PrettyInScarlett

Sadly I won't be able to make the new Lenten series of concerts at Southminster United Church ... Roland Graham has programmed a variety of styles and instruments in a series of free Wednesday lunchtime concerts at Southminster United Church between 13th February and 27th March 2013. Admission is by donation.  

Heading towards February and the variety of event choices has increased somewhat; M and I tried out the NAC English Theatre's production of Ovid's Metamorphoses and the inaugural Nature Nocturne at the Canadian Museum of Nature . I heard about Nature Nocturne via Apartment 613 and the concept immediately caught my eye. An adults-only cultural/nightlife event in an amazing building? Tickets bought. The attendees were a very diverse crowd, including a lot of smartly attired people giving the event something of a cocktail soirée vibe (perhaps this says something about the range of events, or lack of them, in Ottawa...). The refurbished tower held a very packed dancefloor and I especially recommend the current exhibition Fury: Portraits of turbulent skies by artist Stephen Hutching. We wandered around the Vale Earth Gallery having fun with the sedimentator, magmanator and metamorphicator machines (fantastic fun!) and trying out artist Greta Grip's kitted QR codes...

A bit of a seasonal and pre-house-moving lull in concerts, but today I came across a useful initiative for UK based people. Learn To Play Day is an annual taster day for those of any age who are thinking of learning a musical instrument, whereby free lessons are provided in participating music stores. I heard about the initiative through this article ; more information is on the Learn To Play Day website. Definitely worth checking it out on Saturday 16th March. 

Courtesy of a Groupon offer last week, I went to see the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra (OSO) on 26th November in their performance of Mahler's 9th Symphony . This was my first OSO performance (as well as my first Mahler 9th performance) and I was suitably impressed both by the quality of the performance and by the turnout. In a related event, the Austrian Embassy had set up a small display about artist Gustav Klimt in the NAC foyer, introduced by incoming ambassador Arno Riedel. There were around 10 themed boards with information in English and German about various aspects of Klimt's life and career. Small but nonetheless a nice complimentary touch to the evening. In addition to the Klimt display, a very informative pre-concert chat by David Gardner provided an excellent introduction. I didn't really notice the length of the Symphony as the music was so intense and descriptive. Even just the first movement was like the telling of a story and it was clear how many sub...

The onset of winter's bitter evenings heralded The PepTides ' last show of 2012 at Irene's Pub on Saturday, 26th November. Interestingly, M and I arrived about 9pm to be told that the pub was at maximum capacity; by 9.45 or so there were about 10 people in this line. 4 or 5 of us were let in about this time, and to my eyes, the pub was about 60% full. To me, a full pub is one reminiscent of London's Circle line at rush hour; on Saturday there was definitely standing room for another 50 people. I imagine that capacity regulations are somehow linked to the alcohol licence but for the lineup still waiting outside at 10.30pm, well, organisation could have been better.   We heard some of The Pelts' support set from the bar -  seemed to be listenable, danceable fun music but not so memorable. Not so the main set. From their introductions, this was the last live show in the current format - with an EP based on Stuart McLean's The Vinyl Cafe just out and a new ...

Further to my post on 14th November about the ECM+ Generation 2012 concert in Ottawa, I received an email with competition results. Each attendee at the Generation 2012 series of concerts had a voting card to vote for their favourite piece, with the winner earning a $1500 prize and commission.  This year's winner is Riho Esko Maimets with his piece Beatitude . Further details from the press release below:

Today's website discovery is a fresher take on 'classical' music. Sinfini Music is a new online portal whose motto is 'cutting through classical' - lots of news, views, videos and more from the world of classical music but without a lot of the jargon. Plus Paul Morley . As a music lover it is sometimes irksome the way that classical music content can be a little opaque. I've just enjoyed reading 'Opera Strip - The Ring Part 1' .