Memorial Weekend Music

Sandy and I kicked off the weekend with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra at the Ordway Theater: a program of Haydn and Beethoven. Pierre-Laurent Aimard was indisposed, so he had to be replaced by a conductor and a pianist. I am not normally a fan of Haydn, but I really enjoyed the "Clock" Symphony (No. 101 in D) as it was played on Friday night. This is one of his London symphonies, dating from his visit in the waning years of the 18th century, and it's quite charming. I had a harder time warming to the Beethoven Triple Concerto (Op. 56), despite inspired playing by the soloists. I find Beethoven pompous at the best of times, and only seem to like the very late piano works (> Op. 100).

Then we caught a jazz session by Laura Caviani (pno), Gordy Johnson (bs) and Phil Hey (dr), where they played a mix of awesome standards (Brubeck's In Your Own Sweet Way, Miles Davis's Solar) and some really nice originals (Laura's Going There, and her arrangement of This Is My Song). This local trio is a powerhouse of good music, with three A-list players and a fresh take on everything they do. We also caught the R-Factor with Aimee Fischer at Arizona's, who were playing to a full house down in the southern suburbs where we live. Sandy and I dropped in for a couple of drinks and danced to a few of their funkier offerings, before heading home to watch Apocalypse Now on cable, featuring the music of the Doors.