Tail chasing

A line which starts out trying to stretch out but ends up going round in circles, which pretty much reflects what kind of day I've had.


My friend Indy has seen a preview screening of V For Vendetta, the latest attempt by Hollywood to film the work of comics genius Alan Moore. Unfortunately, it looks like they've once again completely missed the point of what the bearded wonder is on about. Still, Indy did concede that although it's terrible, it's not as bad as the excrable film version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, so that's some scant comfort.

I've been practising for KSO's upcoming performance of Mahler 5, and what a bugger to play it is. I console myself with the knowledge that it's all worth it. I've been lucky to meet and speak with some wonderful musicians and composers over the years, but there's no substitute for actually playing music to make you understand how it works. I think a lot of composers suffer because they don't get enough experience like this, not simply because it's the best way to understand how (in this case) an orchestra works, but because music making is a social experience, and if you don't have first hand knowledge of that, I don't think you can ever really hope to write anything worthwhile.