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Friday Fun Thread for June 30, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Is there a music sharing thread? Probably not, and I get it, people have varying musical tastes. Anyway I am throwing this out there:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5x-u7iw7W1Y

The faux-ballet is called "Ma Mere L'Oye" and was composed by Ravel, and this is called Le Jardin Feerique which translates, alas, as "The Fairy Garden." A more fey title does not exist. Yet I love this part, and this iteration, in particular, though you can find others on Youtube. Enjoy. Or don't, of course.

Speaking of harps, here's my favourite piece.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hV2-zFh3tAU

Lavinia is an incredibly talented harpist, and she arranged Glass' Metamorphosis 2 for the harp to show it off. Too often technically challenging pieces are boring to listen to and to watch. Liszt was great at writing technically challenging pieces that are delightful for the audience: it's pure pleasure to listen to Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 when it's performed by a talented pianist and it's a joy to watch them play it. The same applies to Metamorphosis 2 for the harp. I guess it depends on how much you like American minimalism, but I do like it a lot, so I am in awe of Lavinia's flawless handovers of the rhythm line. It's one thing to be the first... woodist? when performing Reich, doing what she's doing on a harp is a whole another level.