John Diamond-NighDec 5, 20203 min#UpstreamIn the almost liturgically serene film, #Upstream, a camera attached to a drone follows the River Dee in Scotland to its remote and snowy source. Voiced over the austere landscape, like a rippling plate of water, runs the evocative music by the German composer, #Hauschka, the stone-pure language of Robert #MacFarlane, and most haunting of all, a breeze of ghost voices and Gaelic whispers. In the course of the 30 minutes or so, not a single hint of civilization is seen. As vie
John Diamond-NighJul 11, 20202 minHappy Birthday––improvisedHappy birthday to a dear friend; happy birthday to anyone with a birthday this month. Please take a minute or two (after reading), and go to YouTube, paste in––#Orgelmarathon – Improvisation pour l’anniversaire: Happy Birthday - Olivier Latry––and listen to #Latry’s stirring improvisation on Happy Birthday. If you don’t want to listen to the whole thing, slide to the last few minutes (12:55) to hear the familiar tune. Robert #MacFarlane cites a term from companion naturalist,