Haven't updated in a while. Been busy as usual, with the drag of assignments. I'll complain now, but I'll miss this in a few years. The fact I'm writing here at all is testament to the comparative easiness of current life as opposed to what I think worklife would be like. Not to mention the management of outside activities with whatever association I will be futurely associated with. Plus love life, or a wife and family, and parents. Maybe the lovelife is going a bit too far. Oh well...

Last week I levelled a lovely big gob of vitriol in the direction of modern music. The venom of my attack had people coming back to me and asking: "So what is it you DO like anyway?" I told them, and will continue to tell them, simply "Classical". "Oooh okay", people would say, in that tone that evokes a certain adequate-feeling superiority designed to tread all over my democratic choice which was after all, based on a sounder logic than any of them could ever muster to explain theirs, while t the same time sounding blatantly pitying and conversational. "Ooohhh classical. Yea that's good [As if I. Fuckwits.] I like classical too... [As if II. Fuckwits. Again...]" Oh really? Okay then, time for the exposé question. This is usually a variation of one or two questions:" Which composer do you listen to?/ Which is your favoured era?" The first one usually draws the inevitable. "Oh Beethoven. Definitely. And that guy, what's his name? [Insert long mouth-breathing pause] Bach. Oh and Mozart!" The second reponse usually goes along the lines of "Huh?? Composers had eras?"

OK, this has told me two things about you. First of all, you're a fuckwit, because you don't know anything, and don't want to even try, because you're cushy and close-minded and don't bother expanding your knowledge beyond what the teachers at school hammer into you from your textbooks. Secondly, you're a self-adequating ill-confident lowlife with no self esteem and either are patronisingly trying to decry my choice of music as an arrogant bourgeios illness, or desperately trying to portray yourself as being intellectually adequate for the sake of being 'social' in front of a person who has actually bothered to think his choice of music through due to your shallow inadequacies brought about by your aforementioned lack of knowledge. There are a few rare ndividuals who say they listen to Maxim or Bond. I usually let those slide even though Bond and Maxim are NOT classical music and have slapped their brand of 'pop' unto the world of true classical music like a falling jar of decompsed plum juice and bile; these people at least have tried to expose themselves a little to the world of classical music, though they definitely don't try anywhere near hard enough and don't really accord any degree of respect choicewise.

It sounds really harsh to typify the largesse of people, and to a point I could say I'm arrogant that way. It is however my point of view that unlike most feinters and pseudo-intellectuals I actually deserve to be. For one thing, I think I've read enough relatively speaking to be able to call myself intellectual. Secondly unlike many people I don't mind expanding my knowledge in any direction. My grandfather always had a saying "Dine with scholars and eat with vagabonds", he used to tell my Mom, and later me. In this spirit, knowing as much in as many fields as possible is vital, and as such I will try to expand my mind in any direction as is possible [except the I.T sector, somehow I just haven't had the gall to delve anywhere meaningful in that area. Which is a shame.] Thirdly, and this is most important, I actually think most of my decisions through. I am, if nothing else, practical when it comes to doing things. While I'll admit I've done my fair share of impractical things, I like to know that everything I do exists, is and was done for a purpose, and as far as my choice of music is concerned, there's no way anyone could ever practically defend an idolatory love for today's mainstream music, whilst I certainly can find concrete reasons for liking classical.

Okay, people ask, why do I like classical music so much then? Firstly, it, well most of it, has no lyrics. Some of the earlier works, especially Telemann's and Handel's, had a very Christian background, but for the most part I don't appreciate choral classical. Lyrics, for me, destroy music. They certainly have in today's music, which is why, while I'm willing to allow exceptions, alyrical music has no parallel. Firstly the tune is appreciated more, and secondly the song has a certain expressionism behind it which isn't interpreted for me, and instead allows for its own interpretation and for me to form in my own mind the scenario or storyline. This is the essence of music, and the reason it has accorded artistic status. Music these days is not art. It is devoid of interpretation and therefore has lost its essence, its soul.

When I listen to music, I don't like to be told what's going on or what's being talked about. I prefer to be able to imagine the scenario unfolding and interpreting with my own mind. Take Vivaldi's Four Seasons suite for instance. The most famous scene in Autumn is often entitled The Foxhunt. It is a pleasure allowing the scenario of the autumn hunt unfold with every note: the rhythmic trotting of the horses, the gunshots, the running dogs. Allegretto in Winter is an even more powerful interpretive piece. There is no concrete storyline in the music, and no two people I have asked who have listened to the piece can have the same interpretation of the song. One pictured a bear disturbed in the dark woods chasing the unfortunate intruder. Another imagined a strong blizzard and swirling winds. This to me, is true art, something everyone is allowed to form their own version of a story of.

Secondly, classical music often conveys influence from the culture which the composer is associated with. Many composers, whether through patriotic zeal or simply the love of a land and its culture, incorporate music from various regions. Ippolitov-Ivanov wrote about music from his Georgia homeland. Blas Galindo wrote El sones mariachi in tribute to the musicians of his native Mexico, whilst Moncayo did the same with Mexican folksongs in his immortal work Huapango. I appreciate probably more than many others the cultural resonance behind a music piece and the idea that it may be lost, or nearly lost, in history.

Lastly, classical music is a genre unto its own. Within it there are expressions of all types: of joy, of pain, of love, hope, despair. I bristle at the idea that most people who listen to classical music do so only for relaxation. It is true that with all the pseudo-power and heavy beats of today's music classical is often an outlet for people of less viable constitution to convalesce and kick back. However there is a dynamism and power in classical music, even the 'relaxing' ones, which people fail to notice. I affectionately call this the 'classical spirit'. For those people who seek specifics, classical spirit is undefinable and the result of a genuine immersion in the genre. It evokes the infinite, and the glory of true art. With all that in mind, knowing it is erroneous to overtly favour songs over so many equally glorious others, I have compiled a list of my top ten favourite classical pieces and suites.

1. Johann Strauss: The Beautiful Blue Danube. One of the most well-known and immortal pieces, by the Romantic master of waltz. The sweet flowing song embodies the quiet power of the majestic river beneath the languid grace.

2. Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring: Ritual of the Pagans. Raw power and evocative of the contemporary view of an 'alternative classical'. Highly percussion based its irregular timing and breathless vocality are awe-inspiring and typify this composer's effort to change contemporary views of classical music. People fainted in the theatre, exchanged blows and walked out during its debut.

3. Piotr Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture. An immortal piece, loved by New Years' Day pyromaniacs everywhere. The glory in the finale belies the political nature of the piece, and shows the ability of music to be used as a psychological tool; history buffs will note that the War of 1812 held litle glory for the French, of whom this song is in praise of.

4. Bedrich Smetana: Vltava [Die Moldau]. My Homeland. Another river-based piece. In this the composer conveyed his patriotic love for his native Bohemia, describing the beauty and grandeur of the land in smooth flowing overtones, in accordance with the river setting.

5. George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue. A truly contemporary piece dating from the 1920s, Rhapsody in Blue was the definitive answer to the melding of fledgeling jazz and classic instrumental. Anyone who has watched Fantasia 2000 will appreciate the city-style upbeat feel of the song; the piece was actually Gershwin's interpretation of the rain. This only affirms my belief in free intepretation, and I will not fail to note my impression with the smooth sophistication of the song.

6. Jose Pablo Moncayo: Huapango. Probably my definite favourite. The song conveys an almost stereotypical joy of the Mexican people, incorporating no less than three traditional folksongs. The pure splendour of the brass and percussions illustrates the vibrance and liveliness of traditional folk music, featuring 'duels' between brass and percussion instruments. Truly a gorgeous song to listen to.

7. Thomas Albinoni: Organ Concerto in A Minor. It can't be all happy. This song is for grey sunless days and funerals for loved ones. The true melancholy of the organ is offset by the accompanying violins; the mournful drawn out notes make this a darkly graceful piece. It has been accused of being boring. To me, it is anything but.

8. Georg Frederic Handel: The Harmonious Blacksmith. Scored for solo piano or harpsichord, this song is a demonstration of the players' pure virtuosity. The up-and-down scalar movements are truly impressive, as one imagines the fingers of the players running up and down the keys. A joy to listen to, and a sight better than the overused, overabused Flight of the Bumblebee [Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov], which though admirable, is messy, disorganised and isn't solo.

9. Gustav Holst: Mars, The Bringer of War. Like the Rite of Spring, a song of power. One can never escape the unforgettable tempo of the drum. The song strongly evokes its warlike theme, with the sinister apprehensive tones and the constant beat of the drum. My second favourite behind Huapango.

10. Camille Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre. The legendary Danse Macabre was scored for piano by Franz Lizst, but the true beauty of the song can only be evoked in the full orchestral version. The song utilises the untamably scratchy sound of the fiddle backed up by other strings and percussion to tell story of the night when Death arose and played his fiddle while the dead danced. An immortal favourite of Saint-Saens -better known for his cheeky Carnival of the Animals- aficionados.