Nostalgia Fest

It is a scientifically-proven fact that all the most awesome people came of age in the seventies.  So let's look back at those halcyon days.

This is what was know as a record or LP.  It records a concert given by my high school choir and orchestra.  I do not appear in the photo, because the trumpets sat way in the back.

The band had pins made.  Someday this will be a valuable antique!

In 1973 my friends gave me this going-away-to-collage gift: a toy gumball machine.  It really worked, but I only chewed up a couple of the gumballs.  Those you see here are original--forty years old!

While You Wait...

While you wait to see the rest of my fabulous Yellowstone photos, enjoy these few from last Sunday's Tanglewood concert.

My travel companion, Rosemary.

The entrance.

What a crowd!

Behold the gag-shots-with-trumpet photos!

Adorable!

We see another trumpet outside as we leave.

NYC

So, I hadn't been to New York City for over 30 years.  It's always seemed so large, complex, confusing, and treacherous.  However, my college buddy Brenda has been there frequently.  So she and Barbara (another college buddy) and I took a 2-day trip to the Big City.

The New Yorkers on the sidewalks were nice people who gave directions and helped with change for the bus.  It was only the ones driving that showed tooth and claw.  We saw 2 musicals:  Memphis and Avenue Q.  We ate some good food.  We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  We took a harbour tour.  OK, maybe I'll go back.

A Slow Few Days

Last Thursday I and some buddies went to Jordan Hall to hear the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra.  I had never been to Jordan Hall before, so it was a double-treat.  However, getting there was harder than we thought it would be.

First, when we descended into the Harvard Square T Stop, we encountered an enormous crowd.  The T was broken, and people had been waiting for some time.  Oh no!  But we only had to wait about 5 minutes.  Then we got off at Symphony.  We planned to eat at Lucy, a place highly praised at Yelp.com.  We had 2 hours before the concert, so we were not concerned that it was a small place with only one table left.  The owner assured us he could feed us within the 2 hours.  Well, time passed and passed and passed.  And Julie asked if we were going to get our food on time, and the guy said yes.  And then we had only a half hour, and the guy said it's coming out in a minute.  So 5 minutes later we got our food.  And it was great food!  The bread looked like sheets of sponge, but it was good.

We got to the concert in time. We heard strings with harpsichord and sometimes trumpets.  I couldn't see the trumpets from my seat.  I like Baroque music.  I like Baroque art.  I even like Rococo.  I like opera that is highly stylized and heavily ornamented.  (I'm not saying I have good taste.  I'm just saying this is what tastes good to me)

On Saturday Laureen and I went to another concert at Jordan Hall featuring the guy who played harpsichord at the first one, but playing the piano this time.  There was a victory parade for the Bruins at 11, but since the concert wasn't until 2:30, I figured we would be safe.  But I hadn't considered that as the victory parade progressed, fans would be returning to the T.  As it turned out, 1 1/2 million people showed up for the parade, and the T got swamped.  I left extra early, because Laureen and I were going to get frozen yogurt before the concert, but the train was creeping along between Park St and Copley.  We made it. 

Canadian Thanksgiving\ Thanksgiving Canadien

Yes, Canadian Thanksgiving comes over a month before United Stateian Thanksgiving.  So what does that mean?  Are they jumping the gun, or are we dragging our feet.  Enjoy the music why you figure out that one.

BSO Opening Night: September 24, 2008

My neighbor Rosemary does a heap of volunteer work for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and that's how I happened to get a free ticket for Opening Night. There was a no-flash-photography sign at the entrance, which I complied with most of the time. As a result, very few photos were sharp enough to keep. For really good photos of Symphony Hall, I suggest you use Google Image Search.


My ticket entitled me to one glass of sparkling wine and all the grub I could get my hands on.


At the far left please notice the swiveling stool on the podium. James Levine can't stand up through performances any more, so he swivels on the stool. Weeee!


This is the view from my seat: ORCH 1 NN. See the seating chart for more info.

Oh yeah, the music:
GLINKA
Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila
TCHAIKOVSKY
Letter Scene from Eugene Onegin
MUSSORGSKY (orch. RAVEL)
Pictures at an Exhibition
James Levine, conductor
Maija Kovalevska, soprano