(Steller)

Rumaan Alam’s Current Enthusiasms

(Journal)
Published – 18.06.2021
(Writing)

Pineapple upside down cake. Marlon Williams. Malachite. Store-bought marinara. Carmen Herrera.

Oatmeal for breakfast. Annie Ross, with a particular fondness for “You and Me Baby.” Egrets. Sharpened pencils. “Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!” Robert Colescott. Murder, She Wrote, though it’s very hard to find it these days, which is a terrible disappointment.

Erik Satie. The Purple Rose of Cairo. The soundtrack to Phantom Thread. Nixon in China (“I speak according to the book!”). Dr. Bronner’s almond soap. Earl Grey. Sol Lewitt.

Swan Lake. Mozart’s horn concerto #3. Emmylou Harris. Rachel Ingalls. Bookforum. Smitten Kitchen’s new cookbook. The New York Times Crossword Puzzle app. This method of cooking polenta by soaking the cornmeal overnight to eliminate lumps. Thomas Gainsborough. Barnett Newman. Alexander Calder. Keeping puff pastry in the freezer at all times. Thinking about Anita Brookner.

Looking at auction lots but never bidding on them. Rereading short stories I loved twenty years ago when I was an undergraduate (Lorrie Moore, Amy Hempel, those early George Saunders stories). Balthus. David Hockney, with the exception of those stupid iPhone paintings. Keith Haring. The original Law and Order when the cast was Lenny/Mike and McCoy/Kincaid.

Willa Cather. Mary McCarthy. Thomas Mann. I read Buddenbrooks while lying on a beach in Hawaii, and I like to imagine that I am the only person in that book’s long life to have ever read it while on vacation in Hawaii, but who knows. JG Ballard. Laurie Colwin. Thomas Hardy. I once read an entire William Gaddis novel, which I consider quite an achievement. I made it to the fourth volume of Proust before giving up for reasons I can’t now recall.

The Smiths. Talking Heads. Bill Callahan, who is also known as Smog, and Joni Mitchell, and Fiona Apple. Blossom Dearie, and not just because her name is Blossom Dearie, and Eydie Gorme, whose Spanish language recordings were a significant source of inspiration when I was writing my book, and Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto, even though I know it’s a bit dramatic. I love Monn’s cello concerto in G minor more than anything else Jacqueline du Pre recorded. I love how Morrissey used to keep flowers in his back pocket. I’m very charmed by this short video about a group of musicians performing John Adams in an old garage. It’s a beautiful piece of music, one of my favorite.

From rumaanalam.com

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The Long Climb to the Podium,
Limelight Magazine

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(Articles & Program Notes)

ECHO Rising Stars: Mathis Stier,
Barbican

Published – 04.04.2024

(Journal)

ECHO Rising Stars: Sonoro Quartet,
Barbican

Published – 12.02.2024

(Journal)

ECHO Rising Stars: Aris Quartett,
Barbican

Published – 21.01.2024

(Journal)

Rehearsal Magazine: The Archive,
Rehearsal Magazine

Published – 18.12.2023

(Articles & Program Notes)

On Mothers and Daughters,
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Published – 23.08.2023

(Journal)

Review: The Horror of the Avant-Garde(s),
Limelight Magazine

Published – 21.08.2023

(Journal)

Cristina Gomez Godoy,
Barbican

Published – 10.03.2023

(Journal)

Diana Tishchenko & José Gallardo,
Barbican

Published – 10.01.2023

(Articles & Program Notes)

Recent Reviews: August/September,
Limelight Magazine

Published – 07.09.2022

(Journal)

Of Frogs,
Kath Papas Productions

Published – 07.09.2022

(Journal)

Recent Reviews: June/July,
Limelight Magazine

Published – 15.07.2022

(Journal)

On Kunstkamer
Published – 16.06.2022

(Articles & Program Notes)

An Update
Published – 09.06.2022

(Journal)

Recent Reviews: April/May,
Limelight Magazine

Published – 23.05.2022

(Journal)

I Vespri Siciliani,
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Published – 19.05.2022

(Articles & Program Notes)

Verdi & Prokofiev,
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Published – 19.05.2022

(Articles & Program Notes)

A Collection
Published – 23.03.2022

(Journal)

Crying at Night
Published – 27.08.2021

(Journal)

Jam Tomorrow
Published – 18.07.2021

(Journal)

Rumaan Alam’s Current Enthusiasms
Published – 18.06.2021

(Journal)

A Musician’s Day
Published – 23.05.2021

(Journal)

Creating the Dream Team,
Musica Viva

Published – 20.05.2021

(Interviews)

There are Fairies,
Canberra Symphony Orchestra

Published – 26.04.2021

(Articles & Program Notes)

Konstantin Shamray,
Musica Viva

Published – 14.04.2021

(Interviews)

The Meaning of Alleluja,
Bach Akademie Australia

Published – 26.03.2021

(Articles & Program Notes)

Doing The Work
Published – 07.03.2021

(Journal)

Diana Doherty and Emma Jardine,
Musica Viva

Published – 20.02.2021

(Interviews)

Welcoming the New Year
Published – 07.01.2021

(Journal)

On hard times, for my friends.
Published – 10.08.2020

(Journal)

Luisa Miller,
Intermusica

Published – 22.07.2020

(Interviews)

Singing Violetta,
Intermusica

Published – 22.07.2020

(Interviews)

On Wondering
Published – 29.04.2020

(Journal)

A Couple Quick Things
Published – 05.04.2020

(Journal)

Staying Hopeful
Published – 24.03.2020

(Journal)

Hard Time Reminders
Published – 16.03.2020

(Journal)

Noted, Recently
Published – 05.03.2020

(Journal)

Through Winter, To Spring
Published – 04.03.2020

(Journal)

Poems for Summer
Published – 05.01.2020

(Journal)

Nevermind Review,
The Age

Published – 17.11.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Seraphim Trio Review,
The Age

Published – 17.11.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Stalin’s Piano Review,
The Age

Published – 17.11.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra Review,
The Age

Published – 17.11.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Horsely & Williams Duo Review,
The Age

Published – 17.11.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Lina Andonovska Review,
The Age

Published – 17.11.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Brian Cox & MSO,
The Age

Published – 17.11.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Arcadia Winds Review,
The Age

Published – 17.11.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Nevermind Pre-Concert Talk,
Musica Viva

Published – 22.10.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Nicole Car in Recital,
Melbourne Recital Centre

Published – 09.08.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto,
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Published – 03.07.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Verdi’s Requiem,
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Published – 19.05.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

Requiem Blog,
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Published – 20.03.2019

(Articles & Program Notes)

New Year, New Words
Published – 20.01.2019

(Journal)

How To Be Perfect
Published – 06.01.2019

(Journal)

The Year, Gone
Published – 30.12.2018

(Journal)

Relationship to Work
Published – 03.12.2018

(Journal)

French Classics,
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Published – 28.11.2018

(Articles & Program Notes)

Everything is Waiting
Published – 15.11.2018

(Journal)

In September, Things That Are New
Published – 29.09.2018

(Journal)

Make the Ordinary Come Alive
Published – 03.09.2018

(Journal)

New Music,
Darmstädter Ferienkurse

Published – 12.08.2018

(Articles & Program Notes)

Notes on Love
Published – 06.07.2018

(Journal)

Remember This Feeling
Published – 05.06.2018

(Journal)

Words in Mind
Published – 18.05.2018

(Journal)

Away From Home
Published – 16.05.2018

(Journal)

The Blank Page
Published – 14.05.2018

(Journal)

On Music and Friendship,
Orchestra Victoria

Published – 03.05.2018

(Articles & Program Notes)

Musical Directions
Published – 24.12.2017

(Journal)

Learning to Sing,
Rehearsal Magazine

Published – 17.12.2017

(Articles & Program Notes)

Behind-the-scenes of The Merry Widow,
Senza Sord

Published – 03.12.2017

(Interviews)

Musical Quirks,
Musica Viva

Published – 06.10.2017

(Articles & Program Notes)

Beauty and Tragedy,
Orchestra Victoria

Published – 24.07.2017

(Articles & Program Notes)

Eighth Blackbird,
The Music

Published – 23.02.2017

(Articles & Program Notes)

Schubert’s Swan Song
Published – 23.09.2016

(Articles & Program Notes)

Songmakers Australia,
Limelight Magazine

Published – 12.04.2016

(Interviews)

On Women in Music,
Ensemble Goldentree

Published – 05.03.2016

(Articles & Program Notes)

Grandma’s Hands,
Hundreds and Thousands

Published – 29.11.2014

(Articles & Program Notes)