Day of Culture , Part Two

Get home from part one of the Day of Culture and we take a brief respite. Time flies, so time to get ready. Symphony time. (Three times in nine words. What crappy writing). I'm still mixed about the symphony. I either really like it or am bored to tears. Guess I need to learn more.

Show starts at 8 pm and we need a nice dinner. If Mad Oilman is getting dressed up to go out, he's getting a nice dinner, dammit. I think of the place to go. Load up the petromuncher to head out and the Mrs. suggests two places. One of which I have already selected. This is getting strange.

It's off to Mockingbird Bistro. In the neighborhood and near the main thoroughfare which will lead us to the symphony. Arrive at 5:00. The Mrs. attempts to open the door of the restaurant and fails. Funny. There are three seated tables when we arrive. Manager has to determine if he can seat us. Basically says we have until 7:15. At first I'm a bit peeved at this but then I'm actually impressed. The place was booked solid with typical 7:00 reservations and we had none. Just taking care of his customers.

We are seated and to our horror the waiter we hate is near our table. Not good. Last time he served us we heard his sob story the entire evening. Thankgoodness he did not serve us. Instead we were served by a new girl. By the level of her service she has most recently worked at Chili's. Or Olive Garden. Come on people! Service is EASY! Hire some decent wait staff!

I convey to the Mrs. that our telepathy seems quite high today. She read my mind about the Museum and now the dining establishment. Being a scientist, I immediately looked for cause and effect to explain this observation. "We'll, I did go out with the guys last night. And now we're reading each other's minds. I see a link."

The Mrs. is having none of this line if inquiry; "So you need to go out with the guys every Friday, right?" I could tell with the rolling of her eyes she was not convinced.

I continue, "But if this result is valid, then going out with the guys actually brings us closer. I'm only doing this for us!"

At that point the laughter from the Mrs. basically told me this line of inquiry, although not dead, may need to be shelved for a bit. But in the true spirit of scientific inquiry, a future experiment is necessary.

Mrs. isnt very hungry due to the large portions Lupe's serves. Salad and appetizer for her. Not me. Salad and entree. Since I've had a majority of the things on the menu, I decided to go for the steak a poive. Meat and potatoes.

Salad rocked. That is always a winner here (boston bibb salad, Texas goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, roasted red peppers and red wine vinaigrette).

Entrees arrive. My steak is actually a bit difficult to cut through. Take the first bite and I realize why. It's nearly raw. Seems it was cooked to medium rare on one side only. Chef (or flunky) forgot to turn the steak for the additional three minutes required. I can deal with rare at times, but this was not rare. It was raw. Send it back. Manager conveys the Chef's apologies. Comes back. I don't want a fuss. It's now medium medium well. OK, DON'T order a steak here. The rest of the menu is great. Leave this one alone.

Eventually leave to the last mission of the day. The symphony. This is supposed to be a brass symphony. Good. I like the honk and power live horns project. Especially those of the lower registers. And this is an interesting setup. The horns will be in the balcony. We have ridiculously good seats for the show, basically five rows from the stage.

I'm excited. Brass symphony. We're seated. The conductor, Claus Peter Flor emerges. First thing I think is "What a magnificent head of hair!".

Show starts. We are hearing Sonata pian e forte from Sacrae Syphoniae, composed by Giovani Gabrielli in 1597. Period instruments would include the sackbut. What a great instrument name. Basically a trombone.

Since the horns are in the balcony, the conductor faces the audience. He's under a spotlight in the blackened hall. I learned new respect for conductors in general that day. Seeing him as the symphony sees him is something else. And the piece is absolutely magnificent. It's unfortunate I can't see the horns as they're behind me, but the sound and the conductor leave no disappointment.

And then the show changes. Lights on, horns gone. Standard symphony. This was Haydn's Symphony No. 62 in C major (The Bear). Didn't move me. In between movements I whispered to the wife that I was pissed. I was sold a bill of goods. I WANT HORNS, DAMMIT!

She shushed me. And I realize that everyone within 50 feet just heard what I said as the acoustics are so good. Oh well, my feelings are not changed. This piece bored me. I understood the underlying theme and knew where it was going. Just not a lot there for me. So I became focused on the conductor's hair. Mesmerized by it. I was trying to figure out what mammal was living on his head. Possum? No, they're not big enough. Raccoon? Still not big enough. Wolverine? Nah, the markings are all wrong. The creature on his head had a steel gray back with a whitish gray belly. And that creature really liked the symphony. Bouncing and vibrating along with the conductor's motions. Probably a quite stimulating place to be.

Unable to retrieve a proper mammal from memory,I decided there were actually two possums on the conductor's head. Tails tucked and heads hidden, they clutched his skull and provided him needed warmth as he provided them invigorating massage by rapid head movements. A symbiotic relationship.

Finally, the Haydn piece ends. Lights dim, and we now have another amazing piece, Canzon septmi toni No. 2 from said Sacrae Symphoniae. Breathtaking. I want nothing but this for the rest of the evening.

Intermission. Grab a program. Seems second set will be the same as set one. A Gabrielli horn piece, a Haydn symphony (in this case Symphony No. 88 in G Major) and some more Gabrielli. Lack of total brass is depressing.

Back to the show. The next Gabrielli piece is again magnificent. Such wonderful music from ten instruments. And then Haydn. At least this one was a bit more engaging than the last. The final Gabrielli will be the prize. And it is.

Shows over. Lights up, standing ovation, conductor leaves. I think it's about time to hit the door. But then Mr. Flor actually returns. For his customary bow, and surprisingly( as I have never seen this) for an encore of Gabrielli. Just perfect.

So I have to track this CD down now. I'm surprised they didn't play the entire Gabrielli Symphony. Since it's old, it must have been a fill the seats thing.

Leaving the hall and climbing in to the petromuncher for the brief drive home, I cue the CD player to Iced Earth . Disc 2, Song 5, Pure Evil. Yes, the symphony is fun. But the Mad Oilman LOVES his metal.

Update:
Koala bear. A big Koala bear.