Composers Datebook for December 4, 2009

Friday, December 4 Play today's show | How to listen Bruckner's New York debut On today's date in 1885, at an open public rehearsal at the Old Metropolitan Opera House, the New York Symphony gave the first performance in America of any symphony by the Austrian composer Anton Bruckner. It was a fresh-faced 23-year old conductor named Walter Damrosch who programmed the 61-year old Bruckner's Symphony No. 3 in d minor, a score dedicated to Richard Wagner and quoting themes from Wagner's operas. The New York Times critic, in fairness to this "new" music by a totally unfamiliar composer, attended both the December 4th rehearsal and the December 5th concert before venturing an official opinion: "As to form and workmanship," he wrote, "it is a highly commendable achievement. The composer's motives are distinct and fluent, the instrumentation is rich, though not cloying, and vivid without being clangorous. Unfortunately, there is not in the whole composition a measure in which a spark of inspiration, or a grain of inventiveness is discernible." Some of the other New York papers were more blunt: "A dreary waste of sound . . . formless, weird, flimsy, uncongenial and empty" wrote The Sun, and, according to The Post: "The first movement is marked 'misterioso,' but the only mystery about it is how it ever came to be written, printed and performed." In fairness to the music critics of 1885, it would take another hundred years or so before American audiences started to acquire a taste for Bruckner's particular blend of music and mystery.
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The Writer's Almanac for December 4, 2009

View this message on the Web Friday Dec. 4, 2009  LISTEN God Bless the Experimental Writers by Corey Mesler             for David Markson             "One beginning and one ending for a book was a             thing I did not agree with."                 Flann O'Brien from At Swim-Two-Birds God bless the experimental writers. The ones whose work is a little difficult, built of tinkertoys and dada, or portmanteau and Reich. God help them as they type away, knowing their readers are few, only those who love to toil over an intricate boil of language, who think books are secret codes. These writers will never see their names in Publisher's Weekly. They will never be on the talk shows. Yet, every day they disappear into their rooms atop their mother's houses, or their guest houses behind some lawyer's estate. Every day they tack improbable word onto im- probable word, out of love, children, out of a desire to emend the world. "God Bless the Experimental Writers" by Corey Mesler, from Some Identity Problems. © Foothills Publishing, 2008. Reprinted with permission. (buy now) It's the birthday of poet Rainer Maria Rilke, (books by this author) born in Prague in 1875. He was a delicate boy, born prematurely. The year before he was born, his mother had given birth to a girl who died after a week, and she wanted her son to fill that place. Rainer's given name was René, and his mother dressed him in dresses, braided his hair, and generally treated him like a girl. Later, he wrote, "I think my mother played with me as though I were a big doll." But his mother also encouraged him to read and write poetry, and made him copy out verses before he even knew how to read. At his father's request, he went to military school, then to the university. He fell in love with an older married woman, and she introduced him to many of the intellectual and literary stars of the day. He lived in an artists colony, and then went to Paris and worked for Auguste Rodin, and was inspired by the sculptor's commitment and discipline. Rilke managed to live all over Europe for free, thanks to his wealthy connections and patrons. For a while, he lived in a castle in Italy, the home of a princess, and it was there that he took a walk along the cliffs and suddenly heard the voice of an angel say: "Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angelic orders?" This became the first line of the first of his "Duino Elegies," his masterpiece. Another of his patrons, Werner Reinhart, let him live in his castle in Switzerland, and there Rilke composed his "Sonnets to Orpheus." He died from leukemia in 1926, at the age of 51. He wrote: Whoever you are, go out into the evening, leaving your room, of which you know each bit; your house is the last before the infinite, whoever you are. Then with your eyes that wearily scarce lift themselves from the worn-out door-stone slowly you raise a shadowy black tree and fix it on the sky: slender, alone. And you have made the world (and it shall grow and ripen as a word, unspoken, still). When you have grasped its meaning with your will, then tenderly your eyes will let it go. (translated by C.F. MacIntyre) It's the birthday of writer Samuel Butler, (books by this author) born near Bingham, England (1835). He didn't get along with his family, and as soon as he was old enough, he wanted to get as far away from them as possible. So he moved to New Zealand and worked as a sheep farmer. He moved back to England, but his experience in New Zealand was the inspiration for one of his most famous works, Erewhon, which was published anonymously in 1872. It was a utopian novel satirizing Victorian society. But his true attack on the Victorians was his novel The Way of All Flesh, which he based on his own painful childhood, and which he considered too critical to publish during his life. Samuel Butler died in 1902, and the novel was found and published in 1903. Samuel Butler wrote, "A friend who cannot at a pinch remember a thing or two that never happened is as bad as one who does not know how to forget." Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.® sponsor The Poetry Foundation National broadcasts of The Writer's Almanac are supported by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine for over 90 years. The Writer's Almanac is produced by Prairie Home Productions and presented by American Public Media. sponsor Contribute $75 or more today and we'll thank you with the official Writer's Almanac mug. Good Poems selected by Garrison Keillor Order your copy today. On the Radio Podcast Web Archive Title Author Date Read highlighted interviews of poets heard on the show. Visit the bookshelf now You received this free e-mail newsletter because you previously subscribed or because it was sent to you by a friend. This e-mail was sent to the following address: mybloghaytham@gmail.com Unsubscribe | Contact Us | Forward to a friend � 2009 American Public Media 480 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, MN USA 55101

Breaking News: Zoo to announce Tai Shan is leaving Washington for China

News Alert
11:24 PM EST Thursday, December 3, 2009

Zoo to announce Tai Shan is leaving Washington for China

We knew this sad day was coming. The National Zoo has scheduled a press briefing for Friday morning, where officials seem likely to announce that Washington's beloved teenaged Giant Panda is leaving his place of birth and being sent to China.

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Breaking News: Tai Shan to leave National Zoo, return to China

News Alert
11:24 PM EST Thursday, December 3, 2009

Tai Shan to leave National Zoo, return to China

We knew this sad day was coming. The National Zoo has scheduled a press briefing for Friday morning, where officials seem likely to announce that Washington's beloved teenaged Giant Panda is leaving his place of birth and being sent to China.

For more information, visit washingtonpost.com - http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/0H2RO6/4HK5K/W6VZ7V/BEJ3S1/KFU0A/28/t

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Today's Headlines: Afternoon Edition

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Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com 1) Cheerleaders get fired up about Salahi Before she made it into a White House state dinner without an official invitation, Michaele Salahi made it onto the Redskins alumni cheerleading squad -- without ever having been a Redskins cheerleader. 2) The company Tiger keeps If Tiger Woods had avoided the scandalous episode that now envelops him and has forced him to plead for privacy he would have become the great exception. While Tiger is the first professional athlete to be smoked out quite this way in the Internet age, where salacious gossip is more eagerly consu... 3) An energy answer in the shale below? The first time Chesapeake Energy tried to buy mineral rights from Diana Whitmore, a 74-year-old retired real estate broker in southern New York, it offered her $125 for every acre of land plus a 12 percent royalty on whatever natural gas it extracts. 4) In neighborhood beefs, they bring the muscle Nancy Schwartz Bloom's modest proposal was a hit when she posted it on her neighborhood e-mail group list in Glen Echo. The idea: Open a small, high-end market in the Sycamore Store, an unoccupied building at MacArthur Boulevard and Walhonding Road that had served for decades as the local grocery... 5) Washington Times cuts in staff, coverage cue new era The Washington Times, which gained a strong foothold in a politically obsessed city as a conservative alternative to much of the mainstream media, is about to become a drastically smaller newspaper. 6) Salahis won't talk, but lawmakers do The White House tried to put the whole Salahi incident to rest Wednesday night. 7) This will not end well A halfhearted embrace of a half-baked nonstrategy makes a loss in Afghanistan likely. 8) Comcast, NBC announce $30 billion merger Comcast and NBC Universal announced their much-anticipated $30 billion merger on Thursday morning, heralding a deal that would create a new entertainment powerhouse with a vast distribution network and a rich trove of television and movie programming. 9) Job creation made hard A bad situation made somewhat worse by Obama. 10) Justice Dept.'s second in command is stepping aside Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden, the Justice Department's second in command, will step aside Feb. 10 to return to private law practice in Washington. UNSUBSCRIBE | Additional Newsletter Services | Advertising | Subscribe to the Paper | Privacy Policy

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Politics: Afternoon Edition

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Most Viewed Articles in Politics 1) Justice Dept.'s second in command is stepping aside Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden, the Justice Department's second in command, will step aside Feb. 10 to return to private law practice in Washington. 2) Bureau of Engraving scratches gift cards The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has scrapped plans to distribute $75 gift cards to employees who agree to return their government-owned desktop printers in favor of network printers. The agency has also suspended its efforts to retrieve the printers. 3) As Obama opens jobs summit, he faces limited options for growth Creating jobs is a political and economic imperative for President Obama, who is holding a high-profile jobs summit Thursday that aides hope will demonstrate his concern for the plight of everyday Americans. 4) Lawmakers scrutinize new Afghan strategy Lawmakers from both parties searched for weaknesses Wednesday in President Obama's newly announced Afghan strategy, focusing on what many said was a contradiction between his promise to begin removing U.S. troops in 18 months and his caveat that departures will depend on "conditions on the ground." 5) Gay marriage bill suffers a decisive defeat in N.Y. State Senate NEW YORK -- Opponents of gay marriage celebrated a decisive vote in the New York State Senate, where a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage was defeated 38 to 24 on Wednesday. 6) Obama to let Pentagon deploy even more troops, but numbers remain murky President Obama has authorized Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to deploy several thousand additional troops, as needed, beyond the 30,000 that Obama on Tuesday said he would send to Afghanistan, according to a Pentagon official. 7) A growing gripe among Obama donors: not enough perks Some of President Obama's wealthiest supporters are becoming a bit whiny, and it has nothing to do with policy. 8) Democrats say they'll be on defensive in '10 Pointing to public frustration over the pace of the economic recovery, Democratic governors said Wednesday they will begin the 2010 election year on the defensive and pledged to wage aggressive campaigns against Republican policies they said would take the country backward. 9) Financial regulatory package heads to House A key congressional committee approved the final pieces of sweeping legislation Wednesday to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system, setting the stage for a vote in the House of Representatives next week on one of President Obama's top priorities. 10) Mammogram guidelines debated along party lines as panel members are grilled Republican lawmakers pressed their case Wednesday that new U.S. recommendations advising against routine mammograms for women in their 40s could be used to ration health care under reform legislation before Congress, a charge Democrats denied. UNSUBSCRIBE | Additional Newsletter Services | Advertising | Subscribe to the Paper | Privacy Policy

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Opinions: Afternoon Edition

Most Viewed Opinions Columns 1) This will not end well A halfhearted embrace of a half-baked nonstrategy makes a loss in Afghanistan likely. 2) Job creation made hard A bad situation made somewhat worse by Obama. 3) A Goldilocks strategy He bought himself time on Afghanistan, but there will be hell to pay if his policy fails. 4) Time for more stimulus State and local governments are draining federal dollars, deepening the U.S.'s decline. 5) Be fair to Bernanke At his confirmation hearing, Ben Bernanke should be thanked, not trashed. 6) What Mr. Obama changed NOW that President Obama has unveiled a strategy for Afghanistan whose bottom line -- 30,000 more troops -- looks a lot like the one Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal proposed three months ago, an obvious question arises: Did the president's prolonged deliberations produce any significant change in Gen.... 7) Extend the estate tax SOMETIMES, if you're a member of Congress, you just have to hold your nose and vote for it. Thursday, the House is having one of those moments. The subject is the estate tax. In one of those fiscal time bombs left from the Bush administration, the estate tax, having gradually dwindled, is set to ... 8) Obama's lonely decision Why did he turn against the foreign policy establishment on Afghanistan? 9) The card-swipe mayor AN ELECTED OFFICIAL who pilfers gift cards intended for needy children clearly puts her interests first. It should be no surprise, then, that Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon thinks she can stay in office after a jury found her guilty of misdemeanor theft. Her audacity only compounds her offense -- w... 10) Surge, then leave The right decision even if it will make everyone at least a little unhappy. http://newsnewsforex.blogspot.com/

Eminent Domain Backlash?

December 3, 2009

Eminent Domain Backlash? A New York Appelate court rules against the state's use of eminent domain to help Columbia University's expansion in Manhattan. Read full post »	Read full post Comment
What We Shouldn't Expect From The White House Jobs Summit Economist Russ Roberts says we shouldn't expect an iron clad solution to our current job creation problem to come from historical data. Read full post »	Read full post Comment
Jobs Summit: Public Benefit or Public Relations? The White House was downplaying the results of today's job summit before it even started. Read full post »	Read full post Comment
Letter: A New Holiday Tradition A listener shares his family's modern approach to gift-giving. Read full post »	Read full post Comment
Jobless Claims Fall To One-Year Low Initial jobless claims fell by 5,000 last week, the fewest since September 2008. Read full post »	Read full post Comment

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Going Out Guide: Holiday Planner + This Weekend's Top Events

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going out guide D.C.-area events, nightlife and dining Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009   Gaithersburg Winter Lights, Jim Smith - Cornerstone Images Holiday planner Mark your calendars: The Weekend section's guide has details on light displays, concerts, "Nutcracker" performances, seasonal festivals, Hanukkah celebrations and more. | Great gift ideas Best events Celebrate Repeal Day, see a classic film or check out a new band. Got Plans? On Thursday afternoon, the Gurus and their readers discussed the best places for getting in the holiday spirit. Read the Dec. 3 transcript. News & Reviews Restaurants Echoes of Italy By Tom Sietsema | Expect well-edited Italian dishes on the menu at Bibiana. Bars & Clubs The funky side of retro By Lavanya Ramanathan | More clubgoers reject auto-tuned rap for '60s soul and R&B. Museums Keeping 'Secrets' By Michael O'Sullivan | A new exhibit shines a light on art that is, by design, obscure. More From Going Out Guide Restaurants Events Theater Bars & Clubs Music Kid-Friendly Movies Museums Visitors Guide HAVE A SOULFUL CELEBRATION AT STRATHMORE! Heat up a winter night with soul superstars THE TEMPTATIONS AND THE FOUR TOPS, December 9 at 8pm! Hear favorite holiday tunes and classics like "My Girl," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," "Baby, I Need Your Loving" and more. Tickets at 301-581-5100 or Strathmore.org A CHRISTMAS CAROL The holiday tradition returns to Ford's Theatre with an all-new production! Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Featuring Washington favorite Edward Gero as Scrooge. Tickets on sale now! A Feel-Good Farce for the Holidays! THE SOLID GOLD CADILLAC by Howard Teichmann and George S. Kaufman directed by Paul Mullins starring Nancy Robinette. Opening December 2! Order today: 202.332.3300 or at www.studiotheatre.org Join Us on   Read the latest blog posts and get exclusive updates. Become a Fan.

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