I think anyone who's reading this blog has a fairly good idea as to what they're getting into. So let's skip the awkward, "Hi, I'm Anna" post that usually comes off as a weak version of an online dating profile.
(I tried that once, actually. I've deleted my profile since then because, in all honesty, the men on there are single for a reason. They have no passion or interest or personality; it's not because they're like me and are too busy for romantic extracurriculars unless they're tripping over one as part of their routine. They just don't have the 'something' that makes others gravitate toward them. I thought it was a crummy idea in the first place, but since everyone around me seems to be either newly involved, newly married, or newly parented, I felt a bit out of sorts. The lesson learned is never go looking for something. Go do something else and 'something' will eventually make you busy enough not to worry about it.)
I've just returned from the Bass Hall in Fort Worth from the first night of the Baroque Festival. Baroque is a music period, not musicians playing broken instruments. This is late 1600s through to the late 1700s, so think powdered wigs, Shakespeare, France before Marie Antoinette and the Revolution, etc etc etc. It's actually a lot of dance and party music. So instead of Ke$ha and Lady Gaga, this is what people would be getting their freak on to or listening to relax after a long day instead of Kenny G or Michael Buble. This was pop music at one point, after all.
I really enjoyed the music, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the solo pieces until the Oboe Concerto by Marcello. The soloist seemed very young and nervous; I don't if that's just how she is normally, but I was surprised to find out that most of her career has been as a first chair oboist and as a soloist. She seemed scared to me, in all honesty, but what came out of her was absolutely beautiful. I am not slamming the bassoon player or the dueling violin players prior to her, but.... they lacked the spark she had. Chamber music/Baroque music is very niche and has a small listening audience, so perhaps this was her element moreso than theirs?
The first half wasn't overly spectacular but the second half was -- it had that soloist, Pachelbal's Canon and then Water Music by Handel. The Canon was set up so that the audience could see the three rounds separated out on stage, so there was a clear visual of one section repeating the prior section's part and rounding through the entire piece. They then threw in a second smaller piece by the same gentleman, and I liked it.
Water Music was a favorite for the players as well as for me. It was originally composed by Handel in 1717 for George I of England; he said, "I'm having a party on A BOAT, MOTHA---errm, I need music for it"
So Handel whipped up Water Music using an unheard of 50-man orchestra with a CONDUCTOR of all things on a boat that floated next to King George's; the harpsichord at the time was the instrument that was the guiding force behind music groups, but they couldn't have it in this situation because it was too heavy to be on the boat. Conductors were a fairly recent addition; prior to the 1700s, it was the piano/organ/harpsichordist running the show, since most of the time, that was also the composer.
So yes, the show ended well. Prior to that, I had dinner with my old boss, who had been generous enough to baby-sit my drug addled ass after I had my wisdom teeth yanked last Thursday. No longer in pain, but I did have a nasty dry socket that finally allowed me to get off Vicodin yesterday afternoon. I've taken one this evening to calm me down after the night, plus I went back to my regular eating habits, which is a bit of a shock to my mouth still.
Ferre Restaurant is about $25 a plate, so I might do that again. I had a great organic greens and carrots salad with a balsamic white vinagrette and pine nuts and goat cheese (I would recommend anyone to try it; it tastes way better than people think it does -- saltier than cow cheese). Delicious. Pacific Salmon, and then a well-executed Creme Brulee. Me personally, I prefer that dessert to be caramelized as usual on top, but warmed on the bottom so you're not getting freezing custard after nice warm sugar. I only had one place do it like that, and that was the Grand Hotel in St. Annes On the Sea back in 2004. It was my first one, and I've been disappointed by follow-up tastings until now.
Anyway, I'll probably be talking about food, music, my much beloved cats (found Memphis and rescued Tenny), occasionally work if it doesn't violate privacy law, and my return to school.
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