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Richard Baker

@rchrdbkr.bsky.social

Composer based in Ceredigion, Wales, UK. Research Fellow @guildhallschool.bsky.social. Weithiau yn Gymraeg. Profile photo: Claire Shovelton Artist website: https://rchrdbkr.com/

2,399 Followers  |  1,695 Following  |  1,158 Posts  |  Joined: 07.08.2023  |  2.1096

Latest posts by rchrdbkr.bsky.social on Bluesky

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Love. Unity. Hope.

These are the things that will stop the far right in its tracks βœ‹

Join us in London on 28 March for the Together Against the Far Right national demonstration

Save the date and sign-up for updates
πŸ”— togetheralliance.org.uk

#Together #WeAreTheMU #BehindEveryMusician #Unity

16.02.2026 16:26 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
William Blake’s illustration for β€œThe Tyger” has what appears to be a dippy grin for some reason.

William Blake’s illustration for β€œThe Tyger” has what appears to be a dippy grin for some reason.

The wonderful thing about Tyggers
Is Tyggers are burning bright
Their tops are made out of rubber
In the forest of the night

What bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy,
Immortal hand or eye
Did frame the most wonderful thing about Tyggers,
Their fearful symmetry!

04.02.2026 02:13 β€” πŸ‘ 1023    πŸ” 408    πŸ’¬ 17    πŸ“Œ 18

Can’t listen to music while working. Occupational hazard!

15.02.2026 23:04 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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πŸ‘€ www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...

15.02.2026 14:04 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

I feel like we've gone through the looking glass at some point

15.02.2026 13:41 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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It *literally* does.

Thats what it is. A document which says youre British.

15.02.2026 13:38 β€” πŸ‘ 7401    πŸ” 866    πŸ’¬ 181    πŸ“Œ 68

Celtic Sinfonietta here we come!

12.02.2026 22:14 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

…and look how that worked out for DD! Totally agree re the visceral energy. As with the most gnarly Birtwistle.

12.02.2026 21:57 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Oh thank you for posting this. I worry sometimes that I’m the last person alive who actually enjoys this kind of thing. It makes me remember why I got into this in the first place…

12.02.2026 20:32 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
Iannis Xenakis - Voile [w/score]
YouTube video by Four-hobbies-man Iannis Xenakis - Voile [w/score]

One of the things I love about the music of Iannis Xenakis is how β€œXenaskissy” it can be. Unmistakeable, almost like he’s parodying himself sometimes. Who else would have written this? A little 5-minute cataclysm. Sounds like a fissure opening in the earth. Fantastic.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJMU...

12.02.2026 20:30 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I look forward to her prize winning discs of unjustly neglected repertoire!

12.02.2026 11:30 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Screenshot of contents of Tim Buckley Wikipedia page:

Middle period
"Sex funk" period
Death

Screenshot of contents of Tim Buckley Wikipedia page: Middle period "Sex funk" period Death

How I envision the rest of my life

12.08.2025 02:40 β€” πŸ‘ 32    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Moderation in all things. Moderationmaxxing.

12.02.2026 00:17 β€” πŸ‘ 114    πŸ” 33    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 1

I gotta say, "the Pentagon uses a high powered laser to shoot down a party balloon" feels like enough symbolism for awhile. all full up thanks

11.02.2026 20:02 β€” πŸ‘ 5490    πŸ” 816    πŸ’¬ 82    πŸ“Œ 58

Wait, I thought Anthropic were the nice guys?

11.02.2026 14:50 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
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Oatly banned from using word β€˜milk’ to market plant-based products in UK Supreme court makes ruling after Swedish firm’s long-running battle with trade association Dairy UK

The meaning of words is to be decided not by their use, usefulness, or history, but by their commercial benefit to the most powerful lobby groups. I have a recipe for almond milk in a cookbook from 1226. It has been used as a term in English for hundreds of years.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

11.02.2026 13:52 β€” πŸ‘ 386    πŸ” 135    πŸ’¬ 23    πŸ“Œ 19

Friends from Minneapolis reporting to me that things are at the point where folks are being hidden in other people's houses and we are in the "again" part of "never again" which the "never" was supposed to preclude

10.02.2026 22:54 β€” πŸ‘ 27121    πŸ” 9630    πŸ’¬ 56    πŸ“Œ 360

Knew nothing about Bad Bunny until the Grammy's. Loved his half-time performance - found it powerful and moving.

Reminds me of the William Carlos Williams quote that for a poet to be universal, first he must be local.

10.02.2026 17:13 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

*singing to the tune of the Sade song*

10.02.2026 14:46 β€” πŸ‘ 58    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Plaid Cymru MP Ben Lake has criticised Reform UK for being β€œabsent” from a parliamentary debate on Russian interference, in the wake of the jailing of its former Welsh leader Nathan Gill for β€œtreachery"

Lake was speaking in a Westminster Hall debate on Monday re the petition on Russian interference

10.02.2026 11:50 β€” πŸ‘ 272    πŸ” 75    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 1

Ignore the smears: I have literally never been fed, like ever.

A. Cat

10.02.2026 13:18 β€” πŸ‘ 61    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

My outside bet has always been that REF 2029 never happens. At a time of massive financial instability (including redundancies) around HE it simply seems like an obscene waste of money.

10.02.2026 10:36 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

The law on universities and free speech prevents speakers from being *disinvited after they have been invited*. It does not require universities to provide a platform to whoever demands one.

Let's not mince words: the threat to cut funding to every university who disagrees with them is fascist.

10.02.2026 10:31 β€” πŸ‘ 721    πŸ” 295    πŸ’¬ 33    πŸ“Œ 8
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History: Serious about Play: Childhood, Play and Policymaking in Wales, 1945 to the present (RS936) - Swansea University We offer a wide range of funded and fully funded research scholarships in all subject areas. Explore your options and apply now.

Please do share this doctoral opportunity with MA/MSt students - four years of AHRC funding to work on the history of children's play in Wales, supervised by me and the lovely and brilliant Dr Jacky Tyrie. Any questions get in touch! www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate...

09.02.2026 12:46 β€” πŸ‘ 46    πŸ” 63    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Starmer defies call to quit as UK prime minister Fresh tensions emerge between embattled premier and potential leadership rival Wes Streeting

Starmer defies call to quit as UK prime minister ft.trib.al/tHd5d7T

09.02.2026 21:32 β€” πŸ‘ 26    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 3
Anas Sawar with his β€œold friend” Peter Mandelson.

Anas Sawar with his β€œold friend” Peter Mandelson.

By his dramatic intervention calling for Keir Starmer to resign, Anas Sarwar has drawn attention to himself in ways likely to be deeply unhelpful to his own chances of survival in office and to Labour’s electoral prospects in Scotland.

Amazing.

09.02.2026 15:10 β€” πŸ‘ 210    πŸ” 71    πŸ’¬ 14    πŸ“Œ 5

arguably the biggest news of the week that Lisa Nandy is currently doing something related to her brief

09.02.2026 15:27 β€” πŸ‘ 577    πŸ” 80    πŸ’¬ 29    πŸ“Œ 6

Tbf it would probably be more effective if someone not already doomed called for Starmer to go

09.02.2026 13:46 β€” πŸ‘ 56    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 11    πŸ“Œ 0

Bad Bunny’s performance began in the plantation, featured broken electric poles, and ended by centering a hemispheric understanding of β€œAmΓ©rica”—among many other thingsβ€”and some Anglo journalists are like β€œhis performance wasn’t political.”

This is why we need to be telling our stories.

09.02.2026 14:00 β€” πŸ‘ 7418    πŸ” 1308    πŸ’¬ 103    πŸ“Œ 56

The far right defeated in Portugal - good news to start the week's work

09.02.2026 11:13 β€” πŸ‘ 138    πŸ” 32    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

@rchrdbkr is following 20 prominent accounts