Even tho my joints are screaming, I'm enjoying this town. Walked too much yesterday, up the hill to Walt Disney Concert Hall (about a mile) and bought tickets for two concerts, last night (Russian Chanson) and tonight (LA Phil), 2 in a series concluding soon called Shadow of Stalin. Then I walked just a block or so to the MOCA-LA and wandered around their exibit. The travelling exibit was more interesting to me than the permenant installations (pretty esoteric "modern art").
After walking back to the hotel, and a nap, I took a taxi back to WDCH, and prepared for I had no idea what. Turned out to be mostly a group called DeVotchka, which was pretty cool, a guitar/vocalist who also played theremin, a violin/accordian player, a drummer/trumpet player, and a woman who alternated between sousaphone and standup bass (the bow was ready in the holster, but I never saw her use it). The sousaphone bell was covered in red christmas lights, and she had great legs and good footwork. Their stuff was very engaging, not deafening (a criterion as I get older), in Russian (I guess) and English, with a few instrumentals. Clearly a lot of fans in the audience, who started screaming and clapping at the opening bars of many tunes.
I have never been in an audience where only 2/3 were there at the start. people kept wandering in throughout the show! One group of 4 crawled over me 1 min before intermission. The ticket lady warned me to be on time tonight or I'd miss the first half. Clearly they're stricter for symphony concerts.
The Show last night also included a rap poet named Saul Williams. Boy am I getting MY horizons broadened! Apparently he's well known too. He started what appeared to be reading from the transcript of James Roberson's testimony before the House Unamerican Activities comittee? then went into a rant/recitation that judging from the program notes, is from his book, ",said the shotgun to the head".
This am I finally found and AA meeting, a pleasant welcoming group of folks at the downtown YMCA. Hope to get to another tomorrow, then fly back home early Sunday
Friday, May 25, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
BACK IN THE USSA!
Wonder of wonders, now that I'm back stateside, the blog login info, etc, is back in English.
The return flight was not nearly as brutal as the outgoing one, tho it was just as long, and preceeded by a flight from Shanghai to Beijing.
Arrived in LA, got through customs without a search (good thing, because my new suitcase full of souveniers was tied shut, thanks to Air China and a broken latch), grabbed a taxi and made it to my hotel by 8:15 PM, checked in grabbed another cab and made Disney Concert hall by 8:20, only to find sales had stopped for that eve's performance by Philadelphia Orchestra. I hung around long enough to try to sneek in for the second half, but no seats were available in the balcony section I tried, so I didn't hear them play Tchiakovsky's 5th. No loss, I did see the inside of the hall, and will go back for 2 things, Thur and Fri night.
Had difficulty getting started today, but did get out and found my way to Chinatown on the LA Metro. Bought a $3 day pass, and never figured out where/how to use it! but there seemed to be now way to check if passengers had tickets or not.
"Chinatown" seems to be largely "Vietnam Town", but I did order supper in a chinese restaurant, a talapia hot pot with braised bean curd, and found their hot pot to be completely different from the hot pot in china, which was individual pots of boiling water, in which diners place their own choice of raw ingredients. In Chinatown, I was served a ceramic bowl with all ingredients still boiling rapidly in a thick brown sauce. It was still pretty good, just different.
The return flight was not nearly as brutal as the outgoing one, tho it was just as long, and preceeded by a flight from Shanghai to Beijing.
Arrived in LA, got through customs without a search (good thing, because my new suitcase full of souveniers was tied shut, thanks to Air China and a broken latch), grabbed a taxi and made it to my hotel by 8:15 PM, checked in grabbed another cab and made Disney Concert hall by 8:20, only to find sales had stopped for that eve's performance by Philadelphia Orchestra. I hung around long enough to try to sneek in for the second half, but no seats were available in the balcony section I tried, so I didn't hear them play Tchiakovsky's 5th. No loss, I did see the inside of the hall, and will go back for 2 things, Thur and Fri night.
Had difficulty getting started today, but did get out and found my way to Chinatown on the LA Metro. Bought a $3 day pass, and never figured out where/how to use it! but there seemed to be now way to check if passengers had tickets or not.
"Chinatown" seems to be largely "Vietnam Town", but I did order supper in a chinese restaurant, a talapia hot pot with braised bean curd, and found their hot pot to be completely different from the hot pot in china, which was individual pots of boiling water, in which diners place their own choice of raw ingredients. In Chinatown, I was served a ceramic bowl with all ingredients still boiling rapidly in a thick brown sauce. It was still pretty good, just different.
Monday, May 21, 2007
leaving Shanghai
Yes, it is a student orchestra. The U of M orch came over for a cultural exchange with U of M orchestra director Jiang Pu-Qi's old alma mater.
Thing I will not miss about China: constant honking of car horns, all their brakes squeek. Spiitting in the streets, and ocasionally, a little pile of emesis (TMI?).
The street food venders are kinda cool to look at, but PU-Qi is adament we do not eat that food. He insists (and he was raised here, so who am I to question?) that the venders of meat-on-a-stick sprinkle heroin on the food to keep the customers coming back.
the place is crawling with civic employees cleaning the streets (spilling hot water from a small wheelbarrow and scrubbing with a straw broom).
Did I mention we are living just across the stree from and eye and ENT hospital, so there are folks wandering around with various forms of head bandage.
Yesteray was "shop till you drop" day, and I did! I'm not really into the knockoff clothes everyone else wanted, but I did get a pair of Puma sneakers for 85 yuen (about 11 bucks). We focussed on underground shops (literally) at the subway stop for the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Never made it into the museum. JJust something for the growing "next time" list.
Well time to go try and pack. I bought a new suitcase for all my new stuff, and it's still stuffed!
Karen
Thing I will not miss about China: constant honking of car horns, all their brakes squeek. Spiitting in the streets, and ocasionally, a little pile of emesis (TMI?).
The street food venders are kinda cool to look at, but PU-Qi is adament we do not eat that food. He insists (and he was raised here, so who am I to question?) that the venders of meat-on-a-stick sprinkle heroin on the food to keep the customers coming back.
the place is crawling with civic employees cleaning the streets (spilling hot water from a small wheelbarrow and scrubbing with a straw broom).
Did I mention we are living just across the stree from and eye and ENT hospital, so there are folks wandering around with various forms of head bandage.
Yesteray was "shop till you drop" day, and I did! I'm not really into the knockoff clothes everyone else wanted, but I did get a pair of Puma sneakers for 85 yuen (about 11 bucks). We focussed on underground shops (literally) at the subway stop for the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Never made it into the museum. JJust something for the growing "next time" list.
Well time to go try and pack. I bought a new suitcase for all my new stuff, and it's still stuffed!
Karen
Saturday, May 19, 2007
First concert down!
We just finished the first concert, and just in time, too. I'm starting to get homesick. Sandra and I both have been thinking, we've had about enough of playing in student orchestras.
but the enthusiasm!! Berstein's Candide Overture was fine, if at a bit of a relaxed tempo, Then the Memphians left and the Chinese backed up a student playing the Prokofiev Piano concerto. Then strings only (both continents) for "FUnky Chicken" (if you don't know, please don't ask - it's short, and it rocks). Then a short trumpet solo with string orch and harp. Second half was Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite, complete with video complementing each movement, sunrise, on the trail, cloudburst, you get the idea. Then as an encore we played a composition that Memphis Symphony's resident composer put together several years ago for Memphis in May, called Memphis Medley. really pretty good arrangement, and it also rocked. The Chinese kids ate it up! One guy in the viola section, watching him, you wondered how he could play he was rocking so much. And of course the audience loved it. And boy do they do bouquets here! No propriety, it's strictly popularity.
we do the whole thing one more time, At a different location, tomorrow night. My goal tomorrow is to buy another suitcase, becasue I've bought so much STUFF I'll need a second case to get it all home!
And here's a surprise, today, it was NOT smoggy! I don't know what was different, But for the first time I could see a horizon. The smog hasn't been bothersome, no breathing problems to report, just... THERE.
And no, Andrew, I did not have to order Starbuck's in Chinese, they knew that much English, but at the place where I am tonight, No amount of gesturing could get her to understand "Diet Coke", till she went to get someone else.
as usual, someone else wantl to borrow my 'puter to email home, so I'll close now
Karen
but the enthusiasm!! Berstein's Candide Overture was fine, if at a bit of a relaxed tempo, Then the Memphians left and the Chinese backed up a student playing the Prokofiev Piano concerto. Then strings only (both continents) for "FUnky Chicken" (if you don't know, please don't ask - it's short, and it rocks). Then a short trumpet solo with string orch and harp. Second half was Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite, complete with video complementing each movement, sunrise, on the trail, cloudburst, you get the idea. Then as an encore we played a composition that Memphis Symphony's resident composer put together several years ago for Memphis in May, called Memphis Medley. really pretty good arrangement, and it also rocked. The Chinese kids ate it up! One guy in the viola section, watching him, you wondered how he could play he was rocking so much. And of course the audience loved it. And boy do they do bouquets here! No propriety, it's strictly popularity.
we do the whole thing one more time, At a different location, tomorrow night. My goal tomorrow is to buy another suitcase, becasue I've bought so much STUFF I'll need a second case to get it all home!
And here's a surprise, today, it was NOT smoggy! I don't know what was different, But for the first time I could see a horizon. The smog hasn't been bothersome, no breathing problems to report, just... THERE.
And no, Andrew, I did not have to order Starbuck's in Chinese, they knew that much English, but at the place where I am tonight, No amount of gesturing could get her to understand "Diet Coke", till she went to get someone else.
as usual, someone else wantl to borrow my 'puter to email home, so I'll close now
Karen
Friday, May 18, 2007
Shanghai, Friday
7:30 - I got up and hobbled over to Starbuck’s to use their WiFi, and they’re closed!!! Open at 8AM. Sacrilege! So, I came back to the hotel and had a typical Chinese breakfast. The only beverage is warm milk (soymilk?). the basic food is comchee, a sort of rice porridge, and plates of various salty condiments to flavor it. Not so great for me in my attempts to avoid sodium, but the boiled egg is reliable, tho it’s brown on the outside (I;ve been told it’s boiled in tea), it’s just a hard boiled egg. There are various “pastries”, mostly soft white, or fried crunchy yellow, all pretty tasty, not overwhelmingly salt, and ONE concession to Western taste, a donut with sugar sprinkles!
So now I’m writing in “word”, I’ll cut and paste later. We will observe an eartraining class today, and some other classes. Then an orchestra rehearsal this evening.
Last night was our first performance, all chamber groups with the Copeland Appelachian Spring as the finale. The audience was students at the Music School, elementary and middle school age. Pu Qi (our conductor/music director at U of M) was in his element, explaintng every group/piece in Chinese. I’m sitting principal, and am definitely not playing up to snuff. Brain fog is either increasing or just more noticeable when I try to do something requiring tight focus. I really hope when I get home I’ll get some relief from this joint pain. I’ll never consider coming on a trip like this again otherwise. No regrets, tho!
We did al little touring yesterday, went up the Shanghai Pearl tower and saw the view from way up, and the Shanghai Museum, lots of Jade and furniture, and pottery (celadon), and calligraphy, and stamps. If I was going to pick anything to try to become an “expert” on from here, it would be the stamps. They’ve been used through all the eras, are small, durable, functional, and can be rather beautiful.
On to ear-training!
12:30Well guess what ya’ll, Starbuck’s does NOT have wi-fi! So I’ll just keep adding to this for now.
Ear training call this AM was an eye-opener! The class had strated at 8AM, and we arrived at 8:30. The instructor had already gone over a lesson in chord progressions.
First sight-singing (fixed “do”), then writing 3-part chord progressions after hearing them played on the, piano, then long (eight-bar) melody dictation, then shorter two-line dictation. I hope the scales fell from the eyes of a FEW of our smug American students. These kids were 13 years old! I never got this kind of training until I got to college, and then not much. I had a discussion with Keel Williams, who just graduated from U of M and is now a grad student (in Missouri?). He was shocked to find that after making straight A’s in theory as an undergrad, he flunked the theory entrance exam at his new school. He actually emailed the school to ask them what they thought about this, and received a reply! Apparently there is a fix in the works. They are no longer using John Bauer’s book, and are back to a more traditional text.
I could SO see myself as an old, heartless eartraining coach, “Just come in and do the work, either you earn a good grade or you don’t, no arguing, pleading, bargaining, the evidence is right there on your paper”.
Then the Chinese traditional instruments demonstrated by six 16 year-old girls. Physical grace in playing has got to be part of the training, because they were all SO graceful.
We have free time now until 6PM rehearsal, and I hear the sheet music store is selling scores dirt cheap. Let’s see what I can get into.
So now I’m writing in “word”, I’ll cut and paste later. We will observe an eartraining class today, and some other classes. Then an orchestra rehearsal this evening.
Last night was our first performance, all chamber groups with the Copeland Appelachian Spring as the finale. The audience was students at the Music School, elementary and middle school age. Pu Qi (our conductor/music director at U of M) was in his element, explaintng every group/piece in Chinese. I’m sitting principal, and am definitely not playing up to snuff. Brain fog is either increasing or just more noticeable when I try to do something requiring tight focus. I really hope when I get home I’ll get some relief from this joint pain. I’ll never consider coming on a trip like this again otherwise. No regrets, tho!
We did al little touring yesterday, went up the Shanghai Pearl tower and saw the view from way up, and the Shanghai Museum, lots of Jade and furniture, and pottery (celadon), and calligraphy, and stamps. If I was going to pick anything to try to become an “expert” on from here, it would be the stamps. They’ve been used through all the eras, are small, durable, functional, and can be rather beautiful.
On to ear-training!
12:30Well guess what ya’ll, Starbuck’s does NOT have wi-fi! So I’ll just keep adding to this for now.
Ear training call this AM was an eye-opener! The class had strated at 8AM, and we arrived at 8:30. The instructor had already gone over a lesson in chord progressions.
First sight-singing (fixed “do”), then writing 3-part chord progressions after hearing them played on the, piano, then long (eight-bar) melody dictation, then shorter two-line dictation. I hope the scales fell from the eyes of a FEW of our smug American students. These kids were 13 years old! I never got this kind of training until I got to college, and then not much. I had a discussion with Keel Williams, who just graduated from U of M and is now a grad student (in Missouri?). He was shocked to find that after making straight A’s in theory as an undergrad, he flunked the theory entrance exam at his new school. He actually emailed the school to ask them what they thought about this, and received a reply! Apparently there is a fix in the works. They are no longer using John Bauer’s book, and are back to a more traditional text.
I could SO see myself as an old, heartless eartraining coach, “Just come in and do the work, either you earn a good grade or you don’t, no arguing, pleading, bargaining, the evidence is right there on your paper”.
Then the Chinese traditional instruments demonstrated by six 16 year-old girls. Physical grace in playing has got to be part of the training, because they were all SO graceful.
We have free time now until 6PM rehearsal, and I hear the sheet music store is selling scores dirt cheap. Let’s see what I can get into.
Monday, May 14, 2007
I'm in Shanghai!
I just have a little time, we made it to our "Days Hotel" in Shanghai after seeing the high spots in Hanzhou (Han-joe) yesterday. So far Hanzhou would be my first choice if I were to live in china. The man-made lake at the summer palace in Beijing was patterned after the nautal lake here. We are definitely in the south! Oleander, persimmon, camellia bushes. We visited a tea plantation, and I have bought some of the very best green tea in the world! Smells like fresh spinach! Now there's selling point, right? We were lectured by a gregarious fellow nick]named "dr. Tea", says he went to college and majored in tea cultivation, so I guess I have to accept his opinion. After the long explanation of the green te we were buying, I asked about the Jasemine we had had on the plane from LAX. He frowned and said "That's just poor quality tea with a few blossoms thrown in. The foreigners love it". Oh, well!
So far I have not found any food I am in love with. Sorry, but I really miss coffee and dairy. An entire cuisine without dairy!?!
We did wander around Nanking road last night. The tour guide said "if you tell them youwent to Shanghai they will ask, did you go to Nanking road? If you say no, they will say, you didn't go to Shanghai!". OK, we looked, tons of shops in amazing dark mahogany storefronts, pagoda roofs, pyrhana-like sales people... now lets go play some music, and maybe another day we'll shop.
Have no idea if I'll have www access from our digs at the conservatory. I'm taking lotsa pix!!
Karen
So far I have not found any food I am in love with. Sorry, but I really miss coffee and dairy. An entire cuisine without dairy!?!
We did wander around Nanking road last night. The tour guide said "if you tell them youwent to Shanghai they will ask, did you go to Nanking road? If you say no, they will say, you didn't go to Shanghai!". OK, we looked, tons of shops in amazing dark mahogany storefronts, pagoda roofs, pyrhana-like sales people... now lets go play some music, and maybe another day we'll shop.
Have no idea if I'll have www access from our digs at the conservatory. I'm taking lotsa pix!!
Karen
Saturday, May 12, 2007
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