Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1

I have been fighting a cold for most of the week and it pretty much had me down for the count but I was bound and determined to make it to the Utah Symphony concert last night because one does not miss Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 if one can help it!  I am glad that I made the effort because the performance was amazing!  The orchestra, under the baton of guest conductor Ludovic Morlot (a last minute replacement for the injured Thierry Fischer), began with the Overture to Prima la musica poi le parole by Antonio Salieri.  I have to admit that I was very excited for this piece because of the fictional rivalry between Salieri and Mozart in the movie Amadeus (which is not only one of my favorite movies but it is also the reason I became a fan of classical music).  Salieri's music is portrayed as pedestrian in comparison to Mozart's in the movie but I think this operetta, which debates the relative merits of music and drama in opera, is really charming and exuberant.  Then the orchestra was joined by soloist Andrei Korobeinikov, making his U.S. debut, for one of my very favorite pieces, Piano Concerto No. 1 by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.  Those instantly recognizable opening notes by the brass get me every time because they provide such an explosive burst of energy to begin a highly emotional piece!  The themes played by the solo piano are sometimes incredibly passionate and tempestuous and then almost unbearably beautiful and romantic!  There were many times when I found myself holding my breath because I was so overcome!  Korobeinikov played it with so much feeling and expression and earned a well deserved standing ovation!  After the intermission, the orchestra performed a new piece by Augusta Reed Thomas called Dance Foldings (she was there to introduce it) which is meant to mimic the dance of proteins within the body.  There are random bursts of sound from every section but I especially enjoyed all of the percussion and the emphasis periodically provided by the brass.  The concert concluded with Symphony No. 2 by Charles Ives.  I think of Ives' music as quintessentially American and it was really fun picking out snippets of other American classics, such as "Bringing in the Sheaves," "America the Beautiful," "Camptown Races," and "Turkey in the Straw," throughout.  I loved this concert as much as the previous ones this season, which has been spectacular so far, and I definitely recommend getting a ticket for tonight's performance of the same program (go here).

Ticket to Paradise

My sister and I used to have the tradition of seeing a movie on Halloween but we haven't done it for a few years.  We decided to revive the tradition last night and took Sean and Tashena with us to see Ticket to Paradise.  I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies (my sister picked the movie) but I ended up really liking this!  After Lily Cotton (Kaitlyn Dever) graduates from law school she goes on vacation to Bali with her best friend Wren (Billie Lourd).  She falls in love with island life and with a local seaweed farmer named Gede (Maxime Bouttier).  When her bitterly divorced parents Georgia (Julia Roberts) and David (George Clooney) learn that Lily wants to give up her law career to marry Gede, they put aside their differences and race to Bali in order to stop her from making the same mistake they made all those years ago.  Hijinks ensue!  This movie is formulaic and totally predictable but I have to admit that it is really enjoyable!  There are several things that elevate it above its commonplace premise.  First, the tropical scenery is absolutely gorgeous and provides a nice bit of escapism.  I can certainly see why Lily wants to give up her law career and stay there forever.  I especially loved the scenes where the characters are swimming with dolphins!  Second, Billie Lourd adds a lot of comic relief (she often steals the spotlight from Dever) and I laughed out loud at many of her antics.  I propose that she be cast as the free-spirited sidekick in every comedy from now on!  Finally, mega-stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts are unbelievably appealing and their chemistry together is palpable!  I loved all of their bickering and all of the slapstick comedy (especially during an epic round of beer pong).  The two of them were actually the reason I agreed to see this movie and they did not disappoint.  The four of us had a lot of fun watching this (we all agreed that we knew exactly what was going to happen but that it didn't matter) and I recommend it to fans of romantic comedies!

Decision to Leave

Have I mentioned that I want to see just about everything that screened at the fall film festivals this year?  It seems that they are all getting a wide release within the next few weeks (I am going to be really busy) so I went to see one of them, Decision to Leave, last night at the Broadway.  This neo-noir thriller about mutual obsession is complex but ultimately very compelling.  Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is a world-weary police detective suffering from insomnia in Busan with a so-called "weekend marriage" to a woman who lives in Ipo.  While working on another case, he and his partner Soo-wan (Go Kyung-pyo) are called to the scene of a mountain climbing accident that may or may not involve foul play.  The victim's wife, a Chinese immigrant named Seo-rae (Tang Wei), becomes a suspect but, after conducting extensive surveillance, Hae-jun becomes infatuated with her and eventually finds evidence that seems to exonerate her.  However, nothing is what it seems and the narrative takes an unexpected turn when Hae-jun becomes the object of Seo-rae's obsession during another case.  What I really enjoyed is how Park Chan-wook plays with perception.   Images come into and go out of focus in the same scene, particularly during an interrogation scene involving a mirror, which emphasizes that the characters do not see each other clearly and the use of technology, especially video and audio recordings, reveals a disconnect between them.  I also enjoyed the clever editing and innovative camera work used in the surveillance scenes because you never really know where each of the characters are in relation to one another.  While the story is essentially a straightforward police procedural, these stylistic choices, as well as multiple subplots, keep the audience guessing until the haunting conclusion.  Tang Wei gives an enigmatic performance worthy of Hitchcock's best femme fatales and the chemistry between her and Park Hae-il is absolutely smoldering.  Finally, the images on the screen, including overhead shots of mountain peaks and crashing waves, are gorgeous and the woodwind heavy score is incredibly evocative.  This is one of the best movies I've seen this year and I highly recommend it!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 in Concert

The very first Film in Concert that I saw with the Utah Symphony was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and I absolutely loved it!  I have since seen the next five movies in the franchise on the big screen with the orchestra playing the score live and was thrilled to see the penultimate movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, yesterday afternoon.  One of the things I love about these concerts is all of the audience participation!  There was the usual house roll call (three cheers for Ravenclaw) and lots of applause (or boos as the case may be) for all of the characters when they appeared on screen for the first time (the loudest was for, rather appropriately, Hagrid after the recent passing of Robbie Coltrane).  These movies have been getting progressively darker in tone with higher stakes and this one finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) on the run in search of the Horcruxes that will enable them to defeat Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).  The score for this movie, composed by Alexandre Desplat (who is one of my favorite film composers), is incredibly moody and atmospheric.  All of the music for the action sequences, including "Sky Battle" when Harry and his friends are attacked by Voldemort as he is moved by members of the Order of the Phoenix, "The Ministry of Magic" when they are attacked by Death Eaters, "Bathilda Bagshot" when Harry and Hermione are attacked in Godric's Hollow, "Captured and Tortured" when Harry and his friends are chased by the Snatchers through the forest, and "Rescuing Hermione" when they escape from Malfoy Manor, are menacing and intense.  There are also some incredibly plaintive themes, including "Oblivion" when Hermione erases all trace of herself from her parents' memories, "Godric's Hollow Graveyard" when Harry finds his parents' graves, and "Farewell to Dobby" when they bury their friend after he saves them (this always brings a tear to my eyes).  My favorites are "Destroying the Locket" with beautiful themes played by the woodwinds when the Patronus appears in the woods and "The Elder Wand" with dramatic timpani and brass when Voldemort opens Dumbledore's tomb.  This was so much fun, especially during Halloween weekend, and I am now eagerly anticipating the final movie in the franchise.

Note:  If you have never attended a Film in Concert with the Utah Symphony, I highly recommend it because it is so immersive!  The remaining concerts include The Nightmare Before Christmas, An American in Paris, and The Force Awakens.  Go here for more information.

Hamilton in Las Vegas (Again)

I was not really planning on seeing Hamilton at the Smith Center in Las Vegas (I have seen it many times including at the Smith Center) but I decided that I would be really sad if I didn't go and ended up getting a ticket.  I went on my first road trip with my new car yesterday to see it and I loved it as much as the first time I saw it!  Alexander Hamilton was played by the understudy Manuel Stark Santos (he was Aaron Burr when I saw it in SLC) and I really enjoyed his interpretation of the role.  He has a beautiful voice so his renditions of "Dear Theodosia" and "Hurricane" were lovely and I had tears in my eyes when he kissed Eliza's hand during "It's Quiet Uptown."  He brought quite a bit of originality to his performance in "Non-Stop" and many of his facial expressions and gestures where hilarious ("I was chosen for the Constitutional Convention!").  I saw Donald Webber, Jr. as Aaron Burr in San Francisco and SLC and last night his rendition of "Wait For It" was incredibly powerful but the phrasing was a little bit different.  I have often wondered whether the actors change their performances from city to city and it seems that he does!  The same could be said for Paris Nix (who I saw as Marquis de Lafayette/ Thomas Jefferson in Chicago and SLC) because he changed the running man to wiping his feet (which Santos imitated) in "Cabinet Battle #1."  His interactions with Brandon Louis Armstrong (as Hercules Mulligan/ James Madison) were absolutely hilarious and I laughed out loud at his antics during "What'd I Miss," "The Reynolds Pamphlet," and "The Election of 1800" because he seemed even more over the top than usual!  Darnell Abraham was an incredibly commanding George Washington when I saw him in SLC and he gave me goosebumps, and earned thunderous applause from the crowd, once again when he stormed the stage during "Right Hand Man" (which is one of my favorite moments in the show).  Eliza was played by the understudy Milika Cheree (she also played the role as the understudy in SLC) and her performance of "Burn" brought a tear to my eye once again (she had a huge flame when she set the letter on fire!).  Finally, last night I noticed for the first time that when Eliza reads the letter about John Laurens' death, Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan are up on the balcony reading letters as well.  I've always been focused on Hamilton's reaction in that scene so I have never seen them before and it was very moving!  I loved every minute of this performance (I honestly don't think I will ever get tired of it) and I am so glad that I decided to get a ticket!

Note:  Since this is such a popular show, patrons were only able to select a section on the website and then seats were randomly assigned.  I selected the main floor and was thrilled to discover that my seat was a few rows from the stage in the exact center of the theater!