Kansas City Symphony: Higdon and Hindemith

If you believed the big media build up, this weekend's Kansas City Symphony concert was all about:

1) The local premiere of recent Pulitzer winner Jennifer Higdon's "The Singing Rooms" for violin, chorus and orchestra.

2) Ravel's Bolero.

Me? I came for the Hindemith Nobilissma Visione Suite.

Debussy's "Prélude à L'Après-midi d'un Faune" (that is fun to type) opened the concert. Michael Stern conducted with Jennifer Koh violin and the Kansas City Symphony Chorus in the Higdon.

As the Higdon work unfolded, I drifted in thought to the 1936 article in the Soviet newspaper "Pravda" that condemned Shostakovich's opera "Lady MacBeth of the Mtsensk District" as a "Muddle Instead of Music". They could have been talking about "The Singing Rooms".

Based on poems by Higdon's Curtis Institute colleague Jeanne Minahan Mc Ginn, the composer described the piece as a "house where the violin sings, the chorus sings and the orchestra sings." But, as in a house inhabited by too many people, there was just too much going on and too many family members fighting each other for attention. The percussion banged, clanged and clinked with every sound imaginable, a full orchestra and chorus filled the stage to overflowing taking turns overpowering each other. Plus the incredible virtuosity of Jennifer Koh had to fit in now and then. Thus this massive piece, about 30 minutes duration, went nowhere slowly.

Higdon goes on to state that "every room has its own sound world". Could have fooled me. The sections "Three Windows: Two Versions of the Day", "Things aren't always", "The Interpretation of Dreams", "Confession", "History Lesson". "A Word With God" and a reprise of the "Three Windows" poem, all sounded quite the same. Each section could be characterized as featuring similar declamatory choral lines, lots of percussive effects and Koh sawing away at the violin. Higdon obviously lavished great attention on the choice of texts, but then buried them in the mix as the chorus was mostly unintelligible. A tender dialog between the cor anglais and the violin about 3/4 through the piece was a rare highlight as was a rhythmic battle between clapping percussion and the violin.

Thus I lay the blame for my dislike and the lukewarm reception of the piece mostly on the over ambition of the composer. The piss-poor Lyric Theatre acoustics, thick orchestration and some sloppy diction from the huge chorus certainly contributed to the blurring of the text and program. Frankly, I think the piece could work as a chamber piece for small chorus, ensemble and violin, allowing the listener to appreciate and follow the meticulously crafted program. Just a suggestion, Ms. Higdon.

The highlight for me was a coolly elegant and noble performance of one of Hindemith's masterpieces "Nobilissma Visione", a balletic retelling of the story of St Francis. Using 1/3 as many performers, Hindemith set the scenes of the conversion of St Francis from worldly playboy to the pious, humble saint more realistically and vividly than anything Higdon attempted in her much more ambitious work. Stern and the orchestra fully understood and communicated the restrained, rarefied joy and humility of St Francis as represented by Hindemith. The rich full strings and the excellent work of the violas (Hindemith was prejudiced you know), subtle brass and always excellent winds contributed to this most fine performance of a piece that is simply not heard enough. Stern has an affinity for Hindemith ( a fine "Symphonic Metamorphoses" brought the house down in his inaugural concert several seasons ago) and thus I ask him to please do the masterful Symphony in Eb some day.

The Debussy was a fine performance with a standout solo by flutist Michael Gordon and Stern's detailed attention to the many ebbs and flows of the piece.

And Bolero? As one expected, this brisk performance was a crowd pleaser. Spoiled only for me by a horn flub in the cleverly scored section for flutes, celesta and horn. Percussionist Christopher Mc Laurin received a well deserved accolade for his rock steady snare drum.

Service Without a Smile

Along with the implosion of polite public discourse, political compromise and co-operation comes the end of customer service. It is dead for all practical purposes. No one cares, you pays your money and you takes your chance. If something is wrong, well good luck in finding someone who cares. Good luck even finding someone to provide service. And if they say they will do something... I give it 50/50 that they will.

I have so far been stood up by 3 different concrete contractors. My friend Amy has been stood up by three totally different one. I guess they are so busy in this booming economy that they do not care for my piddly little $2000 job. I made a call to a structural engineer firm, asked for a fellow by name, told his voice mail who had referred me and never heard back.... nothing. It is a 50/50 chance my roofer will come by after reminding him he promised to come by and look at a problem 2 weeks ago. (It seems he is on his way... we will see...). Please, if you do not want my business, then tell me so. I'll go quietly and not bother you. But if you say you do and then piss me off and I will be sure everyone I know will hear about you.

And then when you do get served.. well that is a different story.

Years ago, I worked my way through college as a waiter in a fine restaurant in my home tow, The owner was a bit of a stooge, but the manager was smart and went on to own several successful restaurants. He always told us that if a customer wanted something in reason, they were to get it. If they asked for bluefin tuna and we didn't have it, that was something else. No sauce on a dish.. no problem, a pepsi and vodka with a shot of gin... whatever floats your boat...

Last night at a fancy, jackets-for-gentlemen members only club the waiter got in to a heated argument with a member who was hosting a party (little ol' me got to go!) over how to make a Brandy Alexander. This guy was belligerent and even brought over an i-phone or some such device to show him that it was made with chocolate. The customer wanted one with just ice cream and brandy. That is the way I have always had them. Now, if it were me, he would have had it the way he wanted it. When I stated that I did not like chocolate, he did not offer to make me one without, he simply said it was that way or nothing. I passed until Scott raised a bigger ruckus. It was quite tasty but they forgot the nutmeg... I didn't want to start another war.

Sad that we have come to this. I blame the work environment these days for creating the throw-away employee, laying off at a whim to make someone else richer, cutting manpower to the bone, taking away benefits and making loyalty as rare as hen's teeth.

I don't have a solution.. well maybe I do. When I worked for a company that actually stressed and practiced customer service on a daily basis, we made money, we did well and I had less employee issues than in the past. So it can be done. It just takes a change from "making value for our stakeholders" (translate make our rich stockholders richer) to "doing onto others as you want them to do unto you".

Simple really.

Coupl'a Things XXXVI

1) RIP Yvonne Loriod, French pianist and wife of the late composer Oliver Messiaen who died Monday, May 17, at the age of 86, after years of poor health.

Loriod was born on 20 January 1924 near Paris. She had piano lessons from childhood, as did her sister Jeanne, four and a half years younger. Jeanne Loriod, who died in 2001, became a leading exponent of the electronic instrument the ondes martenot. Long regarded as a brilliant pianist, Yvonne giving monthly recitals as a young girl and by 14 she knew the whole of Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier” and all 32 Beethoven sonatas.

Yvonne was Messiaen's second wife. He had fallen in love with her when she was a teenage student of his at the Paris Conservatoire and she was his muse for five decades (they only married in 1961 after the death of Messiaen's first wife, in a sanatorium, after many years of mental illness). Loriod's playing was the inspiration for music from the gigantic cycle Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus, for solo piano, to the piano parts of orchestral pieces in the Turangalila Symphony and Des canyons aux étoiles. She also specialized in modern French piano music, being a leading proponent and performer of the piano works of Pierre Boulez.

2) Happy Birthday to Overland Park, KS! On May17th, 1960 voters in the Mission Urban Township approved the motion to form a city, which was made official on May 20th. Just 50 years ago, this sprawling suburb was mostly farm and field. Now it is the second largest city in Kansas behind Wichita with over 175,000 people. When it officially incorporated as a city, it had less than 29,000. Despite the late blooming, it quickly overtook older suburbs such as Olathe, Prairie Village and Lenexa and passed by state capital Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas in population.

We would sometimes like to, but we could not live without you OPKS? Maybe we could with out many of your drivers who never seem to know how to signal or what "one way" means and some of your politicians as well. You are vital to the area and you know it. So enjoy your birthday. Are they serving cupcakes? (inside joke to KC area people.. we sometimes call OPKS and its county "Cupcake County")

Anyway...many more!

3) Move over Susan Boyle, 80 year old Janey Cutler is this year's sensation from Britain. What is with these spunky Scottish ladies and their singing? Must be the pubs and scotch.

Janey Cutler - Britain's Got Talent 2010 - Auditions Week 4 @ Yahoo! Video

Kansas City Symphony: Vienna 1785-1911

Associate Conductor Steven Jarvi, now in his second year with the KC Symphony, got his (official) chance to conduct a subscription concert this weekend. I say official as he was pressed into service last season when Music Director Michael Stern was indisposed. Jarvi, a student of Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony in Miami and no relation to the other Jarvi musical family, chose a concert highlighting the music of Vienna from 1785 through to the end of the empire and the advent of Schoenberg and his "Second Viennese School". Music of Mozart, Schubert, Mahler and Richard Strauss comprised the demanding concert.

The only major disappointment of the evening was the opening Schubert Rosamunde Overture. The stiffly foursquare, totally forgettable run through was redeemed a bit by Jarvi's slashing, brash work up of the final pages, thus at least ensuring a brisk round of applause.

Much better was the Mahler Adagio from the Symphony # 10 that rounded out the first half; a performance that was a thousand times more committed and passionate than the Barenboim/Staatskapelle Berlin performance I heard in New York almost exactly a year ago. Jarvi spoke eloquently about the work before the performance, giving the audience a taste of what was going through the bitter, dying composer's mind at the time and demonstrating his own passion for the music.

The performance was quite excellent, marred only by some string intonation issues (usually in the fiendishly difficult pianissimo upper registers the composer demands) and a bit too aggressive brass. Unfortunately, when they were actually called upon to be brash, the trumpets bobbled their high-pitched blasts. But on the whole, Jarvi mastered this most incredible piece of music and notably negotiated the subtle change of gears in this long lined, linear work more successfully than Barenboim. The adagio is not a splashy, colorful work, so it is imperative that the tempo relationships are adhered to so as to provide some contrast and movement. Jarvi understood that was the key to bringing this movement to life.

My friend Gerry, who was with me for the concert, was bemused at my lack of applause after the performance. "You said you adored this piece... was it not a good performance?" "Frankly, it was excellent," I responded, "but you know me, I am old fashioned and thus do not clap between movements." So, with a quite successful Adagio under your belt, Maestro Jarvi, please tackle the completed Mahler/Cooke 10th. There is so much glorious music that should be heard more often. Yes, I know the second scherzo is somewhat of a mess, the first scherzo is a bit clunky and Mahler would have likely pruned the finale a bit... but damn what a symphony and I promise I will applaud.

Jarvi and the orchestra were at their height in the second half. Pianist Simone Dinnerstein joined the orchestra for the Mozart Piano Concerto # 21 in C K 467. Showing our age, Gerry and I were both surprised no mention was made in the notes of this being the famous "Elvira Madigan Concerto", springing from its use in a 1967 film about the tragic Swedish tightrope walker and her doomed love. We figured it was because many in the audience were not born by 1967 and had never seen or heard of the now obscure film.

In a previous recital by Dinnerstein, I noted her cool and somewhat detached style combined with a formidable technique. This style worked well in this swift, yet totally classic performance of this masterpiece. I was a bit put off, however, by Dinnerstein's splashy cadenzas. Although technically brilliant, to me they clashed with the simple elegance of this noble concerto. The KC Symphony winds and strings provided a most deft and perfectly balanced accompaniment, adding to the cool grace and elegance of this satisfying performance.

Bounding on the podium with a flourish (delighting his female cheering section seated to the left of me), Jarvi concluded his concert with the suite from Richard Strauss' "Der Rosenkavailer". The KCS horns were in full bloom tonight, contributing to a well turned performance that tended to drag just a bit as Jarvi swooned over and milked some of the more juicy waltz melodies. But the audience loved this crowd pleaser, bringing a well thought out concert to a close.

Sadly, this was the last performance with our wonderful concertmistress Kaniko Ito. Ms Ito's husband, Martin Storey, has landed a plum job as principal cello with the BBC Scottish National Orchestra and thus Ito will be moving on to Glasgow. What a loss for us. Godspeed Kaniko!

Coupl'a Things XXXV

1) I note with now more pity than outrage that The Pope Formerly known as Cardinal Ratslinger calls abortion and same-sex marriage two of the most “insidious and dangerous” threats facing the world today.

Never mind about war, famine, disease, poverty, priests fucking children for sport and that little problem of terrorism. Of course the Catholic Empire can not do anything about the above and in many ways has been the leading cause of much of it throughout history. So the mighty, god ordained Vicar of Christ, picks a couple of issues of which he can not find a shred of evidence that they have caused more harm than war. Really, is same sex marriage all THAT insidious, or are you just pissed, Pope Nazi XVI, that you can't get married to your sweetie, Cardinal Fang?

There are more people in the world than not who feel the Roman Catholic Empire is among the most “insidious and dangerous” threats facing the world today.

Kick this fucker to the curb.

2) On a lighter note, I can only wonder about the chain of errors that occurred within the US Postal Service that resulted in a letter from a business to Chicago addressed to a business in Salem, New Hampshire appearing in my mail box.

3) Bad day for nudity in Missouri. Despite record unemployment, a state budget cutting essential services, a justice system out of control and myriad of other problems, the legislature led by Matt "Needs to Get Laid" Bartle R-La La Land, banned nudity from strip joints and basically makes it so difficult for them to operate that most will shut down. What will all the poor single moms and college slut ladies do now? What will all the married dads, drunk boys and truckers do for entertainment?

4) No wonder I drink too much.

Adieu KFUO

Another sad farewell to an institution that has served its community well for 62 years. KFUO FM radio, St Louis' only classical music station, will cease broadcasting classical music in the next few weeks. Owned by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, the station was sold for 26 million dollars to, of all things, a Christian Music broadcaster Joy FM.

Many in the arts community, disappointed LCMS members, listeners and even local politicians battled what seemed like a foregone conclusion that St Louis would lose this radio treasure. The church did everything to block any other group besides Joy FM from bidding on the station's license. For example, a group of donors to the listener-supported station attempted their own effort to purchase the station and keep classical music on the St. Louis radio dial, but the group couldn't come up with as much money as offered by Joy FM.

One of the reasons for that could be that the church refused to provide the donor group a copy of the term sheet for the station. Thus the controversial and high powered attorney and LCMS Board member from Omaha Kermit Brashear could shepherd the sale through the approval process and claim no one else was interested. The sweetheart deal means Joy FM only pays $3 million up front and the rest over many years. Who knows if they will ever get the full $26 million.

Even though I no longer live in St Louis, 99.1FM was set on my car presets so when I traveled back and forth from Illinois to Kansas City, I would have at least an hour or two of excellent music. KFUO also played a wide variety of good classical music, not just short baroque pieces and excerpts. At Christmas, I could hardly wait to get in range to hear their continuous Christmas music broadcasts, so much better than the pop crap that permeated the dial. I got to know the announcers, Tom Sudholt, Ron Klemm, Dick Wobbe and John Clayton and could recognize their voices. Even though I heard them rarely since I left St Louis, they still seemed like old neighbors.

But no more. Greed wins out.

KFUO 1948-2010. Thanks for everything.

LCMS 1847- thanks for nothing.

Leave It To Beavers

I am bemused today by reports from Alberta, Canada of a giant beaver dam so big that it is visible in NASA and Google satellite photos, giving it a certain cachet along with the Great Wall of China and the Panama Canal. Supposedly Sarah Palin can see it from her window.

The dam is situated in northern Alberta's Wood Buffalo National Park and stretches about 1/2 mile deep in the forest.

Busy little beavers they are, using just their instincts with no government money or environmental oversight, the dam has been a work in progress since the 70's. Canadian citizens, with their usual good humor, were proud of the accomplishment of their furry mascot accompanied by cheers of "own the podium!" and a sense of pride that the structure was one of the most impressive things ever built in Canada. Some were wondering, however, if this dam thing was not the work of one giant beaver or maybe a conspiracy of rodents to take over Alberta. Perhaps a government plan to produce "green" power by installing generators.

Any way, here is the pic. I am assuming the large brown thing is the dam.

Beaver Dam

Salt of the Earth

Supposedly, Henry Ford (not sure if it was HF I or HF II) would always take a new executive prospect to lunch. If he/she salted their food before tasting, he would have reservations about hiring them. Mr Ford seemed to think these people would act before getting all the facts and thus be a risk.

I probably would not be hired.

BUT I am getting better on cutting back on the old salt, just a short twist of my handy dandy salt grinder and I am usually fine. Unfortunately, being of the single set and a work at home person to boot, I eat out a lot. It is easier, faster and sometimes even cheaper than a home cooked dinner. And with a Micky D's up the street, it is so tempting to count out a couple of bucks and get two warm, ready to eat sausage and egg burritos for $2 than it is to prepare a fake egg omelet and turkey bacon. I am sure it is loaded with salt too, probably what makes it good.

But upon reading an article about the most salty food in the US (thankfully my burritos did not make the list) I think the old fake eggs and turkey bacon may just make more appearances. Plus, with a new used copy of the fabulous 1961 New York Times cookbook in my possession, I have all sorts of new things to try.

10 Saltiest Restaurant Meals

1. Chili’s
Jalapeno Smokehouse Burger w/ Jalapeno Ranch (6,460 mg)
Mashed Potatoes w/ Gravy (1,050)
Seasonal Vegetables (490)
Total sodium: 7,770 mg

2. Chili’s
Buffalo Chicken Fajitas w/ Tortillas & Condiments (6,290)
Bowl Black Bean Soup (1480)
Total sodium: 6,950 mg

3. Denny’s
Meat Lover’s Scramble (3,180)
Hash browns with Onion, Cheese and Gravy (3,820), Small Milk (100)
Total sodium: 6,165 mg

4. Red Lobster
Admiral’s Feast (4,400)
Caesar Salad w/ Caesar Dressing (1,120)
Creamy Langostino Lobster with Mashed Potato (1,110)
Cheddar Bay Biscuit (350)
Light Lemonade (55)
Total sodium: 5,925 mg

5. Olive Garden
Tour of Italy (lasagna) (3,830)
Breadstick (with garlic-butter spread) (400)
Garden Fresh Salad w/ House Dressing (1,930)
Coca Cola (5)
Total sodium: 5,725 mg

6. Olive Garden
Chicken Parmigiana (3,380)
Breadstick (with garlic-butter spread) (400)
Garden Fresh Salad w/ Dressing (1,930)
Raspberry Lemonade (15)
Total sodium: 5,320 mg

7. Denny’s
Spicy Buffalo Chicken Melt (3,820)
Vegetable Rice Pilaf (820)
Small Tomato Juice (680)
Total sodium: 5,090 mg

8. Dairy Queen
Spicy Chili Bowl (3,900)
Large French Fries (1,040),
Large Mountain Dew (150)
Total sodium: 4,625 mg

9. Arby’s
Large Beef ‘n Cheddar Sandwich (2,200)
Large Mozzarella Sticks w/ Marinara Sauce (2,380)
Dr. Pepper (Small Cup) (45)
Total sodium: 3,280 mg

10. KFC
Large Popcorn Chicken (1600)
Biscuit (530)
Macaroni & Cheese (880)
Jalapeno Peppers (480)
Large Lipton Green with Peach Tea (280)
Total sodium: 2,760 mg

10 Saltiest Packaged Foods

1. Hungry-Man
Grilled Bourbon Steak Strips in sauce with rice and green beans (one prepared meal)
Total sodium: 6,990 mg

2. Boston Market
Meat Loaf with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy (one prepared meal)
Total sodium: 5,680 mg

3. Maruchan
Instant Lunch Chicken Vegetable Soup (recommended serving = 64g)
Total sodium: 1,420 mg

4. Celeste
Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza for One (one pizza)
Total sodium: 1,230 mg

5. Rold Gold
Pretzel Rods, (recommended serving six pretzels)
Total sodium: 1,220 mg

6. Hormel
Chili with Beans (recommended serving one cup)
Total sodium: 1,200 mg

7. Jimmy Dean
Breakfast Bowl with sausage, egg, potatoes and cheddar cheese (one prepared meal)
Total sodium: 1,090 mg

8. Hebrew National
Quarter Pound Franks (one frank)
Total sodium: 1,070 mg

9. Oscar Mayer
Lunchables Lean Ham and Cheddar Cracker Stackers (one prepared meal)
Total sodium: 1,060 mg

10. Kraft Easy Mac
Microwavable Macaroni and Cheese Dinner (one prepared meal)
Total sodium: 1,050 mg

I think I could make a Chicken Parmesan without using 3,380 mg of salt.

HM's 11th Birthday Photos

Some photos from HM's 11th birthday, taken by Royal Photographer Lord Snowpug:

Browsing the treats at Three Dog Bakery:

After Returning home:

Enjoying Sausage for breakfast in her fine silver:

The Sausage was a special treat:



2010 11th Birthday Official Portrait:

Royal Announcement

Royal Announcement
Puggingham Palace

HM's Birthday Celebrations

Today, we celebrate the 11th birthday of Puggles Duchess Windsor, Queen of Pugs, Supreme Ruler of Alaska, Princess Royal of Baltimore Place, Grand Duchess of Missouri, Grand Duchess of Kansas City and St Louis, Duchess of Illinois, Duchess of Clinton, Baroness Pugtona, Royal Order of the Greenie and Treat, Grand Order of the Scrunchie, Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Kibble, Patroness of the Royal Pugharmonic Orchestra.

By Royal Decree, all Pugs in PugVillage, Alaska, Kansas City, all places mentioned above and everywhere HM sees and rules will get extra treats in honor of the Royal Birth. HM has further declared this to be a Most High and Wonderful, Grand, Fabulous Royal Day.

HM will be spending the day at the Palace, receiving guests and reading birthday wishes from all over the world. Later this PM, after a photo shoot from Lord Snowpug, she has ordered the Limo to take her to the Three Dog Bakery for her only public appearance and to receive her customary Birthday Big Scary Kitty Cookies.

We wish HM many more birthdays and a most happy one today.

~ Palace Communications

Teocali, Authentic Mexican

When one works at or around home, a person feels the need to get out of the place now and then. So when most are returning home from a work place and want to cozy up in their own home, I am planning an escape. Thus I eat out more than I should. You would think that I would know every restaurant in town, but that is not the case. I tend to find a favorite or two and stick to my routine. Even in my escape from routine and familiar I tend to play it safe.

Thus my new favorite, once a week at least, hot spot is a charming, small and locally owned (usually my prerequisite for a good restaurant) Mexican restaurant, Teocali.

Teocali has been around since 2006, but I first visited about 6 months ago. A neighbor of mine suggested it to me in the past, but I was absorbed in Thai then and had no time for Mexican. When Greg told me about it, I remembered the ringing endorsement of my neighbor and decided to try it out.

Set just south of the sprawling UMKC medical complex and Children's Mercy Hospital, Teocali is bustling at lunch with all the doctors, nurses and students from the hospitals and medical school. The lunch specials are a bit cheaper and more routine fare such as tacos, burritos, taco salad, etc. than the dinner menu but are tasty, quick, fresh and with generous but not wasteful portions.

The owners state, both on their website and to customers personally, that the dishes are authentic and similar to the recipes used by their family for generations. The Gutierrez family is usually around while open and are always friendly and chatty. One can tell that the place already has a regular following.

Dinner menu is a bit more limited than some Mexican places, but that is fine by me as the selections are carefully prepared and sometimes off the beaten path. For example, one has to experience the unique Flautas Nortenas, a bit larger and not as dry as regular flautas, with a crisp flour tortilla wrapped around flavorful chicken and a tangy, smoky chipotle sauce. My friend Greg loves the sopes; masa patties layered with beans, meat, lettuce, tomato, monterrey cheese and sour cream, a variation on a traditional tostada. Last night I had some of the best carne asada I have ever had, tender and spicy with 6 plump, butter and garlic kissed shrimp, a bargain at $13.99. The fajitas are generous and full of tasty grilled meats and lots of onions and peppers. The ubiquitous sides of rice and beans are always flavorful and fresh. I have been less impressed with the burritos; the meat inside, whether chicken or beef is on the bland side. The chips and salsa (which they, like a growing number of restaurants do, charge for) are excellent.

My biggest quibble is with the margaritas. Strong, generous sized and tasty, but they are on tap and are often a bit fizzy. A carbonated margarita is not really my thing, but it does not stop me from enjoying them. However, last night there was not a hint of fizz and on some but not all past visits the fizz has been less noticeable. My suggestion: find a way to keep them easily on tap but without the carbonation. The bar is well stocked and features a slew of tequila which I have not sampled but looks impressive as I remember my tequila slamming days.

Tex-Mex fans will be disappointed in the lack of thick sauces, heavy cheese and hot spices. The flavors are more natural, smoky and lighter than the usual, which makes Teocali a special and unique treat.

Teocali is located at 2512 Holmes directly south of the UMKC Dental School and just east of Crown Center. Sadly, not open Sunday, my favorite day to go out, but open to 10 most nights for the late crowd.

Planned Obsolescence

I remember the excitement when it arrived at my sister's doorstep. Just removed from Kansas City and a bout of unemployment, I had landed a job in the Chicago area. I was rooming with a friend in a clap-trap house in the wonderful suburb of Waukegan but was relishing the fact that I had some money again. My old computer had been eaten by a virus and was functioning erratically and totally unreliable. So I ordered a new Dell computer with state of the art memory processor, big new monitor and all the latest software preloaded. Paid a lot for it too. Since I was not sure how secure the delivery would be in Waukegan, I had it sent to my sister who was usually home.

Excitedly I came down that weekend, opened her all up and with in minutes had it functioning; dial up modem and AOL to boot.

Now, in about an hour or so.. she is going to be scrapped. I hate the throw away society we are in, but if the damn thing is now obsolete and I have no room to store it, what can one do? A local group is sponsoring a free electronics recycling day and she is going out there along with an old printer and a VCR, other remnants of obsolete machinery. At least I am not going to dump it on the street or in the trash, hopefully some parts or whatever will find a new use.

The big old CRT monitor is staying behind; they are so worthless they charge you to take them off your hands. Something tells me it may end up as a door stop, or in the trash.

Dell Dimension 8100 1999-2010 thanks for the years of service.

From Our Local Rag III

This tidbit was in the online edition of Our Local Rag today:

"KC Goose is shot to death"

"A goose was shot to death near Trace County Park this morning. Kansas City Police dispatchers received a call today about shots being fired near Blue Parkway and 87th St.

When they arrived, they reported a goose had been shot and died.

A shotgun was involved (really, ya think so??), but no other information was immediately available."

Sad to see the journalistic standards of a paper go down so quickly. Of course since all the pros were fired or laid off, what does one expect?

Volcano!

Click here and watch the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland do its thing. She has made a mess of flying all over Europe these last couple of days.

Ugly looking critter too:

To the Moon

Apollo 11 Saturn V Launch (HD) Camera E-8 from Mark Gray on Vimeo.

Fabulous video of the launch of a Saturn V rocket carrying Apollo 11 to the moon, July 16, 1969. Basically old 16mm film slowed to a HD format. Do yourself a favor and watch on full screen.

Those were such exciting and heady days.

Kansas City Symphony: Mahler 4th and Barber

Mahler's Symphony # 4 is his shortest (still at about 1 hour, hardly a trifle) and his most gentle in many respects. The orchestra required is also almost a chamber orchestra in comparison to his other symphonies; for example the 4th has no trombones or tuba and smaller percussion ensemble. No cowbells, hammers, organ, and only 7 brass, usually Mahler has that many horns alone. For a long time, I did not fully appreciate the glories and subtleties of this work, but as I get older and gentler, I realize just what a jewel this piece is.

Famed American soprano Heidi Grant Murphy joined Music Director Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony for most a well conceived and enjoyable program of "music evocative of a simpler time": Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin", Barber "Knoxville Summer of 1915" and the aforementioned Mahler 4th.

The opening work, "Le Tombeau de Couperin", Ravel's homage to the Baroque suite and fallen friends from World War I, benefited from Stern's well controlled performance and the always excellent Symphony winds. "Le Tombeau" is practically a concerto for winds and oboe anyway, thus the technically brilliant contributions of the new principal oboist Mingjia Liu were well appreciated.

Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 is based on a short prose poem by James Agee. One of Barber's undisputed masterpieces, Knoxville poignantly evokes a simpler time long past through its lush, rich and wistful textures. The setting of the prose can be problematic since there is of course no rhyme or much rhythmic meter to the words. Barber chooses not to fight the prose but underpin it with lyrical, rhapsodic music, allowing the words to weave in and out of the textures to tell their story.

Grant Murphy literally threw herself in to the role of story teller, her light but clear and shining voice perfectly evoking an adult breathlessly recalling simple joys that with time have become almost magical. At times her light voice made it difficult to understand her in Barber's more thickly scored sections (the Lyric's lousy acoustics do not help at all of course), but even without understanding every nuance, the audience was treated to a fine performance of this ravishing work, one likely not to be heard again soon.

It maybe Mahler's shortest, lightest scored in number symphony, but it is hardly a simple piece. The nostalgic mood is achieved through some fiendishly complex music. The Symphony was in fine show on Saturday, the winds and brass were excellent, the strings quite competent (but really needed a few extras to better balance the ensemble) and the important percussion colorful without overwhelming the piece. The 3rd movement was sublime, one of those rare moments in orchestral concerts where everyone is of one mind and purpose, leaving us with a splendid and moving performance. The orchestra could be raucous when needed, especially in the dancing scherzo. Concertmistress Kanako Ito was marvelous in the strange "Totentanz" scordatura violin in the demonic scherzo.

Grant Murphy returned for the last movement's solo "Das himmlische Leben", an earlier setting from the "Wunderhorn" songs. Himmlische Leben depicts a sweet and naive vision of "heavenly life", excitingly describing the preparation of a feast for the heavenly hosts. Despite a gruesome sacrifice of a lamb and heartless killing of an ox, the child goes on to describe all the culinary treats of heaven. Frankly this has been the reason I have not always been so fond of the 4th, I can not get past the silliness of the poem, but there is no denying Mahler set it with some of his most tender and colorful music. Grant Murphy was again a bit light and hard to hear, but her voice was suitably child like and so full of wonder (she has a wonderful stage presence no doubt honed by her extensive opera career)that we can enjoy her singing about:

Good greens of every sort

grow in the heavenly vegetable patch,
good asparagus, string beans,
and whatever we want.

American Heartland Theatre: "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change"

For some reason I can not explain, maybe it was the title, I was not really looking forward to the latest American Heartland Theatre (Kansas City's best theatre venue) production of "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change." I was expecting the same, tired marriage and relationship farce that has been done over and over. "I Love You.." is a musical face about love, marriage, dating, sex, relationships, growing old and all that. But the songs are so witty, the music so catching and this minimalist production (spare set, solo piano and 4 actors) so sparkling and well paced that I found myself laughing out loud all evening while reflecting on how difficult and heartbreaking we humans can be.

The show succeeds on the strengths of the 4 actors, favorite Jesslyn Kincaid, Natalie Weaver, Jon Daugharthy and Adam Branson. All have fine voices, a great sense of timing and comic ability and the versatility to assume multiple roles. The always wonderful Anthony Edwards was on stage doing his usual bang up job as accompanist. As I mentioned, the sets were stark simple, but not looking cheap, just the minimum to set the mood. The scene of the 4 actors and husband and wife with two kids in a car was a masterpiece of clever use of props; each actor was in a rolling office chair and sat in formation as in a car and then spun all over the stage as the inevitable argument ensued.

Easily the best scene was "The Very First Dating Video of Rose Ritz, featuring Kincaid as an older divorced woman recording her first dating video. Kincaid sat before a live camera and delivered a poignant monologue on the cruelties and heartbreaks of relationships and love. Her image was projected above the stage as we voyeuristically watched her pour her heart out. When the unseen recorder tells her it was "kind of depressing, should we do it all over again", Rose states, "no, I said what I needed to say." Like the rest of the show, book and lyricist Joe DiPietro, didn't hit us over the head but allowed us to reflect and, yes laugh too, about our attempts to find love.

Runs through April 25.

Coupl'a Things XXXIV

1) First photo of my new clean head:

2) Further proof Republicans are loony to the max:

Virginia Governor restores Confederate History, rewrites history by ignoring issue of slavery.

and:

Wisconsin DA wants to criminally charge teachers for teaching sex education, which is required by law

3) Gotta love the Midwest in spring, storms, hail and 80 degrees on Tuesday. Clouds, wind and 40s on Wednesday.

4) My little apt is awash in the aroma of a wonderful sausage, mushroom and onion pasta sauce. Damn the diet, diabetes and all that.. I am going to enjoy this!

5) Finally, although I will be munching Italian, I am listening to Ravi Shankar, the man responsible for bringing Indian classical music to the world on his 90th birthday.

Ravi Shankar at 90

Easter

FROM ALL OF US AT PUGGINGHAM PALACE!

Lucky

A lovely Easter Eve (is that a correct term?) Saturday inspired me to accompany HM, The Queen of All Pugs on an afternoon walkabout in her 2nd favorite park. The small Mill Creek Park is close, has a nice trail and is relatively free of the shady characters and trash that litter most of midtown. We were rounding the bend by the fountain when we found ourselves face to face (muzzle to muzzle actually) with a rather large canine. Being a narrow walkway, there was not much we could do to avoid the encounter.

HM attempted to greet the fellow walker while her daddy asked me "now what kind of dog is that?" The temptation to slap him with my white butler's glove and icily state that HM is NOT a "that" or actually a dog for that matter passed and I replied "Pug". HM continued to check out her new friend, but the new friend was not all that amused.

I detected some Chow; the ruddy red coat, stocky body and black tongue gave that away. Her face, however, was pure German Shepherd; long nose, prominent teeth quite apparent.

"She is a Chow-German Shepherd mix", the nice fellow stated verifying my observations. "And a lucky one too. I found her 12 years ago in December, she was trying to suckle her dead mother under a porch of an abandoned building. Mother had probably been dead a few days and the tiny pup about 3-4 weeks old. Probably were some other pups, but they were likely dead too. I had tried to get to her but could not, so I got some help. As we were almost under the structure, a pack of feral dogs came running up. The alpha male, probably her papa, was a big, ugly Chow mix, all mangy, bloody and dirty. Mean too. Although his bitch was dead, he was still defending his territory. Got a hold of my pants and coat, but not me luckily. My friend got some bricks and boards and fought them off, just enough for me to grab the pup and get out of there."

By now, HM and her new friend were cautiously checking each other out. Her friend's dad was making sure she did not get too close to Puggles and I was doing the same. Sorry, but I do not trust Chows, they are a bit aggressive and temperamental. I did note that the Chow had a nice white leather collar with stones and a matching leash. She was obviously now quite well removed from her humble beginnings.

"Well", continued the fellow, "I took her to a vet and it was touch and go for a while. She like to never gain weight and fought mange for a long time. But, as you can see, she is a healthy girl, been my friend and companion for all that time, haven't you girl??" He gave her a big pat and ear scratch and her fluffy tail wagged happily. "She is lucky for sure, so she is named 'Luckita', lucky to be alive."

We chatted a bit and went our separate ways along the winding path. A few minutes later I noted them by their car. The man opened the door, produced a bowl of water for Luckita to lap happily. Finishing her drink, she sat obediently and got a treat of some sort. After a few more rubs, ear scratches and treats, Luckita, her bushy tail contentedly wagging, hopped in the front seat of the mini-van and off they went.

Some things are just meant to be, no questions asked.