Gasoline Alley and the Old Comic Strip Challenge 27

In a sequence that began on April 9, 2013, Gasoline Alley centenarian Walt Wallet receives an invitation to the Old Comics Home dinner. Walt has reminisced before about his fellow characters from discontinued comic strips. And since Gasoline Alley began in 1918, there are quite a few of his contemporaries who have been retired.

Days 27 has me completely stumped. This strip ran in June, 2013, and ever since I've been trying to identify the pig featured so prominently.
 

Just to remind you  of the parameters of this sequence, Jim Scancarelli's set the action in the Old Comic Strip Retirement Home. So the characters (with the exception of Gasoline Alley's Walt Wallet and Slim Skinner), are all from discontinued comic strips. 
 

So the character is definitely not Porky Pig. It's possible that it's an advertising figure, such as the Pepsi Cola cops, but I'm doubtful. Could it be one of the Three Little Pigs from Walt Kelly's comic? Perhaps, but I'm not entirely sure. So for now, I simply have to mark this character

1. Unknown


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Diabelli Project 018 - Odd-metered fugue for 2 voices

The Diabelli Project is about offering my weekly flash-composition sketches freely to all. Like Antonio Diabelli's theme these sketches aren't great music. But perhaps (as in Diabelli's case) there's a Beethoven out there who can do great things with them.

I admit it -- I love odd meters. This week's installment features one in 5/8. One thing about the way I write -- I'm very careful about the notation. Beams connect groups of notes for two reasons; readability and to show organization. As you can see, the overall pulse of this fugue is a group of three followed by a group of two. Were I to continue this, I might change that around, perhaps even playing 3+2 against 2+3 at some point. (click on image to enlarge)

But I'm not going to finish this (at least not for a while). And so you're invited to give this sketch your own spin. What do you think happens next? If you complete this fugue, please share your results!

Dick Tracy and the Unseen Cameo

Cameos by other comic strip characters in Dick Tracy is nothing new. Under the creative team of Mike Curtis and Joe Staton, Dick Tracy has taken on new life -- and not always taken itself too seriously. I've already noted the appearance of Boston Charlie from Terry and the Pirates, and Walt Wallet from Gasoline Alley (even a crossover with the Jumble team).

The sequence run the last week of October, 2013 was a little unusual for two reasons. The first being that the crossover character never appeared in panel (well, not completely). As you can see from the examples below, there's no doubt who the occupants of the neighboring cabin are. (click on images to enlarge).

We get a little foreshadowing with the name of the boat -- Swee'pea. And Olive's profile is unmistakable. I imagine copyright constraints prevented Popeye and the cast of Thimble Theater from appearing onstage. I applaud the creative way X and Staton worked around that obstacle to tell the story they wanted to tell. Well done!

I said there were two things unusual about the sequence. Here's the second. To my knowledge, this is the first time Dick Tracy has gone on vacation without running into a master criminal -- and that includes his honeymoon!

Thanks to Curtis and Staton for giving the world's most famous detective some time off.

Marcel Tyberg: Symphony No. 3 - A Voice Not Silenced

Marcel Tyberg
Symphony No. 3
Piano Trio in F major
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Michael Ludwig, violin; Roman Mckinulov, cello; Ya-Fe Chuang, piano
Naxos

Marcel Tyberg finished his third symphony in 1943, shortly before his arrest by the Nazis and death at Auswitz. Fortunately, he entrusted all of his scores to a friend and so they survived the war.

The symphony is a marvelous post-romantic work, and reminds me very much of Bruckner’s 4th Symphony without in any way sounding derivative. Tyberg’s melodies are full-bodied and bursting with energy. The Scherzo is a particular delight, and the adagio is absolutely gorgeous.

It’s a bittersweet listening experience. The symphony stands on its own merits, but it makes one wonder what Tyberg might have accomplished had he lived.

Coupled with the Symphony is the piano trio from 1936. Like the symphony, it’s a lush, romantic work with plenty of opportunities for all the players to shine. In a video promoting this release, JoAnn Falletta stated she’s fallen in love with Tyberg’s music. And her performance shows it.

Highly recommended.

John McDonald: Airy - music for violin and piano

John McDonald: Airy, Music for Violin and Piano
Joanna Kurkowicz, violin
John McDonald, piano
Bridge

Airy brings together  John McDonald's music for violin and piano, bringing together light-hearted miniatures with more serious long-form compositions. It's an appealing program that's full of variety. Mad Dance, Op. 66 and the Suite of Six Curt Pieces, Op. 326 are just plain fun, while the major work, the Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 219 is more complex composition with greater emotional depth.

In the program notes, McDonald says he considers many of these works to be songs without words -- and it's an apt description. Poem, Op. 12, for example, is based on the poetry of Samuel Beckett. The shape of the music is determined by the poem, although not a word is sung. That's also the case with Lily Events, Op. 97 (inspired by poetry collection),  and the Lines After Keats, Op. 336.

There's an audible chemistry between violinist Joanna Kurkowicz and the composer (who accompanies her). Airy is the title of the release, and airy it is.