Tokyo and tech through the eyes of a split pea

John Williams

Finally got around to dusting my classical ears this weekend, enjoying a recital by John Williams. No, not the 5ths loving composer; the guitarist. Boy do I miss raw acoustic sound. I had a decent seat, but had to shell out ¥10,000 for it — not exactly your student-friendly price. It’s apparent the non-popular music-performance industry doesn’t really care too much about the younger demographic at the moment, although I must admit not seeing as many “white-caps” as I’d expected (the hair-dye industry must be doing very well). Williams opened with a Telemann piece and the Bach D-minor Chaconne among a few others, and closed with a string of Venezuelan pieces. All in all, a wonderful concert; SACDs are still no match.

If you like acoustic guitar of a more relaxing nature, I also recommend Al Petteway’s works. I’m still surprised he isn’t more well-known, but perhaps that’s to Al’s liking. I got a chance to meet him purely by coincidence at a D.C. music festival during my summer with The Fool. He was a nice guy with some serious technique.