Kill Da Wabbit, Indeed

I'm in the process of editing a speech Hans Rudolf Vaget gave at The Commonwealth Club about the controversies surrounding German composer Richard Wagner. Women, money, anti-semitism, Hitler. Fascinating article. The speech will appear in a special digital edition of the Club's magazine, The Commonwealth, this fall.

And yes, I kept thinking, "Kill da Wabbit!" One of the best cartoons ever.

Watch it on YouTube. Better yet, buy the video.

San Francisco Guzheng Music Society Annual Concet May 1

Take San Francisco-based guzheng master Weishan Liu, add Shanghai's young virtuoso Liu Le (in photo, above), put them together with some of the Bay Area's most talented guzheng players, and you get a wonderful concert that music lovers shouldn't miss. As an added incentive, Liu Le will be playing the U.S. premieres of no less than four different pieces.

As you can see on the postcard reproduced above, the event is Sunday, May 1, from 3 to 5 pm at the Chinese Culture Center in downtown San Francisco.

For more details, see the San Francisco Guzheng Music Society's web site.

Gundam 00 Season 2 Theme Played on the Piano

This is a very well-done piano version of the pop theme song from the opening credits of the second season of Gundam 00.

Hat's off (and, apparently, pants off) to the talented piano player.

So Why Are the Homeless Musicians in the Subway Stations Playing Christmas Songs This Early?

This is the second time in three days I've heard a Christmas tune as I exited the BART station. Are they waaaaay too early for Christmas? Or are they waaaaaay too late for Christmas 2009?

Sing-Along Sound of Music

Last night, I went with some friends to see the "Sing-Along Sound of Music" at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco.
It's an Austrian-esque Rocky Horror Picture Show experience, with audience members dressed up as various characters from the 1965 Robert Wise film, starring the great Julie Andrews. There was even a bag of goodies for each attendee, including an invitation to the baroness' ball that audience members waved at the appropriate time and a popper toy that was to be set off during the first kiss between the captain and Maria.
The show was raucous fun, though a bit headache-inducing (the sound had to be very loud, or the movie would have been inaudible over the audience shouts). But what I enjoyed most of all -- was the film. I've seen the film numerous times before, of course, but I was able to appreciate it as a very well-constructed story with some great characters, incredible scenery, and some very deft writing touches.
The Castro announced that in 2009, they'll be launching some new sing-along movie experiences, including (the clear audience favorite) Mamma Mia.
(Photo above shows the organist playing Sound of Music tunes before the start of the show, a welcome reminder of my days at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago.)