CCC 047 Larysa Kuzmenko

When it comes to classical music, it's very easy to have tunnel vision. The Consonant Classical Challenge addresses part of it by focusing on living composers. But even looking at current composers, it's easy to think only in terms of Europe and the United States. Canada, like most countries, has a rich classical music tradition  -- just one that her neighbor to the south seldom hears about.

Canadian composer and pianist Larysa Kuzmenko is widely respected in her country. Her solo piano works are often programmed in recitals. Although she hasn't written a symphony, she does have a number of outstanding works for orchestra that deserve a wider audience.

Behold the Night, based on passages from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, is a good example. Kuzmenko's music is tonal in nature, although it often ranges far beyond simple major or minor key relationships. Listen for the effective use of modal harmonic progression in this work.


Kuzmenko is a pianist, so its not surprising that her piano concerto would have a solo part that was technically challenging. But she's also a talented composer, so the fireworks serve a purpose -- and that purpose is coherent musical expression.


The Prayer for Strings is a shorter work that really shows off Kuzmenko's melodic gifts. It's a heartfelt work that would be an excellent addition to any orchestral program, I think.



Larysa Kuzmenko's music should appeal to both adventurous and more traditionalist listeners. Her works might be framed in the common language of classical music, but there's a fresh perspective that draws the listening in. It's unfortunate that there's not more of her music available. Everything I've heard by her has been of the same quality as the examples in this post.

I'd really like to hear her Concerto for Accordion...

Recommended Recording  
3 Concerti

Collecting - and Collecting Information 6

Judging by the photo, these two Cragstan/Nomura trains
are virtually identical. In reality, though, there are
some important distinctions.

Although some things can be researched online, there's nothing like hands-on examination for learning. In this series, Collecting - and Collecting Information, I've been chronicling my adventures in accumulating knowledge about a topic that there seems to be little information about -- Japanese toy cars and trains. I'm doing the research for a talk my dad volunteered me to give, and it's a topic I know little about. But I'm learning more, teasing out information a little at a time.

In 2010, I posted The Straco Express and the Mystery Train(s). I didn't know much about the Japanese tinplate train I had as child, and was hoping someone online would. They didn't. But since that time, I've learned that the train I had was imported by Cragstan, and manufactured for them by Nomura, probably around 1961. (click on images to enlarge)

And recently I learned something else -- this particular model was made earlier, and underwent some design changes along the way. I found a similar set online and purchased it. The cars had different graphics, and I was thinking of making a longer train.

Placed together, it's easier to pick out the newer boxcar. Note the
difference in the style of the graphics.

When they arrived, I was surprised to discover that they had a different coupler arrangement. Instead of the simple eye and hook of my set, this one had a complex open box and ratchet setup. It's a little difficult to tell from the photographs, but these cars were older than the ones I already owned. In addition to the difference in patina, the lithography also has more of a 1950's rather than 1960's graphic design to them (actually, I think they more closely resemble 1940's commercial art).

A simple hook (left) vs. a complicated ratchet-and-box
coupler (right). No wonder Nomura made the change!

In all other ways the cars are identical, so this was probably a running change. And it makes sense. The newer couplers are simpler, so they're easier to make and they require less material. A definite cost savings.

So now I know a little more about this Santa Fe set. And the information wasn't readily apparent from the photos of the train. Only after I had the train in hand and could do some side-by-side comparisons was I able to see a little of Nomura's history.

The Straco Layout, Part 28 - Relaying the Rails

Trouble ahead! Those screws holding down the
tracks cause more than one derailment.

Read all the installments of the Straco Express layout project here.

With the increase of vehicles on the layout, I've been referring to it as the "Straco layout/display." One of its functions is to serve as a static display for the Japanese cars I've collected. But the other is to be an operating toy train layout, with trains moving along the track.

It's important to remember that these Japanese rains were designed to be inexpensive toys -- not realistic (and reliably operating) scale models. The track is substantially taller than standard HO gauge track, and the wheel flanges are significantly bigger as well. As you can see from the two images at right, there was a lot of variation between manufacturers. Both cars fit on the track, but the wheels on both have enough room to let the trucks slide back and forth as they travel along the rails.

Wheel detail from a Straco Express car. Note how
much distance there is between the left flange and rail.

And that was the problem. Initially, I knew I had to be careful where to put the screws, and came up with a simple pattern that held the rails together and kept them securely on the board (Part 7, Laying Down the Rails). Unfortunately, while I thought I had allowed enough clearance for the wheels, I actually hadn't. If you look carefully at video showing all three trains, you'll see the cars -- and engines -- bouncing along as they occasionally hit a screw head.

Wheel detail from a Cragstan car. Both the right and left
flanges have gaps between them and the rails.

With featherweight cars and locomotive pickups that only marginally conduct electricity, that was a big problem. After only a few circuits, either the cars would jump the track, or the engine would stop because it lost contact with the rails (and didn't have enough momentum to carry it past the screw).

So I've relaid all the track, taking the screws out from between the rails. In the process, I've also doubled the number of screws used, since I had to secure both sides of the track (the screws on the center ties are offset to prevent slippage).

Before: Those screw heads just got in the way.

There was a big improvement in performance. Electric contacts work better, and cars stay on the track for more circuits. And with these toys, that's significant. Maybe it's time to make another video to demonstrate.

After: Nothing to interfere with the wheels as they
wobble back and forth.

Dick Tracy and the Inside Joke

Mike Curtis and Joe Staton seem to be having a lot of fun revitalizing Dick Tracy. Not only are they bringing back some old characters and doing new things with them, but they frequently work in subtle references for the alert reader (as I've noted before).

This sequence, for example, features a character from the 1950's, Themesong. She's had a varied career in music, and is now a pop sensation with her hit "Do the Tracy." (click to enlarge)

So where does Themesong get all those distinctive yellow hats for her dancers? "Someplace in Naperville" she says. Naperville, Illinois is the location of  a bronze statue of Dick Tracy, and the home of artist Dick Locher. Locher started work on Dick Tracy in the 1950's as Chester Gould's assistant, and eventually took over the drawing of the strip after Gould's retirement. Staton and Curtis came on board when Locher retired in 2011.

Themesong's aside causes knowing grins among Dick Tracy's fans. And definitely adds to this reader's enjoyment of the strip.

(Not sure about Moon Maid coming back, though. That's a pretty gutsy move.)

Running the Road to Recovery - 10

Running the Road to Recovery is about coming back from an illness. In June, 2012 I was in training for a 4-mile race, and was able to run 3-4 miles at a decent (OK, mediocre) rate of speed. A kidney infection that triggered a secondary infection to my knees derailed my training. But only temporarily.

Well, I finally made it to the 4-mile mark this week, with pretty good results (for me). So it's time to bring this series to an end. I'll keep training, of course, and I'll be sure to post any race results (not matter how personally embarrassing). But I've achieved my goal, which is to complete the distance without pain -- which is where I was back in June.  I may still do a Monday post -- if I have to say something every week, then it's good motivation to keep pushing -- but it will be more a check in, rather than a part of this narrative.

It's good to be back in the race.

Date	Time	Distance	Run/Walk	Rate
10/01/12	59:42	6.03k	all run	6.04k/h
9/24/12	57:39	5.63k	all run	5.82k/h
9/17/12	52:25	5.23k	all run	5.92k/h
9/10/12	37:14	4.82k	all run	7.82k/h
9/02/12	32:21	3.21k	all run	5.9k/h
8/27/12	33:14	3.21k	all run	5.8k/h
8/20/12	38:22	2.36k	3 min./30 sec.	3.60k/h
8/13/12	32:37	1.95k	1.5 min./30 sec.	3.60k/h
8/5/12	29:49	1.76k	1 min./30 sec.	2.88k/h
7/30/12	13:30	.80k	1 min./30 sec.	2.88k/h