We had a good time sledding last weekend with some of the nephews & nieces after the first major snowstorm of the new year: Poppy had a lot of fun, racing the sleds down the hill: Though there was a near collision when she decided to veer into the path of the oncoming toboggan: During the storm, one of my sisters posted this song on Facebook, asking if anyone else broke into singing it every time it started snowing- Snow, from Irving Berlin's 1954 movie White Christmas.
Comments
Lo, what wonders the day hath brought, Born of the soft and slumbrous snow! Gradual, silent, slowly wrought; Even as an artist, thought by thought, Writes expression on lip and brow. -Elizabeth Akers Allen Related Posts:Handel's Messiah performed by Symphony Nova Scotia took place last night and was, of course, amazing and uplifting. I sat with two of my sisters, one whose husband was singing in the choir. Another sister and her husband were seated elsewhere in the auditorium, because they had decided later than us that they were going to go, and by then couldn't get seats near us. We also ran into one of our cousins, her husband and kids in the foyer after the program was over, so the family was quite well represented. The production was very well done, though the sound was a little muffled due to the fact that all of the singers were forced to wear masks- an absolutely ridiculous thing which all local choral groups are still doing, which is why I haven't returned to my choir. The choir and strings had to be masked, while the soloists, conductor, and brass and wind instrumentalists were unmasked. Also, the singers were all hanging around together pre- and post-performance sans masks, and just slapping them on when they were on stage. It's all theater-literally. But enough of that *takes deep breath and thinks Christmas-y thoughts*. The soloists were by and large very good, with the alto soloist being the real standout- and I'm not just saying that because I'm an alto: she really was incredibly good. My one quibble is that the tenor soloist was too quiet; sometimes on high notes he would really lose volume almost like he was unsure of his notes, though he was always on key. But it was a bit disappointing in when first tenor solo- Comfort Ye My People- sounded quiet and unsure, almost like a question instead of an emphatic statement. For an example of how it's supposed to sound, check out the first post I've linked to below. Other than a lack of volume, however, he was fine. Every other time I've gone to Messiah, I've been in the front part of the balcony where the view has always been great. This year we were seated on the main floor, which was an interesting change. It would have been fine except the person sitting in front of me was really tall and, even with the floor slanting down to the stage, my 5 ft. 1 self couldn't see unless I had my head cocked to either one side or the other, depending on which side of the stage I wanted to see. Short people problems. The conductor seemed very good; my brother-in-law was very impressed with his direction. Though I did roll my eyes a little at his introductory speech at the beginning of the concert... he said something to the effect that Messiah told the story of Jesus Christ, but "more importantly" it was a message of peace to the world. But that was just my Baptist sensibilities kicking in- and eye rolling isn't so bad: I already had had my sister jab her elbow in my side because I audibly let out an impatient sigh at the "unceded Mi'kmaq territory" land acknowledgement spiel they started off the evening with. I'd be willing to pay more for my tickets to events if we could dispense with the useless and meaningless virtue signaling which inevitably ensues. *Takes deep breath and thinks Christmas-y thoughts*. All in all, though, it was a lovely evening; Handel's Messiah is a beautiful work full of breathtaking moments. I just love it. This is Worthy Is The Lamb & the Amen Chorus; they're just amazing... the only downside is that hearing them means that Messiah is coming to an end. Related Posts:My nephews' home school co-op had their Christmas recital on Saturday night which was a really good time. This is a picture of one of my nephews, who is in his second year of piano lessons, playing a duet, Polovtsian Dance (Alexander Borodin, Prince Igor) with his teacher (parent of a couple of the other homeschool kids). He did an excellent job. The eldest of the nephews recited Shakespeare's poem Winter ( from Love's Labour's Lost) Winter When icicles hang by the wall, And Dick the shepherd blows his nail, And Tom bears logs into the hall, And milk comes frozen home in pail, When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul, Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit; Tu-who, a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. When all aloud the wind doth blow, And coughing drowns the parson’s saw, And birds sit brooding in the snow, And Marion’s nose looks red and raw, When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl, Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit; Tu-who, a merry note, While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. William Shakespeare The youngest nephew (of four) recited a poem called The Snowman, while dressed in a top hat and carrying a carrot nose (he later ate the carrot). I'm not sure where that one was from, and the author was unknown, so I can't reproduce it here. Nephew number three recited Seal Lullaby by Rudyard Kipling: Seal Lullaby Oh! hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us, And black are the waters that sparkled so green. The moon, o'er the combers, looks downward to find us At rest in the hollows that rustle between. Where billow meets billow, there soft be thy pillow; Ah, weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease! The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee, Asleep in the arms of the slow-swinging seas. The two older nephews also sang a duet: a Latin Christmas carol entitled Gaudete which is thought to have been written in the 16th century; it appears in Piae Cantiones, a collection of sacred songs published in 1582. Only the verses appear in that work, though; it is typically sung to a tune which was a standard in liturgical books of the time, and predates the lyrics. The nephews also participated in a couple of group songs, including one of my favourite Christmas hymns In The Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti: All of the children did so well, and had obviously put a lot of time and effort into making the evening a special one. Oh, and a few of the other children sang Matthew's Begats by Andrew Peterson, from Behold the Lamb of God which is my favourite contemporary Christmas album. The co-op also worked very hard this fall, making craft projects which they subsequently sold at a couple of local Christmas craft markets. They brought what they had left over to the recital to sell, and everything went rapidly. I hadn't known this was happening and only had a little cash on me- which was all they could take- but managed to snag a couple of items: a sea glass suncatcher and a coaster- not bad, for $6.50. I didn't know this when I bought it, but it turns out the sea glass crab was made by one of my nephews. Between the two markets and the recital night, the co-op made enough profit from their craft sales to buy a scroll saw for their workshop (in the garage of one of the families). So all in all, a really fun night of great performances- and good food: they served coffee, tea, and hot chocolate as well as cookies and squares in the foyer afterwards- always a good way to end an evening. I really do love all the concerts which occur this time of year. Next on my event agenda: Handel's Messiah by the Nova Scotia Symphony this coming Friday night; One of my brothers-in-law is singing in it. Related Posts:Well, the concert was amazing; full of wonderful music, great dancing, and a lot of laughter... as well as a few tears. I'm so glad we went. The format was very simple- the songs and music done by the three sisters- Maureen, Karen, and Teresa- their pianist, and banjo/ other instrument playing accompanist. They also told stories about Christmases growing up in Newfoundland, both humorous and touching. The Diaga Irish Dancers, a Halifax troupe: One of the songs which elicited tears was Tiny Trinkets, which Maureen wrote after the death of their father, about putting up the family Christmas tree and the memories associated with all of the different ornaments: The tears were quickly chased away by laughter as Karen recited a poem she had written about a winter in their childhood when she and Maureen decided to use their sister Teresa's shiny new snow suit- with her in it- as a sled on the coasting hill, resulting in disaster (and a broken leg). The show was a great mix of sentimental Christmas songs and upbeat fun ones, of traditional favourites and more modern ones, and just an all-around good time. It was a great start to the Christmas season. To end off, here's an example of one of their more upbeat numbers, Hey There, Snowflake! also written by Maureen:
|
About MeI'm a lover of good books, classic movies, and well-written shows (as well as some pretty cheesy ones, to be completely honest). Categories
All
Archives
May 2024
Fun SitesOdds & Ends |