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 | | Many Contracts to Sign |
With those catchy glissando melodies, they totally threw us back in time to Paris in the '30s, back into the era of avant-gardism and snobbery! I loved every second of the concerto, and I could tell that the audience was surprised by all of its sudden shifts, along with Poulenc's frequent infusions of cabaret, jazz, and even some Mozart satire in all three movements. Both sisters were a little melodramatic in the finale of this concerto, thrashing their curly locks back and forth, but it all fit perfectly into the zaniness of the last movement. Katia's high heels were making a bit of a racket on the stage as she played, but it actually complimented the percussion section! I don't think that was intentional, but I love these hidden Easter eggs in every performance. And there is sure to be plenty of surprises in the next performance, which I will attend tomorrow...
Mahler's Symphony No. 8, also called Symphony of a Thousand! This monster of a symphony was originally scored for 1,066 performers, which is just too insurmountable for any symphony hall to handle. Tomorrow's performance is scaled back a bit, but this version still requires 280 instrumentalists, vocalists, and other choir members (photo above). And the tickets, as you might guess, are not cheap. Hundreds of seats that would otherwise go to spectators are instead lost to the choir. But this concert will be quite a monumental way to welcome summer to San Francisco!
 | | Dolores Beach |
I'll leave you with one more photo, taken last week at Dolores Park, situated next to the Castro neighborhood. We kings and queens of the Castro call this place "Dolores Beach," though there is no beach in sight (it's in the middle of the city). Any guesses to why we would do this? No spoilers from the locals!
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