This well-known piece was written in 1928 by French composer Maurice Ravel. M.P. - who had some vocal training in his youth and loves operatic tunes - sent it to me the other day, and though I had heard the melody many times, I guess I'd never heard the entire work played all the way through. I was astonished to realize it is just the same intro repeated over and over again, never leading to anything else. WTF??
Frankly, I thought it was absurd. Come to find out - Ravel himself agrees with me! He planned it that way. Oh well, you know how those highbrow composers are . . . .
Here it is, from the BBC Proms in 2014, under the baton of Daniel Barenboim:
FYI:Boléro would seem to have been an inspiration for the popular tune "Andalucía," aka "The Breeze and I," written by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, which was a big hit for Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra in 1940, featuring a vocal by Bob Eberly:
The unforgettably romantic theme from Walt Disney'sSleeping Beauty, 1959. I never got to see the film until I was grown, but this little gay boy did play the song on a little yellow record over and over and over . . . .
The music is, of course, lifted directly from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty ballet, 1889:
By the way, Resident Artist M.P. did get to see the movie as a little gay boy, and fell in love with the stylized artwork, which he still thinks is very, very cool. Check out this fascinating video about the artistic development behind the finished film:
To help beat the summer heat, I think I will play some waltzes and other delightful things in the next month or so. The beloved "Blue Danube" is of course at the top of the list, and Strauss wrote many others. Here it is, as performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1961, with Eugene Ormandy conducting.
My mom used to pick up a record album from a thrift shop or discount store now and then, and though I never remember her playing any of them - maybe she played them when no one else was at home - they were exciting to discover as a lonely only child. And what little gay boy wouldn't be entranced by the lush music and the fairy-tale picture on the album?
I played and replayed it countless times over the years. When it had gotten rather scratchy in the mid-1970s, I searched the record stores until I found an 8-track version of the same, which I could play in my car while driving along the blue waters of the beautiful Gulf coast. Fond memories; I hope you fellas enjoy the inspiration of this masterpiece recording too.
God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. --I John 1:5
One of your Head Trucker's all-time favorites, which speaks to me of spiritual things. I would like to have this piece played at my funeral one day. It is performed here by the Vienna Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel conducting, in the gardens of the Schönbrunn Palace on June 20, 2019.
The Adagio was written by American composer Samuel Barber (1910-1981) in 1936; thirty years later, he used the music for his choral arrangement of the Angus Dei. He was partnered with the composer Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007) for more than forty years.
From the video description by pianist Paul Barton:
Mongkol is a 61-year-old former logging elephant. His captive-held life was spent hauling trees in the Thai forest. His body shape is deformed through hard labor, he lost his right eye and tusk in this brutal logging practice. Mongkol was rescued and brought to Elephants World to spend the rest of his days relaxing peacefully in freedom by the River Kwai. I discovered Mongkol is an extremely gentle, sensitive elephant who enjoys music, especially this slow movement by Beethoven which I play to him occasionally in the day and night.
We usually hear this tune around Christmastime, but I thought my truckbuddies might appreciate a cool breeze now in high summer, with beautiful roses and some serene scenery too. Peace be with you.
I think we all need to take a deep breath, relax, be calm, and know that the power of goodness will continue in the world, regardless of the election. Believe.
O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We heard this lovely tune played last night in the movie Old Acquaintance(1943), but neither of us could remember the name of it. After some searching, I found it - a nice tune to begin the first day of autumn with.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, harmony; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that I may seek not so much to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
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We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.
and welcome to the Blue Truck, a blog for mature gay men with news and views on gay rights, history, art, humor, and whatever comes to mind. Plus a few hot men. The truck's all washed and gassed up, so hop in buddy, let's go.
CAUTION: For mature gay men only beyond this point. Some posts and links may not be suitable for children or the unco guid. You have been warned.
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My Story
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Churches say that the expression of love in a heterosexual monogamous relationship includes the physical, the touching, embracing, kissing, the genital act - the totality of our love makes each of us grow to become increasingly godlike and compassionate. If this is so for the heterosexual, what earthly reason have we to say that it is not the case with the homosexual?
It is a perversion if you say to me that a person chooses to be homosexual. You must be crazy to choose a way of life that exposes you to a kind of hatred. It's like saying you choose to be black in a race-infected society.
If God, as they say, is homophobic, I wouldn't worship that God.
Note, 9/15/26: For the past week, Blogger has not updated most of the posts in this sidebar. I don't know what to do about it. You can still access the websites below by clicking on the titles of each one.
