secret agent at large

After the play on Friday night, we attended two more concerts this weekend. One was in Littleton MA. Suburban orchestras are always a little scary, in that even I can sometimes hear how out of tune and out of rhythm the players are with each other. But this one acquitted itself well with music that was not necessarily easy to play. This is the second time we've seen them, and I've been more than pleasantly surprised each time.

This time, they played a piece by Carl Maria von Weber, followed immediately by a set of variations written by Hindemith, one of which varied on the first piece. The second half featured a piece by Lalo (French composer with whom I was unfamiliar) and a part for a solo violinist that covered all five movements (I'm used to seeing the soloist get a break for at least one movement). The concert finished up with a pleasant and fun piece by Rimsky-Korsakov.

Kudos to our friends who buy two extra tickets to their series and occasionally invite us along. It was a real treat, both to see them, and to get to attend the event.

Yesterday, we saw the final concert in our four-concert series of chamber music played by Boston Symphony principals. Yesterday's concert was an all-Mozart program. Our soloist buddy was back for one piece, but in a more supporting role. So we saw him perform twice in 24 hours. My wrists would be tired! One of my favorite instruments, though, one that I've never before seen live, was a glass harmonica (some samples are here). It has a sweet and quiet sound, at least in the hands of the performer, and melded beautifully with the strings and oboe.

After the concert, Robert headed south to visit his sister for a few days. I came home, and on impulse, opened the door to the addition and left it open. The kitty ventured out. I didn't see her for a few hours, until I looked up from the computer and noticed her in a regular spot, cleaning herself. She disappeared again. But this morning when I woke up, I gave her a quick call (brr -- brr) and there she was on the bed, ecstatically rolling around, asking to be petted. In the last few minutes, she's been tearing around the bedroom, chasing one of her toys. She seems to be having lots of fun.