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Aug. 14th, 2012 02:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
raincitygirlThis year’s Early Music Festival seems to be all about unearthing obscure composers. Some of whom really ought to be better known because they’re very good, and some of whom (in my not-very-learned opinion), languish in deserved obscurity.
I went to Gabrieli’s Venice: A Polychoral Vespers on Friday night at Christ Church Cathedral, and there was a song by a composer called Alessandro Grandi which was really really good. And it turned out very little of his stuff has survived because he died young in Venice’s plague outbreak of 1630. *sulk* Stupid bubonic plague.
In general the concert was good, though a little uneven. The program was very confusingly organized (or possibly disorganized?) so it was hard to know which song we were on and who was doing what. Also, no little black and white photos in the biography section next to the performers’ names so it was tough to figure out who was who. I got to hear Laura Pudwell (alto) and Harry van der Kamp (bass) for the first time in person, which is cool since I have CDs of theirs.
Of the intrumentalists, the two violinists were apparently both playing on authentic 17th century baroque violins, which earned them a round of applause. Personally I’d be scared to so much as touch an instrument that old. They must cost the bomb. The maternal unit was very excited about that bit. I didn’t point out out that modern makers of stringed instruments, using 21st century measurement techniques are supposed to be able to precisely duplicate the sound of famous Stradivariuses, Amatis, etc.
I’m supposed to be going to Handel’s Orlando over at the Chan Centre on Wednesday, but I’ve cancelled, and Mum is finding someone else to take my ticket. I’m wiped and it’s only Tuesday. We’re already extremely short handed this week, so I can’t call in sick no matter what. And it’s way out at the Chan, which is a much more difficult and time-consuming venue to get to and from than anything downtown.
It’s frustrating because I know lots of people who work all day and then go out at night and then go to work the next morning without a care in the world, but I’m not one of those people. I’m wiped just from going to the Apple Store after work yesterday to get John Henry fixed. I probably should’ve figured all that stuff out before I bought the tickets, though.
Could be so much worse, though. I have a friend who’s disabled and went to a concert production of an opera that she’d really been looking forward to. To her horror she found that she just could not keep still for an entire act without being in serious pain. She ended up having to listen to the second half from the lobby because she didn’t want to disturb other concertgoers. She said it still sounded good, but it sucks anyway. I could have those problems instead of my problems.
On a slightly different note, the maternal unit also went to a midweek concert recently with a friend (Sweelinck to Gesualdo: Masters of the Madrigal from North and South). Harry van der Kamp sang at that one as well, incidentally. Anyway, they had an experience similar tozingerella’s tale of the Five Messiahs. There was an ill-assorted couple sitting in front of them, a thirtysomething balding man and a very young girl, looked to be university age.
He just wanted to listen to the music, but she kept rubbing his head, snuggling up to him, basically fondling the guy. Whenever he got sick of it and shrugged her off, she would fiddle with her gum, send texts on her phone, etc. Basically WORST CONCERT BEHAVIOUR EVER. Bear in mind that the Early Music Festival, as part of its desperate ploy to recruit fans who aren’t grey-haired, has a “bring a youth for free” policy, whereby if you can show a high school ID and are accompanied by an adult paying full ticket price, you don’t have to pay.
Now, this woman, while very young, was not high school young. Also, she was unquestionably his girlfriend rather than his child (if she were his child, Social Services would need to get involved, what with all the inappropriate touching). Nonetheless, because the maternal unit is evil, she intended to pull this gentleman aside when they returned from the interval and say, “Now, if you bring a youth for free, you need to explain to them how to behave.” Her evil plan was foiled by Thirtysomething and his jailbait girlfriend not returning after the interval.
I went to Gabrieli’s Venice: A Polychoral Vespers on Friday night at Christ Church Cathedral, and there was a song by a composer called Alessandro Grandi which was really really good. And it turned out very little of his stuff has survived because he died young in Venice’s plague outbreak of 1630. *sulk* Stupid bubonic plague.
In general the concert was good, though a little uneven. The program was very confusingly organized (or possibly disorganized?) so it was hard to know which song we were on and who was doing what. Also, no little black and white photos in the biography section next to the performers’ names so it was tough to figure out who was who. I got to hear Laura Pudwell (alto) and Harry van der Kamp (bass) for the first time in person, which is cool since I have CDs of theirs.
Of the intrumentalists, the two violinists were apparently both playing on authentic 17th century baroque violins, which earned them a round of applause. Personally I’d be scared to so much as touch an instrument that old. They must cost the bomb. The maternal unit was very excited about that bit. I didn’t point out out that modern makers of stringed instruments, using 21st century measurement techniques are supposed to be able to precisely duplicate the sound of famous Stradivariuses, Amatis, etc.
I’m supposed to be going to Handel’s Orlando over at the Chan Centre on Wednesday, but I’ve cancelled, and Mum is finding someone else to take my ticket. I’m wiped and it’s only Tuesday. We’re already extremely short handed this week, so I can’t call in sick no matter what. And it’s way out at the Chan, which is a much more difficult and time-consuming venue to get to and from than anything downtown.
It’s frustrating because I know lots of people who work all day and then go out at night and then go to work the next morning without a care in the world, but I’m not one of those people. I’m wiped just from going to the Apple Store after work yesterday to get John Henry fixed. I probably should’ve figured all that stuff out before I bought the tickets, though.
Could be so much worse, though. I have a friend who’s disabled and went to a concert production of an opera that she’d really been looking forward to. To her horror she found that she just could not keep still for an entire act without being in serious pain. She ended up having to listen to the second half from the lobby because she didn’t want to disturb other concertgoers. She said it still sounded good, but it sucks anyway. I could have those problems instead of my problems.
On a slightly different note, the maternal unit also went to a midweek concert recently with a friend (Sweelinck to Gesualdo: Masters of the Madrigal from North and South). Harry van der Kamp sang at that one as well, incidentally. Anyway, they had an experience similar to
zingerella’s tale of the Five Messiahs. There was an ill-assorted couple sitting in front of them, a thirtysomething balding man and a very young girl, looked to be university age. He just wanted to listen to the music, but she kept rubbing his head, snuggling up to him, basically fondling the guy. Whenever he got sick of it and shrugged her off, she would fiddle with her gum, send texts on her phone, etc. Basically WORST CONCERT BEHAVIOUR EVER. Bear in mind that the Early Music Festival, as part of its desperate ploy to recruit fans who aren’t grey-haired, has a “bring a youth for free” policy, whereby if you can show a high school ID and are accompanied by an adult paying full ticket price, you don’t have to pay.
Now, this woman, while very young, was not high school young. Also, she was unquestionably his girlfriend rather than his child (if she were his child, Social Services would need to get involved, what with all the inappropriate touching). Nonetheless, because the maternal unit is evil, she intended to pull this gentleman aside when they returned from the interval and say, “Now, if you bring a youth for free, you need to explain to them how to behave.” Her evil plan was foiled by Thirtysomething and his jailbait girlfriend not returning after the interval.
