Lasers not so much

It's Symphony week on "Evidently..." and tonight's performance of the Seattle Symphony Pops "Sci-Fi Favorites" inspired a little Haiku-action.

(Performance featured a laser light show to the music of John Williams, conducted by Jack Everly, narrated by George Takei)

Symphony Sci-Fi

Nostalgic Fuzzy Feelings

Lasers Not So Much

Odorous faux pas

Perfume jams my frequencies

Take It Easy Lady

Pan-Asian In Space

George Takei Looks Like My Dad

Sulu Is A Sea

Ponder That For Now

Explanations Coming Soon

Bedtime For Bonzo

Open Letter to the Seattle Symphony Musicians

Dear Seattle Symphony Musicians,

First I want you to know, I love you best.

Given a choice between the Opera, Ballet, Symphony or Sports Teams of this town, I'll always pick you. What you create and deliver night after night astounds and delights me like nothing else. As I look at each one of you, I see a lifetime of devotion to the art of music and the mastery of the instrument resting in your hands. It is my honor to hear you perform in such a hall, in such a city.

But imagine my dismay last Saturday when you all stood to take your bows and it looked like you were headed to a funeral after the show. Not a smile amongst you, just expressionless, dour faces as you clutched your instruments. Yo-Yo smiled and laughed and hugged. So did Schwarz. But you were not moved by the Bravos and ecstatic clapping. And it wasn't just at the end of one piece--it was all of them. Did you not like standing and taking bows? Did you not want our appreciation? It certainly seemed that way.

Not being a musician perhaps leaves me in the dark on some things you go through. When my husband practices a piece on the piano, he plays it again and again and again to the point where I have to go somewhere else. There must be an inherent solitude that one endures as a musician I'm sure. And so when you come together with 50+ other individuals of the same ilk--I can only imagine there is some friction.

I did some research on you to see if the answer was out there and found a local paper had fun with conspiratorial scraps of fact and gossip not too long ago. I couldn't help but feel sad. It sounds like some of you have a boss you don't like. I've certainly worked for bosses I didn't like. (Current one excluded for those of my co-workers reading this.) It's frustrating when you don't respect that person or find their decisions questionable.

But I thought (probably naively) that the arts would transcend human frailty--that the making of music especially, showcased the best of our creativity and possibility. This week kicks off the beginning of a new season and we will be seeing many of your performances. I just hope you find it in yourselves to remember that in the audience, there are those of us who marvel at you and wish you back every bit of joy you bring to our ears and hearts. Receive our gratitude with graciousness is all I ask.

Sincerely,
Kali

Yo-Yo rocks

Saturday night, Ken and I delighted in the ever-smiling, ever-uplifting Yo-Yo Ma and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra as they kicked off the new season. We sat in different seats this time and while we couldn't see the entire orchestra because we were low and up close, we got a really good view of Yo-Yo.

In fact, I could see at first he kept his eyes closed through most of Faure's Elegie, Op. 24. His face contorted with emotion as he played. But during the second piece, Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto No. 1, he looked around a lot and smiled as he made eye-contact with fellow musicians and audience members. At times he popped-up while still playing like he was going to stand but then sat back down. It was electrifying to see him get so into the music.

But the structured playing of symphonic music is not the true draw to a Yo-Yo Ma concert...oh no, you go for the encores. And he did two. Both duets: one with the concert mistress Ani Kavafian and one with the 23-year-0ld principal cellist Joshua Roman. The interaction Yo-Yo displayed while partnering with these people was truly a joy to witness. The first piece was a modern-sounding pluck fest with plenty of laughs and a welcome reprieve from the regular program. Then the double cellos gave the audience a rare treat. How often to you hear only two cellos with such masterful skill behind them? And let me just say, Yo-Yo turned the pages of music for his fellow musicians. It's this and all the other acts of graciousness and obvious love of music that make Yo-Yo so endearing and watchable. When he was done, Yo-Yo departed the stage amid cheering and thunderous applause.

The symphony had one more piece to play that night: Ravel's iconic Bolero. (Also known from the movie, "10" with Bo Derek.) I have always liked this piece as it builds and repeats seemingly simple patterns but takes a great deal of focus from it's players to maintain the momentum. And it sounds so "full" when you get to hear it live. Ken and I talked about what it was that really made live symphonic music great and we concluded it's the fact that the sound envelopes you and comes at you from all sides as opposed to from just 2 speakers where the music seems "flattened." From my seat I could see deep into the cello section and who to my wondering eyes should be sitting last chair but Yo-Yo himself. Apparently he snuck back on stage and not many people noticed because after the fantastic ending, Maestro Schwarz pointed out people to stand and take bows so when Yo-yo stood up gasps of surprise and hollering erupted. Great ending.

******

Meow alert: This was a black tie affair for some, a more dressed-up event for the rest of us but nothing special for one teenage girl I spotted wearing soccer shorts and athletic shoes. I know it sounds snotty as hell, but if you're going to go to the symphony at least make an attempt to look presentable. Have a little respect for the musicians and your fellow audience.