It must be Thursday
It must be Thursday, though I seem to be missing Wednesday from this week.
I suppose that is one way to continue the 4-day working weeks. Efficient! - I hadn't thought of that before.
Been to the Symphony this evening and going to football tomorrow - very Melbourne.
Wonderful orchestra conducted by the venerable Iwaki San, who I swear gets smaller every time I see him. We had very mod / contemporary music this evening and lots and lots of young people at the concert (music students I presume). We opened with some Steve Reich who is an American "minimalist" if you believe such things - my older seat companions did not like that so much - a bit dense and repetitive for classical tastes. I liked it alot, though I doubt it passed my father's test "can you hum the tune?" The young music student (percussionist) sitting next to me this evening was also very appreciative (he had grabbed a student-rush ticket for the seat normally occupied by the Bear).
Then, we had the World Premiere of a piece by Australian composer Ross Edwards, The Heart of Night - I'm beginning to think I like Australian composers. Anyway, this was absolutely delicious, meditative, and evocative of Australian bush sounds. Apparently, this is something that he does a bit of. (I suppose I still couldn't hum the tune.) Riley Lee played the shakuhachi, a Japanese, large bamboo flute, but I most liked the whole orchestra sound and the lovely Federation bells.
Finally, just back into C19, but probably Modern of a sort (it wasn't Romantic), was Saint-Saens Symphony No3 (known as the Organ Symphony) and I am still humming the very grand phrase from the 4th movement. According to the program, the British Royal Philharmonic Society paid him 30 pounds commission in 1886 to write the Symphony for them (damn, can't find pound symbol, which is also why I have't spelled Saint-Saens name properly). Given the Australian dollar, I probably paid less than 30 quid to see it this evening, but I certainly paid more than $30. They may have got their money's worth from the grand organ fugue.
So I suppose I shall go to bed happy and go to the football tomorrow. My team are top of the ladder after (just) round 2, but I would like them to say there.
I suppose that is one way to continue the 4-day working weeks. Efficient! - I hadn't thought of that before.
Been to the Symphony this evening and going to football tomorrow - very Melbourne.
Wonderful orchestra conducted by the venerable Iwaki San, who I swear gets smaller every time I see him. We had very mod / contemporary music this evening and lots and lots of young people at the concert (music students I presume). We opened with some Steve Reich who is an American "minimalist" if you believe such things - my older seat companions did not like that so much - a bit dense and repetitive for classical tastes. I liked it alot, though I doubt it passed my father's test "can you hum the tune?" The young music student (percussionist) sitting next to me this evening was also very appreciative (he had grabbed a student-rush ticket for the seat normally occupied by the Bear).
Then, we had the World Premiere of a piece by Australian composer Ross Edwards, The Heart of Night - I'm beginning to think I like Australian composers. Anyway, this was absolutely delicious, meditative, and evocative of Australian bush sounds. Apparently, this is something that he does a bit of. (I suppose I still couldn't hum the tune.) Riley Lee played the shakuhachi, a Japanese, large bamboo flute, but I most liked the whole orchestra sound and the lovely Federation bells.
Finally, just back into C19, but probably Modern of a sort (it wasn't Romantic), was Saint-Saens Symphony No3 (known as the Organ Symphony) and I am still humming the very grand phrase from the 4th movement. According to the program, the British Royal Philharmonic Society paid him 30 pounds commission in 1886 to write the Symphony for them (damn, can't find pound symbol, which is also why I have't spelled Saint-Saens name properly). Given the Australian dollar, I probably paid less than 30 quid to see it this evening, but I certainly paid more than $30. They may have got their money's worth from the grand organ fugue.
So I suppose I shall go to bed happy and go to the football tomorrow. My team are top of the ladder after (just) round 2, but I would like them to say there.