yeah, i'm not feeling the rachmaninov. it's by no means terrible, it's just very samey. if you're doing scheduling at the dso, i don't know why you pick such a generic period piece. or, maybe you want to pick a generic period piece? the only other thing i can think of is that the musicians dig it because they can show off a little.

i asked the question: does it sound like the composer is separated from the piece? kind of, yeah. it's a problem. composers get it in their heads that they have to give the critics what they want; the thing is that it never actually works out, or at least not in the long run. composers! write on the instruments you know!

again: it's not awful. i'd enjoy it. but, this could have been written by anyone over a long period of time; at no point does it demonstrate the idiosyncrasies i'm looking for, or the outbursts of expressive playing that i'm looking for. and, don't tell me that you can't express yourself on a violin the way you can on a piano, either. that is absolute bollocks.

proof:

i'm going to double check the dance parties to make sure i'm not skipping anything. but, the last couple of nights have been dj busts. that chiptune night turned out to mostly be a hip-hop night, which was a huge disappointment, especially considering the cost of beer at the place. and, the jungle night on the 20th was actually more like 60% dubstep, much to the frustration of several people i spoke to.

so, i'm kind of coming to the realization that i'm fucked one way or another. i mean, i'm seeking out niche sounds on purpose, here. i have niche tastes, and am pretty critical of the existing trends. but, the bars seem to want to cater more to regulars that don't check event listings and aren't interested in anything except what's fashionable. so, it seems to matter less what promoters are marketing things as and more what the people on the ground want to curate. or, that's the inescapable conclusion, anyways: the promoters can market what they want, but the djs ultimately seem to get instructions when they get there, and it's those instructions that seem to be paramount. therefore, cevin key night is actually rave night. chiptune night is actually hip-hop night. jungle night is actually dubstep night. and, if 30% of the people you tricked with the poster get irritated, it doesn't matter because the regulars get what they always want.

i will say this, though: there were more people at the jungle night than i've seen in a while, and the place was full until late. it was clearly a better draw than usual. they might want to rethink that strategy.

in the mean time, i need to be skeptical about what i'm wasting money on.

and, i mean, it's not even that i'm that picky. i'm really not. but, dubstep and hip-hop are literally the worst possible styles of electronic music to dance to. they're slow moving, uneventful, repetitive. i mean, i'd have more fun at a bon jovi night, or something. honestly. at least you can dance to it...

i need to figure this out now, though, because the rest of the week sort of revolves around it.