I thought I might have read it a while ago, but absolutely nothing was familiar, so it must have been some other early cyberpunk novel. (I have Snow Crash up next, but its beginning isn’t ringing any bells, either.)
Slocan Ramblers and the Last Revel
Fun, high-energy concert in the Burren Back Room in Davis Square. Seats were at a table right at the stage. It’s fun to be five-six feet away from a musician. It was my first time there, and now I know there aren’t any really bad seats. It was nice to be at a table and have dinner and drinks, though.
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi
Not one of his best, but it was a quick, fun read. (Of his recent work, I most enjoyed The Collapsing Empire and am eager for its sequel.)
Emergence by C. J. Cherryh
Finished it off in a little over a day. A satisfying (though fairly slight) episode in the ongoing science fiction soap opera.
Taking a quick look back at 2017
Well. There was all the regular cultural stuff that everyone was dealing with. But here’s a list of some of what stands out in my life, in no particular order.
- My father died. That leaves practical things to deal with, but also more emotional stuff than I expected. Somehow the death of my mother just made her absent from my childhood family of four, but my father’s death breaks it.
- My place of employment went through a protracted (and ongoing) time of struggle and uncertainty around racism and leadership. It was a very, very difficult spring. And then at our annual conference in June, two coworkers were attacked on the street, and one was critically injured.
- I returned to internet radio with a monthly show on Radio Riel, second Sundays, 12:30–2:00 pm Pacific (or Second Life) time: The Musical Magpie.
- I sold my estate in Second Life (the second time I have done so)
- Two trips to Brooklyn to visit Jim Ford. We returned to the Metropolitan Opera to see Norma in December (having seen Aida a year ago).
- An annual September weekend in Provincetown (near the anniversary of my mother’s death) felt like it made the transition to an event all the participants “own.”
- I scattered my portion of my mother’s ashes in an old burial ground in Provincetown.
- I became a staff chaplain, and while overall quite ambivalent about work (see above!) I felt an increased sense of being a longtime staff member with a particular contribution.
- I rented a BMW convertible (long a pipe dream). It was worth every penny, although it would have made more sense in a slightly warmer season.
- I lost 40 pounds (and still losing, after a holiday plateau).
- By going to happy hour at a local bar nearly every Friday, I’ve made a new group of friends/acquaintances.
- I went to a LOT of music events.
Ken Scholes’s The Psalms of Isaak
Over the holidays, I reread the first four volumes of Ken Scholes’s The Psalms of Isaak in preparation for the release of the fifth and final volume. I’m glad I did. There were things I had missed or didn’t remember. Hymn, the final volume, provided a satisfying conclusion (albeit with a bit of a deus ex machina—which is a pun, should you read the books) while leaving the door open for future stories in the same world. I hope Scholes does continue creating here.
The books, in order:
- Lamentation
- Canticle
- Antiphon
- Requiem
- Hymn
Mozart + Beethoven
Handel & Haydn Society.
- Overture to L’amant anonyme by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
- Symphony No. 40 in G Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Concerto in C Major for Violin, Cello, and Piano, by Ludwig van Beethoven
No conductor. Aisslinn Nosky directed.
I’ve never heard of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges before, but he certainly led an interesting life. It’s the overture to an opera, and I quite enjoyed it.
The Mozart I heard just over a week ago, paired with the Requiem, by Boston Baroque. I enjoyed this performance, but the difference between the first row of Jordan Hall and nearly the back row (on the orchestra floor) of Symphony Hall is marked.
I liked the tune introduced in the first movement of the Beethoven, and the interplay between the soloists was fun, but on the whole I didn’t enjoy this piece.
L’assedio di Calais
The Siege of Calais, by Gaetano Donizetti, performed by Odyssey Opera.
The second in their season of works focused on the Hundred Years’ War. L’assedio di Calais was written in 1836, but this was its Boston premiere. Parts of it were very fine (the male choral parts, notably), but on the whole it had very uneven mood. The story is of the six burghers of Calais, who agree to sacrifice themselves to lift the siege of Calais by King Edward III. Yet the music kept turning to light themes, including a bit of incidental music between the second act (which ends with the burghers placing nooses around their necks and going off to submit to the English) and the third act that sounded like a bit of John Philip Sousa. (My friend Chris referred to it as “Italian martial music.”)
I did not enjoy the mezzo who sang Aurelio, the mayor’s son, although the rest of the audience seemed to like her and she received good reviews. I disliked her (single) facial grimace, and felt the romantic dynamics would have been better served by a male alto. (The soprano who sings Aurelio’s wife and the baritone who sings his father the mayor spend a great deal of time in the first act singing duets; the contrast with the pants role didn’t sit well with me.) Interestingly, the program notes say Donizetti hoped to have a male alto sing the role but had to hire a female mezzo soprano for the premiere.
Microjournaling
- write the date
- make a list of 10(ish) things
- write 1 thing I’m grateful for
- quit journaling and get back to life
From Todd Brison
Mozart Symphony No. 40 in G minor, Requiem in D minor
Boston Baroque’s season opener. Also Exsultate, jubilate.
Amanda Forsythe, Ann McMahon Quintero, Thomas Cooley, Kevin Deas