Member: Steven_VI

Hoffmann was a GENIUS!!! It's a crying shame there is no good biography of his life in English. He was a professional jurist, composer, musicologist, engraver and writer. He makes the rest of us look like newts!

I'm so glad you liked it!

You've got a super library, BTW. How are you getting on with Berlioz?
Best wishes
Murr

posted by tomcatMurr at 9:46 am (EST) on Apr 25, 2011

oh how exciting! I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think of it. we did a group read of it in le salon last year, and it was very popular. I think it's a masterpiece!
Best wishes,
Murr

posted by tomcatMurr at 10:23 pm (EST) on Dec 29, 2010

Hello Steven,
dank je voor de informatie over jullie catalogus. Ik heb het al bekeken en het werkt heel goed. Het was grappig om te zien dat er is een boek van mijn uitgeverij in de catalogus als Van Dieren [Paris]. Wat is de url van Agrippa?

Ik heb ook heel lang geleden Les Soirées de l'orchestre gelezen, met veel plezier. Ken jij de schriften van Jacques Barzun over Berlioz? Ik vind dat zijn boek "Berlioz and the Romantic Century" is een meesterwerk over de thema.

Ik leef tussen Santiago de Chile en Parijs (ja, ik weet dat het niet helemaal logisch klinkt…) Ik zal je in ieder geval aviseren als ik naar België kom, misschien kunnen wij een biertje drinken en kan jij mij een bezoek van de bibliotheek organiseren?.

beste groeten,
Patrick

posted by PatrickSantiago at 1:59 pm (EST) on Sep 22, 2010

Hello Steven,
ik zie dat wij zijn twee (alleen maar twee) die een exemplaar van De Omwenteling van België van Conscience gecatalogeerd hebben… and dat jij werkt in de bibliotheek van A'pen…
Mag ik je vragen al jij op een makkelijke manierkan een bibliografie in de bibliotheek kan samenvatten van boeken door van Dieren in A'pen uitgegeven? Ik zou het heel erg hoogwarderen.
Met vriendelijke groeten,
Patrick

posted by PatrickSantiago at 12:45 pm (EST) on Sep 21, 2010

Hello Steven_VI. I noticed that you have quite a few titles either by Hector Berlioz or about him by other authors. Quite some time ago, I became aware of the existence of his memoires. At that time, this work was not available to me, so instead I read a different book, Les Soirées de l'Orchestre.
Before any of the above, I had enjoyed listening to quite a few of his works, such as

Operas
* Les Troyens (1856-8; final three acts performed 1863)
* Béatrice et Bénédict (1860-1862; 1862)

Symphonies
* Symphonie fantastique (1830; 1830)
* Harold en Italie (1834; 1834)
* Roméo et Juliette (1839; 1839)
* Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale (1840; 1840)

Overtures
* Waverley
* Le roi Lear
* Rob Roy
* Le carnaval romain
* Le corsaire

Liturgical music
* Grande messe des morts (Requiem) (1837)
* Te Deum (1849)

Unstaged dramatic works
* La damnation de Faust (1846)
* L'enfance du Christ (1854)

Songs
* Les nuits d'été:
1. Villanelle
2. Le spectre de la rose
3. Sur les lagunes
4. L'absence
5. Au cimitière
6. L'île inconnue

(I copied and pasted the list from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_and_literary_works_by_Hector_B...
and cut out any works that I have not yet listened to.)

When I started listening to a lot of these works 20 or 30 years ago, it seemed like Colin Davis was one of the pioneers in recording Berlioz, but I am sure there must have been others too.
I also have the first volume of the biography by Cairns but have not completed reading it.
I know I should also look it up by seeing if you have any reviews of the books in your classical music collection, but what are some of your favourite works by Berlioz?
When I read that Berlioz was a pioneer of over-the-top romantic-style orchestrations 30 or 50 years before Wagner and 70 or 90 years before Mahler and Stravinsky, it did not really sink in, because I had already become so accustomed to hearing wind and brass sections that had more than just the average middle-of-the-road range instruments you would meet in Beethoven, Schubert, or Mozart. An expansion of range was obtained by adding members of the same family on either side of the median tesitura. So for example, besides the standard Bb clarinet, you could add all the higher, smaller clarinets, but also the bass clarinets. When this happens to every family of the winds and brass, it gets quite magical what things can be done. Every time I hear a bass trombone, or a contra-bassoon, I am blown away by the sonority.
I have heard Berlioz very rarely in actual performance, and even then, in some halls that were not the most favourable to these works.
It is quite a few years ago, but I had a great chance to hear one of the last ever concerts by the Toronto Symphony in the old Massey Hall, before they made their move to the Roy Thompson Hall. I heard the Symphony #1 by Brahms in C minor. When the basses did their unison notes with the timpani at the beginning, I felt the earth move, to use a hackneyed phrase. But it was really true.
If you care to share your opinions on any of these topics, I would be glad to hear it, but I understand of course the LibraryThing convention must be that this is optional, naturally.

posted by libraryhermit at 7:59 pm (EST) on Mar 29, 2010

Hello Steven_VI. I enjoyed reading your profile, as I have always fantasized about the idea of being a librarian, but ended up in a totally different career. So for now I will experience librarianship the way I experience almost everything else that I cannot do in real life: by reading about it.
Same with the Middle Ages as an area of interest; I just bought an armful of books from a local used book dealer. Until time travel becomes a reality--I do not think it ever will--I will just read all about it and let my imagination take me the rest of the way there.
In 1997, I visited Namur for a few days, and also was in Brussels for one day. I would love to go back some day and see more. I saw a very large asbestos-contaminated building that was completely covered in white fabric covering. At first I thought maybe it was an installation by Christo and Jean-Claude, but alas, it was an environmental containment of hazardous chemicals, and not an art work. Do you know if that building is still there?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christo_and_Jeanne-Claude

posted by libraryhermit at 9:12 pm (EST) on Mar 28, 2010

I saw your post describing how much you love War and Peace but are planning to read it every ten years. I have done the same with Anna Karenina. I believe it even better than W&P. If you have not yet read Anna, I highly recommend it.

posted by emaestra at 12:40 pm (EST) on Jun 22, 2009

Dank je om mijn collectie toe te voegen aan je interessante verzamelingen. Ik zie dat je werkt in de oude stadsbibliotheek. Ik heb tijdens mijn studententijd in aanloop naar de examens vaak zitten studeren in de leeszaal, op gepaste tijd onderbroken door een korte pauze en koffie op een terrasje op het Conscienceplein.

Oh, en Oorlog & Vrede rules! Blij dat je het daar mee eens bent.

Groet,

Bart

posted by BartGr. at 3:54 am (EST) on Apr 8, 2009

Beste Steven, mijn naam is Marius en we kennen elkaar van de opleiding informatie - en bibliotheekwetenschap - GAS en GGS. De laatste keer dat we elkaar zagen was tijden de eerste selectieronde voor, als ik me niet vergis, je huidige job. Je was en je bent de geknipte man voor zo'n job. De oude banden zijn in goede handen.

Ik ben mijn eigen bibliotheek nog aan het invoeren en heb nog een paar honderd boeken te gaan. De boekenberg blijft groeien maar het vinden van ruimte wordt steeds moeilijker. Aan een goed en mooi uitgegeven boek kan "men" niet weerstaan!

Groetjes.

ps mijn pseudoniem staat voor "ik hou van boeken" getranslitereerd uit het Arabisch

posted by uhibb-l-kutub at 6:19 pm (EST) on Mar 3, 2009

Hoi Steven,

Ik ben een nieuwe :) Maar let toch maar op, of ik steel je job.

Ik had wel geprobeerd om het origineel van De Feesten te bemachtigen maar dat Letterenhuis is beter beveiligd dan je zou denken. Nee, het wordt goed bewaard, en ik ben best blij met de mooi verzorgde facsimile.

Paul Auster is mijn favoriet. That man knows how to tell a story. Ik blijf altijd een beetje verweesd achter. Al moet ik bekennen dat 'Man in the dark' me tot nu toe een beetje teleurstelt. Maar de lat lag enorm hoog, en ik heb het ook nog niet uit, dus wie weet verrast hij toch nog.

Groetjes,
Sofie

posted by damngoodsoffie at 6:57 pm (EST) on Feb 22, 2009

Wow, your library must have some amazing stuff! I know that I could never work with really old material - anything pre-1930 tends to give me the jitters to handle. I suppose having done history in high school I have a real respect for materials.

I remember digitizing a fragile pamphlet last year written by Florey and containing studies of penicillin as used on soldiers. It about shot my nerves trying to capture it without A) Destroying it or B) Going insane from having to use the overhead scanner.

I think that's one reason why I enjoy writing prepublication records - I can't hurt any of the books :P

posted by winniek1 at 3:32 am (EST) on Jan 29, 2009

It's hard to answer that question specifically, because there is so much. Basically, everything you tagged with Medieval Literature, Folklore, Renaissance Literature, German Literature, 17th century, Classical music, 16th century, History of Science, French Literature, and I'm curious about the Poetry. I'd probably find things more intriguing if I understood Dutch, but the overall vein of what you read is outside my meagre reading experience, and I really love things to do with a long time ago.

posted by Petrouchka at 5:46 am (EST) on Dec 11, 2008

I enjoyed both [Timbuktu] and [A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian] very much. This year I discovered the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (and later, the amended list), and have been doing a little trawling through the authors and books. As an English Literature graduate with a minor in History, I have spent many years reading and loving it. I am sure we will find more books and authors in common.

posted by Prop2gether at 4:51 pm (EST) on Nov 11, 2008

I'm sorry not to have responded to your message sooner; I haven't been using LibraryThing much these days. You have quite a book history collection! Where's My Cow proves you have good taste in other reading matter as well. :)

posted by librarygeek at 12:08 pm (EST) on Sep 10, 2008

Apologies for not getting back to your kind note sooner, Steven_VI!

It's funny you should mention the Karnéus recording of Les nuits d'été as I first became aware of that just a couple of weeks before your note and promptly put it on my wishlist at RYM. I own some of Ms. Karnéus' other lied and art song recordings and really like them (particularly her R. Strauss/Mahler/J. Marx CD with Roger Vignoles on piano), so I'm very curious to hear her take on one of my favourite song cycles. Sadly I don't know any music industry bigwigs, so rather than pressing anyone to reissue this in a more widely available format, I'm just going to have to search out a used or remaindered copy like everyone else ;-)

My favourite recorded version of the Berlioz song cycle is probably Regine Crespin's. Her take on 'Le spectre de la rose' remains for me the apotheosis of that song: indescribably poignant and exquisitely beautiful-it makes me tear up every single time I hear it. I don't think Gautier's poetry was ever better served. Among older recordings, I like Eleanor Steber's too. Of newer ones, I find Véronique Gens' version quite compelling (although her La Mort de Cléopâtre makes the record-it's stunning!). Besides Karnéus' recording, which versions of Les nuits d'été do you like?

I have read Berlioz' memoirs and agree that they're fantastic! They're on my list of books I've read and hope eventually to have a copy of in my own personal library (I usually only catalogue books I actually own here). It's a long list though, so it may take a while before they show up!

Regards,
Marie-Thérèse

posted by marietherese at 11:03 pm (EST) on Aug 26, 2008

Op de foto in mijn profiel ben ik "Een afgehouwen hoofd" van Iris Murdoch aan het lezen. Geen heel bijzonder boek, maar ik koop veel bij de Kringloop en daar kwam ik deze dus ook tegen. Ook geen bewuste keuze om met dat boek op de foto te gaan, maar vond het toch wel een leuk plaatje voor mijn profiel.

posted by boekwurmpje at 9:00 am (EST) on Aug 24, 2008

Hello,

Thanks for adding me to your "Interesting Libraries" list. I'm always updating it so I hope it remains of interest. I have about 20 books I acquired at a library sale just the other day still waiting to be included, in point of fact, over a dozen of them being lovely old paperback volumes of Shakespeare. ^_^

Your collection is quite fascinating so I've added you in return. Working in a library is a long held dream of mine so I must admit I felt a slight twinge of envy while reading your profile. That must be wonderful; it certainly sounds as though you enjoy it!

Anywho, have a lovely day. Happy reading!

Alana

posted by Allama at 9:03 am (EST) on Jul 31, 2008

Hai Steven,

Ik heb zelf de film (Remains of the Day) nooit gezien, alleen het boek gelezen. Het lijkt me wel een beetje een nadeel, want de geleidelijke kennis die je opdoet ondanks de verzwijgingen vd ik-verteller is toch wel belangrijk. Misschien is het een goed idee om eerst An Artist Of The Floating World te lezen. Dat lijkt op Remains of the Day en is zo ongeveer even goed. Daarna kun je altijd nog remains of the Day doen; ik zou dat zeker ook lezen, het is echt erg mooi, met of zonder voorkennis. Het debuut A pale View of Hills vond ik ietsje minder.
Van de drie laatste boeken heb ik er nog geen een gelezen. Binnenkort ga ik Never Let Me Go proberen (als de boekhandel eindelijk de tradepaper weer binnenheeft, want dat is mijn favoriete formaat).

groetjes
Beyke

posted by pingdjip at 11:46 am (EST) on Jul 29, 2008

Hi Steven,

Brooklyn Follies al uit? Ik zag dat je niet al te lang geleden Oracle Night las. Ik vond het net als jij (te oordelen naar de sterren) erg mooi. De sfeer misschien vooral.
Ook beter dan The book of Illusions, dat ik soms, als er films geanalyseerd werden, een beetje saai vond.

Wat gemeen dat Auster bij jullie in Brussel vragen beantwoordde! Bij ons in Amsterdam las hij alleen maar voor, maar dan wel met een erg mooie stem.

groeten
Beyke

posted by pingdjip at 1:07 pm (EST) on Jul 21, 2008

Dank je voor het toevoegen als 'interesting library'. Op school vond ik geschiedenis nooit zo boeiend, maar ik begin steeds meer historische romans te lezen. Dus als je tips hebt houd ik me aanbevolen.

posted by boekenwijs at 6:48 am (EST) on Jul 15, 2008

Hallo Steven,

Bedankt voor je "interesting" toevoeging.
We hebben 3 favoriete auteurs gemeen zie ik. Niet alleen Tolstoj (staat in mijn lijstje) maar ook Auster en Couperus. Die laatste twee staan dan wel niet in mijn lijstje maar dat is arbitrair.

groeten,
Beyke

posted by pingdjip at 8:17 am (EST) on Jul 3, 2008

Haha, ja, LiberaryThing maakt je wel pijnlijk bewust van hoeveel mooie boeken je nog NIET gelezen hebt. Daarna komt het dilemma: snel lezen zodat je zoveel mogelijk boeken kan lezen, of juist lang genieten van een boek?
Verder; ik studeer inderdaad in Leiden. De master Boekwetenschap trekt me helemaal niet, mede doordat een van mijn studiegenoten veel problemen heeft met de betreffende docent. Bovendien studeer ik aan een universiteit om wetenschappelijke diepgang te krijgen; dat krijg ik, denk ik, niet bij die master. Zelf zit ik op dit moment te denken om de research master van literatuurwetenschap te gaan doen. Maar ik weet het nog niet goed; misschien wordt het toch wel een master oude geschiedenis.

posted by Leuntje at 9:05 am (EST) on Jun 10, 2008

Dank je. Dat gaat waarschijnlijk een stuk beter. :)
Over twee weken ben ik jarig, en heb boeken gevraagd. Dus dan zal mijn bieb hopelijk weer iets groeien. Nu nog de tijd vinden om alles te lezen...

posted by Leuntje at 1:10 pm (EST) on Jun 8, 2008

Hi, thank you for adding me on the 'interesting liberary'-list. I've added you on my list. :)
I am a student in history (ancient history), working on my ba-thesis. It's nice to read what I can become after I've graduated.

posted by Leuntje at 10:48 am (EST) on Jun 8, 2008

Oh, I didn't see your other comment. Which of my books are on your "wish list"? You have one that I didn't know about--Antwerpen en de Jezuieten. I'm thinking, how could I have missed this? Very cool.

posted by annamorphic at 11:52 pm (EST) on Apr 27, 2008

Of in elk geval de enigen die obsessief genoeg waren om het hier in te voeren. ;) Maar het moet gezegd, het was een van m'n vroege favorieten!

posted by thisfred at 3:45 pm (EST) on Apr 27, 2008

You were right!!
It's too much to read the two long novels simultaneously.
I'll rather read "Middlemarch" both in English and Norwegian and compare the two editions. And participate in the discussions at 'Group Reads - Literature' (A LibraryThing group). You aren't a member there, are you? Recommended!!

posted by kjellika at 11:52 am (EST) on Apr 25, 2008

I had to read both 'War and Peace' and 'Middlemarch' rather slowly in the beginning, but as I got to know more about the characters and their relationships I'm now able to read both novels at a higher pace. And fortunately the persons have got very different names (Russian and English), so I don't think it is confusing reading these two novels at the same time.

Thanks for telling me about Paul Auster's latest book. I'll examine if it has been translated into Norwegian (I guess it has. Paul Auster is a very popular author in Norway). Or perhaps I should read it in its original language?? But all the same I'll have to read it later on. I imagine it will take a month or two or three to get through the two looong novels I'm reading for the time being.

Kik.

posted by kjellika at 5:02 pm (EST) on Apr 21, 2008

I have read some of the novels by Paul Auster and I liked them very much. I own eight of his books (in Norwegian), but I can't remember if I've read all of them. For the time being I'm reading TWO looong books ('War and Peace' and 'Middlemarch'). I'll surely read Paul Auster later on.
Some years ago I read The Brothers Karamazov and it was a great experience.
Tristram Shandy is a very special novel, but I liked it. As you say: Funny!!
Buddenbrooks and Hundred years of solitude I haven't read yet, since I bought them (in a second-hand bookshop)just a few weeks ago. As you may guess there are some books on my bookshelves I haven't read yet. But I plan to do.

Werther was a little too sentimental and old-fashioned to me, but i understand that lovesick people react on it. Proust was too difficult to me as well. I've got a paperback edition (in Norwegian) in seven volumes, and I'm rather proud that I read the first volume (Swann's way) last year. I think these volumes will rest for a long time on my shelf.

By the way: Do you know if Paul Auster has published any new novel(s) recently? My latest book of this author is "The Book of Illusions" (2002).

posted by kjellika at 4:23 pm (EST) on Apr 20, 2008

Steven_VI

Thanks for adding me to your 'Interesting libraries'. Have you read (any of) the books (14) we share, and if you have: What do you think of them?

Kik. :-))

posted by kjellika at 4:31 am (EST) on Apr 20, 2008

Interessante bibliotheek waarin ik een aantal voorkeuren herken. Ik kom nog eens vaker bij U langs!
(Overigens ben ik jaloers op Uw baan)
Hartelijke groeten uit Parijs.

posted by JanWillemNoldus at 4:34 pm (EST) on Apr 8, 2008

Hi, thanks for the 'interesting' add; I've reciprocated - and while your book collection is interesting, your job sounds endlessly fascinating to a book buff :)
*gently envies you*

posted by eleanor_eader at 12:30 pm (EST) on Mar 30, 2008