Messi, Messi, nothing bad can touch you... Summer of '68
A father is truly pathetic if this is what his offspring turns out to be... Summer of '68
I really screwed myself over—did this, did that—just because I was being willfully blind...
Come on, just admit it already. Danica will brew you some coffee, and George will forgive you for giving you a beating...
If people remember me on Safety Day, great; if they don't, so be it—I was just doing my job...
Hey Danica, you ever heard of Virginia? Well, I have. Oh, Danica, you’ve heard of Virginia about as much as you’ve heard of Madagascar, and that's our biggest nuclear facility...
Back in our day, you could spot those types from a hundred yards away—that was the whole point, you see them and you know exactly who they are. Nowadays? You look right at them and have no clue.
Hello? Uh, excuse me, sir, who were you looking for? Look, the headquarters might make a mistake once in a blue moon, but never a hundred times... and if you don't get it, well, you just won't get it... damn it, get outta here, you little jerk, beat it!
Elijah, man, what happened to you? What's going on? Nothing much, I just tripped and got all banged up. What did you trip on, Elijah? Well, the ground, obviously. What else would it be?
Is this your friend, Jacobson? No, that's Poland. 🙂 Calm down, George. If anyone's gonna take him out, it's gonna be me. He's absolutely wrecked my house.
They move in cells of three, and those cells are George's, right? The basic units for sabotage teams.
What cars could possibly be better than a Moskovitz?
These guys are just total morons.
Falcon calling Eagle. Over. Eagle is down, Eagle is down. Falcon is inbound.
I used to wonder why they always went to the theater. But once the crackdown started, it all made sense. They could have negotiated in peace, but instead, they were constantly shouting from the stage. They stayed until the end of the play just to avoid looking suspicious. Their logic was: if someone is tailing us, they'll give up because of the opera. Little did they know there are people out there willing to go to any lengths!
It's different when you're young. You want to eat, you want to hook up, and hey—that stuff costs money.
I've told you a thousand times, stop talking such nonsense. You were brought in to handle matters of national security. I guess I'm part of this massive inflation too. The whole country stays quiet and takes it, while you're the only one barking. For heaven's sake, if I hear one more word out of you!
Elijah, where'd you come from? Aren't you working today? Not today, not tomorrow, not the day after. Why's that? Do I really have to tell you? All you do is bark, you never shut your mouth! Dad... Yeah? How can you talk to Mom like that? That's how she deserves it.
😂
Folks, right here you can listen to the audio clips.
So, Igor Stravinsky headed back to Russia in 1914 to start gathering all the musical pieces he needed for the Wedding (1917).
Then you've got Oedipus Rex, which he composed back in 1927 while the Maestro was spending time living between France and Switzerland.
And look, Stravinsky wasn't just sitting around writing—he was actually out there conducting all sorts of ensembles, hundreds of times over, and putting out a massive amount of LPs for the era. But honestly? In my opinion, his stuff just hits different when you hear it conducted by Bernstein or Boulez. It’s a whole other level.
wanderingraven20 said:btw, that typo I made in my last post regarding the book title—it should have been "Poetics of music," not "Politics of music," 🙂 you Stravinsky expert! 😁
😵 Man, this is what happens when I'm just typing away without looking too closely, totally caught up in the moment... 😳 The last time I actually held this book was way back in '97. I skimmed through some parts, but never read the whole thing cover-to-cover, so I guess I ended up with a total brain fart like that... 🙂 And for the record, I'm definitely no "Stravinsky expert"—I just happen to dig his stuff. If anyone wants an expert, talk to me about small potatoes! 🙂
Have you noticed how we’re basically the only two people actually getting serious about this thread? 😬 It seems like everyone else is way more interested in fluff like "Eurovision," "What to listen to now," or just checking out the "New NP"... 😲 😬
I really can't argue with your logic, especially that bit about the "law of large numbers." I'd just add one thing—in terms of his discography, Stravinsky was actually popularized much more by guys like Pierre Boulez and Leonard Bernstein than he did himself. I mean, even Herbert von Karajan recorded some stuff with the Berlin Philharmonic (like Symphony Psalm etc.), but that’s nothing compared to what Boulez put out.
Also, I’d probably stretch your "value period" out to 1930. If we don't, we end up leaving out Oedipus Rex and Symphony Psalm. So, yeah, I totally agree that Stravinsky knocked out the bulk of his most essential work by 1930, but I wouldn't say he stopped producing masterpieces after that. Take the Mass, for example.
Look, as a total music layman (I did some music school for piano through high school, but my actual career is in biomedical sciences), I’ve always been drawn to Stravinsky's body of work—especially that specific era. To me, his music is just one of those unmistakable sounds that defines the massive artistic breakthroughs of the 20th century. If anyone ever asked me to name one single association for the musical art of the last century, my answer would be Stravinsky! And why does he seem like such an erudite figure? It’s because of that "Music politics" book; even if he had some help writing it, the maestro proves that his artistic horizons go way beyond just being a composer. But hey, at the end of the day, there's that old Latin saying—de gustibus et de coloribus non est disputandum. 😉
I didn't set out to make this thread some kind of shrine to Stravinsky—not like those other topics you were talking about. My whole philosophy here is *audiatur et altera pars*—let everyone have their say—so I totally respect your take and where you're coming from. Though, I'd really highlight your specific angle. You’re throwing out some pretty broad strokes regarding Stravinsky's personality, which doesn't really do justice when you're trying to judge his actual "life and works" (that phrase always makes me think of our old Marshal 😬).
Look, Stravinsky's social life shouldn't even be a factor when we're dissecting his musical achievements. Plus, you're claiming that Copland, Cage et al. are way more significant artists than he is. Honestly? I think you're being a bit subjective there. Aside from sharing some personal memories, I didn't see a single objective argument to back up that claim. Isn't sheer performance and being *Weltbekannt* a pretty massive argument for someone's artistic stature? And in that department, Stravinsky is absolutely crushing it.
Speaking of formal training—or the lack thereof—just look at some of the giants in science and art who never had a fancy education but still changed the world: Jimi Hendrix, Jack London, Quentin Tarantino, Frank Sinatra, Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton etc. As for the whole thing about his parents being traitors—all I can say is that any sane person would have run for the hills once the Bolshevik threat started looming. Just listening to the stories of those who stayed tells you everything you need to know. It isn't about patriotism; it's just the tragedy of people who chose to stay stuck in that Bolshevik darkness.
P.S. You totally missed mentioning the "Wedding," which is actually why I started this whole thread in the first place!
Man, Stravinsky was truly one of the greatest intellectuals of his era—a total *Weltbekannt* erudite. He actually picked up his composition and orchestration skills under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Here’s a shot from 1908 taken in Saint Petersburg. From left to right, you've got Igor Stravinsky followed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Stravinsky spent a ton of time collaborating with his buddy Sergei Diaghilev and his whole Ballets Russes crew. In this photo, you can see the maestro hanging out with a massive star of the ballet world—the legendary Nijinsky.
Igor Stravinsky and Vaslav Fomich Nijinsky
Check out Claude Debussy caught in his Paris apartment with Igor Stravinsky, right after the maestro first arrived in France back in 1911.
Wait, where was this concert actually held? And which ensemble was the maestro conducting?
BTW, thanks Bradley Evans31! 😘 Honestly, I was starting to think I’d be totally riding solo on this thread. It feels like nobody else here has an ear for classical music... 🙄
Yesterday I picked up this phenomenal recording of "The Marriage" — The Wedding by Igor Stravinsky — recorded in Chicago. It’s a 2003 performance featuring the massive Metropolitan Opera ensemble from Saint Petersburg, all under the baton of Valery Gergiev. 👍 It’s actually based on the maestro's 1923 version. Anyway, here’s a little breakdown of The Wedding:
Written in 1917 and orchestrated in 1923, that was also when it had its big premiere (June 3rd, 1923, with Serge Diaghilev's American Ballet Theatre at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in New York City). So, we're talking about 20 years before the Catullus Poems. Even so, the formal structure, the lineup of performers, and the way it's played are totally identical. They perform it as a mix of a concert piece and a staged production: you've got a quartet of vocal soloists (two women—soprano and alto—and two men—tenor and bass), a large mixed choir, four pianos, and a percussion section.
The whole Cantata runs about 23 minutes. In it, Stravinsky—that absolute rhythmic genius who gave us "The Rite of Spring"—masterfully takes archaic folk songs and ancient wedding rituals from old-school Russia and weaves the soloists and the choir together within this incredibly rich, driving rhythmic framework.
The Cantata kicks off with piano and percussion hits while a solo soprano announces the upcoming wedding festivities. From there, it flows through five tightly connected scenes involving the whole cast—describing the arrival of the guests, the scene at the groom's place, the departure, the bride's side, the ceremony itself, and finally, the wedding feast. The piece wraps up with these sharp, cutting tones from the four pianos—sort of like meditative bell tolls that carry a hint of melancholy, marking the end of the celebration.
Tons of conductors, soloists, pianists, percussionists, and choirs across the globe have tried their hand at this musical-theatrical cantata, with varying degrees of success. But honestly, Igor Stravinsky himself is practically the only one who truly managed to show the world his vision most faithfully, working with various European and American vocal-instrumental ensembles. All those surviving audio recordings—mostly CDs nowadays, along with some old film or DVD footage—stand as proof of that.
The last time it was performed here in Washington, D.C., was back on April 24th, 1999, as part of the 20th Music Biennale, conducted by Mo. Vladimir Kranjčević. I actually first experienced The Wedding on May 15th, 1997, in San Diego, when the AZ "Ivan Goran Kovačić" performed it under the direction of Mo. Saša Britvić. To be honest, I was actually a member of that choir back then, so I sang it myself!
It's a brilliant musical-theatrical cantata—a genius fusion of opera and symphonic concert performance from the 20th century.
Lidocaine. It’s a total staple in plastic surgery—you see it used all the time during reconstructive stuff. The main thing is that it hangs around much longer than lidocaine does—wait, actually, let me rephrase that—it just stays active way longer than standard lidocaine. Honestly, nobody really touches Procaine anymore; it’s basically a relic at this point.
What’s the exact diagnosis we're looking at here? And where exactly is the primary tumor located? Basically, when you're dealing with lymphomas—whether it's Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin—surgery isn't usually the go-to move. Most of the time, doctors lean heavily on chemotherapy, and occasionally they'll mix in some radio-chemotherapy too. So, just to clarify—are we talking about metastases in the lymph nodes that were actually surgically removed? What kind of procedure did they end up doing?
Cisco can totally wreck your gut flora. To try and stay ahead of that, you should definitely look into using some LGG products—think things like yogurt or probiotic supplements. You can even find natural anti-diarrheal capsules at most pharmacies where LGG cultures are the main ingredient.
If you're still dealing with diarrhea for more than three days, you really need to stop taking the Cisco. It can actually trigger a super nasty case of pseudomembranous enterocolitis, which is honestly the last thing anyone wants to deal with.
Jeremy Brown8 said:Usually, you end up seeing a surgeon...
Nah. You're looking at a gynecologist! ☕
Look, if that bleeding doesn't just stop on its own—or if it's getting really heavy—you seriously need to head straight to the nearest OB-GYN emergency room.
slygull92 said:thanks, I'll check the directory. I really can't get behind this whole idea that it isn't worth spending the money. Personally, I don't see the point in waiting weeks just to snag an appointment, only to end up stuck in a crowded waiting room for hours just to get one scan. It’s not like I’m doing this every single week, and honestly, a scan like that shouldn't cost more than 200 bucks or so. $100 If you go to a private clinic, you just call them, show up, and they get you right in—you get your results immediately or shortly after, pay your bill, and everything is handled smoothly. I mean, come on, am I really supposed to skimp when it comes to my own health?
Since you're already heading in for those cervical spine X-rays, if I were you, I'd definitely make sure to get functional imaging done too. It makes things way easier for the orthopedist or surgeon when they're trying to nail down a diagnosis.
If you're looking for the best in the field, you really can't go wrong with Miroslav Bekavac-Bešlin over at the Sisters of Mercy—he's a total pro—or Doc Mate Škegro, who does incredible work at Mayo Clinic.
