So long and thanks for all the fish

It's telling I had not even realized that I had not posted a new entry since a week. A sign that it is time to pull the plug, and this time permanently.

Die Mensch-Maschine by Kraftwerk

 

 

The 1978 album Die Mensch-Maschine (English: The Man-Machine) is the seventh studio album by German electronic music band Kraftwerk. It was released one year after the album that is generally considered their best, but which I decided not to include in my list although I like it (Trans-Europe Express). I went for the German version of the 1978 album, which I slightly prefer over the English one. The theme of the album is future and urbanization, with the music moving more to dance rhythms. Their influence on the later synth pop bands of the eighties was tremendous. Although Die Roboter and Das Modell have rightly become famous in their English versions, my personal pick of the album would be Neonlicht.

 

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

 

The devil wears Prada

David Frankel's 2006 movie The devil wears Prada is very good, and the poster is even better. A stylish design, forsaking the stars' faces for an image that may well become an icon.

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

Gubaidulina's Jetzt immer Schnee and Perception

 

Sad news: yesterday we heard the news that Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina has passed away, aged 93. She had been my favourite living composer for decades, taking over from Tōru Takemitsu in 1996. In her memory I'm posting the very first CD that I bought of her works in 1995. Two outstanding works, Jetzt Immer Schnee (for Chamber Ensemble and Chamber Choir, on Verses by Gennadi Aigi) and Perception (for Soprano, Baritone and Strings, on Verses by Francisco Tanzer). They are performed by Stella Kleindienst, Siegfried Lorenz, the Netherlands Chamber Choir, and the Schönberg Ensemble under Reinbert de Leeuw. R.I.P. .

 

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

Flowers in a Windowsill by Jan Sluijters

 

We came across this painting many years ago (pre-Corona) at a visit to Den Bosch to see a special exhibition of works by Dutch painter Jan Sluijters (1881-1975) in the Brabants Museum. This still life from 1913 may well be the most beautiful painting of flowers I've ever seen.

 

Copyright statement: image in public domain.

Weimar chic

Some time ago I came across this beautiful fashion illustration at an Art Deco blog. There was no information provided, but I managed to find out that this illustration is for publications on Jews' fashion in the Germany of the twenties. It was created by Annie Offterdinger (1894 - ?), and although undated, it is quite in line style-wise with her dated works from around 1920.

Copyright statement: situation unclear. Likely in public domain, if not it is likely fair use.

Firth of Fifth by Genesis

 

About the band: Genesis are a British rock band formed in 1967, whose output in the period 1970-1976 (the Gabriel and/or Hackett years) is among the very best of prog rock. After the departure of first Gabriel, and then Hackett, the remaining three members (Collins, Rutherford, Banks) opted for a more commercial rock sound that was highly successful for about 12 years. The band released 15 studio albums. One of my favourite bands for their prog years, even though I also appreciate some songs that came later. 

 
About the song: Firth of Fifth is the best song on the brilliant 1973 album Selling England by the pound. It is cited by many as the best prog rock song of all time. This majestic song of the sea weaves a magic spell for almost ten minutes, alternating between Peter Gabriels magnificent vocals and Tony Banks' keyboard virtuosity, and with Steve Hackett pulling off an amazing guitar solo in the middle section. 

 

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

 

Bonniers (January 1929)

 

Bonniers Veckotidning (Bonniers Weekly) was (is?) a Swedish magazine, but unfortunately I cannot find much information about it on the internet. Great Art Deco covers though, like the one above, created by Georg Klinghammer.

 

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

Windmill in Ice

This freeze frame from 2009 is one of my most popular shots from the years I spent on Flickr, and a personal favourite as well. This is the windmill in Rijssen (the same spot where our wedding shoot was done in 2000), reflected in ice and flipped upside down. 

 

Copyright statement: image created by myself. Copyright Hennie Schaper.

 

Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt

Spiegel im Spiegel (lit. 'mirror(s) in the mirror') is a work for violin and piano from 1978 by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (1935). He composed it just before his departure from Estonia (then part of the Soviet Union) to Austria, and later Germany. This minimalist piece is short, and also somewhat controversial. I've seen classical music lovers deride it as a snooze fest, or 'boring as hell', while others (including me) fall for its hypnotic qualities. It has certainly reached a wide audience, having been used in dozens of movies and TV series. The version shown above is by Tasmin Little and Martin Roscoe on an EMI CD. 

 

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

 

New York Central System

The New York Central System, nowadays better known as New York Central Railroad, was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid Atlantic regions of the United States. This poster by Leslie Ragan is stunning in its blue design and industrial theme - it's probably from the thirties.

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

Fur and Gold by Bat for Lashes

 

 

Fur and Gold is the 2006 debut studio album by Folktronica singer Bat for Lashes (real name Natasha Khan), a Pakistani British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. It is a melodious, moving, and at times experimental Art Pop gem. There are obvious influences (Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Siouxie), but there is also some foreshadowing of later artists like Lana del Rey and Agnes Obel. There is not a weak song on the album, but even better than the other songs for me are Horse And I, Tahiti, Sad Eyes, Prescilla, Seal Jubilee, and I Saw A Light.

 

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

 

Not Quite Decent

  

Going back about a century, when this Irving Cummings movie hit the theaters, accompanied by a beautiful jazz age poster. The movie itself is largely forgotten nowadays (it has zero reviews on IMDB), but the poster still appears in Art Deco sites on the web.

 

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

Concertos by Gerald FInzi

The term "second best" often sounds a bit disrespectful. However, when I state that to my taste English composer Gerald Finzi (1901 - 1956) gave us the second best concertos for cello and for clarinet (behind Moeran and Mozart) it is very high praise indeed. Lyrita made the wise choice to combine them on one album, played by Yo-Yo Ma with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and by John Denman and the New Philharmonia Orchestra, both under Vernon Handley. A magnificent CD.

 

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

Lady in an Evening Gown by Charley Toorop

Last month we visited the Museum More in Gorssel, and this beauty was on display as part of their permanent collection. Dutch artist Jan Toorop (1859 - 1928) is relatively well known in the Netherlands, but fewer people have hard of his daughter Charley Toorop (1891 - 1955), who created this stunning portrait in 1923.

 

Copyright statement: image in public domain.

 

 

San Yan and the Black Tiger

 

This is a book cover from our own collection - we bought it at a second hand market a few years ago. I could not find any relevant information on either the book or the author, but I love the Art Deco style cover.

 

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