Eastern Block Rock
Well, not exactly rock. But it rhymes nicely, doesn't it? I was recently in Lithuania, where I visited the M.K. ?iurlionis museum in Kaunas. I have learned throughout my life (via the blank stares that I get) that it's safe to assume that most people have never heard of Lithuania/any person or thing emanating whenceforth. So, let me share with you an synopsis of what I learned about ?iurlionis:
?iurlionis, who was born in 1875, was primarily a composer, and secondarily a painter. He felt that he
was a synesthete: that is, like Kandisnky (who came after him) he perceived colors and music simultaneously. Many of his paintings bear the names of musical pieces: sonatas, fugues, and preludes. His paintings are at once vibrant, dim, surreal, and ethereal; his piano compositions emotional (listen to a snippet of "The Sea").
To my amazement, Amazon.com actually carries some ?iurlionis recordings, on MP3 no less, which serves as further evidence that we really do carry the Earth's widest selection.
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