Books and Movies

What I've read this month:

- The Third Reich by Roberto Bolaño

- l'Ancien Testament : Abdiahs, Jonas, Michée, Nahoum, Habacuc, Sophonie, Aggée, Zakarie, Malachie (Parole de Vie)

- Death in Venice, The Joker, The Road to the Churchyard, Gladius Dei by Thomas Mann

- "E Unibus Pluram" by David Foster Wallace 

- The Paris Review #198

Movies I've watched this month:

- l'Accompagnatrice (1992)

- Tyrannosaur (2011)

- Death in Venice (1971)

- Tournée (2010)

- Les Regrets (2009)

- Red Desert (1964)

- Shame (2011)

SAC, Again

세 시부터 예술의 전당에 앉아있었다. 멘델스존과 시벨리우스 바이올린 협주곡을 두 번 연속으로 보고 났더니 진이 다 빠져, 누가 몇 등을 하는지까지는 별로 보고싶지 않았지만 그냥 그대로 앉아있었다. 일본 아이가 일등을 하고 러시아 사람이 이등을 하고 개인적으로 좋은 연주자라고 생각했던 이지윤과 중국 사람이 공동 사등을 하는 것 까지 보고 일어났더니 일곱 시다. 약 이십분 동안 서울 시장과 동아일보 사장 이름을 한국어와 서투른 영어로 열 두 번 반복해서 듣는 기이한 체험을 해서 그런지 집에 오는 길에 현실 감각이 기우뚱했다. 내일은 월요일이니 일단 아무렇지도 않아보이는 것이 관건이다. 좀 더 버티라는 의미로 17번 Orchidée를 사주었다. 입술을 바를 때마다 시간을 멈춘다. 다른 때와 다른 집중력과 상상력이 만들어내는 효과이다.  

The Pulley

WHEN God at first made Man,

Having a glass of blessings standing by -

Let us (said He) pour on him all we can;

Let the world's riches, which dispersed lie,

Contract into a span.

So strength first made a way,

Then beauty flow'd, then wisdom, honour, pleasure:

When almost all was out, God made a stay,

Perceiving that, alone of all His treasure,

Rest in the bottom lay.

For if I should (said He)

Bestow this jewel also on My creature,

He would adore My gifts instead of Me,

And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature:

So both should losers be.

Yet let him keep the rest,

But keep them with repining restlessness;

Let him be rich and weary, that at least,

If goodness lead him not, yet weariness

May toss him to My breast.

- George Herbert (1593 - 1633)

W. Faulkner/ K. Jarrett

... it's a shame that there is so much work in the world. One of the saddest thing is that the only thing a man can do for eight hours a day, day after day, is work. You can't eat eight hours a day nor drink for eight hours a day nor make love for eight hours - all you can do for eight hours is work. Which is the reason why man makes himself and everybody else so miserable and unhappy.

- William Faulkner, The Paris Review Interview, 1956

William Faulkner는 재즈계의 Keith Jarrett 같다.

Millenium Symphony Orchestra 18th Concert

Beethoven Coriolan Overture

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58

Weber Der Freischutz Overture

Poulenc - Concerto in D Minor for 2 Pianos and Orchestra

Piano: Christopher Hinterhuber, 신숙이

Conductor: 서희태

at Seoul Arts Center

Before the concert started, I took this photo and thought, ah, this is nice.

But distractions ensued. 

Amusingly interesting distractions:

1. The guy who sat before me and asked whether I knew in what year The Golden Bowl, which I was reading, was published. I said, "Twentieth century". Then he corrected me, "Early twentieth century". He so emphatically pointed out how difficult the novel was that, when he asked whether I was really enjoying reading it, I kinda had to say, "I'm... um, trying to enjoy it."

2. His fiancée who looked a bit like tired Virginia Woolf

3. The pianist who placed his smartly sexy iPad, instead of music score, on the piano. Am I old-fashioned, or simply old?

Seriously disconcerting distractions:

1. The old man who sat next to me and unabashedly, continuously shouted, "Bravo! Bravi!", at the top of his lungs between movements, all the while clapping unbelievably loud, louder than a fortissimo note from the whole orchestra, thereby succeeded in grabbing the sole attention from the crowd in that three-floor hall, including the orchestra, conductor, and the two guest pianists. The sweet couple sitting in front of me asked in a whisper, "is this orchestra paying him for doing that?". I said nothing but they looked serious. The couple left early, even before the concert ended. The possiblity people might take this man as my father (we were in a 2 x 3 box) wasn't flattering at all. Very juvenile of me. 

2.  The two utterly dull and unfunny stand up guys whose identities still remain obscure. Who pretended to explain about the composer, the music, and the pianists with wretchedly bad jokes, thereby totally screwed up the subtle, nuanced moments where one, moved by the audible beauty, holds one's breath. Those supposedly quiet moments were brutally destroyed. And it was none other than the audience who was actually paying them for doing exactly that. Absurd. We, undeservedly underestimated, got even more nervous but, I'm sure, didn't believe a word of what those two were saying. No one knew why, for whom they were there. 

I kept thinking, Oh God, how can I love these 'neighbours', for example?

As for the quality of the concert itself... I couldn't focus, really.