate in this adventure, even if we are scientists, ITs, teachers, cleaners, taxi drivers, writers, unemployed, students, housewives, doctors, but, above all, web users. Spreading good music through the net, will help improve education and people's knowlegde, just like radio did in the past years.

Wim Winters' explanatory class.

1ª Parte: La Música Clásica: Alter Ars.

Se suele concebir a la música clásica como a la representación de lo establecido, de las normas y del arte más formal. También, se generaliza y se piensa que es una música elitista para clases medias y, en nuestro país, para clases más bien medias y tendiendo a altas, ya que las entradas para los conciertos y determinado tipo de expresiones culturales están siendo atacadas por el famoso IVA Cultural y, si no, por tanta burocracia impuesta desde fuera del Mundo del Arte (con mayúsculas, ya que no debería ser dependiente ni de nada ni de nadie).

Pues bien, tal y como está el mundo de la Música, para mí resulta más bien un aliciente para escucharla, disfrutarla, difundirla y hasta explicarla para los que no la conocen (con formato y estilo de "Clásicos Populares", tal y como lo hiciera el gran maestro Fernando Argenta con su público infantil y de todas las edades).

La Música Clásica hoy por hoy, es una forma de rebeldía, un Alter Ars u otra clase de arte alternativo (una contracultura) ante lo established; "lo establecido por norma u obligación", ya que sólo el Rap y algunas músicas postModernas luchan contra lo establecido y las normas nuevas y viejas, pero lo hacen siempre intentando entrar en el márketing como sea, mientras que las sintonías clásicas -hechas para causas sociales o de forma altruista-  se generan de forma no tan dirigida a lo monetario. Si lo hacen, es de forma siempre parecida, no variando mucho los precios.

La Música de cámara, la Musica Antiqua, es más selecta todavía y se realiza un Concierto especial para Clave una vez al año o una vez cada dos años, en un lugar lejano de Europa o fuera y con un aforo para muy pocas personas.

Algunas óperas, zarzuelas, conciertos y obras surrealistas, son más críticas que un rock-and-roll fuerte que nos deje zumbados de tantos decibelios. Además, las clases sociales que manejan el cotarro, siempre suponen que se les responda con la misma música siempre, no con alguna pieza clásica.

Aquí, adjunto un enlace del clavicordista Wim Winters, que actualmente trabaja en un projecto de grabaciones AUTÉNTICAS para clavicordio en Bélgica y que incluso tiene colegas en Vigo, España para poder llevar a cabo una de las misiones más imposibles que hay: fundar él solito (con algunas ayudas como he dicho) una compañía de grabación de calidad.

El sonido del clave o clavicordio les parecerá rancio si no les gusta, pero es que este hombre toca algunas piezas que no se han llevado al clave aún, como ésta de Schubert. Además, trata todas las de la época y lo hace con un encanto y una pasión que brillan en el alma. Si pueden y quieren, suscríbanse a su página de Youtube.
 

Wim Winters. J. S. Bach. Preludio y Fuga en La mayor, BWV 856 (WKI)

N.B.: Existe en la Cadena SER, un programa que versa sobre ópera llamado "Play Ópera", realizado
en conjunto con el Liceo de Barcelona:          Play Ópera, Cadena SER