Wordless Wednesday

Percy and Harry visit Sherwood Forest

Our dear friend, Dizzy Dandelion, was in a wonderful production of Robin Hood: Legend of the Sherwood Bandit with Clearfield Community Theater. We loaded up the car (okay, we grabbed some jackets to ensure it wouldn't rain or be cold) and headed out into the wilderness (okay, so it's only about 25 miles from our house). And we remembered to bring Percy and Harry along.

The show was just so much fun. It's an original script, and the opening song tells us that this is "the absolutely true and not made up story of Robin Hood." How can you go wrong with a show that includes a song with that lyric? Seriously.

You could tell that the cast was having a blast, which really helps to pull in the audience. The playwright also played Sir Guy Gisbourne, and he seemed to really relish playing a baddie. Dizzy Dandelion's character was conflicted, and we weren't sure which side she would end the show on until almost the very end (good job!).

Sadly, last night was the last night of the production. It was really our only chance to see the show (Mr. Perfect is in rehearsals for West Jordan Sugar Factory Playhouse's production of South Pacific right now, and last night was a rare night-off), and we are so glad we did. It's great fun to support friends, but it's also a bonus when the show is worth both the drive and the price of admission.

Percy and Harry meet Rossini

We had to opportunity to see the Utah Opera Company's production of The Barber of Seville this month. And we actually made it. We bought tickets for their production of The Magic Flute, and showed up at the theater the evening after our tickets were for. You see, when I purchased the tickets online, I picked the second to last performance (the last performance was Sunday afternoon), so I assumed that we'd be seeing it on Saturday evening. Silly me. I just didn't realize that UOC doesn't do Saturday evening performances both weekends of a run.

With Barber, I was much more careful. And we were good travel mascot owners and brought the boys. Here they are waiting to go in:

And here they are waiting for the show to begin:

As you can see, we had really good seats (thanks to a good friend and good connections). Of course, we didn't take any pictures during the performance. That's not only tacky, but it's illegal.

I was delighted to discover that an old friend from college was singing the role of Rosina (the female lead). Celena Shafer has one of the most amazingly clear, articulate, and beautiful voices in opera today, and she's just the sweetest person ever. The whole show was fun and fabulous, but she was especially great.

Next year, Utah Opera is doing Turandot. Not my favorite show, but Mr. Perfect does need to hear "Nessum dorma" sung live at least once in his lifetime. And we will not be missing the Mozart offering this time around (it's the comical Abduction from the Seraglio, which is almost more musical theater than opera).

April Fool's pass

April Fool's Day is not a favorite holiday of mine. Growing up, we didn't do too much beyond the "Hey, your underwear is sticking out! April Fool's!" gags. This year, it almost went by without any fanfare. I did get one joke in on Mr. Perfect.

April is the month we have to renew Psycho Wunderhund's city dog license, so I went to the Taylorsville City Hall to pay the $5 fee for the new license. Afterwards, I called Mr. Perfect and told him that they wouldn't let me renew because there was a complaint filed against PW and a $500 fine we had to pay before the end of the month or it would double. He asked when the complaint was filed, and I got to say "Never! April Fool's!" Okay, I hate lying. I hate how I feel when I know I'm lying. I'm really glad the Holy Ghost pricks my conscience so much; it took almost everything in me to keep up this tale as long as I did.

To wrap up the day, we went with Mr. Bishop Sir and Karen Carpenter's Vocal Double to the Utah Jazz game against the Portland Trail Blazers (the Jazz won -- way to go, Jazz!). It rained like crazy last night, and we ended up walking about 1/2 mile in the driving rain. It was a bit chilly in the arena, and my sweater and hair didn't dry completely until after we got home. But it was a lot of fun.

Best Zombie Movie EVER!!!

For our date night tonight, we went and saw Warm Bodies. Oh. My. Goodness. Best zombie movie, EVER! It will be joining Lost Skeleton of Cadavra on our Halloween watch list.

Rachmaninoff

The name alone makes me sigh.

*sigh

See! This weekend, the Utah Symphony is performing his Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor and Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major. Am I a little excited for this concert? No. I'm very, VERY, VERY excited for this concert. I have loved Rachy's No. 2 ever since I was 14. The summer between 9th and 10th grades, I played the violin in a disctrict-wide youth symphony made up of high school musicians. We went on tour to, hold your breath in anticipation, the exotic locale of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Yes, yes, that vast expanse of, well, lakes and trees. The trip was a blast. I "fell in love" for the first time (tour crushes were so common), and one of the cellists soloed on the first movement of this amazing piece of music. It's been a dream of mine ever since to learn it. So here I am, 40-something, and I still haven't tackled it.

*sigh

That's a different kind of sigh from the first one.

Anyway, tomorrow night we will be traveling to the symphony with Mom & Dad P to hear the entire piece (all three movements) played by André Watts and the Utah Symphony. (It's Dad P's favorite piano piece, too.) It makes me smile just to think about it.

I can't wait for Mr. Perfect to be entranced as well.

Du du du DUNNNN!!!!!

Ah, Beethoven, you beautiful man. Okay, maybe not beautiful physically (he is dead and quite possibly reduced to nothing but dust by now), but the music he composed is wonderful.

This weekend, the Utah Symphony delighted us with Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor. It is probably the most well-known piece of music in all of classical musicdom. All you have to do is chant "Du du du dun!" and most people in the Western World can tell you it's name. This is my favorite Beethoven symphony, but not for the famous opening phrase. I love the final movement. It's rousing; it's inspiring. I also played it every year while I was in a district-wide youth symphony in high school. It is just fun to play. There is no break between the third and fourth movements, and both movements are Allegro, so it's suddenly there in all of it's glory before you know what's happened to you. The entire symphony is only 31 minutes long, so it was over before I was ready for it to be du du du done!

It was an interesting concert. Also on the program were some beautiful Fauré pieces and a new commission by Michael Jarrell. I must admit that I am not a big fan of atonal music. I love a good melody and interesting chord structure. And I like music to make sense, so I was not all that thrilled with the Jarrell piece. But, hey, I didn't ask him to write it, and I don't get to pick the symphony's playlist. The cellist, Jean-Guihen Queyras, played beautifully, especially on the final Fauré piece.

Mom and Dad M and Game Boy came with us. It was Game Boy's first live symphony performance, but not his first time to Abravanel Hall. He said that he's not opposed to coming with us again. Not a ringing endorsement, but also not a complete failure.

Back to the Utah Symphony we must go

In October 2010, we went to a Utah Symphony concert featuring a young American Pianist named Conrad Tao playing Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini. Well, he came back to play the Tchaikovsky Piano Concert #1 in B minor. You know we had to be there. So we were. Also on the program was Shostasovich's Symphony #5. Does it get any better than this? Well, in February, the symphony will be continuing their Beethoven Festival with Symphony #5 (dun dun dun DUUUUUUNNN), the Mendelssohn Violin Concert, and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concert #2 in C minor.

I'm in music heaven just thinking about it all. *happy sigh*

New Year's movie marathon, part II

For the New Year's movie marathon this year, Game Boy opted to come with us, and hence, enjoyed the fun of the helping to pick out the movies. Here are the ones we saw, in order of seeing, and how we felt about them:

Up first: War Horse (see this movie, though Mr. Perfect felt more consideration was given to cinematography than to character development)

Second: The Adventures of Tintin (fun and fast-paced; 3-1/2 stars out of 4 -- we didn't see it in 3D)

Lastly: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (united consensus on favorite of all three)

Painter Extraordinaire, Li'l Big Sis, and Genius Child #2 saw Sherlock Holmes with us. Fun, fun fun!

Another new birthday tradition for Mr. Perfect

So, a couple of weeks ago, on Mr. Perfect's birthday, we went to The Forgotten Carols. This year, he also asked if we could catch Voice Male's Christmas concert. Well, I love their music almost as much as Mr. Perfect does, so of course I said "YES!" and we bought the tickets right then.

Oh, yeah. This will definitely be a new Christmas tradition for us, whether or not it's part of Mr. Perfect's birthday or just something we do this time each year.

I love spoiling my man. He so deserves it.

Ah, Beethoven

The Utah Symphony has an amazing schedule this year. Thierry Fischer will be conducting all nine symphonies by the master, Ludwig von Beethoven.

Last Saturday, we went with Psycho Exercise Sis, Mr. Doctor Man, and Mr. Doctor Man's Sweet Mama to hear #7 and an amazing violinist play an amazingly difficult violin concerto. This Friday, we heard #6 (The Pastoral) and a wildly fun percussion piece. Most Happy Girl most happily enjoyed Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, which ended the program. Beethoven and Wagner in the same concert; crazy, crazy times.

Beethoven's most famous symphony, the 5th, won't be performed until February, but fortunately it's early enough in the month that we won't miss Genius Child #1's wedding to Georgia's Sweetest Peach. Unlike most people, my favorite movement from this one isn't the opening (dun dun dun DUN) but the fourth movement. Ah, so glorious.

Hold on to your hats, ladies and gents; it's going to be a wild season of classical musical!

Percy and Harry see the Bees

Most Happy Girl's office had discount Salt Lake Bees tickets, and we decided to make a date night of it. But we also knew that it would be a great experience for the Boys. Even though the Bees lost (we left at the end of the 8th inning to avoid traffic), we had a great time.

I highly recommend the gourmet nachos, not the ones with melted Velveta and a handful of jalapenos thrown on top, but the "meal for eight in a tin" nachos.

Yeah, we all had a great time.

What do Mendelssohn, Haydn, and Handel have in common?

Mr. Perfect and I attended the Utah Symphony a couple of weeks ago, and on the program were Haydn, Handel, and Mendelssohn. They performed the entire Midsummer Night's Dream incidental music with narration provided by staff from the Utah Shakespeare Festival. What a fun concert. They also performed Handel's Fire Suite and a Haydn symphony (unfortunately I don't remember which one, but it was wonderful).

Mendelssohn wrote his Midsummer Night's Dream Overture when he was only 17. The rest of the music was written for a performance of the play when he was in his thirties, and includes the famous Mendelssohn's Wedding March.

The whole evening was fun, though we almost missed the Haydn because we were running late. Literally running to Symphony Hall from the Gateway parking lot, and just making it into our seats with about 2 minutes to spare. If you're late to the symphony, you aren't seated until the first piece is finished. Not the first movement of the first piece; the entire first piece. Whew!

Percy and Harry go see Carl Bloch

We decided it was time for Percy and Harry to have another adventure, so we got tickets to the Carl Bloch exhibit at Brigham Young University. Once the tickets were ordered, we realized that because they are stuffed animals and therefore not real or alive, Percy and Harry didn't require their own tickets. What do to with the extras? We quickly called up Little Big Sis and Painter Extraordinaire to see if they were available for dinner and the exhibit. They were.

We had a lovely dinner at Mimi's Cafe and headed over to the Museum of Art. Can I just say that the work of Carl Bloch is amazing. No photography was allowed in the exhibit (understandable), so these images are from the BYU MoA's website for the exhibit. We had a wonderful time.

The museum rented out iPads with a very indepth, interactive presentation on the paintings, with detailed information about Bloch's life and the places in Europe (mostly Scandinavia) where the paintings live. I now understand why people are rather addicted to iPads, but they are really just a great, big iPhone you can't make calls on.

Mr. Perfect wondered how he would look inside on of the pictures. What do you think?

Happy New Year!

We had so much fun last night at Big Brother Bishop's house. Good food, great company, fun games. What more can you ask? I definitely ate way too much of that good food.

Today, Mr. Perfect and I started a new (though not so new for me) New Year's Day tradition of staking out a megaplex movie theater, selecting 3-4 movies we want to see, and then just going from movie to movie for the whole day. I used to do this every year with Crazy Writer Chick back when I was single, so it was great fun to revive it with the hubby.

We saw:
True Grit (the favorite of both of us)

The Social Network (very good, but a bit disturbing how much sex, under-aged drinking, and drugs it contained)

Tron: Legacy (good, but didn't live up to all its hype)

Random Utah Symphony concerts

About a month ago, Psycho Exercise Sis, offered us an extra ticket to the Utah Symphony to hear Brahms (Piano Concert) and Beethoven (Symphony #6, the Pastoral -- heavenly!) because they have season tickets and Mr. Doctor Man was out of town on his annual bike race between Logan and Jackson Hole. She also said that we could probably buy another ticket at her discounted season ticket holder price and exchange the other ticket so that they were together. This we did, and an obsession was born.

We noticed that the next major concert of the season was Hilary Hahn playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concert. How could we miss that? So, once again we got tickets through Psycho Exercise Sis and away we went. Amazing!

Well, this time it was Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini. Now, anyone who knows me and my love of classical music will also know that Rachmaninoff is my favorite, especially of the 20th century composers. We asked if Sis and Doc were going. They weren't, but Sis offered to get us tickets, and two of Mr. Perfect's sisters came with us.

Before the concert, we met at our house for some Wasatch Pizza (highly, highly recommended), and off we went. I cannot begin to describe how truly wonderful the pianist, Conrad Tao, was. At only 16, this American-born musician plays with liquid strength and beautiful understanding of the music. If you get a chance to hear him play, go. Don't think about it. Just go.

Here we are in front of the The Olympic Tower sculpture, by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly, at Abravanel Hall.