Youth (Spring)

 

The representation of private interests ... abolishes all natural and spiritual distinctions by enthroning in their stead the immoral, irrational and soulless abstraction of a particular material object and a particular consciousness which is slavishly subordinated to this object."

Marx, On the Thefts of Wood, in Rheinische Zeitung (1842)

This movie is not an easy watch but a necessary one if you wish to understand the perils of unbalanced economic growth.  

Youth (Spring) is a 220-minute mammoth documentary filmed between 2014 and 2019. Separate substories show various workshops in Zhili City, China, the center of the textile industry. You see immigrant youth coming from nearby rural areas searching for jobs in these workshops under poor and unhygienic conditions. The dorms where these laborers work are dingy, rather dark, and depressingly dilapidated. The location is ironically named Happiness Street.

In the first story, we see a couple of lovers (19-20 years of age) having fun and joking about the speed of sewing the clothes and showboating their skill sets in an innocent childish way. Immediately after the intro, you're thrown into the real business which takes place downstairs (some similar structure in all the workshops: the boss's office is downstairs). The mother of the girl is negotiating time off for the abortion of her unwanted grandchild (the child of the jubilant girl upstairs). The boss's objection is business-oriented. Money-oriented. Religious values, Pro-life, and other philosophical/ideological concerns are distant and irrelevant in this material-oriented discourse. This is the heart of the textile industry in the aphotic heart of the Marxist world. They want the order to be prepared ASAP and they cannot offer the luxury of a day off.

The other story depicts a verbal argument between two young men (around 18 years old), The angry boy tries to attack with a scissor only to be stopped by the interference of ladies particularly a mother figure in the workshop, cutting his hand during the process.   

In one story, we have a protest from a group of workers as they express their discontent over their salary to the "bosses" downstairs. Here a couple in their 50s are in charge. The gentleman undermines the protestors and threatens the workers to be fired and replaced easily. Considering the mechanical nature of the job, one can hardly argue on that point. This is another sequence that implies how much violence is hidden behind the rudimentaries of Happiness Street!

Even rare off hours in the movie do not change the gloomy mood. In one of the scenes, we see young siblings in a dark internet cafe discussing and you see the exhausted girl fall asleep in the cafe.

Each story segues into another without a link except for identical environments across workshops. There is no sustained narrative as the director probably intended to provide collages of various substories. 

Youth is about a world reduced to paper bills, soulless transactions, and undignified souls walking their way through trash-strewn alleys (as a side note, you see abundant use of plastic in the environment!).  This is a real picture of an industry with a revenue of 330 billion dollars per year. However, in Happiness Street, the youth are slavishly subordinated to objects and to nondescript bosses who ruthlessly upbraid them. Marx did predict this but not for a Communist-ruled terrain! 

Youth (Spring) is directed by Wang Bing.

Pedram, 4/22/24

“But never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. Ask the infantry and ask the dead.” — Ernest Hemingway

Sonett in der Emigration

Verjagt aus meinem Land muß ich nun sehn
Wie ich zu einem neuen Laden komme, einer Schenke
Wo ich verkaufen kann das, was ich denke
Die alten Wege muss ich wieder gehen.

Die glattgeschliffenen durch den Tritt der Hoffnungslosen!
Schon gehend, weiss ich jetzt noch nicht: zu wem?
Wohin ich komme, hör ich: Spell your name!
Ach, dieser „name“ gehörte zu den großen!

Ich muss noch froh sein, wenn sie ihn nicht kennen
Wie einer, hinter dem ein Steckbrief läuft
Sie würden kaum auf meine Dienste brennen.

Ich hatte zu tun mit solchen schon wie ihnen
Wohl möglich, daß sich der Verdacht da häuft
Ich mocht auch sie nicht allzu gut bedienen.

Bertolt Brecht, 1941-1947

English translation:

Sonnet in Emigration

I envision myself, driven out of my country

Now I must see 

How I can open a new shop

Where I can sell what I think

I have to go the old ways again

Those downtrodden by the tread of the hopeless!

Already on my way, yet I don't know: to whom?

Everywhere I go I hear: Spell your name!

Oh, this “name” was one of the great ones!

I still have to be happy if they don't know him

Like someone with a wanted poster behind him

They would hardly be eager for my services.

I've had to deal with people like you

It's quite possible that suspicion will increase

I didn't like serving them too well either.

I didn't like serving them too well either.

Philharmonia Fantastique

 

Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra 

Music composed by Mason Bates

Performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Conducted by Jacob Joyce

Hainz Hall

3/5/2024

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5

 

The theme of my symphony is the making of a man. I saw Man with all his experiences in the center of the composition, which is lyrical in form from beginning to end. The finale is the optimistic solution of the tragically tense moments of the first movement. 

 Shostakovich on Symphony No. 5

Background:

Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 is a masterpiece. The symphony was premiered in 1937. This period was the peak of soviet censorship instigated by the USSR regime.
 Pravda condemned his opera "Lady Macbeth of the Mitsenk District" as unpatriotic and dissonant and heaped ferocious attacks on the composer, simply calling it "Muddle, not Music!" on the front page review. Overnight he was marginalized by authorities who were in charge of aesthetic idealism. The fifth symphony was conceived under these insecure circumstances. Fifth is the result of fear and trembling for his very survival and avoiding the doomed fate of exile to concentration camps. The pressure combined with Shostakovich's character led to a cryptic score which on one hand should show his ideological rehabilitation in the eyes of party-approved ultranationalist style. On the other hand, he needed to satisfy his own artistic. Therefore, he opted for a Beethoven model for this symphony: Starting boldly as a sonata.

First movement: Moderato

The first movement starts with a sonata in the vein of Beethoven's tradition but this time in a hesitant and uncertain mood. By the third bar, the music undergoes a stylistically radical shift: an abrupt break-off and a downward wiggle toward a dead-end with a triple note repetition. This sequence of apprehensive start, retraction, and dead-end is repeated throughout the symphony.
The next theme is an E♭ minor folk-driven with a slight variation implemented. This simple change is the masterstroke of thematic change via slight subtle twists. This sort of subtle manipulation is characteristic of Shostakovoch's works. 
The middle section of the first movement shows a drastic change in instrumentation, with piano and bases lurching in with the dead-end theme then winds, brass, and percussion. This generates a militaristic vibe similar to parts of Overture 1812 by Tchaikovsky. Then you hear the pile-up of various tunes as they eventually fade into the strong dominant dead-end tune played by brass and percussion. Then hushly all the tunes return and the opening tune repeats with trumpet and tympani, as a premonition of what is to come in the next movements. 

Second movement: Allegretto

This epitomizes the composer's wry sense of humor pointing at his critics. It is a scherzo with a goofy vibe, a spoof on waltzes. The movement is also a hommage to Gustav Mahler (one of Shostakcich's favorites) with solos played by the first violin and flute or clarinet generating the dance imagery accompanying it.

Third movement: Largo

To the dislike of the purge-era Soviet regime, this melancholic movement struck a chord with a casual listener, conjuring the sensations of despair and longing. The third movement is a mourning for those who died, Stalin's victims. References to the Russian Orthodox liturgy are also noticeable. Here the strings are played in a way that resembles a choir. Shostakovich did this by dividing the strings into different sections. Then we have the oboe accompanied faintly by strings which is probably the saddest tune in the whole symphony. Then double basses lurch in, accompanied by strings leading to the dead-end notes again. The movement closes on a high note, with a ghostly vibe played by harp, piano, and strings. 

Fourth movement: Allegro non troppo

Starts with many march-like themes, slowly gaining pace as the movement progresses. This parade-like vibe broadly resembles Mahler's tradition (again!) in composing finales. As one expects, the symphony needed an upbeat and cheerful ending. At first glance, this seems to be a forced prosaic ending for an otherwise masterfully written symphony. But the master is at work again conjuring up layers of subtle textures. A slow march pays homage to the opera Boris Gudonov where masses praise the tsar. However, this one is bleak and a slow march. In the more upbeat part, Shostakovich deliberately altered a note again and completely changed the mood of the music. This time an alteration from B natural to B ♭ does the magic! It may look bizarre in the context of happy-ending tunes, but this is deliberately executed by the composer. The whole new minor tone foreshadows the preceding upbeat part of the movement. 

My take:

Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony is a prime example of artistic resilliance and defiance in the face of calamity and censorship. Where individuality had to be sacrificed in the name of patriotic nationalist aesthetic. Shostakovich to me epitomizes working under impossible conditions and having the cutting-edge prowess to please both sides: he includes the cosmetics to satisfy the harsh criteria of an oppressive regime, Meanwhile, he manages to insert the subtle elements to keep the music authentic. The fifth symphony fakes glory and buys him some time to breathe with standard glorious movements placed in it. But the music hints at a tragic underlying story with multiple tunes and tricks inserted masterfully in it.

Socially conscious artists reflect on society and its afflictions. They give tongue to those who were silent or were made silent. They picture an era for those who could not witness or closed their eyes on it. Similarly, Shostakovich's music mirrors his era; living under constant threats and brave masks that people were forced to wear. We are lucky that a genius lived and dared to work under immense pressure and duress. He worked and left a body of work which are quite diverse and influenced by various inspirations. From his chamber music, trios, and string quartets to symphonies to his experiments with jazz music following his trip to the US, this massive body of work shares one characteristic of social awareness. Symphony number five is an emotionally charged and complex masterpiece with hidden layers of meaning.

Not for Profit

 

"Not for Profit, Why Democracy Needs the Humanities" is a short book by Martha Nussbaum. This is a critical view of the education system from elementary and secondary levels through high academic ranks. The worrisome pattern with emphasis on profit-generating has come at the cost of humanities and liberal arts. The signs are the decline of critical thinking toward authorities, compromised problem-solving skills over complex global matters, and a lack of sympathy for underprivileged and marginalized subpopulations. 

Democracy needs competent democratic citizens and to reach this goal a balanced and comprehensive education is key. A balanced pedagogical method should include humanities in the curriculum to broaden the students' viewpoints and help them cultivate empathy. This will serve as a preemptive measure to solve the pathologic social insouciance. The recent waves of execrating diversity and various tribalist sycophants spreading hatred as the new real political wisdom, maybe a reflection of this oversight in the upbringing of the children. Whether these are wangs of a temporary philosophical spasm or a profound drawback in the evolution of education, is yet to be seen. Nevertheless, they require immediate attention.

The book explains the history of the endeavors to include humanities in the framework by philosophers and educational reformers from Johann Pestalozzi (1746-1827) to John Dewey (1859-1952).

Pestolazzi believed in the incorporation of arts and actual emotional responses in tandem with a child's gradual emotional development. Highly influenced by Rousseau's Emile, he mainly focused on participatory creative activities. 

Dewey's works in particular underline the importance of transferring living-oriented knowledge to students. He believed education is a regulatory process to oversee social norms and consciousness. Dewey believed in the involvement of the students to go deep and the proper educational method should provide information aligned with their prior life experiences.

In "Not for Profit", Nussbaum raises concern regarding the profit-oriented incentive in public and private schools. The resurgence of technology and the prediction of marketable occupations penetrated the social psyche and now parents are mostly supportive of this direction to secure their children's future. With a new economic and technological milieu looming at large, the need to renege on fundamental principles of comprehensive education is felt, more desperately than ever.

Doux Commerce (Gentle Commerce)

The idea of gentle commerce as a platform which puts a premium on empathy is explained in Steven Pinker's "the Better Angels of our Nature". Herein I refer to a paragraph cited in the book explaining the phenomenon and its impacts on social/political construct.   

Commerce attaches [people] to one another through mutual utility...

Through commerce, man learns to deliberate, to be honest, to acquire manners, to be prudent and reserved in both talk and action. Sensing the necessity to be wise and honest in order to succeed, he flees vice, or at least his demeanor exhibits decency and seriousness so as not to arouse any adverse judgement on the part of present and future acquaintances.

Samuel Ricard (1704)

Ottone in Villa

 

Watched this opera on February 3rd at the CMU.

 We are dead men on furlough.

on the Ropes

I am the fright of millions,  

the delight of a few.

I am the dearth, ploughing the earth,

A fragile frame, amassing thrones!

Flouted on earth, bedeviled by the sky.

I am the joyous stream, 

evaporated!

I am the hope,

on the ropes!

Pedram, 2/4/24

Alexi Kenney at CMU, 1/29/2024

Franz Schubert, Violin Sonata No 2 in A Minor, D. 385

Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Trio No 2 in E minor, Op. 67 

Featured musicians:

Alexi Kenney, violin

Dimitri Papadimitriou,  piano

Anne Martindale Williams, cello

Carnegie Mellon Contemporary Ensemble 1/27/24

 The ensemble was led by Daniel Nesta Curtis. Mr Curtis is a CMU faculty and is a resident conductor and artistic director of the CMU Contemporary Ensemble. 

The program included the following four pieces:

Biyan by Raven Chacon

Toque by Tania Leon

Backlight by Meredith Monk

Try by Andrew Norman

Hobbesian Trap

Thomas Hobbes underlines three axes that define human quarrels:

1. Competition which spearheads toward gain
2. Diffidence which targets safety
3. and Glory with the objective of reputation 

In his seminal work, Leviathan (1651), Hobbes points out these mechanisms in a succinct language:

So that in the nature of man, we find principal causes of quarrel. First, competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory. The first market men invade for gain; the second, for safety; and the third, for reputation. The first use violence, to make themselves masters of other men's persons, wives, children, and cattle; the second, to defend them; the third, for trifles, as a word, a smile, a different opinion, and any other sign of undervalue, wither direct in their persons or by reflection in their kindred, their friends, their nation, their profession, or their name. 

The diffidence which can be better translated to fear is the root cause of what is known as the Hobbesian trap or security dilemma in political terminology and in the arena of international relations. 

City of Asylum Jazz Series: Paul Thompson Honors Wayne Shorter

Thursday night's event was a tribute to jazz legend Wayne Shorter, by Pittsburgh Jazz bassist and educator, Paul Thompson.

The performance was focused on acoustic works of Wayne Shorter's discography. Pieces such as Children of the Night, Virgo, Yes or No, Witchhunt, Both Sides Now, and Joy Ryder were played. Beautiful music and masterfully organized, as always!

Featured Musicians:

Paul Thompson: bass

Scott Boni: sax

Joe Sheehan: piano

George Heid III: drums

1/25/2024

Nazism: an Antirational and Anti-Enlightenment Stance

 It is impossible to understand so destructive a policy without recognizing that Nazi ideology was, for the most part, not only irrational-but antirational. It cherished the pagan, pre-Christian past of the German nation, adapted romantic ideas of a return to nature and a more "organic" existence, and nurtured an apocalyptic expectation of an end of days, whence the eternal struggle between the races would be resolved... The contempt for rationalism and its association with the despised Enlightenment stood at the core of Nazi thought; the movement's ideologues emphasized the contradiction between weltanschauung ("worldview"), the natural and direct experience of the world, and -welt-an-denken ("thinking about the world"), the "destructive" intellectual activity that breaks reality down through conceptualization, calculation, and theorization. Against the "degenerate" liberal bourgeois' worship of reason, the Nazis championed the idea of a vital, spontaneous life, unhindered and undimmed by compromises of dilemmas. 

Rationality and Holocaust, Yaki Menschenfreund, 2010 

 

January 6th, 2024