A weekend of music

Alright, you know about Thursday.

Friday I attended "A Concert of New Music" at Christ Episcopal Church in the University district (47th & Brooklyn) thanks to an invite from my SCI comrade Greg Bartholomew (we also share David Mesler)
Greg had three pieces on the program; "Beneath the Apple Tree" a sweet love duet for viola da gamba and recorder, "String Trio for George Crumb" vln, vla, & vcl, and "Voyageur Suite"for brass quintet.
Other pieces included a charming piano solo written by 15 year old Lauren Geertsen, Gloria Wilson Swisher (apparently the chief honcho of The Seattle Composers Seminar, who were the instigators of this shindig), Bernard Super, and Georgia Lockwood.
David and I left right after Greg's brass quintet, the weather was inclement, the roads were infested with political traffic, and I live at the other end of town.
So I missed the reception following and a chance to talk with the composers.
The only problem I have with new music is that one generally gets to hear it only once and can't form any opinion other than "I like to listen to the stuff"

Then on Sunday it was Philharmonia Northwest who played Wagners "Flying Dutchman Overture" Wagner's music is BIG music and Saint Steven's Episcopal Church is a moderately sized one.
Felt like we were sitting inside one of the tubas.
A visceral thrill not unlike sitting at a traffic light next to a full throttle boom box bass rattling your windows.
Pretty exciting.
Also they played Roupen Shakarian's violin concerto, which was played magnificently by Victoria Parker (standing ovation)
Being a composer myself and entering the phase wherein I must start advertising, I must comment.
The piece sounded nice but there was little variation between the movements, either in tempo or dramatic content.
There was a Strauss wind band piece which I didn't like, and the finale was Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture which the intimate space of the church amplified and clarified magnificently.
It was like I had never heard it before.
A very enjoyable afternoon.

Then it was off to my book group meeting where we discussed the movies "Sullivan's Travels" and "Born Yesterday"
The seldom seen Jonathan was there. Good seeing you Jonathan.
(I gave him my card, so maybe he's reading this).

Now the important part.

Here's the only way to save our great country from perdition;
We must elect Barack Obama president and Hillary Clinton vice president.
That way we will have Barack to end the war, Hillary to get us health care, and Bill to balance the budget and catch the guys who knocked down the towers.

So hop to it America.

I've got the recording of the salon version of the violin duet and I'll post it as soon as I get to a fast enough connection. Maybe I'll post all three versions; the computer simulation, the rehearsal and the salon performance.
And maybe I won't.

Very soon, however I'll be posting "Minnesota Mittens", a hot-rod romp for full orchestra and a sure fire mega-hit if there ever was one.

Undoubtedly destined to outshine Frank Zappa's "Movin' to Montana"