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Silver Lining
Almost reminiscent of the Alexei Nemov brouhaha some eight years ago, the Men's Team Finals which just concluded caused not quite a few upsets with turn of events. Japan, poised for Gold fronted their Superman, Kohei Uchimura with an agenda and a vendetta, made some ghastly mistakes on the final rotation on the pommel horse which sent their scores ( Read more... ) -
Tchai-Of-Course-Sky
Last evening at the SSO opened the new season with the up-and-coming Uzbekistan sensation Behzod Abduraimov in Tchaikovsky's warhorse, the evergreen Piano Concerto No 1.
On most minds and lips is still the indelible episode when another young prodigy established in his career, disappointingly gave a lacklustre and, to borrow the words of a critic ( Read more... ) -
Blue Film
And so the SSO breaks with tradition and embarks on a course yet unchartered. That said, this evening's presentation of The Blue Planet Live was a success on all counts.
This epic and monumental documentary series by the BBC's Natural History Unit was a revelation in the hitherto unseen footage of nature in the deep blue sea, of territories beyond ( Read more... ) -
The Long-Winded Bird
WTF?!
Yet another Arts Fest show. Yet another Friday. Yet another head scratcher.
That said, this time, I say this with the deepest respect and highest regard for the genius that is behind The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, the book-to-stage adaptation of Japanese doyen Haruki Murakami's seminal book. Not that I've read it, mind. My tastes veer towards the ( Read more... ) -
The Chang-ing Four Seasons
Discounting the bastardisation of the association with the Popular Bookstore commercials, Vivaldi's Four Seasons is a masterpiece in composition, with the aural-visual link so perfectly crafted with attention to detail that the very depictions of nature leap out of the pages.
Tonight's Gala Concert featured American-Korean violinist Sarah Chang as ( Read more... ) -
Babushka Brahms
It is easy to impress with pyrotechnics where and when speed is the main criterion by which many judge a performance and thus superficial technique supersedes and sacrifices taste and temperament.
One is of course guilty of this too, an example coming to mind that of a warhorse of the piano concerto canon where a recording by the composer as soloist ( Read more... ) -
Abbey-solutely Fabulous
How good is it? Let's just say I just spent the evening watching through the Christmas Special. From start to finish. Twice. Back to back ( Read more... ) -
For The Write Reasons
It's been almost another lifetime since school days, and I really cannot imagine or remember what it is like to just show up in class, absorb, digest and regurgitate information. Well, with friends and acquaintances all seemingly pursuing upgrading and development with the likes of specialist Advanced Diplomas and Masters programmes, one suddenly ( Read more... ) -
Rach Rates
So it has been some time since one of these. Not for want of material, mind. Just a lack of motivation. In other words, writer's block. I suppose. Anyway, I promised myself I would eventually make a comeback, when the time was right. Or bluntly put, when there was enough of an impetus and catalyst.
This was not fulfilled by the slew of shows in the ( Read more... )