AvantGrand Baptism

Saturday evening Deb and I hosted the monthly piano player get together.  Alde was out of town, but the other regular members showed up.  The piano was given a very good workout, beginning with Paula performing a short piece by C P E Bach, and a Prelude by Gershwin.  Next up, Jim gave a truly beautiful performance of a piece by Scott Joplin, and the piano sounded amazing under his professional sounding touch.  His brother had just passed away last week, but he had been able to record the piece and play it for him beforehand.  So he played it tonight as a memorial to him.  He followed up with the Grande Waltz Brillante Op 34 in A Minor by Chopin.  He returned at the end of the night to perform the Bach Toccata in E Minor, a major work that sounded totally incredible on the piano.  I could not have been more pleased with the sound.  Next up was Dr. Seski (our Rob Sr.), who played a Chopin Waltz and a piece by Schubert, followed by Dr. Ling, who brought the last two movements of the Appassionata  by Beethoven.  After a short break, we resumed with Rob Jr, Dr. Biswas, who played the final movement of the Waldstein sonata by Beethoven.  Again, the piano really shone here (as did Robert), as volumes of layered sound poured forth from the wide awake piano towards the small but appreciative audience.  I finished up with short pieces by Bach (on harpsichord) and Mendelssohn, and two by Alexina Louie.  And so the piano had a very good workout!  Best of all, I got to sit back and hear all different kinds of music performed on it.  Our next meeting in October will be at Jim's home, in the distant city of Chatham.

We are now deep into our final week of trail hiking preparations.  The mountains are calling, and we are nearly ready to heed those calls.  We have been fortunate in having a cool, mostly sunny month in which to prepare for the big times.  Our trip will have a prelude, as we head to Cincinnati (by invitation) to attend the film festival there next weekend.  Following that event, our vehicle will point west for several driving days.  Excitement is mounting here at the Homestead.

There are two films to report on today.  The first was Deb's main choice, a strange little film called The Eight Mountains.  It is about a lot of things, but mostly about a strong friendship between two men.  They met at age 12, one of them a mountain-raised lad, and the other visiting the Italian Alps for a month in the summer.  Filmed in 4:3 by choice (obviously), it seems to suit the film, which requires close framing some of the time.  The mountain scenery is splendid, and the film does well with the emotional bond between the two lead actors.  This could, in fact, have been a really great film.  However, the insertion of at least 6 folk guitar ballads (sung in English!) during the film is so in your face and poorly chosen, that I would have walked out of the theatre had I seen it there.  As it was, we had the mute on for at least 20 minutes of running time.  Luckily it is sub-titled, or we would have missed some of the dialogue.  Watch at your own risk to your ears.

Now showing on Criterion, with extras. 

 

My main film choice for the week was another strange little film, this one from Portugal.  Filmed in b & w, Tabu is from 2012.  It is actually two shorter films, split in the middle by a changing story arc.  The first part takes place in Lisbon.  A woman who lives next door is the only friend that a lonely and very elderly woman has.  The old woman has a live-in housekeeper.  The first story is about the woman who is the friend, but we follow the elderly woman until she finally passes away.  As she is dying she hands her friend a crumpled piece of paper with a man's name and address on it.  She wants to see this man before she dies.  Despite doing her best to find the person (he is in a nursing home), the older woman dies before they can meet up.  He does attend her funeral, and afterwards goes to a cafe with the friend, and her in-home caretaker.  There he begins to tell the story of the deceased woman, and the movie switches now to Africa, namely a plantation in Mozambique.  This is the better half of the movie, and takes place in the early sixties.  There is intrusive music here, but it is fit to purpose, as we watch a Portuguese rock and roll band perform and hang out, helping us date the time that events are happening in the flashback story.  We never return to the cafe, and the film ends when the African part of the story ends.  Of course the old man telling the story and the elderly woman who just died were lovers in Africa, even as she was married to someone else and pregnant with her daughter.  A tragedy finally separates the pair, and they are destined never to meet again.  Quite a good film, and recommended.  There is a crocodile.

 

Leaving Mubi in 3 days. 

 

That's all for now.  Iaido tonight, and back to hill walking tomorrow. 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

Roger Corman and Poe

We are just about to begin our third week of training, as those sizable western mountains loom closer and closer to us.  Will I be ready to climb some really big mountains in three weeks?  Nope.  Not a chance.  During our 2nd week of training we had to make some switches, mostly due to extreme heat and humidity.  Our long walk Tuesday was shortened not by the weather, though, but by swarms of very hungry mosquitoes on the path.  We fled, resorting to treadmill work at home instead, in a nice and cool basement.  And because of recent rains (it never stops around here) we had to move our cross training day to today.  Cross training day means yard cleanup, mostly weeding.  We have seen an enormous increase this year in poison ivy, and for the 2nd summer in a row my skin has made contact with the nasty plant.  It caught me at the edge of the glove on my right wrist this time, a very narrow strip about 1/4" wide and about 1" long.  The skin turns bright red, and some of it boils.  The itch goes bone deep.  But this year I tried a new medication, and it works really well.  My symptoms began Sunday night, and are still going as of today (Friday).  But the ointment really works, and I can sleep in heavenly peace.  Unlike last year's batch, which was more widespread.  Anyway, back to yard work later today.

 

In piano news, I have slowly begun to use more and more features of my new Yamaha Avantgrand piano.  I am just starting to use the recording feature now, and have already used the transposition feature and a different scale tuning to help simulate the sound of Baroque keyboard music on its harpsichord setting.  I should have 4 short pieces to perform at our next gathering, on the 23rd.  I practice exclusively with headphones now, and really like it a lot.

 

In music listening news, we are finally getting serious with the 222 Bach CDs.  We are currently getting through the organ music.  And on Sunday mornings we continue to listen to a different Cantata each week.  It will take some time.  We are also deeply into the Haydn box set, too.  We are now on our 3rd go around of the complete (104) Haydn symphonies.  This CD set was recorded in the Haydn room at Esterhazy, where all the concerts were originally presented.  And we continue to get through the LP record collection, weaning as we go.  We are currently listening to all of the Liszt records.

 

Turning now to films, all of the Corman/Poe films are leaving Criterion this month.  We hope to get through most of them by then.  First up was the best of the set, Masque of the Red Death.  From 1964, we saw it in a beautiful print.  Jane Asher's hair never looked so red!  Price is not too hammy in this one, and his presence in nearly every scene holds the picture together quite well.  Skip Martin is also very good as Hop Toad, who seeks a terrible vengeance on a thoughtless aristocrat.  Hazel Court has a bad dream, and brands herself with an upside down crucifix.  Shares of red paint went up quite a bit that year, too.  Atmospheric, and undoubtedly influenced by earlier Hammer horror efforts.  A classic that still holds up well today.  Nicholas Roeg did the photography!

 

Leaving Criterion Sept. 30th. 

 

Next came a much earlier picture, Corman's The House of Usher. Though atmospheric, this film does not entirely succeed.  For one thing, there are only four characters, and it is filmed almost like a play.  In parts it is very slow moving.  By taking a short story and dragging it out to feature length, too much depends on the acting.  Aside from Price, who is great in the role of big brother not wanting his young sister to leave home (incest being a taboo subject not only in Poe's time, but also Corman's), the other actors barely manage to make it to the adequate stage of acting.  Definitely watch this one, but not right after Masque.

 

Leaving Criterion Sept. 30th.  

 

Leaving Corman and Poe for a time (they will be back here soon), but staying withing the realm of fantasy and horror, comes a neat little independent film by Hal Hartley.  His 2001 feature is called No Such Thing, and is a modern version of Beauty and the Beast, or Beowulf if you prefer, with a difference.  A monster that has lived forever and cannot be killed, lives a lonely existence in remote coastal Iceland.  A young woman goes in search of her fiancee, who was believed killed by the monster.  Their first meeting is a bit rough, but they gradually come to respect and like each other.  Robert John Burke plays the most memorable monster in our recent film watching experience.  Sarah Polley plays the fearless and enterprising young woman (looking much like a schoolgirl most of the time, but not always).  Helen Mirren plays a news editor for a shlocky New York news service, and Julie Cristie (!) plays a doctor that helps Beatrice (Sara P.) recover from an accident.  While parts of the film are quite hammy (Mirren's role as editor, a mad scientist who may be able to kill the monster, and a sadistic research scientist), others are humourous and serious as needed.  Though the film overall is very good, there are some scenes that could have been excluded or improved, such as the Willy Wonka-like press interview, Beatrice's nights long sex rampages, and the entire plane crash thing.  The monster torture scenes and beatings are a bit overdone, too.  I would have spent more time and energy on the relationship between the monster and the young woman.  Highly recommended, but uneven.

 

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

The New Piano

The Yamaha Avant Grande N3X arrived yesterday morning on time, and the moving went smoothly.  The old U1 left the building, and in came the new grand.  After lunch Paula arrived for duet practice, so we gave it a good workout.  She also played a solo piece by Gershwin, so I got to hear the piano from a distance.  Good stuff!

 

The new piano next to the Roland harpsichord.  It's pretty shiny. 

 

There are two things I do not like about it.  The first is that the music stand does not move forward and back like on an acoustic grand.  It also has very limited angle choice (it is down for the photo).  The second thing is that the main lid only has an open or closed position.  On an acoustic grand there is a partial opening which I would use a lot.  But there are lots of advantages, too.  For one, I can use headphones, handy when Deb is working on sound in her films.  Also handy when learning pieces by Bartok, etc, so that I don't drive her crazy with the noise levels.  And of course the volume itself can be turned down, so that I can practice quietly without headphones.  Also, I can record simply by inserting a USB stick and pressing a button.  All of the control buttons are on a sliding tray beneath the right side of the piano.  There are ten different keyboards to choose from, including two harpsichord ones.  And many adjustments can be made to the sound, including different tunings.  Even individual notes can be fiddled with.  So lots of learning ahead to get the full potential of this wonderful new instrument.

In film news, Deb's final two festival choices remain to be discussed.  Everybody Loves Jeanne is a French film from 2022 directed by Celine Devaux.  It is a romantic comedy involving a woman whose big rise to the top has just ended.  Her project to collect plastic from the ocean fails when the collector is lost at sea.  Professionally, she is through.  Her mother has recently committed suicide, and she and her brother are responsible for selling her apartment there.  On her flight to Lisbon she meets a zany old school friend (who she doesn't remember), and slowly becomes involved with him.  One of the funnier things about the film is her inner voice, represented on film by crude but hilarious animated figures.  Her subconscious is brought to life, and really adds to the film.  Very well done, and recommended.

Now showing on Mubi. 

 

Lastly comes Chico and Rita, a Spanish animated film from 2010.  The animation is beautiful and totally amazing, and the story, about two Cuban musicians, a singer and a piano player, hits a home run as well.  The music is terrific, too!  Don't miss!  Not for kids.

 

Leaving Mubi soon. 

 

Lastly, a butterfly snapshot by Deb from our day trip last week.  It was in a garden behind The Country Market in Kent Bridge.  That is all.  Signing off for now.

 

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

A Yamaha Avantgrand N3X

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.

The new piano, coming soon.

The keys and action are identical to Yamaha acoustic grand pianos.  When I test played it it felt exactly like Paula's piano, a 5' Yamaha grand. 

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!

Leaving Criterion June 30th. 

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.

Now showing on Mubi. 

Mapman Mike