Hampton Roads Events

There are two exhibitions currently at the Chrysler Museum that we wanted to see - Masterpieces From an English Country House, and Photographs of the Civil War. It's a long weekend for Memorial Day, so we decided to spend Sunday afternoon at the Chrysler Museum and catch up.

First, lunch. There's a little restaurant in the middle of the Museum, Cuisine and Company. Very quiet, very peaceful, and just nice. Gazpacho, oriental salads, pinot grigio, apple pie and coffee. A nice start to an afternoon in the museum.

We started with The Fitzwilliam Collection: Masterpieces From An English Country House. The photographs of the house were pretty astounding. It was called Wentworth Woodhouse and was an astoundingly beautiful house inside, and so large. The collection of art shown was just a sample of the art that collected in that house. There were Van Dyck portraits of the Wentworth family, Joshua Reynold's paintings of the family, George Stubb's paintings of the race horses owned by the family. And some of the original James Audubon The Birds of America, still in their original bindings. I never realised just how large those Audubon books were. The engravings are stunning.

Then upstairs to the photography section for Civil War Photographs from the David L. Hack Collection. It was a small collection, but the photographs were interesting. Many were prints from books printed after the civil war. One series had a horrid fascination for me. They showed the hanging of four of the people involved with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. One was a woman, Mary Surrat. The series of photos show them being led to the scaffold, death proclamation read, then the drop and the aftermath. This is a whole area of history I know nothing about. I find the Civil War depressing.

Then we had a wander around the top floor of the museum, through sections I had not seen before. Modern American art. I came across a portrait titled Phil III by Chuck Close. I know this Phil. I have about 60 CDs of his music. It was made of small half inch squares of hand-made paper of varies shades of black, white and grey. I was very taken with this portrait.



Worcester porcelain, other plates, American art, African-American art, old European art, the glass collection - there's always something fascinating to see at the Chrysler Msueum. We whiled away the time till closing, and as we left, they were setting up the foyer for a wedding. The foyer is a large, open area, bright and cheery with a Moroccan flavour, and I couldn't imagine a nicer place to have a wedding.

This was an open-air concert, held in front of the Chrysler Museum, with the promise of fireworks. Only problem was, there was also the promise of rain. Thunderstorms were coming.

We grabbed some grass to the side of the stage and settled down and waited. Not the best seats, but oh well. We watched the clouds roll in, heard the thunder, and saw the crack of lightning, and then the rain came down, heavily. The audience evaporated. Some went home, but most huddled around the Chrysler Museum. The Museum was still open, so some went inside. Some members of the orchestra set up inside and played. Other audience and orchestra members huddled around the side of the Chrysler. But after 20 minutes, the rain stopped, the clouds blew on, and we got a chance to try for better seating. We were more central this time, and able to see the stage.

We had a brief speech from the head of the Chrysler Museum, and then a longer speech from Mayor Paul Fraim. They are hoping that this collaboration between the Museum and the Symphony can be an annual event. Sounds like a great idea to me. This concert is part of the 400th Anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement celebrations. That's actually in 2007, so the celebrations must carry on for a year into 2007.

And then, on with the show.

Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 opened the evening, bringing happy memories of A Clockwork Orange to me. The instruments sounded a little flat at first. Maybe the damp was affecting them? But the March was bright and cheery and perked everyone up and we forgot that we were sitting on wet grass, and were damp. Then into Vaughan Williams English Folk Song Suite, three bright and happy tunes. Haydn's Symphony No 104 was fine, but not very memorable. And then we got to the rousing parts of the evening. Holst's Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity - such a lively, happy piece, always a delight to listen to.

And we finished with Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks. With fireworks. The top of the Chrysler Museum had been prepared. We got a small, but very pretty, display of fireworks while the orchestra was playing. White showers and trees at first, then big multicolour bangs, and as the music came to a close, some huge bangs.

Near the end of the Handel, one of the organisers was running around giving the cut-it-off signal quite vigorously. I heard a rumour there was to be a short unannounced piece at the end, but we never got to it. After the cut-off signal, the concert was over. Thunder and lightning came rushing in again, audience and orchestra ran from the scene, and the rain slammed down again.

The evening was perfectly timed. It fit exactly into the window of calm between the two thunderstorms.

It was a fun evening. Everyone was happy and good-tempered, the music was happy good-time music, the fireworks produced oohs and aahs and jumps at the big bangs.

I am very fond of Early Music. I have many cds of Early Music and listen to them frequently. When I was choosing events of the Virginia Arts Festival, one event stood out - Lionheart performing Palestrina: Soul of Rome.

Lionheart are a vocal group, singing a capella, and this concert was mostly the music of Palestrina. It was held at the Christ and St Luke's Church in Norfolk, a beautiful old church. We've attended a number of concerts there. I was early and took the opportunity of purchasing two Lionheart cds - Palestrina: Soul of Rome (what I was about to hear in the church), and Paris 1200 - music of Perotin and Leonin. Then I grabbed the best seat in the church.

The evening started with Lionheart entering from behind us, walking down the aisle, singing Deus tuorum militum - Gregorian chant. This was beautiful. It's rare for me to get to hear chant live. I normally listen to cds. But live, in the church where it belongs, with the echo and reverberation, it sounded divine. It's such a peaceful music, whether you listen to it for religious purposes or just as beautiful music.

Lionheart are six men with beautiful blended voices. They moved through many works by Palestrina: Ave Maria, a Kyrie and a Gloria, Adoramus te, Confitemini Domino, a Sanctus, Gloriosi principes terrae, and Agnus Dei, Surrexit pastor bonus, and Litaniae de Beata Virgine Maria. In between were two works by Costanzo Festa - Petrus beatus catenarum laqueos, and Tibi Christe splendor Patris; and two by Tomas Luis de Victoria - O regem caeli, and another Ave Maria. Beautiful music, sung beautifully and carefully. There was no intermission, just a steady progression through the program, with the six singers shifting position with each song. The music was calming and peaceful, beautifully sung, and spiritually uplifting.

They were met with great applause at the end of the concert. After several rounds of applause, they stayed for a brief encore - Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland. This wasn't quite in character for the concert, and sure changed the calm spiritual mood of the evening. I would have been much happier if they had omitted the encore.

Time for the Greek Festivals again. First up is the Greek Festival in Norfolk, at the Granby Street Greek Orthodox Cathedral. It runs from Thursday to Sunday. Usually, we go on Sunday, and have lunch, but this year we decided to do things differently and go Friday night.

It was crowded when we arrived. The lines to enter the grand tent for dinner were long and slow moving. We watched many people bring their food out and eat on the church steps. Too many people, not enough seats. While we waited patiently in line, drink sellers came past to keep us entertained, and a cold bottle of Mythos beer occupied me for a short while. Soon, we reached the food line. This year, the food was better than ever. Full lamb shanks, cooked to perfection with herbs and spices. Some moussaka, and pastitsio, and a spanakopita and a tiropita. I only get to eat Greek food twice a year, so I am not going to miss my favourites. We loaded our trays and then looked for somewhere to sit, expecting that we too would have to leave the tent and eat standing up. Not so. We turned around and found a place to sit immediately. Our good luck. I rushed off to get another Mythos beer to wash the food down with, and then we could start. The lamb was delectable. All the food was wonderful, but the lamb shank was a delight. We had planned on getting some calamari too, but the line for calamari was way too long, so we reluctantly abandoned that idea.

There was entertainment while we ate. First, the dancers performed. We had the Senior Dancers, the more experienced dancers, in full costume with a good Greek band behind them. The dancers finished and the band played on. I like traditional Greek music.

After we were sated, we headed for the Agora. First stop - T-shirts. I have one of the special T-shirts from each of the Greek Festivals from 2000 to 2006. The designs are fun. We slowly worked our way through the Agora, looking at the jewelry and knick-knacks, and Greek cds (I already have most of the Nana Mouskouri). This year, they had a small cafe open serving Greek coffee. I tried one. Authentic. Small pot, open flame, double boiled, with sugar added, and tasting strong and sweet. And then our last stop for the night - the baklava store. Rather than going overboard this year, we just got a sample pack of the best baklavas.

The Virginia Beer Festival is part of the Virginia Arts Festival. I'm not sure how the consumption of beer fits into the Arts Festival, but it is included and it is an annual event, and I go each year.



I was on my own this year - no friends, no companions, no amiable drunks. In previous years, I had no ambitions other than to enjoy myself and sample a few beers and take notes. Last year, I sampled 32 beers and took notes, but wasn't able to read my notes past #28. My goal this year was to sample 50 beers, and be able to read all my notes. I had increased the number because of the increase in time of the Beer Festival. Last year, the Beer Festival was only from 1pm till 5pm, and this year it was extended to 7pm. More time to sample even more beers. Last year, 50 beers would have seen all the beers sampled. Unfortunately for me, this year there was a whole new area of booths opened up, and there were about 80 beers available. I wasn't going to be able to sample them all, so I had to be discerning. I decided to try all the local brews, then some old favourites, and then aim for Belgian and German beers.

I succeeded in my goal. I sampled exactly 50 beers, and I made notes, and I could read all my notes afterwards. Success, but at a terrible price - I could not face one more beer at the end of the day. I doubt if I will touch another beer for months. I am all beered out. I wish to forget beer. I don't think I'll even go the Beer Festival next year. But no, that's a lie. If I go, I will not go for quantity but for quality. I will sample specific categories of beer. Like only stouts and European beers. Or only local beers. Something like that.

So what did I sample today? And what was best?

Best beer of the day was Old Dominion's Oak Barrel Stout. Astounding stout, solid flavour, chocolate overtones.

The rest:

1. St George IPA
2. St George Lager
3. Old Dimion Oak Barrel Stout
4. Old Dominion Ale
5. St George Golden Ale
6. St George Summer Ale
7. St George Porter
8. Tupper's Hop Pocket Pilsner
9. Tupper's Hop Pocket Ale
10. Harpoon IPA
11. UFO Heferweizen
12. Pilsner Urquell
13. Sierra Nevada Summerfest
14. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
15. Bass
16. Harp
17. Guinness
18. Hill Top Stout
19. Hill Top Pale Ale
20. Hill Top Brown
21. Hill Top Maibock
22. Hill Top Frog
23. Hill Top Red
24. Flying Dog Wheat
25. Flying Dog Pale Ale
26. Carolina Brewing Lowdown
27. Carolina Brewing Brown
28. Carolina Brewing Cottonwood IPA
29. Carolina Blonde
30. Hacker-Schorr (not too sure of the name)
31. Backfin Pale Ale
32. Thirsty Dog Pale Ale
33. Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA
34. Home Brew Brown Ale (not bad, brewer will open a small brewery this year)
35. Eggenberg Pilsner
36. Delirium Tremens
37. Hofbrau Wheat
38. Hofbrau Maibock
39. Hoegaarden
40. Konig Ludwig Weiss
41. Warsteiner
42. Spaten Lager
43. Weihenstephaner
44. Paulaner Marzen
45. Murphy's Red
46. Bare Knuckle Stout
47. Weeping Radish Heferweizen
48. Murphy's Irish Stout
49. Boddington's
50. Abita Turbo Dog

But the day wasn't just about sampling beers. It was a social day, and a day with music.



There were two bands. I never managed to get their names. The first played old arena rock standards, some Stevie Ray Vaughan stuff, and then the old Allman Brothers classic - Whipping Post. Great versions of them too. The second band was young guys in shorts and bare feet and they were playing something not very interesting to me. I'm obviously too old to appreciate that new stuff.



By the time I slowly and reluctantly sampled the Turbo Dog, it was 6pm. A phone call came, and my designated driver inquired if I was ready to come home. I weakly answered yes, and with a great feeling of relief, I left the Beer Festival and headed for home. I was glad, because I simply could not face one more beer. I couldn't even look at another beer. There were probably 30 more beers that I did not sample, but I didn't care.

This was the last performance of our Virginia Symphony series, and part of the Virginia Arts Festival. Only two works tonight - Bartok's Dance Suite, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

We started with some comedy. In the audience was Beethoven himself, dressed in his period clothes. Quite a good likeness of the man. He was confused as to the order of the works, and had to re-seat himself while the Bartok played.

I wasn't familiar with the Bartok work, but it was refreshing. It was lively, modern, exciting and fun.

After intermission, Beethoven resumed the stage, accepted applause, then seated himself for the performance.

I occasionally get bored by the repetition of big classical pieces, and I yearn for modern works that I haven't heard before. But a night like tonight reminds me why the classical pieces are classics and why they are so popular. Beethoven's Ninth is a powerful work, a work of enormous fun, a work that I enjoy in the small on CD and in the large with a live performance. This was a superb performance.

We had JoAnn Falleta conducting a large scale Virginia Symphony. The four soloists were Barbara Quintiliani (soprano), Stacey Rishoi (mezzo-soprano), Eric Fennell (tenor) and Kevin Deas (bass). We had recently seen Stacey Rishoi in the Virginia Opera production of Norma, singing Adelgisa. The soprano and bass had powerful voices, the mezzo-soprano and tenor were not so powerful, but all four sang well. Behind the orchestra was the Virginia Symphony Chorus, and it was a huge chorus.

I always forget the first movement of the Ninth Symphony. It's slow, it's okay, it doesn't grab me. But the second movement grabs me and shakes me and screams A Clockwork Orange at me. The second movement is my favourite. It's such a lively piece, such a distinctive piece, such a fun piece. I am filled with happiness whenever I hear it. Yes, I strongly associate it with A Clockwork Orange, but that doesn't distract me from the beauty of the music. Then the third movement introduces the soloists and the Chorus, and I am filled with joy. The fourth movement brings more of the soloists and much more of the Chorus, and the sound of the great Chorus in full voice with that wonderful music leaves me in ecstasy. I love Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and I am very glad to have heard it live again, so spectacularly.

Beethoven ascended the stage to take bows the everyone else.

What a stunning way to end the 2005/2006 season of the Virginia Symphony. Simply stunning.

We saw the Reduced Shakespeare Company at the Wells Theatre on Saturday night. Good seats, first row on the mezzanine, so we saw all the action. It was part of the Virginia Arts Festival, so we had brief speeches to start from the head of the Virginia Arts Festival, the President of the sponsoring bank, and the head of WHRO. Then on with the show.

I've seen the Shakespeare DVD of the RSC, and listened to all the CDs, and I was expecting the original three guys from the Reduced Shakespeare Company. It wasn't them. But it was an official cast, and you can find them on the RSC website under the US cast.

The three roles were

• Coach (Jerry Kernion), a large gentleman. His voice was muddy at the volume he was projecting and I missed a lot of his dialog.
• The Professor (Michael Faulkner) - a tall funny guy, smart, classic egghead looks and actions, good voice (I got most of his dialog).
• Substitute Teacher (Brent Tubbs) - small, sharp fast guy who did the female roles and the straight man roles, sharp high voice and I caught all his dialog.

It was the Great Books of Literature, done down in the usual Reduced Shakespeare Company style. It went down very well with the audience. Some of the audience reaction was almost as funny as the antics on stage.
Overall, it was pretty funny stuff. Plenty of regular RSC standard jokes, and plenty of physical comedy, quick costume changes, funny props, but they knew their great books of literature and they rapidly moved through them. Plenty of topical references to Norfolk and NBA and Suffolk and schools, and a bit of Bush bashing that got a 50-50 reaction - 50% weren't happy, and 50% were happy, and a woman yelled out that it's a good thing we live in a country where it's allowed to criticise the President, and that relaxed things.

I knew all the books, had read most of them in the last ten years, had even been working through Portable Professor lectures that covered many of them recently, so I was familiar with the works. I was a bit shaky on the poetry. Nonetheless, the poetry segment was a lot of fun. The list of quotes was torn up and hurled around, and then read at random. It was a worthwhile and fun exercise to listen to the random snippets of great poems and attempt to recognise and name them.

I liked the no-action version of Walden, and I liked the Hemingway version of Walden. I very much like Don Quixote and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. And I very much liked Brent's one sentence summary of the last 30 books while doing the catching-and-stacking. Very apt, very pithy, very dextrous.

Worth seeing? Yes. I laughed a lot, and I enjoyed it.

The word is that they will bring them back next year for the Virginia Arts Festival, to do one of the other Reduced Shakespeare Company shows, like the History of America. We'll go see that.