Menoizikul; Midweek Musicalisms

Next of our November-born composers... Alfred Schnittke, 24th November 1934, Saratov Oblast, Russia. There was a lot of work to choose from, but I opted for choral works. I could have brought you one of the Penitential Psalms, but instead, here is Voices of Nature... it is silent to very low for about ninety seconds, then rises, peaks, then returns to silence. An exercise in patience. There is something a little akin to the work of Arvo Pärt in this sound, I feel. If you decide to follow that link to the Psalms, you will find there is an affinity with the deep chants of the Russian Orthodox monks... I will be listening to more of this composer!

Me-Now-Views; Less Speak More Peek

The images in this selection are, technically, 'art vibe' candidates, but fall a bit outside it, as I don't have all the pertinent attributions, and they are specifically museum pieces rather than straight gallery items. Some info is provided—the giant tapestry weaving is of particular interest due to its production with pure wool... read more here. The last two were from the Cold War exhibition.

Menonday Art Vibe; Right Royal Stance

The following offerings for this Monday series come from my visit to Duff House, which is home to several items on loan from the National Galleries of Scotland. This first one is by the artist John Shackleton, about whom so little is known, only his date of death is certain... 16th March, 1767. What is also established is that he gained the position of Principal Painter in Ordinary to George 2nd and, subsequently, George 3rd.

My photograph is a little unclear due to the lighting in the room. Add to that my proximity to ground level and the height of the item... but I did want to show the ornate framing with the crown on top. So here is George 2nd making a pose that must surely have become quite excruciating! To see a better rendition of the actual work, you can click here.