I guess I just pushed through the darkness of this month. Sometimes, it's simply a matter of head down and press on.
Sibelius Symphony 4 is a dark look into the abyss and I really wasn't sure beforehand how I would handle its stark beauty on this occasion. For me, then, it is maybe fortunate that I think that Sibelius is one of the few lacunae in Vasily Petrenko's arsenal. I just don't think that he gets the organic nature of the structure in the way that others such as Christian Lindberg do. It wasn't a poor performance. Just not a good one.
Shostakovich's Gadfly Suite was much safer ground with its flow of pleasantly attractive melodies. It doesn't make for a reason to attend a concert, however.
The draw for me was the Weinberg Cello Concerto. But then I've always tended towards the minority appreciation group. It was a personal triumph for Jonathan Aasgaard who has made a point of championing the work. It has a long-breathed poignant lyricism which is ideal for the cello but, structurally, it does tend to a lot of note-spinning and the fade at the end is looooong. In my opinion, Shostakovich's two cello concerti are much more effective concert pieces but I'd be prepared to give the Weinberg another go sometime.
We had Sam and Tom for lunch. Ostensibly, it was about swapping Christmas presents but I had a sense that Sam had been told by his mother to pay his brother a visit.
So, we had them for lunch. And again I say we. I planned, shopped, prepared, laid out. Though I kept it simple, there really wasn't one element that Ross put himself out over. Even the conversation.
My mood was probably very obvious when, after lunch, I made coffee for everyone and then made an excuse to go and do some work.
Quick trip up to Southport for Ross and I to catch the latest Harry Potter spin off movie The Crimes of Grindelwald.
I enjoyed it. It was like meeting up with an old friend after a long time. There is so much love and craft which goes into creating the thaumaturgical world of the 1920s - this time including Paris as well as New York. However, there really can be no suspense in the series as we all know how the Dumbledore/Grindelwald story will turn out. But good fun nevertheless. I still find Ezra Miller's character the most interesting of them all.
We finished off the evening in Pizza Express on Lord Street.
I do like Ezra Miller's "Come hither" approach to life. And I love this photograph of his naked form encased in a gauzy rainbow flag.
You have to wonder if they drew lots to see who would cop the role of "extra hand supporting the diaphanous rainbow flag". I would have paid good money to have been the out-of-shot owner of that hand.
This really was the story of a concert spoiled by a brash, over-assertive conductor. I don't think I have ever heard a less appealing performance of Mahler's Fifth Symphony ever. It started loud and noisy and kept on that way for the next hour and a quarter. And still there were some who screamed their appreciation at the end.
Personally, I was also there for Berg's Violin Concerto. I should love to hear Michael Barenboim play the work another time with another conductor because I don't think that it would be appropriate to comment on this performance.
There are two things in life for which one must always find time - one is lubrication before penetration and the other is a sherry and an espresso at Lunya.
Actually, make that three things in life for which one must always find time. The third would be a pint and a book in the afternoon at Stamps Bar. It's a while since I've done it and I should do it more often.
It's the tme of year once more to admire a host of purple hellebore.
I quite fancied seeing this play again as I'd not seen it for a while. Before I went, I was aware that the production was in a style which would have been called "experimental" in my student days.
I really wish I hadn't bothered. Even the talents of Simon Russell Beale could not save this limp mish mash of an evening in the theatre. For me the only saving grace was that I was only paying £11 to sit in a cinema and could be home and in bed within an hour of curtain down.