J. Martin

April 18, 2021

Where the Spring Curfews Bloom

The weather has improved around where I live, which is good. Otherwise, the staggering amount of political callousness, neglect, greed, and incompetence from those who’re in charge of handling the pandemic in Germany is something to behold—a toxic jumbo cocktail whose hangover will haunt everyone for a decade. Which is also already putting the country’s federal organization into the spotlight, as it’s becoming increasingly doubtful whose interests that actually serves.

But anyways. Last week, I published a blog post at between drafts on the question of “How Many Papyrus Scrolls Have You Written Today?”—a brief reflection on the curious habit of writing “pages” in an age where that stopped making sense a long time ago.

Then, I collected a substantial number of images from my home base Düsseldorf on Flickr, and I completed my first Singapore album with ten images from Jewel Changi Airport, whose Rain Vortex and artificial rain forest environment is truly spectacular.

Then, two pieces of music I’d like you to savor.

The first is in the future, as a Loom livestream coming Tuesday, APR 20, 7pm CEST. It’s a chamber rendition of Joseph Joachim’s Hungarian Concerto Op.11 with Katharina Uhde (violin) and Nicole Lee (piano). I’ve always been a fan of Joachim’s. He was part of the Brahms/Schumann/Wieck/Hanslick circle, has much more performed than written, and some of his pieces were rediscovered only recently. Check it out! (And yes, I know the date and time is smack-bang on the upcoming Apple event, so you have to sort out your priorities. Sorry about that!)

The second piece of music I want you to taste and pass critical judgment on is from a whole other dimension: the “Paradise Beach” course soundtrack from the Nintendo Switch racing game Future Aero Racing S Ultra. I promise you an experience like no other. (Some breakdown here, but even more peculiarities are going on in that track.)

Enjoy!
J.