Fun Things
Right, so tomorrow morning we leave for my grandfather's funeral. I'm not expecting it to be much other than needless drama (did I mention his business is still tied to my mom's? oh yeah, and they still don't know what's happening with that yet - and that's just the start). Why don't we talk about something nice instead?
I've posted the narrative of our trip to Paris over on the travel log: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Or just the photos, if that's more your thing.
We've also seen some lovely things lately. . .
Evgeny Kissin at the Barbican Hall (listing)
This we saw on a whim when one of raayat's colleagues turned up with extra tickets. I hadn't heard of Evgeny Kissin (and appear to be the only one). According to the programme notes, he's quite well known for his Chopin, but this evening's concert started with one of my favourite pieces of all time - Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. And I'm sorry to say he botched it - lethargic, ponderous and at times skulky, and not really in a very nice way. The next piece, Barber's Piano Sonata (Op 26) was similarly frustrating. On the one hand I could see why you would pair these two works together - the Barber was almost like Beethovan inside out - but my enjoyment and interest was completely overshadowed by what can only be described as a lacklustre, disinterested performance. It was so bad, I almost left at the interval (which is very, very rare for me), but stayed only when I found out how much we were paying for the tickets. And really, can the second half be any worse?
The second half was one of the most amazing concerts I've ever seen. . . and it was all Chopin. The Nocturne in A flat major and the Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor. Absolutely stunning, touchingly and tenderly played, with a deftness that was not only surprising after the first half, but almost jarring, until you lost yourself again in the music. Really incredible and I finally understood why he was great. In fact, it was so good that he got three encores! This from British audiences who rarely clap for more than 15 seconds after a performer exits the stage. 3 encores! Each one better than the last and obviously pieces he plays purely for the love of them.
On the whole I felt very grateful to have been there (and doubly grateful I didn't leave!), but wow do I wish he would stay away from the Beethovan. And the Barber too probably, though I have less emotionally invested there. I'm curious to see what else he's good at and what else he totally botches. Amazing how one performer can be so amazingly good and so amazingly not good at the same time.
The Lady from the Sea at the Rose Theatre (Kingston-on-Thames - listing)
I love Ibsen and was intrigued to see a performance of this play being produced. So intrigued that I dragged raayat out to the depths of suburbia to see it. The Rose Theatre is a really lovely space; architecturally, it's a bit like a cross between the Roundhouse and the Globe. The set was sparse and well suited to the space with a rolling deck like that of a ship, but transformed (if rather fussily) into the various scenery required.
The acting was pretty good too. . .except for the leading lady. As far as I could tell, she just didn't get Ellida and so went for the whole histrionic tact. The rest of the cast was quite good, and the interactions particularly between Hilde and Hans were very well done. Just the right balance between cutting sarcasm and tender youthfulness. it was such a shame and very unsatisfying to have a performance so close to greatness ruined by one actress just not getting it.
On the upside, this wonderful little theatre is now firmly on our radar and looks like they have many interesting plays scheduled in the near future. I'm tempted to give them another try; we'll see if R is so inclined.
Tribute to the Ballet Russes with the English National Ballet at the Coliseum (listing)
The Ballet Russes is one of my favourite periods of dance history, as ballet begins to break out of a purely tutu and toe shoe affair and begins to experiment with new music and new ways of moving. In many ways, they are the beginning of modern dance, and the crux of this shift I find delightful and interesting.
I booked tickets to the first of their 2 programmes because it looked really interesting, but mostly because it purported to feature new choreography for Firebird. And it was one of the most amazing productions of Firebird I've ever seen. For a start, the costumes were absolutely incredible and although they pretty much did away with the entire story (which really threw me for a loop at first), I really liked the way that the magic of the Firebird wasn't quite what anyone expected. The choreography was imaginative and very evocative. An absolutely stunning production thoroughly helped by the incredible music, played with great aplomb.
Going into the first interval, I was a little bit nervous as to how they were going to follow up such a strong first performance. The second piece was L’Après-midi d’un faune done two ways. The first is the original choreography by Nijinsky along with a very faithful reproduction of costume and set (you get an idea here). This is very much ballet on the cusp of modern dance and it wasn't to everyone's liking (the faune's tail for one would get it a PG-13 rating all on its own). Then they cleared the stage completely and danced the ballet again, this time as a duet with accompaniment by two pianos. Again, totally re-imagined, but focusing on the pure physicality of the music with a good dash of eroticism (but this of a more subtler, sweeter kind) thrown in. Breathtaking just about starts to do it justice. (another amazing photo here)
Then the final piece was the ever divisive Rite of Spring featuring Macmillan's choreography, but with some really cool new costumes and danced with such abandon that you really did start to feel as if the sacrifice was imminent. It felt very Mayan or Aztec to me in the way and caught me totally up in the drama. This has to be the best Rite I think I've ever seen.
All in all a really incredible night of some first class dancing. So very very glad I went.
A street food festival!
Another event that I booked rather at the last minute, this one was a straight forward food festival sponsored by Lonely Planet and featured some of the hottest street food vendors currently on the roam in London. Seeing as I am usually stuck all the way out in Canary Wharf and most of these vendors roam central London during lunch times, it was good to see what some of the fuss was about. I live tweeted the event (seeing as I was all on my own) and I think they summed up the evening quite well:
21:05 Some sort of amazing Malaysian fish wrap yumminess, Japanese octopus balls of tasty, what next? Peruvian? Turkish?
21:17 Peruvian won!
21:37 topped off with churros & chocolate - yes please!
21:42 Nearing the time of night when the vendors start swapping with each other. The churros peeps having bhelpuri, peruvians with gozleme
21:43 Sweet Japanese girls having Malaysian, the Jamaican swapping his jerk pork for Thai noodles.
21:58 I love eating with/from people who are passionate about what they do!
You can see the few snaps I took with my iPhone here. Certainly not my fanciest meal, but great fun and some exciting new flavours.
Journey to the Heart of Islam exhibit at the British Museum
A couple of years ago, R and I joined as members to the British Museum, and one of the perks is that a few times a year you get special open evenings with the museum all to yourselves (and your nearest few hundred other "friends" - not nearly as cool as the sleepovers that the junior members get, but you take what you're given sometimes). Of late these evenings seem to have fallen on nights where we had other things going on, but cancelling our trip to Sweden coincided with one of these special open evenings, so no having anything else to do, we headed that way (this would be me, making the proverbial lemonade).
We decided to spend the evening seeing the much lauded Hajj exhibit. I found it really interesting, not knowing much about the hajj prior to seeing this. Not only did I learn a lot, but it was a wonderful way to put a lot of the art in context. One aspect that I enjoyed very much is how they used the thread of Hajj to weave together ancient kingdoms, myth and modern life into a single well constructed narrative space. It's hard to describe in words, but it was brilliantly done and brought home for us exactly why we're supporting this amazing institution - it's ability not only to bring together rare objects, but also for putting them into a context to enlighten and explain the world around us. So yay for that!
And if that's all too much culture for you, on Monday we also took a walk in the rain with atticus_frog. Not the most auspicious start to our rambling season, but it was still nice to get out and about. Doubly so since we were supposed to be in Sweden and so it helped us to feel a little less isolated and sad. Since it was damp and I knew the paths would be muddy, I wore my old walking boots, which in turn reminded me exactly why I've shifted to five fingers. Only 9.5 miles and my joints hurt so much by the end I could barely walk down the stairs to our flat. :( The damp certainly didn't help, but it does serve to remind me that I need to make sure I have the right gear if I'm going to be able to enjoy mobility.
So that's a bit of a catch-up on the nicer side of what we've been doing lately. Now to hit the sack before it gets too late. Let this post be a reminder of the good things I have at my finger tips and to be grateful that we live our lives in such a way that this is accessible to us.
I've posted the narrative of our trip to Paris over on the travel log: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Or just the photos, if that's more your thing.
We've also seen some lovely things lately. . .
Evgeny Kissin at the Barbican Hall (listing)
This we saw on a whim when one of raayat's colleagues turned up with extra tickets. I hadn't heard of Evgeny Kissin (and appear to be the only one). According to the programme notes, he's quite well known for his Chopin, but this evening's concert started with one of my favourite pieces of all time - Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. And I'm sorry to say he botched it - lethargic, ponderous and at times skulky, and not really in a very nice way. The next piece, Barber's Piano Sonata (Op 26) was similarly frustrating. On the one hand I could see why you would pair these two works together - the Barber was almost like Beethovan inside out - but my enjoyment and interest was completely overshadowed by what can only be described as a lacklustre, disinterested performance. It was so bad, I almost left at the interval (which is very, very rare for me), but stayed only when I found out how much we were paying for the tickets. And really, can the second half be any worse?
The second half was one of the most amazing concerts I've ever seen. . . and it was all Chopin. The Nocturne in A flat major and the Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor. Absolutely stunning, touchingly and tenderly played, with a deftness that was not only surprising after the first half, but almost jarring, until you lost yourself again in the music. Really incredible and I finally understood why he was great. In fact, it was so good that he got three encores! This from British audiences who rarely clap for more than 15 seconds after a performer exits the stage. 3 encores! Each one better than the last and obviously pieces he plays purely for the love of them.
On the whole I felt very grateful to have been there (and doubly grateful I didn't leave!), but wow do I wish he would stay away from the Beethovan. And the Barber too probably, though I have less emotionally invested there. I'm curious to see what else he's good at and what else he totally botches. Amazing how one performer can be so amazingly good and so amazingly not good at the same time.
The Lady from the Sea at the Rose Theatre (Kingston-on-Thames - listing)
I love Ibsen and was intrigued to see a performance of this play being produced. So intrigued that I dragged raayat out to the depths of suburbia to see it. The Rose Theatre is a really lovely space; architecturally, it's a bit like a cross between the Roundhouse and the Globe. The set was sparse and well suited to the space with a rolling deck like that of a ship, but transformed (if rather fussily) into the various scenery required.
The acting was pretty good too. . .except for the leading lady. As far as I could tell, she just didn't get Ellida and so went for the whole histrionic tact. The rest of the cast was quite good, and the interactions particularly between Hilde and Hans were very well done. Just the right balance between cutting sarcasm and tender youthfulness. it was such a shame and very unsatisfying to have a performance so close to greatness ruined by one actress just not getting it.
On the upside, this wonderful little theatre is now firmly on our radar and looks like they have many interesting plays scheduled in the near future. I'm tempted to give them another try; we'll see if R is so inclined.
Tribute to the Ballet Russes with the English National Ballet at the Coliseum (listing)
The Ballet Russes is one of my favourite periods of dance history, as ballet begins to break out of a purely tutu and toe shoe affair and begins to experiment with new music and new ways of moving. In many ways, they are the beginning of modern dance, and the crux of this shift I find delightful and interesting.
I booked tickets to the first of their 2 programmes because it looked really interesting, but mostly because it purported to feature new choreography for Firebird. And it was one of the most amazing productions of Firebird I've ever seen. For a start, the costumes were absolutely incredible and although they pretty much did away with the entire story (which really threw me for a loop at first), I really liked the way that the magic of the Firebird wasn't quite what anyone expected. The choreography was imaginative and very evocative. An absolutely stunning production thoroughly helped by the incredible music, played with great aplomb.
Going into the first interval, I was a little bit nervous as to how they were going to follow up such a strong first performance. The second piece was L’Après-midi d’un faune done two ways. The first is the original choreography by Nijinsky along with a very faithful reproduction of costume and set (you get an idea here). This is very much ballet on the cusp of modern dance and it wasn't to everyone's liking (the faune's tail for one would get it a PG-13 rating all on its own). Then they cleared the stage completely and danced the ballet again, this time as a duet with accompaniment by two pianos. Again, totally re-imagined, but focusing on the pure physicality of the music with a good dash of eroticism (but this of a more subtler, sweeter kind) thrown in. Breathtaking just about starts to do it justice. (another amazing photo here)
Then the final piece was the ever divisive Rite of Spring featuring Macmillan's choreography, but with some really cool new costumes and danced with such abandon that you really did start to feel as if the sacrifice was imminent. It felt very Mayan or Aztec to me in the way and caught me totally up in the drama. This has to be the best Rite I think I've ever seen.
All in all a really incredible night of some first class dancing. So very very glad I went.
A street food festival!
Another event that I booked rather at the last minute, this one was a straight forward food festival sponsored by Lonely Planet and featured some of the hottest street food vendors currently on the roam in London. Seeing as I am usually stuck all the way out in Canary Wharf and most of these vendors roam central London during lunch times, it was good to see what some of the fuss was about. I live tweeted the event (seeing as I was all on my own) and I think they summed up the evening quite well:
21:05 Some sort of amazing Malaysian fish wrap yumminess, Japanese octopus balls of tasty, what next? Peruvian? Turkish?
21:17 Peruvian won!
21:37 topped off with churros & chocolate - yes please!
21:42 Nearing the time of night when the vendors start swapping with each other. The churros peeps having bhelpuri, peruvians with gozleme
21:43 Sweet Japanese girls having Malaysian, the Jamaican swapping his jerk pork for Thai noodles.
21:58 I love eating with/from people who are passionate about what they do!
You can see the few snaps I took with my iPhone here. Certainly not my fanciest meal, but great fun and some exciting new flavours.
Journey to the Heart of Islam exhibit at the British Museum
A couple of years ago, R and I joined as members to the British Museum, and one of the perks is that a few times a year you get special open evenings with the museum all to yourselves (and your nearest few hundred other "friends" - not nearly as cool as the sleepovers that the junior members get, but you take what you're given sometimes). Of late these evenings seem to have fallen on nights where we had other things going on, but cancelling our trip to Sweden coincided with one of these special open evenings, so no having anything else to do, we headed that way (this would be me, making the proverbial lemonade).
We decided to spend the evening seeing the much lauded Hajj exhibit. I found it really interesting, not knowing much about the hajj prior to seeing this. Not only did I learn a lot, but it was a wonderful way to put a lot of the art in context. One aspect that I enjoyed very much is how they used the thread of Hajj to weave together ancient kingdoms, myth and modern life into a single well constructed narrative space. It's hard to describe in words, but it was brilliantly done and brought home for us exactly why we're supporting this amazing institution - it's ability not only to bring together rare objects, but also for putting them into a context to enlighten and explain the world around us. So yay for that!
And if that's all too much culture for you, on Monday we also took a walk in the rain with atticus_frog. Not the most auspicious start to our rambling season, but it was still nice to get out and about. Doubly so since we were supposed to be in Sweden and so it helped us to feel a little less isolated and sad. Since it was damp and I knew the paths would be muddy, I wore my old walking boots, which in turn reminded me exactly why I've shifted to five fingers. Only 9.5 miles and my joints hurt so much by the end I could barely walk down the stairs to our flat. :( The damp certainly didn't help, but it does serve to remind me that I need to make sure I have the right gear if I'm going to be able to enjoy mobility.
So that's a bit of a catch-up on the nicer side of what we've been doing lately. Now to hit the sack before it gets too late. Let this post be a reminder of the good things I have at my finger tips and to be grateful that we live our lives in such a way that this is accessible to us.