The collapse of the European Union

The European Parliament just endorsed the article 11 (or the "Link Tax"). "Union" is just a word that, in the present situation, is no more than a joke: UE is divised as it was never before. As the US is no longer the "security umbrella" of Europe, we start to realise the the enemy is now inside doors. Never mind whats the "eurocrates" do vote - even if they may be  sometimes allright: the European Union is fatted to collapse and the European Parliament to disappear. We saw the powerful lobbies pushing many european regulations; we saw huge fines for ones (Google) and blind eyes for others (Facebook's unremovable "apps" inside the system of the devices); we realised that, even with the elected European Parliament and despite all the rhetorics,  the "real" citizens were the very last concern for the "eurocrates". "Eurocrates" that still bullying the british, because they voted to abandon the wreck called European Union (where the real "union" literally lacks). Today you voted against the link. Even if there are three links (*) in this article, it is my own writing, basically to tell you that your vote was completely wrong and may prevert the internet, and, if it happens, perhaps the European Union  will disappear for good of our internet. (anyway, some day it will collapse for any or many different reasons, not least because European Union is allowing Spain to continue holding Catalonia's political prisoners. In the other side, UK, that is now leaving this "club" of totalitarians and corrupts, did allow Scotland's referendum - what a difference of civilizations!)

(* actually four more one)

Naipaul died (but the immortals do not die)

Immortals do not die. So the greatest of the XX century "neo-realist" novelists did *. When I read "The Bend in the River" I start to wonder that that would happen with me. Waiting in some crazy country's border until the official gave me, after many hours, an affordable price to allowd me to cross the border with my very old veichle. Automatically I felt a deep connection with VS Naipaul and I did read everything I got from him. If the moving "A House for Mr Biswas" is, perhaps, the most "famous" of his creations, everything comming from his pen is a great "image", sucesion of images, or whatever, of the "human been", grasping the "essence" of it, in a interesting, acute and funny way. I have two great-great masters among the great masters of the literature: one is VS Naipaul, the other one is Marguerite Yourcenar (and, again, less because of her most famous work, "Memoires of Hadrian", than of the total of his creations). Styles completely differents coming from genius completely differents **. Immortals never die. Rest in Pace Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul because you will keep alive forever.

* after all he was an human been with (human) socio-cultural contextualized mistakes... like his misogyny, which, pretty obviously, is comming from his "native" culture, that he despised to much...

** Naipaul had an approach based in what he saw. Yourcenar's approach was completely detached from her own experiences, founded in hers great erudition, namely in ancient and medieval history. Most of the Nobel prizes just can dream on writing as Naipaul did. The great Marguerite Yourcenar never got the Nobel. And... what that matters?

Rehearsal at ESMAE with Álvaro Salazar

Today I went to a rehearsal at ESMAE (Superior Scholl of Music and Performing Arts - Porto) where two creations of two of my ex-professors, Jorge Peixinho (unfortunately death after longtime) and Álvaro Salazar (pictured), were played.

Peixinho's Fantasia-Impromptu is plenty of his personal poetics and unique genius that inspired all generations of portuguese "avant-gardistes". Portugal stills not capable of honouring him as a great musicien and great creator he was. Portugal always favoured bastards and corrupts, so there's little surprise when Peixinho died by an heart stroke almost in oblivion, "buried" in a minor town (his own town).

Álvaro Salazar's Noturno em Lizara (2009) is a short slice of quit abstract music where the composer combines great inspiration with a kind of contemplating pace. Amazingly this old man, who can actually hardly get a sight of myself (him lost about 75% of his vision), know very well how his music should sound and lead the musiciens to some sort of very interesting achievement.

Later on, at concert, we were given versions of two XX century's major classics: Luciano Berio's Sequenze VIIB and Pierre Boulez's Dialogue de l'ombre double, the former for sax solo, and the later for saxo and tape. Gilberto Bernardes was the inspired sax player.

Note: I never wrote Álvaro Salazar's name on my curriculum because (unfortunately) I went to very few of his (great) classes...