What? I’m running late again with my newsletter. It started so well. Almost finished it then life got in the way(more about that in March’s newsletter). February was pretty good here is some of what I got up to and things I found during the month to share.
Concerts
Sydney Symphony
Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade
For my first concert in February, the program was Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in D for the Left Hand and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. The concert was great. Cédric Tiberghien’s performance was superb. He also performed a bonus 4 hands piece with Simone Young who was conducting the concert. They seemed to have a great time. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade is one of the most beautiful pieces of music in my opinion. I absolutely loved seeing and hearing it performed. Check out this version on YouTube. You can read the program and check out the music on Spotify.
Janacek’s String Quartet No.2
To kick off the Cocktail Hour concerts this year, the players from the orchestra choose to play Leoš Janáček’s String Quartet No.2, Intimate Letters and Joan Tower’s Rising. Lerida Delbridge, Timothy Nankervis, Anna Skálová and Justin Williams were the string quartet. The piece was inspired by Janáček’s love for Kamila Stösslová, a young married woman. The music twists and turns with the changing fortunes of their relationship revealed through their 700 letters. It was enjoyable. In the second piece, the string quartet was joined by Joshua Batty on flute. I have never heard any Joan Tower before so this was an ear-opening experience. Overall it was a nice piece though sometimes it got a bit too flutey for me. I suppose you can’t have double basses all the time hehehehe
Here are the Spotify playlist and the program.
Sting
Was amazing. It was so great to see him live again. I got lucky with my tickets and was relatively close to the front at Aware Super Theatre. The concert was everything I hoped for. Songs from all of his eras. He was supported by his son, Joe Sumner. For me, he sounded like a cross between Sting and James Reyne so I was pretty happy with the outcome.
Poets that I’m enjoying this month
Books
- Lestrade and the Sawdust Ring by M. J. Trow – It took me a while but I finished it. I read a lot of this series when I was a teenager so this was a blast from the past. It took a little while to get into it mainly because of the language. Even though this is book 13 in the series it is a prequel. Those of you who recognise the name of Lestrade from Sherlock Holmes. It is one and the same. In this book it is very early in his career so very bumbling. Later he is a lot more together.
- Silence in the Library by Katharine Schellman – Book 2 of the Lily Adler Mystery series. Really enjoying spending time in her world.
- Just Make Believe by Maggie Robinson – Book 3 of the Lady Adelaide Mysteries series. This is the series with the ghost husband, Rupert, who is a really fun character.
Cool things from around the world
Dutch Supermarket Slow lanes to provide somewhere for people to have a chat.
Music that I’ve been listening to
The summer 2023 playlist is now wrapped up. It is mainly new songs from the artists I follow plus there has been a couple of new artists that I discovered this summer Young Gun Silver Fox, Einangran and . Also, I re-engaged with some artists that I haven’t listened to for a while Zara Larsson, Wellbad and Calvin Harris. I also set up a Faroese music list to get in the mood for my trip.
What I’ve watched
New episodes of Abandoned Engineering. Bowls Premier League. Women’s T20 World Cup, yes Australia won again.
A Could-do List
Welcome to a new section, stolen from the simple things magazine. It resonated with me so I thought it might inspire others. I’ve adjusted it for a Sydney Autumn.
- Climb a hill with a pal and have a picnic with a view
- Rediscover a hobby you enjoyed as a child
- Embrace the in-season veggies in a risotto or a pie
- Have friends over for an early supper to enjoy the last of the daylight savings
- Go on a walk and stop to take photos of all the flowers you see
The magazine is able to be borrowed through the Libby App from your local library.
I’ll be doing
- Performing with the North Sydney Symphony Orchestra
- Going to multiple concerts including Pictures at an Exhibition, Gerswhin, the Piano Guys and Cocktail hour
- Sewing like mad for my trip
- Getting flooring done in some of my bedrooms
- Building new guinea pig cages for their holidays
- Watching cool documentaries Ancient Eygpt by Train with Prof Alice Roberts, London’s Greatest Bridges with Rob Bell
Enjoy the rest of March and I’ll attempt to be a little more on top of next month’s email. Also, I hope to be sending weekly ones while I’m on my trip. So that will be something to look forward to. There will be photos and everything.
Have fun
Find joy
Tell people you love them