so in an effort to bring the blog up to speed I am going to do a quick run through of the projects we have accomplished in house maintenance and rehab since last time I posted, and other things along the way-
We had just come back from the trip to the Ape Sanctuary when I last posted
We had the HVAC serviced and learned that our AC needed all new duct work due to the prior rat infestation (before we moved in ) - all the insulation and covering had been torn up and eaten through (YUCK!) and oh by the way your AC has not been cleaned in years and getting it back to working order will be four figures of repair and maintenance work (and at that age - of course - there would be no point in it) so yes we ended up putting new HVAC and ductwork in-
We had the locksmith out to do some work- but hey - that one was just a single door LOL-
The electricians came back for the remainder of the work - installed GFIs in all the places needed to bring the house up to code and did some installation of new lights for us under the kitchen cabinets and in our newly built out closets- and outlets outside for our use-
The "cage" guy came to install a structural strut in the Florida room so we could hang the fan/light fixture in that room...
The awning people came to install one of two exterior shades - (the other will be completed Monday AM) - we get morning sun in the bedroom and makes it difficult to cool, hence a shade to help keep the sun from beating on the triple sliders and heating up the room...
at this point I feel tired just listing the things that were done in the last week of March and first week of April alone... maybe this should be entitled running ON - as in - empty which is about how much energy I have left for organizing the work around here -
oh and did I mention we got ourselves on the bathroom rehab schedule of the guy who will do the gut renovation of the master bath- IN OCTOBER since he was booked through the end of July....
ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?
I had a series of annual check ups at the eye doc - the internal med doc etc... and I am still in class LOL
but on the true fun side -
We met friends Barry & Ellen for lunch right before they left to go north after their three months in Venice (FL)
We had the last concert of the season at the symphony and another play at the theater -
We had dinner with friends Gene & MA and dinner with friends CBGB in Tampa (GA broke her foot a couple of weeks back to it was good to get to see her out and somewhat about) and we had dinner with friends Al & Carol before they head to North Carolina - and CBGB are already talking about their departure for Traverse City area... but will make a visit to Chicago this summer... YEA!
We had a "farewell tour" stop at Blue Marlin to have a super meal and wines with our buddies there - meeting family and friends of theirs as well...
So with that recitation let's go back and get some details painted in-
School - lectures on suburbanization and the fourth skyscraper age-
the Asolo theater production of the entertaining and mercifully short (the conceit wears thin quite quickly) Rhinoceros by Ionesco -
the symphony - an energetic performance of several difficult and complex works- quite rousing and a lovely encore as they ended their Masterworks Season.../
This is from Gayle Williams review for the Herald Tribune-
The Sarasota Orchestra ended its Masterworks season with a challenging trio of works highlighting the many shades of orchestra color captained by three monumental composers from 1940 through 2003. The date range and inclusion of composers Sergei Rachmaninoff, John Adams, and John Corigliano made this one of the most remarkable Masterworks concerts of music director Anu Tali’s tenure.
John Adam’s brief character piece, “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” took off at an unrelenting pace marked by a steady woodblock. In the best performances of this breathless example of Adam’s style of minimalism, flashes of brilliance and textures emerge and subside. The piccolo, then trumpets make a bright flash and are gone. The low brass, then cellos and basses, take over for a moment. The beat never ceases, though the musicians and conductor are navigating shifting meters throughout the repetitive landscape. It’s a great exercise in concentration and the Sarasota musicians pulled the timing off without a hitch.
Corigliano’s Violin Concerto (“The Red Violin”) is a delicious addition to the solo violin repertoire so heavily weighted in the 19th century. In this case, the rich melodic baby was not thrown out with the bathwater. Soloist Elina Vähälä played the demanding score with great passion and bravura evoking a vision of Paganini’s sister.
Drawn from Corigliano’s Oscar-winning score for the eponymous 2000 movie, the concerto begins with the chaconne of “Anna’s theme,” but continues miles beyond. There is still a fresh new thrill to this concerto. A lyric interlude transitioned into a raucous reckless finale which included a nostalgic return of Anna’s theme and topped it all with an astounding cadenza as Vähälä produced every ounce of technique and expression required.
If you were expecting old school Rachmaninoff of the piano concertos to close the concert, you likely left with eyes and ears open to an even broader world of color from the old Russian’s pen. His Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 was his last composition. Based on this performance alone, I vote it his best.
The orchestra was in peak form and Tali was clearly in her element. Rachmaninoff’s masterful orchestration was even more delightful due to the panache of each solo musician and section. A refreshing sense of breath and elasticity injected more joy into the music-making. This generosity of spirit extended through grateful applause and more Rachmaninoff in an encore. What an adventurous ride to end a wonderful season.
and tomorrow we begin the film orgy of the festival with these two shared by both of us and additional individual film for Phil - so 2 for me and 3 for Phil on day ONE ---
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