In piano news, we bought a piano. Our house is too small for even a 5' grand piano. As things stand, my Yamaha U1 blasts out the tones throughout the house. There is no hiding. So buying a grand piano would make the noise level even more absurd. Headphones are not an option. I have had two uprights in my time, and two digital pianos. Yamaha has an exclusive line of three pianos that actually have Yamaha keys and authentic action, combined with the best in digitally sampled sounds. The top model is the N3X, which we committed to purchasing last Wednesday, and will be delivered in early August. D & S Pianos near London, ON will also take the U1 as a trade in. Being a floor model we also got 15% off the sizable price tag. We have put a down payment on it; the rest is due upon delivery. We just happened to have a savings account all prepared to handle this huge expense. My original U1 cost me around $8000 back in the late 90s, probably similar after inflation to what we will pay for the N3; the harpsichord was $5500, shipped here from California many years ago.
There are several advantages to having this piano. For one thing, the volume is adjustable, and the lid can be kept down when practicing. For another thing, headphones can be used. Deb can have some peace and quiet while I rampage through Beethoven and Bartok. For another thing, it will fit in our house, in the music room. And no tuning is ever required. It has five built in grand piano sounds, and several other voices. I may no longer even need the Roland harpsichord.
In other news, Happy Summer to all my northern hemisphere readers (there seem to be many these days, and from many far flung lands) and Happy Winter to those south of the equator! We took a day trip on the Solstice to try out some pianos, and ended up liking one of them very much (see photos, above). The night before I was out with the telescope, my last session of deep sky work during this lunar phase. Observations will recommence sometime around 6th or 7th of July.
Deb's latest SF film continues to garner awards and acceptances. The latest award is so new that we don't even know what it is for, other than she won a category. See her web page using the link in the upper left margin of this blog.
There are two movies to report on, rather different from each other. The first was an Anthony Mann directed western starring James Stewart as a bounty hunter chasing after murderer Robert Ryan. The Naked Spur is from 1953. The main attraction in the film is the incredibly beautiful Colorado mountain locations and scenery. On a big screen this must be overwhelming! The story is a pretty basic western formula, with the murder of a dozen or so Natives, and Stewart and small company bringing the bad guy back to Kansas to face justice. Forget the story and enjoy the colourful and free trip to Colorado!
Next came a film showing on Mubi called The Topology Of Sirens. From 2021, this film wins an Enigma award from us here at the Homestead. A young woman appears at her aunt's house (we presume the aunt has died) and begins to discover strange little cassette tapes with strange music and environmental sounds on them. One discovery leads to another, and as she explores a strange world of images and sounds we are left to wonder what the hell is going on. Whatever is going on doesn't much affect the enjoyment of this puzzling but strangely beautiful film. I wish I could have met her aunt. A recommended film.
Mapman Mike
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