SF Bay Area: And Now for Something Completely Different

**Alan H** · 14th September 06, 10:35 PM

My symphony...well it's really Joan's symphony as I only play in it quite rarely now, is having a Unique concert. Here's the program:

Mendelssohn: The Hebrides
Davies: An Orkney Wedding and Sunrise
Elvis Costello: Il Sogno

The Mendelssohn is his "Scottish" Symphony and is very easy to listen to. It's classical and quite nice and not an ear-buster at all.

The Davies piece is pretty unusual, but get this....yeah, it's "classical", but it ends with a piper parading through the audience and coming up on stage with the orchestra. I helped find a piper with a set of pipes that actually tune close enough to A440 to allow him to play with the group. Most pipe bands now tune to about A457, in other words, screamingly out-of-tune with any modern orchestra. Look at it this way; one of Dennis Russel Davies better-known pieces is called "Mavis in Las Vegas"....that gives you some sort of an idea what to expect.

And yeah, you read that right... the last piece is a ballet score by Elvis Costello. It's a modern day twist on "A Midsummer NIghts Dream" written for an Italian ballet company several years ago. I've been listening to the CD and it's cool. It's got a screaming, killer saxophone part that I'm dyin, 'cause I'm not playing it. I had to say no 'cause I'd have to miss the dress rehearsal because I'm convening the Clan Tent on Saturday at the Ben Lomond Games.

You can read the scoop by going to the Redwood Symphony Website here:
http://www.redwoodsymphony.org/

The concert is entitled "A Celtic Journey" and tickets are a measly ten bucks. Kids are wlecome, as long as they can sit something like quietly. The date is Sunday October 8th, and it's a matinee. It'll be over in time for a post-concert dinner.

Any X-Markers interested in forming a Kilted Kulture Kontingent and attending the concert, and then an after concert dinner? I'll be there, dressed to the nines in Eton jacket and Kilt, of course! I promise that you get to play groupie with the principal clarinetist....LOL

**KiltedCodeWarrior** · 15th September 06, 06:31 AM

Alan, have fun, that sounds like it will be a really cool concert and then dinner after will be the icing on the cake

**michael steinrok** · 16th September 06, 11:56 PM

Alan after the poem you wrote last night for the group I feel I owe you. Besides it sounds like a good time. Count me in! Formal it is!

**Tattoo Bradley** · 17th September 06, 12:31 AM

If I was in the area, I'd be all for it. Not too many oppurtunities to go full formal...

**michael steinrok** · 4th October 06, 08:03 AM

Is anyone up for this? A great chance to go formal?

**Panache** · 4th October 06, 09:04 AM

Sinbad and I will be there for the concert!

As for dressing up, we don't have a true formal gear but will try our best.

Cheers

**turpin** · 4th October 06, 04:13 PM

I would so love to attend that one in proper attire.

**auld argonian** · 4th October 06, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by turpin

I would so love to attend that one in proper attire.

I think that the fun would be in attending in proper attire along with a sizeable rabble of similarly attired dudes and for once being part of a decent sized group of kilted men and not one of the "eccentrics" who's wearing a kilt....it'd be nice for the guys in pants to stop and think, "...I'm wearing trousers and everybody else is wearing a kilt...".

Best

AA