Blade Runner 2049

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Blade Runner 2049I am a big fan of the original Blade Runner, as well as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, so of course I had to go see this movie.

I liked the rain and snow, and gloom, reminiscent of the earlier one.  The initial scene, with the desolate dead tree, set the dystopian tone. It was certainly appropriate to have the wooden Ryan Gosling play a replicant.  The plot was a bit confusing, but the details fit into place eventually.  The birth storyline seemed a bit thin, and it lacked the punch of the first one, the “what is human” angle. .

Pink Martini

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Pink MartiniA great concert in Spaulding that ended with a giant NH conga line through the aisles.

I didn’t know what to expect, but it was thoroughly enjoyable.  Although the songs were international, the congas and percussion gave everything a great latin feel.

It was a nice touch to do Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” and have women in the audience join them on stage.  The stage was packed and everyone was dancing and clapping.  My only complaint was that the second half was too short….

Pink Martini program

Battle of the Sexes

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Battle of the Sexes posterI do have a vague memory of the Billie Jean King / Bobby Riggs tennis match. And all those cracks about women’s libbers and male chauvinist pigs were pretty common in the 70’s.

The movie was well done, and engaging, with many famous faces in the cast: the leads as well as many of the supporing roles.

The tennis seemed a bit slow, compared to recent pro tennis, but then I read about Riggs’ style: drop shots and lobs.  And they did use “tennis” body doubles in the movie.

Del Sol Quartet and ZOFO

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Del Sol Quartet and ZOFO

This concert was in Rollins Chapel, and was an eclectic mix of modern music.  Del Sol is a string quartet, and ZOFO (ZO=20, FO=finger orchester) is piano for four hands.  I particularly enjoyed the 6th movement “Adios a Churin from Milagros, a nice cello part in particular.  The Wheel & Mythic Birds Waltz was nice too, although I didn’t get how the explanation tied in.

In the second half, there were two Promenade parts, where first Eva-Maria walked around, and then Keisuke walked around.  I enjoyed the Paisaje and the Praying Mantis Rag (which was in fact ragtime).

The last piece was a bit comical, as it involved toy pianos, an instrument I had not seen before.  Each performer took a turn coming to one of the two to play a section.

Program Notes

Emerson String Quartet

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Emerson String QuartetA familiar program, with Mozart and Beethoven.  The Mozart was one of the Haydn quartets, a familiar and beautiful piece.  In the comments after, Paul and Larry said that it is harder to play joyful music like this.  “Too easy for amateurs, too hard for professionals”.

The second piece was a written for the quartet, a modern piece by a well-known (to them) British composer.  Somewhat of a chore, except for the last movement – more melodic.

And the last was Beethoven’s infamous C#- quartet.  It was played without a break, and finished with a resound finale.  They said afterwards that it was a journey, and exhausting to play.  The key is a tough one, that involved a lot of stretching.  To a student who asked if they still found it difficult, they said it is always a challenge.  But this quartet is why it is worth seeing chamber music, and seeing it live – and what a treat with a world-class ensemble.

Program notes