Night out on the town

Since I had a ticket for the Seattle Symphony concert this evening I decided to make a night of it and headed downtown on the monorail straight after work. Pike Place market was packing up when I got there but I bought a selection of cheeses from Beecher's for the weekend and then made my way to the Pike Brewing Co to sample a flight of their signature house beers and order a salmon sandwich for dinner. Both were excellent.

The Symphony was packed - it is good to see that classical music is alive and kicking in Seattle. Benaroya Hall is vast, with curlicued Dale Chihuly (a famous local glass artist) chandeliers that look as fantastical as Dr.Seuss creatures hanging in the foyer. First on the programme was Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto sensitively played by Yefim Bronfman, a giant Russian bear of a man.  It's my favorite of Beethoven's five piano concerti, especially the slow movement in which Orpheus (the piano) tames the beast (the orchestra). After the encore and interval came Beethoven's Seventh Symphony which Richard Wagner famously called 'The apotheosis of the Dance'.

Unfortunately principal cellist Efe Baltacigil, whom I've never heard play but is quite well-known, wasn't there tonight, but there were some very interesting characters to watch.  One of the first violinists had a grey beard down to his waist and one couldn't help wondering how he could play the violin, let alone even see it through all that facial hair.  I have to tie my hair back to play the cello so it doesn't snag on the pegs or get under my fingers and make them slip on the fingerboard.  The violinist sitting behind him was a dapper little man who was so small that only the tips of the toes of his patent shoes touched the floor, but he played with such flourishes of his whole upper body and bow that the overall effect was very dramatic.  I really enjoyed watching the timpanist too who stood elevated at the back centered beneath the organ pipes. He was the only African American I spotted in the orchestra. The Symphony has a great timpani part, especially in the Scherzo.

I rode the bus home - public transportation is very convenient here.  The only downside is that the main bus stop on Third and Pine where I catch the bus is also a hangout for homeless druggies who sit sprawled against the storefronts smoking dope or worse. They seem harmless enough but I am still relieved when the bus comes along.