triggering Action Potential

Mozart Piano Concertos

Mozart was a prolific composer for the time he lived. I can’t imagine if he lived to the age of 50, how many more opus would he have composed. Of the some 600 pieces of work, about 30 of them are piano concertos. I should say now that Mozart sometimes recycles themes in music and at time, would also use the same movement of one work in another.

These piano concertos sound easy to play, but they are not. I once read about how if Mozart lived in Chopin’s time, Mozart would write like Chopin. One simply can’t gloss over Mozart just because his composition might not seem as “embellished” or “extravagant.” His melody is just as impressive. The following excerpt is from Alfred Brendel’s recording of Mozart’s piano concertos. I think Brendel did a superb job in the recording, and here is what he had to say about it.

Alfred Brendel, translated by Eugene Hartzell

Let this be the first warning to the Mozart performer: piano-playing, be it ever so faultless, must not be considered sufficient. Mozart’s piano works should be for the player a receptacle full of latent musical possibilities which often go far beyond the purely pianistic. It is not the limitations of Mozart’s pianoforte (which I refuse to accept) that point the way, but rather Mozart’s dynamism, colorfulness and expressiveness in operatic singing, in the orchestra, in the ensembles of all kinds. For example, the first movement of Mozart’s Sonata in A minor, K.310 is to me a piece for symphony orchestra; the second movement resembles a vocal scene with a dramatic middle session, and the finale could be translated into a wind divertimento with no trouble at all.

In Mozart’s piano concertos, the sound of the piano is set off more sharply against that of the orchestra. Here the human voice and the orchestral solo instrument will be the main setters of standards for the pianist. From the Mozart singer he will learn not only to sing but also to “speak” clearly and with meaning, to characterize, to act and react; from the string player to think in terms of up-bow and down-bow; and from the flautist or oboist to shape fast passages in a variety of articulations, instead of delivering them up to an automatic non legato or, worse still, to an undeviating legato such as the old complete edition prescribed time and against without a shred of authenticity.

What is it that marks out Mozart’s music? An attempt to draw a dividing line between Haydn and Mozart could perhaps help to answer the question. Mozart sometimes comes astonishingly close to Haydn, and Haydn to Mozart, and they shared their musical accomplishments in brotherly fashion; but they were fundamentally different in nature. I see Haydn and Mozart the antithesis between instrumental and vocal, motif and melody, CPE and JC Bach, adagio and andante, caesuras (amusing and startling) and connections (seamless), daring and balance, the surprise of the unexpected and the surprise of the expected. From tranquility, Haydn plunges deep into agitation, while Mozart does the reverse, aiming at tranquility from nervousness.

Between Haydn, the explorer and adventurer, and Schubert, the sleepwalker, I see both Mozart and Beethoven as architects. But how differently they build! From the beginning of a piece, Beethoven places stone upon stone, constructing and justifying his edifice as it were in accordance with the laws of statics. Mozart, on the other hand, prefers to join together the most wonderful melodic ideas as prefabricated components; observe how in the first movement of K271 he varies the succession of his building-blocks, to the extent of shaking them up as though in a kaleidoscope. Whereas Beethoven draws one element from another, in what might be called a procedural manner, Mozart arranges one element after another as though it could not be otherwise.

Is Mozart’s music simple? For his contemporaries it was frequently too complicated. The idea of simplicity has become downright embarrassing in this century. There is a “kitsch” of plainness, especially noticeable in the literary glorification of the “simple life” and in the longing for the “popular vein.” What was all right for the Romantics is thought to be reasonable enough for their descendants. Simplicity is playing Mozart must not mean subjecting diversity to a leveling process or running away from problems. Simplicity is welcome as long as the point is to avoid superfluity. But to “concentrate only on what counts” in Mozart is questionable. Everything in his music counts, if we leave out a few weaker works or movements, of which there are some even among Mozart’s piano concertos, for example the early pieces preceding that wonder of the world, the “Jeunehomme” concerto K.271.

The identity of Mlle Jeunehomme seems to remain just as mysterious as the sudden supreme mastery that unfolds in the work composed for her. Here it is revealed for the first time that Mozart is both “as young as a youth” and “as wise as an old man” (Busoni). And from this point on, the Mozart player must shoulder a burden of perfection that goes beyond his powers.

The Problem with ‘Self’

Many Big Problems today can be viewed in terms of conflicting self-interests of two or more parties. Adam Smith wrote in his Wealth of Nations the concept of self-interest in capitalism. In general, everyone has an agenda of his own and that we tend to perform activities of those beneficial to our own interests. One can explain the war in Iraq as Saddam’s self-interest to stay in power and not let Coalition forces abdicate him. On the other hand, the US (or Bush) has a self-interest at stake, which I’m not sure of exactly what. Many other acts around the world can be related to selfish reasons. Some of you might argue that this is simply not true and there are altruistic acts. I don’t doubt that. However, altruistic acts are not the roots of problems. I can’t imagine a world with conflicting altruistic acts; if so, then it should categorized as conflicting self-interests. (if that makes any sense…)

Maybe it is a cynical way of examining the world around me, but I do believe that whether it’s a conscious act or an unconscious act, in some ways, it will benefit the person. Because if there is no return or benefit, then why even bother to do it in the first place, especially when you can spend that effort on something else that would definitely give something in return.

I just want to throw this idea out there and keep it at the back of the head as I discuss more Big Problems in the future.

The Academic cycle

Most academic institutions are founded on the philosophy of dissemination of knowledge. Researched information is passed on to other through media such as classroom teachings, publications, seminar speeches, and etc. They found say that it is a challenge to teach others what you know. You would think it is easy since you are the expert of the knowledge, yet often times, the delivery or teaching method is just as important. Many professors are the leading expert of their research field, but they cannot communicate their thoughts clearly to their students. I will have the pleasure of experiencing teaching this coming spring quarter.

I have registered to be a teaching assistant for an undergraduate course that I myself have taken. It is a course in biology, titled Cellular Neurobiology. The job description entails that I take lead charge in two discussions and labs, grade two homework assignments, and helping the students have a fun time in learning about cellular neurobiology. It is a great course, but it is also challenging since the course deals with a lot of biophysics. To say the least, I’m very much looking forward to be on the teaching end of the academic spectrum. Furthermore, I can relate to the students’ experience with mine three years ago. Because this is my first TAship, I have a lot to learn, such as a style of teaching that suites me and the students. I will have to review the topics in class and gain a better understanding of it so that I won’t confuse the students. I guess the only dread is that I know how U of C students are, in terms of asking questions. They are a group of smart students that have a tendency of wanting to know more than they have to. And those bio-major students, they really want that “A” so that the med-school chances look better. This year’s class size is expected to be about 50 (that many students signed up). Luckily, there will be two other TAs, for a total of three.

This can only be a positive experience for me because no matter what, I’ll learn many things and improve myself to become a better teacher myself.

Today's post is postponed until this coming Sunday.

Holy Moly Guacamole!!

I can’t recall why I have such a fascination with guacamole. For every restaurant I go to, that serves guacamole, I am always eager to try it. Yet not all the places serve good guacamole, and just as a disclaimer, do not buy those pre-made guacamole (Dean’s) or the guacamole mix packages. I have had good guacamole at several places in Chicago. But I had my eyes opened when I witnessed the making of fresh guacamole at my table side.

Preparing cuisines and meals is an art form. Craftsmanship and presentation are two important aspects that can make a dish appealing and mouthwatering. As I sat at my table looking at the Hispanic woman grinding the ingredients for my order of guacamole, I learned the secrets to making guacamole. It is a simple process that takes no longer than 10 minutes, but the result will make you hunger for more. Here are what you need (you can always customize it to your own liking, and I never make the same guacamole twice.)

2 ripe avocados (if the peel is still green, put them in paper bag for a day or two. They are ripe when you feel softness by gently squeezing them.)
1 fresh lime
1-2 fresh cloves of garlic (garlic adds spice to the dish, so add more or less to your liking.)
1 jalapenos pepper or Serrano pepper (if you like mild, discard the seeds. I don’t recommend using habenero peppers for guacamole.)
some sweet onions (or any onions)
some cilantro (very important ingredient)
1 ripe tomato

The first step is to grind up the chopped up onion, garlic, and peppers. You can use a food processor or a garlic press. The important part is to keep this mix in the same bowl that will contain the finalized product since it is really the juice of all these ingredients that make the guacamole superb.

The second step is to cut open the avocados, take out the seed, and scoop them into the bowl from step one.

The third step is to squeeze some fresh lime juice into the bowl. Don’t add too much first, add more later if you have to. Then mix the content so everything is mixed well. Add a little bit of salt.

The fourth step is to add in the finely chopped cilantro and diced tomato. Quickly give the content a whisk and voila! You are done!

The first couple of tries might not turn out to be optimal, and you might have to work at it to make it tastes the way you wanted. The amount of lime juice is critical since you don’t want a soupy guacamole, nor one that doesn’t really have a flavor. Lastly, don’t keep it around too long after you’ve made it. It is only good for the same day.

PS. I got my girlfriend’s dad to want more of the guacamole, so it’s got to be good!

My Research Topic

As a young scientist-in-training, I have come to appreciate the many fields of research that are currently taking place. Any protein can be studied in a number of disciplines, from behavioral biology, to molecular genetics, and to biophysics. Since one scientist can’t possibly undertake the whole research, many other colleagues are involved and thus bringing different perspectives to the table of discussion, as well as commiserating with each other on the failures and “strange” data. While I can’t discuss the details of my research, I can give background information and its relevance. This might actually be more informative since the details of my study might bore most of you.

Currently, I am studying endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress because ER stress initiates either cytoprotective mechanisms or dire physiological consequences such as cell cycle arrest and cell death. ER functions include folding and packaging newly synthesized proteins and it is also the site of protein quality control where misfolded proteins are retained. Understanding how cells cope with ER stress can elucidate ways to maintain cell viability. More importantly, ER stress is associated with many diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease. Of course, in the diseases mentioned, ER stress is not the only underlining cause of pathology. Rather, many malfunctions contribute to the overall etiology of the disease. I should state now that cell cycle arrest and/or cell death are important aspects of cells and that they are often more good than bad for the cells. There are actually two types of cell death, apoptosis and necrosis. I’ll blog about apoptosis later, but necrosis is perhaps the worse of the two. Cell cycle arrest usually indicates some form of activated checkpoint response. In other words, cells are capable of regulating themselves.

And ER stress is just one of these regulating mechanisms. It was first talked about around the late 70’s when a protein was found to be highly expressed under certain stress conditions. Later as more work was done on this protein, a pathway was beginning to emerge about how cells cope with ER stress. What is ER stress? In basic terms, ER stress is caused by the disruption of the ER folding machinery that affects protein maturation and causes accumulation of unfolded proteins within the ER lumen. In experimental conditions, we can induce ER stress by adding chemicals or drugs that would affect proper protein folding, or by disrupting the calcium stores within the ER lumen. Calcium, which will be a topic of a future blog, is an essential second messenger in the cell (all of you are probably more aware the calcium is good for the bones). Cells keep calcium ion concentration under tight control since excess free flowing calcium is toxic to a cell. I digress. There are two distinct features as a result of ER stress: a transient stop in protein translation and an increase in mRNA expression of certain proteins. Presumably, the inhibition in protein translation will help reduce the amount of newly synthesized proteins in the ER, and the increase in certain proteins can help facilitate the folding and or trafficking of the accumulated proteins. Interestingly, apoptotic genes are also upregulated during ER stress. Exactly how cells choose cytoprotective mechanism or apoptotic pathway is not yet understood.

My project involves the study of one of these upregulated proteins. So far, no known function has been discovered; however, its amino acid sequence is well conserved across human, mouse, and rat (near 97% homology). My job is to find out where this protein is localized in the cell and to determine what its role is in ER stress. The working hypothesis is that this protein is beneficial to the cells; I think that would make a better story. Of course, I have very little data that support that hypothesis. Currently, I am trying to design and make molecular tools that would aid me in my endeavor, tools such as antibody and recombinant fusion protein. It is an exciting project. It is my project.

Suicide Terrorism—A strategic psychological warfare

I stumbled upon a Science review article published in March of 2003, discussing suicide terrorism. This article caught my attention for two reasons: 1) I didn’t know that Science magazine, a first tier peer reviewed journal that mostly publishes basic science research, contains research from the social science discipline and 2) suicide terrorism is what the US is trying to prevent from happening within the states. This article can be accessed from the Link Page section and I highly recommend it. It is available in pdf format.

In this review article, Scott Atran, the author, discusses the historical significance of suicide terrorism and how “terrorism” is defined today. In it, he states that suicide terrorism is focus on affecting political policy and change and that it is intended to be a psychological warfare intended at the witnessing public. Atran suggests that suicide bombers are borned because of indoctrination and training under charismatic leaders and that they are bonded by a fictive kin relationship. This idea of a fictive kin reminded me of Freud and his theory on identification of ego; the idea of the charismatic leaders made me think of Max Weber and his discussion of types of legitimate domination where there are three types of claim to legitimize an authority: rational, traditional, and charismatic. Atran further points out that most people tend to misconstrue the social profile of a suicide bomber, ie poor, uneducated, and probably suffering from some psychological damage. Yet research has shown that most suicide bombers are in fact young, educated, normal being that just happen to have intense religious views. So while policy makers are trying to improve economic conditions of those in poverty, such as Bush, or educate people, Atran suggests that the best way to fight suicide terrorism is by understand what the recruiting organizations are doing to inculcate their recruits. Furthermore, Atran argues that we can’t continue to misperceive differences between group norms as more extreme than they really are, ie terrorists vs freedom fighters.

I learned a lot from reading this article and I agreed with Atran on a lot of the points raised. By increasing the level of awareness about the subject is often the way to minimize misunderstanding.

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata

Many people refer to Beethoven’s piano sonata as the bible of piano solo music. 32 sonatas in various styles, from the Baroque influence, to the Classical style of sonata form, and ending with the newly burgeoning Romantic Era of music where composers like Liszt and Chopin flourished. However, it was Beethoven who transcended the Classical music style and adventured into new forms of composing in his later compositions.

It would only be appropriate to have my first music blog on the sonatas because I am a fan of them. As a child, I often listened to Alfred Brendel’s recording of all 32 sonatas on cassette tapes. Being able to play some piano myself, I picked up a few pieces, here and there, of the sonatas that I can play. To date, I have learned to play (and forgotten how to play) four sonatas, Op 2 No 1, Pathetique sonata, Moonlight sonata, and Op 49 No 2. My most recent adventure is to learn the Tempest Sonata Op 31 No 2, which I am now on the second movement. My passion for these sonatas may be due to psychological brainwashing of listening to them too many times. Furthermore, it’s not just one recording set, I have listened to Ashkenazy’s recording on all the sonatas as well as Claudio Arrau’s. I must confess that I enjoy Arrau’s the most. Probably because Arrau’s playing style has more rubato since he played more Romantic composers and was formally a student of Liszt’s student. Brendel might give Beethoven more justice because I highly doubt most of the sonatas can be played with rubato. Yet that’s the versatility about Beethoven’s sonata style and form. (I’m getting the Brendel collection on mp3 so I can compare Arrau’s to Brendel’s better.)

Regardless of the recording, the sonatas speak for themselves. Specially the last three sonatas, Op 109, 110, and 111. These were composed when Beethoven had already gone deaf. Even still, he was still able to create music that pleases the ear. Of all the sonatas, I have listened to these three the most. At one time, I attempted to play the second movement of Op111, but that wasn’t a fruitful attempt. Op111 is a masterpiece, in my mind. It starts out slow but strong, and crescendos to the theme of the movement. The theme is a three-note motif that resembles the Fifth’s opening four-note motif. The first movement ends in a diminishing piano and segues into the second movement. In the second movement, it is an arietta. It is not a cakewalk to play if you have look through the music score, particularly the trills-containing measures. This is a slow movement but it sets the mood at the very beginning as a solemn end to the sonata. The movement then slowly develops into a livelier piece where it seems like a celebration than a solemn aria. Like a song, this movement suddenly changes its mood into a peaceful-like harmony with what sounds like dancing-notes and reverberation of distant sounds. Eventually, this sonata comes to an end in silence—a satisfying silence. To me, I felt like Beethoven used this piece to conclude his piano sonata series and to experiment with new elements in music writing.

I have included some excerpts by Alfred Brendel about Beethoven’s piano sonata. I have also included a 7-minute mp3 clip of the second half of the second movement. Simply click on the “Link Page” link to the right, under the Sites I read heading.

The New Style by Alfred Brendel

Beethoven’s late style still strikes me as unexpected and prodigious. Everything by way of preparation, all the portents and new departures apparent in works like the Op74 and 95 Quartets or the Sonatas “quasi una Fantasia” Op 27 hardly mitigate the astonishing impression made by the two cell sonatas Op 102. They come upon us as a violent shock – the beginning of a new style, so diverse as to elude almost any definition.

The complexity of his late style may be broken down into a new delicacy and density of detail and a new strictness and refinement in the polyphonic part-writing. Diversity of detail now complements the spacious vision of the Waldstein and Appassionata sonatas, the emperor concerto, or the Archduke trio. A new attitude to minaturism develops: as with the slow introduction to the finale of Op 101 or the scherzo of Op 106, extremely concise features are incorporated within the context of large forms, though they may also be left on their own, as in the late Bagatelles.

The polyphony which now pervades Beethoven’s part-writing, even in the most homophonic sections, is the first indication that in his late works he was much more open to Baroque influences than ever before. This polyphony “turns the bass into melody” (Walter Riezler) and, with the aid of fugal form, provides climaxes in the sonatas, the great B flat Quartet, the “Diabelli” variations, the missa solemnis, and the finale in the Ninth. But the lingering influence of the recitative, the aria (sometimes richly ornamented), and the chacoone is of Baroque origin. The new polyphony not only increases the refinement of the music but also makes it more radical and uncompromising.

Sonatas Op 109, 110, and 111

The last trilogy of sonatas was written in 1820-22 in conjunction with Beethoven’s work on the Missa solemnis. All three are similar in that they end in a new way. These are endings which no longer really finish off a work in a completely unequivocal manner of the last chords of Op 106. Instead these endings grow out of the music itself; Op 109 withdraws into a silent inner world, Op 110 ends in euphoric self-immolation, and Op 111 surrenders itself into silence.

Beethoven’s C minor Sonata Op 111 leaves us with a dual impression – as the final testimony of his sonatas and as a prelude to silence. Its two movements confront each other as thesis and antithesis. We recall attempts at interpretation such as Bulow’s “Samsara and Nirvana, “ Edwin Fischer’s “Wordly and otherwordly,” “Resistance and Submission” (Lenz), the real and the mystical world, or the principle of masculine and feminine which Beethoven himself was so fond of expounding. In the context of musical form this contrast is one of animation against repose. The forms with the most compelling animation are sonata and fugue; the allegro of Op 111 is in a sonata form suffused with fugal elements. The form representing tranquil constancy with change is a set of variations; the adagio of Op 111 is again a variation movement of progressive rhythmic foreshortening, such as is known from the Baroque chaconne, and even more consistently worked out than in the finale of Op 109. Here too the beginning of the first movement immediately determines its basic character, one of angry revolt. At the same time it provides a thematic seed for the whole sonata, the space within the interval E flat-B natural. Psychologically and materially Schubert’s setting of Goethe’s “Der Atlas” is closely akin to the first movement of Op 111. The maestoso introduction and the main allegro stand in a dominant-tonic relationship. The tempo marking allegro con brio ed appassionato shows that there Beethoven is not enthroned on Olympus. In the adagio it is the words semplice e cantabile which show performers the way. What is meant here is not ingenuousness or childish sweetness, but simplicity as a result of complexity – distilled experience.

There is indeed nowhere in piano literature where one feels closer to a mystical awareness. A cadenza-like interlude between the fourth and fifth variations surprisingly leaves the home key. When the music touches E flat major the focal point of enlightenment is reached. A phrase of an irregular, slightly expanded length leads to the ultimate C major chord of the work; we sense that the silence which follows is more important than the sound which preceded it.

Preface

Weblogs (blogs) have been mostly described as web diaries that provide ways for people to share their life with other website browsers. Many users use blog as a medium to convey their personal life. However, because blog makes personal details “public,” it cheapens the feeling of being special, especially for the readers of the blogs. In other words, one would feel special to receive one-on-one e-mail correspondence as oppose to reading an e-mail that was sent to 100 recipients. Similarly, blog addresses whoever reads the website and thus lacks any specificity that would be deemed special. Obviously, many bloggers continue to confide more private information to those they trust, instead of publishing it on the web. Yet, there are those users who write blogs as a mean of communication among friends and relatives, often times revealing private thoughts and personal escapades that can be tagged with “too much info.”

With that in mind, I have decided to create a blog site that is geared toward discussion of topics ranging from the most basic needs to the intriguing quandary of life. I have selected six topics and each one of them will hopefully provide the readers with new takes. To me, I have personally stakes for picking these six topics.

Music and Piano.

Music conveys emotions. It is also capable of detailing an event and recreates such event. Piano is merely one of the instruments people use to create music and recreate stories. I play the piano and find it to have relieving powers. I will try not to limit the posting to solely piano and I have plans to include discussion on other forms of music.

Miscellaneous.

Random topics that interest me. I might use this opportunity to focus on current events.

Science.

I want to use the post to increase scientific awareness and to correct any misconception about scientific discoveries. Technological advances will also be covered, but a lot of the times I’ll focus of the basic research aspects of science, particularly that of biological/medical research.

Food.

I enjoy a plethora of cuisine. Hmmmm… yum yum!

Big Problems.

I took a college course under the heading of Big Problem series. In the series, the courses discuss the questions that cause heated debates, such as the relationship between science and religion. Big problems relate to ethics, morals, principles, decision-making, rationalization, and the ability to perceive the root of the problems. The world today is filled with Big Problems.

School and academia.

This would be slightly more personal because I will talk mainly about my educational experiences, my thoughts on education, and what is going on with my current education.

Overall, I hope I can utilize the blog to its fullest potential. I welcome comments and will reply to them on Sundays.

--Yours Truly.