Re: GG: Lacrimosa: Physiology and the Arts...

[KImmoor@aol.com]

Joseph and Josh (and now David and others...)-
   I picked up the Shine sndtk last night, and (as is the case with
serendipity) within it is this quote from the Exec. Producer, Scott Hicks,
which I think corresponds nicely with our ongoing analysis;
   "Music and film share a common language, one that can dissolve
international barriers and speak to all people. They are more closely related
to each other than perhaps any two art forms, sharing the ability to stir
powerful, irrational feelings: great longings and fears, great losses and
triumphs. Cinema, like music, is not primarily a medium of the intellect, it
is about the emotions and agitation of the mind."
   I find it interesting that Hicks feels music/cinema is not a medium of the
intellect - though I'd be the last one to give up the forbidden thrill of
embracing snooty intellect, I'd have to agree with him, music is far more
affecting when it abandons the math and goes right for the 'agitation of the
mind.'
   As for whether I had ever been moved to tears by the written word, yes
definitely, but only in sadness. In that respect I think certain written
works have an unfair advantage, ie- they can tell you exactly what to cry
about! If you have a thing for stories about the Great Depression, then such
a story will pull the heartstrings and get the desired result. Personally,
Wuthering Heights is a definite tearjerker, but these works give you precise
imagery and plotpoints to guide you to the point of sadness. Poetry is a bit
more oblique, but still feeds you the imagery directly, as opposed to music
or art where interpreting such stimuli is usually left up to the imagination.

   As a side note, the Shine soundtrack is marvelous and my anticipation of
the film heightens. A very nice collaboration between contemporary cinema
score composition and traditional classical themes. Of note is that the
entire soundtrack (34 or so pieces) flows together in one unbroken work
without leader space, making recurrent themes more logical.  
   Also in the basket last night was Keith Jarrett's Goldberg Variations. I
had never heard his recording of the GB's before and found it very
interesting. Slow to a drag at some places, he really pours over each and
every note - not easy to do on a harpsichord! I didn't realize how deeply
GG's interpretation of the Bergs had ingrained itself into my music brain;
Jarrett's disc sounded like a completely different set of music.