Monday, May 05, 2008

Sadness, Beauty, And Lightness Convergence: Weekend Of Gubaidulina, Maciejewski, And Hakim ... And A Future Of A Jack Reilly Spiritual Oratorio

After N. left for work each day, I listened on Saturday morning to Sofia Gubaidulina's 'Saint John Passion and Saint John Easter'; and on Sunday morning to Roman Maciejewski's 'Missa pro defunctis - Requiem'.

I then attended the beautiful late afternoon organ recital, at the National Cathedral, of Naji Hakim performing his own works, and those of Franck and Messiaen. I was surprised that there appeared to be only about 200 persons in the audience on the beautiful Spring afternoon.

Late yesterday, I received notice that American composer Jack Reilly has been invited to give the UK premiere of his oratorio "The Light of the Soul" -- to be performed at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales, April 20, 2009 during the college's 60th Anniversary Celebration.





















Erick van Egeraat builds National Library and National Bank of the Republic of Tatarstan - A New City Centre for Kazan, the third Capital of Russia

Erick van Egeraat has won the international competition for the National Library in the Republic of Tatarstan's capital, Kazan. The new National Library has a gross floor area of 81.000 m2 and is situated at the Tukay square on the South-Eastern edge of the city centre. Besides offering all traditional facilities of a state library, Erick van Egeraat wants to "invite citizens to explore and experience knowledge. The building provides a home to all modern ways of accessing information, but its flexible setup allows for future forms of working with knowledge, too." Erick van Egeraat designed the building as a covered extension of the city centre. A multi-functional, 18 metre-high atrium serves as a portal between the library and the city. "The building becomes part of the public domain, a portal between the city and the library, a place where the collective and cultural qualities of downtown spaces are combined." The entrance space can be meeting point, boulevard, gallery, living room, garden and educational facility at the same time. Embedded into a hill, the building continues the shape of the landscape and offers a park on top of the building. By linking the existing Hermitage Park, the new library park and the National Library to the adjacent Tukay square, Erick van Egeraat transforms the area into a vibrant hub of Kazan city life. Consequently, Erick van Egeraat proposes to extend the proposed site and allow for the development of the Headquarters of the National Bank, for high-quality offices, luxury apartments and retail. The project is a cornerstone in the urban redevelopment of Kazan and sets an example for other urban regeneration schemes throughout the Russian Federation."

Photos and text credit: (c) (EEA) Erick van Egeraat associated architects. 2007. All rights reserved. With thanks.

1 Comments:

Blogger Garth Trinkl said...

The proper photos and text credit, as corrected above, is:

(c) (EEA) Erick van Egeraat associated architects

Though I made the corrections fairly promptly, I was not prompt enough for one reblogging service.

I apologize for the initial error.

11:27 AM  

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