Show; Noise; NEA Institute

S-l-o-w as molasses these last few weeks, as the local music groups have enjoyed a well-deserved respite before the '07/'08 season kicks off this weekend. Tomorrow, my volunteer radio show with Gerry Fisher resumes at 3pm CT, which y'all can access here.  We were rusty and clumsy in our finest hours, so after a 6-month hiatus, you can imagine what to expect.  Not to say the music won't be worth your while.   Also, I'm halfway through the much anticipated book from Alex Ross.  With seven years of labor behind him, Ross's enormously erudite and melodic music history of the 20th century is making me either run to the piano to hear what a whole-tone scale sounds like or just open up my scores to follow along (After reading his blog for 3 years, you forget how well-versed the man is in music theory). And his close attention to the relationships between various composers--whether fleeting or long-term--has made this read more like a gripping novel than a history lesson: 

Two years later, playing Birdland in New York, the bebop master [Charlie Parker] spotted Stravinsky at one of the tables and immediately incorporated a motif from Firebird into "Koko," causing the composer to spill his scotch in ecstasy (92).

Lastly, the NEA website has posted a list of all the attendees in this year's Institute at Columbia University.  It is going to be a thrill to work with such a diverse group of arts editors, reporters, and even radio announcers.  In preparation, I have listened to Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony #2 approximately 643 times in the last 30 days.  Or so it feels.