I just Netflixed the 2003 documentary, The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara. It is an excellent film, which deals with a very heavy topic with grace and style, never once getting overly grim. But the revelation for me was the soundtrack (which does the job of being grim), composed by Philip Glass. Dude! I love the brief, little melodies which pop up. My favorites at this point are:and "IBM Punch Cards":
You know, I lived with someone who HATED Phillip Glass, too monitone, single key etc, too much of a simpleton so he was not to be played in the home.
ReplyDeleteCould not understand how I could like P. Glass, then again I like Bolero, another almost single, simple rhythm composition. Yet it manages to seduce your ears with its fine execution. Simple can be very complicated and beautiful. And don't forget the Beef song (Copeland)! Not simple in key but very repetitive-I still love it.
I hope you are feeling better.
I'm surprised he didn't like Glass, being a pianist and all. I too like Ravel's "Bolero." It's all about the build-up, isn't it? The slow and steady layers, building up to the end. Every song on Sinatra's A Swingin' Affair! album is supposedly built on the "Bolero" blueprint, by the way. Every verse of each song starts off sort of restrained, and then builds and builds until the last verse, wherein there is "release." Aaron Copeland is also great.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Claudia. Home again from work, but feeling this much (holding index finger and thumb an inch apart) better.