Last week we arrived in Paris with a free half-day to use the Metro before the big strike (still going on as of this writing) started. We descended the steps into the station by our hotel, Porte de Pantin in the 19th Arrondissement, to be immediately met by this imposing poster for our gigs...these were all over Metro stations in town. From left to right: Todd Reynolds, Cheryl Bensman-Rowe, Steve Reich and Beryl Korot in the poster, Bob Becker, Marion Beckenstein, Edmund Niemann.

Earlier in the tour we were in Normandy for a few days. On the way from Caen to Le Havre we detoured to the stunning village of Etretat on the coast, where the air was nippy and the wind and waves, powerful. We had a late lunch there to celebrate percussionist (and Woodstock Chimes' founder and CEO) Garry Kvistad's birthday, at a restaurant that had this for a view:


At that same location:



From left to right: Jeffrey Johnson, Steve Reich, Al Hunt, Scott Rawls, Jonathan Goodman, Bob Becker, Joanne Tod.

The past week I have been in France with the Steve Reich ensemble doing performances of the video opera he and Beryl Korot created in the early 90's, "The Cave." We had shows in Caen and Le Havre; the latter was particularly interesting as we played a venue called Le Volcan, which was designed by famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer (who pretty much designed the city of Brasilia). We all guessed late 1950's or 60's based on the look and the wear-and-tear we saw (lot of water leak issues)...amazed to learn it was built just after 1980. I notice it is not mentioned prominently in discussions of Niemeyer's most important work.

Tonight we are at the Cite de la Musique in Paris...this is the 50th performance of The Cave since its premiere in Vienna in 1993. Virtually all the same singers and musicians since the beginning.

Tomorrow night (Monday Nov. 12) Columbia's new-music series Southern Exposure turns to some giants of late-20th-century Russian music: Alfred Schnittke (his absolutely shattering Piano Quintet) and Sofia Gubaidulina. More info in my capsule preview (scroll to bottom of linked page) in this week's Free Times.

Also, for more on Schnittke, here is an item about a much-later work of his, the 9th Symphony, about to receive its long-delayed American premiere in New York.

Today through Sunday is WUSC's annual Fall Fundraiser. Patrick Wall writes all about it in this week's Free Times. Checking the station's website today revealed that one cannot donate online, unfortunately; but you can donate by calling one of the on air DJ's at 803-576-WUSC (9872).

A great radio station can do an awful lot to make a place livable, and Columbia without WUSC is too depressing to even think about. Outside of NPR news and my ESPN Radio sports fix, WUSC is my favorite station to listen to, and it is definitely my favorite music-oriented radio station in the area. Classical radio, I'm sorry to say, has mostly become very conservative, providing a kind of repertoire that can be kept on low volume in the background of the office or home. Most classical radio stations are not about bringing you surprises or expanding your mind with unfamiliar sounds or works. They've become a kind of high-brow Muzak.

Some of the most intriguing music I've heard anywhere in recent years has been while driving around listening to WUSC, from Flying to Animal Collective and many others along the way. I'm learning a lot from this radio station. How often can one say that about radio?

On the road this weekend in Michigan beginning rehearsals for a project with violinist Aaron Berofsky to perform the complete Beethoven violin sonatas in several cities, plus recording them...so I'm taking the lazy blogging road this weekend...i.e., steering you elsewhere for a good weekend read...

Two Georgia-related items caught my eye this week. The New York Times has a good piece on a remarkable folk artist, Howard Finster, and his house in Pennville, in the northwest part of the state. [may require free registration to read]. Then, go to Henry Fogel's blog on American orchestras, "On the Record," for a closer look at the Atlanta Symphony's extensive educational and outreach programs.