Death and the Maiden by the Takács Quartet

One of my favourite chamber music CD's. The two most famous Schubert string quartets (No. 13 in A minor 'Rosamunde' D804 and No. 14 in D minor 'Death and the Maiden' D810), for me two of the best three string quartets ever composed, in impeccable performances by the Takács Quartet. Top notch Hyperion sound (as usual), and impressive cover art by Adolph Hiremy-Hirschl (1860-1933).

 

Copyright statement: posting album covers is deemed to be fair use.

 

 

Laura by Vilmos Aba-Novák

 

A few years ago I came across this artist I had never heard of before: Vilmos Aba-Novák (1894-1941). This Hungarian master painted frescoes and church murals, but also masterpieces like this 1929 portrait of a flapper girl. 

 

Copyright statement: image in public domain.

 

Rhapsody in red

 

It's a nice picture of a girl in an orchard in full bloom, and the red parasol really stands out. Still, what's so special about it, why did I want to include it in the blog? Well, it was taken in 1907 by Louis Lumière, and it is one of the very first colour photographs made with a commercial camera (link).

 

Copyright statement: image in public domain.

The Watchmaker by Steven Wilson

About the artist: Steven Wilson (1967) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer, most closely associated with the progressive rock genre. He became known as the founder, lead guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield and No-Man. He released his first solo album in 2008, followed by many more over the years, mostly to great critical acclaim. 

 
About the song: as good as his first solo albums were, he outdid himself with the 2013 album The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) - a beautiful but spooky homage to seventies' prog. Genesis and Pink Floyd are the main influences on the track The Watchmaker. The lyrics are extraordinary even by Steven Wilson standards with lines like "You were just meant to be temporary while I waited for gold" and "I never really loved you but I'll miss you anyway". An extraordinary track from a brilliant album. 

Copyright statement: Image created by me using Bing AI. Considered fair use.

 

Vogue (March 1932)

 

One could argue that the best vintage Vogue covers were in the twenties, but this one from 1932 is right up there with my other favorites. No wonder, as it was designed by the famous Georges Lepape.

Copyright statement: low resolution image of magazine covers deemed fair use.

Xinhua Bookstore

This is without a doubt the most beautiful bookstore I've ever visited: the Xinhua shop in the Aegean Place mall in Shanghai's Minhang district. The design is by famous Japanese architect Tadao Ando. What made it extra attractive from a photographer's point of view is that large parts were not used yet, making for stunning abstract shot opportunities. I've flipped this one upside down for an even more interesting effect. One of my favourite shots of that year (2018). A square version is on display on our gallery.

 

Copyright statement: image copyright Hennie Schaper. Contact me if you like to use it.

The Curlew by Peter Warlock

The Curlew is a song cycle from 1922 by British composer Peter Warlock (actual name Philip Heseltine, 1894 - 1930) on poems by W. B. Yeats. It was written for singer and an unusual accompanying group of flute, cor anglais and string quartet. There are four songs, with a short instrumental interlude between the third and the fourth (see also its Wiki entry). When I bought the CD decades ago, it was to get the two Vaughan Williams cycles, but as good as they were, the Warlock turned out to be the real find. For me, bleak as it may be, it is one of the most beautiful song cycles ever composed. The version shown above is by Ian Partridge with the Music Group of London, including Janet Craxton on cor anglais, on an EMI CD.

 

Copyright statement: posting lower quality album covers is deemed fair use.

 

Amherst Villiers

Some years ago I bought a box of airplane-themed vintage posters reproduced on postcards. This was one of the most striking. Amherst Villiers (1900–1991) was an English automotive, aeronautical and astronautic engineer and portrait painter - a 20th century renaissance man. The poster depicts one of his projects, a (failed) attempt to break the world air speed record.

Copyright statement: low resolution images of vintage posters deemed fair use.

Si On Avait Besoin d'Une Cinquième Saison by Harmonium

 

 

Si On Avait Besoin d'Une Cinquième Saison (If We Needed a Fifth Season), also known as Les Cinq Saisons (The Five Seasons), is the second studio album by French-Canadian progressive rock band Harmonium, released in 1075. The album, with both folk and symphonic influences, has a seasonal concept; the first four songs each represent one of the traditional four seasons, while the epic final track Histoires Sans Paroles represents the imaginary fifth season. This album is one of the few prog masterpieces sung in French - or any language other than English for that matter.

 

Copyright statement: posting lower quality album covers is deemed fair use.

 

Frantz

 

Sometimes a still from the movie is the best choice for the movie poster. A case of point is this poster for the 2016 Ozon war drama. Simply beautiful.

 

Copyright statement: lower resolution images of movie posters considered fair use.

Malcolm Arnold's Dances

 

This is such a fun disc, combining all six sets of dances composed by British composer Sir Malcolm Arnold: English (two sets), Scottish, Cornish, Irish and Welsh. They are performed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Penny on a Naxos CD.

 

Copyright statement: posting album covers is deemed to be fair use.

 

French landscape by André Lhote

 

Not exactly a household name, but I like to mix it up a bit in the "Paintings" part of the blog. André Lhote (1885 - 1962) was a French Cubist painter of figure subjects, portraits, landscapes and still life. He was also very active and influential as a teacher and writer on art. This painting from 1912 is very representative for his style.

 

Copyright statement: image in public domain.

Flashback

  

Kampen, our home town since 2012, an old photograph of the Oudestraat and the old city hall. Probably taken around 1900. In the left bottom corner, behind the first carriage, the building where now our art gallery is located (ground floor, new front).

 

Copyright statement: image in public domain.

Winter by Tori Amos

About the artist: Tori Amos (1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist, and one of the most successful women in her genre. To date she has released over 15 studio albums, many of which have received high praise. 

About the song: the fragile ballad Winter from the phenomenal 1992 debut album Little Earthquakes is one of the best Tori Amos ever recorded. In this song she goes back to her childhood days, and her relationship with her father, dealing with growing up and getting sufficient self-esteem, knowing her father will not always be there to support her. The lyrics are poetic and extraordinarily image provoking ("Skating around the truth who I am, but I know Dad, the ice is getting thin"), climaxing in the recurring image of the wild horses. The beautiful piano work that drifts through the song couldn't have been more effective and mood setting. 

Copyright statement: Image created by me using Bing AI. Considered fair use.

Social (September 1929)

A magazine one does not encounter frequently on the internet: Social from Cuba (long before communism took over). I could not find more information, but this cover is gorgeous.

Copyright statement: low resolution images of magazine covers is deemed fair use.

Firefall

Here we have one of my favourite shots. This abstract image shows the top of a large ceramic sculpture that I spotted in the Leeuwarden Ceramics Museum Princessehof in 2018. It looks like a lava lake cascading over the rim - hence the title. I also used this image for my most recent set of name cards.

Copyright statement: image copyright Hennie Schaper. Contact me if you like to use it.

String Quintet No. 1 by Johannes Brahms

The String Quintet No. 1 in F major, op. 88, was completed in 1882 by German composer Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897). It is a three movements work, scored for string quartet with a second viola. Brahms described the quintet to his friend Clara Schumann as "one of [his] finest works" and told Simrock, "You have never before had such a beautiful work from me." Indeed, it is a gem. The version shown above is by Members of the Berlin Philharmonic Octet on a Philips Classics CD.

 

Copyright statement: posting lower quality album covers is deemed fair use.

 

The Blue Train

 

Yes, please, let's take the blue train to the French Cote d'Azur and take in some sunshine. The Calais-Mediterranée Express nicknamed the Blue Train was a luxury French night express train which operated from 1886 to 2003. This Art Deco poster is probably from the thirties and possibly designed by David Juniper.

 

Copyright statement: low resolution images of vintage posters deemed fair use.

 

Daybreaker by Beth Orton

 

Daybreaker is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Beth Orton, released in 2002. With this album, she continues the Folktronica style that marked her earlier efforts. There's nothing new here in that respect, perhaps with a slightly more sombre tone, but it is all very well done, another great set of songs, and her voice still is personal and beautiful. To paraphrase one critic: much of Daybreaker is jaw-droppingly beautiful and brutally poignant, and the record's subtleties blossom over repeated listens. My selection of outstanding songs would include Paris Train, Mount Washington, Carmella, God Song, and Thinking About Tomorrow.

 

Copyright statement: posting lower quality album covers is deemed fair use.

 

The artist

 

A stunning poster for this 2011 movie directed by Michel Hazanavicius, dealing with the advent of talking pictures in Hollywood in 1929. Simple and effective and a great example of chiaroscuro. 

Copyright statement: posting lower quality movie posters is deemed fair use.

French String Quartets by Quatuor Ebène

 

The three 'best' French string quartets combined on one CD in great performances by the Quatuor Ebène on Virgin Classics. Most classical music lovers would agree that Claude Debussy's  String Quartet in G minor from 1893 and Maurice Ravel's String Quartet in F major from 1903 are the top two. For a third there are a few candidates, but for me the clear third choice is Gabriel Fauré's String Quartet in E minor from 1924. A wonderful CD.

Copyright statement: posting album covers is deemed to be fair use.

Portrait of Anna Akhmatova by Nathan Altman

 

A name I first encountered a few years ago, when I came across this beautiful portrait from 1914 in a cubism influenced style. The artist is Russian (later Soviet) avant-garde artist Nathan Isaevich Altman (1888 - 1970).

 

Copyright statement: image in public domain.

From Greece with love

 

Taken from a series of patriotic postcards by Nanni, created over a century ago, depicting various Great War allies (in this case, Greece). Little more than a sketch, but quite effective. And beautiful.

 

Copyright statement: image in public domain.

Bedshaped by Keane

 

About the band: Keane are a British rock band formed in 1995. They achieved mainstream, international success with the release of their 2004 debut album, Hopes and Fears. I consider this one of the best debut albums ever, and unfortunately the quality if their work has gone down gradually since then - even so, they made many worthwhile songs. 

 
About the song: their 2004 debut album Hopes and fears is a beautiful collection of melodic songs, but even so, one track stands out for me: Bedshaped. Musically, a little more complex than most of their songs, and an amazing accomplishment for a new band. Especially the start of the instrumental section, where for a few seconds an Enya like atmosphere is created, which quickly gives away to powerful synthesizer magic. The lyrics are, well, interesting. Somehow I don't think that my wife would regard a line like "bedshaped with legs of stone" as a compliment....

 

Copyright statement: Image created by me using Bing AI. Considered fair use.

Motor Magazine (May 1923)

 

Motor is an American motorists magazine. It was founded in 1903 by William Randolph Hearst, and published by Hearst Corp. It is still in existence, but went for digital only in 2021 (information from Wikipedia). This is one of a series of 1921/1923 covers by Howard Chandler Christy. Everything works here: the girl's face, the setting, and the contrast between the red and the bluish pastel colours.

 

Copyright statement: image in public domain.

 

Jailhouse Rock

One of the highlights of a trip to Leeuwarden a few years ago was our first visit to the old prison, which is now used as hotel and office space, while preserving many of the aspects of its original purpose. I like the line play here, giving the image an abstract quality. 

Copyright statement: image copyright Hennie Schaper. Contact me if you like to use it.

Symphony No. 6 "Chinese Poems" by Krzysztof Penderecki

 

Symphony No. 6 "Chinese Poems" for baritone and orchestra was completed in 2017 by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki (1933 - 2020). Its style is representative for the more mellow neo-romantic style of his final decades. It is in eight movements, and was obviously influenced to some extent by Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde. The symphony has an intimate character throughout. It comprises eight songs for baritone on Chinese texts, connected by solo intermezzi, played on the erhu (also known as the Chinese violin) - a fantastic idea even though it will limit public performances. The version shown above is by the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot under Wojciech Rajski, with baritone Stephan Genz and erhu player Joanna Kravchenko on an Accord CD.

 

Copyright statement: posting lower quality album covers is deemed fair use.

 

Battersea

 

The Battersea Power Station in London is an icon of Art Deco architecture. I first encountered it on the album cover of Pink Floyd's Animals, and about a decade ago I first saw it with my own eyes. This poster is by the famous Charles Avalon.

Copyright statement: low resolution images of vintage posters deemed fair use.

Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror by Harold Budd and Brian Eno

 

Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror is a cooperation between composer/pianist Harold Budd and English musician Brian Eno, numbered as the second installment of Eno's Ambient series. The album consists of Budd playing improvisational piano in soundscapes produced by Eno. The result is a beautiful album, hovering between ambient, new age, and contemporary classical music, but above all offering a fascinating evocative soundscape. 

 

Copyright statement: posting lower quality album covers is deemed fair use.

 

A Good Woman

 

The 2004 Mike Barker movie A Good Woman came with a number of different official posters. I like this retro art deco one, very fitting for a movie set in 1930.

 

Copyright statement: posting lower quality movie posters is deemed fair use.