Amadeus

Don Giovanni ("Commendatore" or "Pieta"), Prague
Originally uploaded by ubichan

commemorative sculpture of Don Giovanni , Prague, blogged from "ubichan's" flickr photostream


“Amadeus,” a best picture Oscar-winner from Milos Forman, is dramatic and beautiful, like the music that plays throughout. I’ve seen this film a number of times, but hadn’t seen it in probably ten years or so. I was hoping that it hadn’t aged poorly, and I was more than a little surprised at how much I still really enjoyed it.
The opening, jarring notes and the subsequent human wail set the memorable initial stage of the story of Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salieri, since he was a child, has prayed and bargained with God to make him a world-renowned composer whose music would last forever, promising to God “my chastity, my industry, my deepest humility,” and it seemed that God had bestowed this gift to him. Enter the “giggling, dirty-minded creature (Mozart),” who makes music fit for angels. Salieri recognizes Mozart’s genius, but is confused as to why God has infused this great talent into such a vulgar and pompous man-child. Salieri, initially grateful and indebted to God, now feels God is punishing him, taunting him with someone who has far greater talent and much less humility. He is so taken with Mozart’s music – with the sublime – that he views Mozart as a voice of God, as God’s instrument. As such, it is God with whom Salieri is at war, and God against whom he must plot; this is Salieri’s conceit. Ironically, although Salieri plots against Mozart as though he were God incarnate, Mozart displays his own lack of faith, suggesting to Salieri that maybe eternal fire does exist, but the clear implication is that he thinks it – and by extension, God - does not.
The film also shows the stark duality of Mozart’s persona, the competing impulses he has: the fun-loving, money-draining, pompous center-of-attention, and the serious, intense, perfect (!) musician/composer. This is fleshed out with appearances by Mozart’s stern, overbearing father, Leopold, who casts a long shadow over his son, and Mozart’s practical, grounded wife.
In the end, through certain excesses of vice and of overwork, and maybe helped along by Salieri, Mozart proceeds to an ignominious death and burial, his body dumped into an unmarked pit; such a departure from the majestic, sublime, timeless - even angelic - music that he created.
The music in the film is incredible, of course, provided by one of the world’s greatest, most well-known composers. The use of the music, though, is quite striking. (It reminds me of medieval madrigals: matching the words of text, or here, the film scenes, with musical settings that express their meanings.) The filmmaker uses the music to further the film, and Mozart obviously has such an extensive oeuvre that different pieces of his music are used for just about every scene, and they merge seamlessly with the director’s vision. For example, the attempted suicide scene in the beginning of the film: the bright red blood spreading across Salieri’s neck is so horrid and startling, and along with the music, so unexpected and powerful that I cannot imagine a more perfect match between music and scene.
The film also contains various styles of Mozart’s music. Opera, for one, with “The Magic Flute” (his self-described “vaudeville”) and “Don Giovanni.” ( I found it interesting how excited Mozart became after finishing one of his operas: “There are no recitatives!” he exclaims proudly about “La Nozze di Figaro.”) I also noticed plainchant, or plainchant influences, in the death mass he creates. Also, as he’s composing this mass, he explains to Salieri (who is taking dictation) what he wants and how he wants it. As he is giving instructions, his music is playing, giving the viewer the opportunity to hear the music that he is describing. Similarly, early in the film, Salieri is attempting to explain to a priest the perfection of Mozart’s music, and, as he describes it, (one flute, high above the others, then the clarinets, and finally an oboe, etc) it plays for us, the viewers. I found it very fascinating to have a description of the music as that same music played.
Although based in fact, this film seems to have taken much artistic license in the specifics of the relationship between Mozart and Salieri. The basics seem to be historically accurate: the period in which they lived, Mozart’s employment by the archbishop and his subsequent move to Vienna, his early years touring with his father and playing at royal courts around Europe, Salieri’s employment under the archduke, etc. The main plot line, though, of Mozart and Salieri, is probably not accurate. From what I’ve read, they both seemed to have worked together and gotten along quite well. There were persistent rumors, after the death of Salieri (which occurred thirty two years after Mozart’s death), that Salieri, on his deathbed, had admitted to killing Mozart. There is no evidence for this, and the three people who were with him throughout his last days (doctor, nurse, and servant, I believe) all deny that he ever said anything like this. So, the director is historically accurate in presenting a film about the rumors concerning Salieri and Mozart, but most likely none of this happened.
Whether rumor or conjecture or fact or fiction, I really enjoyed this movie. I found it incredible on many levels, including the music, the plot, the acting (wow, F. Murray Abraham really projects a deep love of music, especially as an old man), the religious/anti-religious theme, etc. I could go on, but I’ll just say that this movie is a must see for not only fans of classical music, but fans of any music, and anyone who likes good – no, great! – films.

HelpScc.org

I'd like to enthusiastically introduce this website: http://www.helpscc.org/. Here is a brief description, as taken from their site:

"HelpSCC is Santa Clara County's newest, most comprehensive, and up-to-date online, searchable database of health and human service providers in Santa Clara County. On HelpSCC, which stands for Help Santa Clara County, users can search for information by performing a quick search using icons at the top of the home page, by entering keywords or phrases, by choosing a regional or city geographical area, or by category of service.
Search results are presented to the user alphabetically by organization name as an abbreviated list. From this list, users can read a short description about the service provider and click on the organization name to proceed to a fully detailed page of information about that provider. "Health and Human Services" is defined as widely as possible so that as much helpful information as possible is made available residents of Santa Clara County.
The HelpSCC Team is a group of community leaders representing nonprofit and government agencies, libraries, city governments, information/referral specialists, and online communication experts. "

They have information about providers that can help with:

Affordable Housing
Transitional Housing
Homeless Services
Food Stamps
Meals
Substance Abuse
Senior Transportation and Housing
Job Training
Child Care
Health Clinics

and much, much more.

I would encourage everyone to take a look; there might be something there that you or someone you know could use....

We're Open

Open Sign
Originally uploaded by tahitiantreat

Vote Here!

Vote Here!
Originally uploaded by tahitiantreat

HIllview's Polling Place

HIllview's Polling Place
Originally uploaded by tahitiantreat

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Shinkansen, a Japanese high speed bullet train

You keep hearing it: This is the most important election in years (ever? in our lifetimes?). The deadline to register to vote was this past Tuesday, October 21. Here at the library, we had a large number of people asking for voter registration forms, asking how to change party affiliations, and asking about polling places. For us, it is very satisfying to work in a place like Hillview Library that can assist people with these questions and help them participate in our democracy. It was great to see 18-year-olds registering to vote for the first time, and older people also taking an active interest in this election.

If you think that the presidential election is unimportant, or if you think that your vote will not make a difference in the federal process, that certainly is your prerogative. But, we'd also encourage you to vote because there are many state, county, and city initiatives that need to be decided. Exciting things, like high speed rail (similar to those found in France, Germany, and Japan) which promises to travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles in about 2 1/2 hours at speeds of up to 220 mph. Wow, that's fast!

Also, Hillview Library is a polling place this year(!), so if you live nearby, you may be coming in to our library to vote. Have you forgotten where you vote this year? Check here:

http://eservices.sccgov.org/pollingplace/prepare.do?action=begin

Just type in your street number, street name, and zip code, then press submit, and Voila!, your polling place appears. Pretty, pretty cool.

Are you unsure of whom to vote for, or what the initiatives mean? Go to The League of Women Voters website. The League provides nonpartisan political information in order to encourage and increase the active participation of citizens in government. Here you'll find plenty of information about candidates, propositions, and initiatives.

The Wire

Seagirt Marine Terminal, Baltimore

I’m almost done watching the fourth season of the very entertaining, very intense HBO show The Wireand I highly recommend it. It seems to give an authentic, in-depth look at many components of a large city. The police department is one of the aspects it covers, and it shows how politics can infiltrate and impact police work. But the show also gives equal time to the criminals, city politicians, and even union dockworkers (see above, a photo of the Seagirt Marine Terminal, where much of the second season was filmed). You'll start to become familiar with many of the characters from this huge cast: Stringer, Avon, McNulty, Bodie, Carcetti, Burrell, Bubbles, and on and on. A couple of us here at work have watched it from season one and we’ve all really liked it. Also, SURPRISE! We’ve just received (yeah!) season 5, the final season. Each season has been better than its predecessor, and the fourth season, for me, has been by far the best yet. I can’t wait to finish this!

But I’ll be sad when it’s over. :(

Now, I may not have convinced you, but check out these reviews:

In SF Chronicle

In NY Times

Of course, like many shows on HBO, The Wire is intended for mature audiences.

Find the first season here, at our libraries!

ABC for Adults graduation!

Left to right: Branch Manager Kim , student Leticia Sandoval & teacher Cris
Left to right: Kim, Irene Hernandez, Cris
Left to right: Kim, Jose Sandoval, Cris
Left to right: Kim, Carolina Sandoval, Cris
Left to right: Kim, Luis Sandoval, Cris

Hi everyone, while summer sizzled, so did our students for ABC English for Adults. They came diligently and no amount of heat wave stopped them from attending. The two month course, which started July 8th and ended August 30th, was off to a good start. Initially, there were a total of about 25 students for the morning and afternoon session. However, we think the heat wave got to most of them until only a core of five students remained. Hooray for the Sandoval siblings, Leticia 20, Jose 18, Carolina 15 and Luis 13 and Irene Hernandez. (see photos) They all received a certificate of completion, a bag of goodies and some cake and punch to celebrate their achievement.

These students are now attending level one of ESL class and are doing very well!

Family Learning Center subscribes to the idea of all work and no play …. So on every second Tuesday of the month we play BINGO for ESL students. This is no ordinary bingo game. The bingo cards are words instead of numbers. The students are asked to repeat the words called, and then cover that word until they have a horizontal, vertical or diagonal bingo. Winner receives a prize. This activity reinforces speaking, listening and reading skill areas. This is one game with a good purpose!

Stay tuned for more ….

In-Service Day - Yay!

As some of you may know, we were closed for the first half of Friday. We had an all-staff in-service. Yeah!

So, what is a library in-service? Well, three times a year the entire San Jose Public Library staff comes together around a certain theme, with speakers, panels, and, of course, coffee and tea. As always, my favorite part of the in-service is seeing coworkers from other libraries that I rarely get to see. Today’s theme was “The Future of Libraries” or something to that effect. Past topics have been things like “Library Safety,” “Serving Youth,” and “Customer Service.” Our keynote speaker today, someone from the California State Library, was kind of boring but showed us a number of examples of emerging technologies, e.g. ebook readers, social networking sites, and most cool, Hello Kitty robots.

We were challenged to come up with how we thought libraries of the future would be. What kind of services and help will we offer? What kinds of materials will we have? What will our buildings be like? What will our customers want in the future? What will our organizational values be? Will the internet continue to change libraries and users? How?

Free2

Free 2 tell scary stories. Free 2 go barefoot. Free 2 dye your hair. Free 2 play “Runescape.” Free 2 hit a home run. Free 2 dream. Free 2 wake from a dream. Or nightmare. Free 2 run a marathon. Free 2 ponder unusual ideas. Free 2 fly high. Free 2 differ. Free 2 travel in time. Free 2 agree 2 disagree. Free 2 watch “Darjeeling Limited.” Free 2 mistrust your horoscope. Free 2 celebrate differences. Free 2 eat Korean food (mmm… Jjigae…). Free 2 make a film, paint a picture, take a photograph.

Free 2 visit your local library.

Free2?

Have you visited us?

If you haven't come by yet, please do. If you remember only the old Hillview Library, this new one will blow you away. Aside from having more books, movies, and CDs, we have twice as many computers as we did before.

But even more interesting, I think, is our new building. There are a lot of pretty cool spaces inside, but most impressive are two things: the view from the windows of the east hills, and the art by Amy Trachtenberg.

Ms. Tracthenberg is an artist based in San Francisco that has done some impressive work here at Hillview. Check out these pictures on her website, and check out some of her other work, too.

Whew! What a year!!!!

So, we've now been open a little more than a year, and what a busy year it's been....