snippets from the weekend

[cellio]

Exchange at an On the Mark practice:
Singer: "Um, is it really ok to do this song in F# minor? That's a new one for us."
Keyboardist: "Cool! Black keys!"
Guitarist: "I can capo that!"

I love it when people can be flexible. :-) (E minor was just a little too low and it didn't sound right in G minor, and A minor was clearly too high, so... )

My parents recently got back from a trip to Italy. I learned some things:

• You're not allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel even without a flash.
• The real statue of David is in a museum where you're definitely not allowed to take pictures. There is, however, a fake out front.
• Wine was included in all their meals, but water cost extra.
• Call your credit-card company before going. My father had a purchase denied, apparently because it was a few hundred dollars (not normally a trigger) and it came from overseas. The credit-card company called him -- at home, of course -- to check the validity of the charge; when they couldn't reach him they declined it. (My father's reaction: the plane tickets were on that same credit card!)
• Tip from one of their travelling companions: since space in luggage is at a premium, take the underwear you were going to retire soon anyway, and toss it to make room to bring stuff back. My first thought was that that can't possibly generate much space, but if you're going for two weeks at a time of year when you can't just wear sandals (so need socks too), maybe... Never would have thought of that.
• The international calling card you get before leaving will pay for itself the first time you need to call home for anything.

Dani and I went to see "Swan Lake" at the Pittsburgh Ballet Saturday night (the show being late enough and sunset being early enough to make that work). This is the third ballet I've ever seen (not counting TV broadcasts of "Nutcracker"). My conclusion: if it makes me a Philistine so be it (I don't think it does), but I believe I would derive much more enjoyment from any Broadway-style musical than from above-average ballet. (This was not above-average ballet, either -- Dani, who is more interested in ballet to begin with, didn't care for the performance either.)

I can appreciate good dance, and this production had two dancers who really impressed me (Isolte, the swan, was not one of them), but it felt like there was a lot of filler. If there's a nominal story, I want to see it move along; if there's not, and I know that up front, maybe I can go into it with different expectations (and just appreciate dance for dance's sake). Or not; I'm not sure if anything short of front-row seats would let me see more than the broad outlines of what's going on, and maybe that's part of what doesn't work for me. I assume that at any staged production I'm not going to really be able to see the performers' faces clearly; when there is dialogue that helps mitigate.

I might write more of a review of this particular show later.

Comments

Re: I can capo that too ...

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, pit. I was onstage when we did Pippin, so can't speak to the craziness there, but swapping instruments for Grease and especially Caberet was truly insane...seven in one piece, if I recall correctly. (One bit I just rewrote for Bb clarinet, and damn the accidentals, because swapping barrels to A clarinet wasn't going to occur in the 4 beats of rest I had...)

That's *it*. Time to make a music icon.