maine-matters has been pretty quiet of late..
There really isn’t a good reason
for such inactivity except the late, winter doldrums that have had me
wrapped up like a caddisfly in its stony, larva case, bumping along in the
currents of January and February.
In an effort to rescue me, my wife
Pat, pried me out of my recliner and into the car for a trip up to
Orono and The Collins Center For The Arts for a dose of culture.
Our first stop though was a part of Maine culture that has immense appeal to me..
Sunday lunch at Dysart’s Truck Stop. Always a very satisfying experience, at least to my palate but probably not a pre or post performance favorite for the symphonic crowd..oh well..
And after a heaping helping of a
hot turkey sandwich (and I mean heaping) we were off to Orono for the
BSO performance. On the way up 95 I was wondering… why did I choose
turkey?.. with its tryptophan component , it could be a definite
consideration sitting on a plush, comfy seat in a darkened
auditorium..but too late..the dye was cast.
With the orchestra warming ..er tuning up, we were ready to take our seats
and soon
enjoing the performances of Copeland’s Appalachian Spring (with
apologies to a fine composer and that area, I’m really much more
interested in a Maine Spring)..a Concerto for Horn and Orchestra
performed by renowned French horn player Richard Todd..and for the
finale, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, the Pastoral Symphony.
Luckily I had the support of Pat,
who in her pre-guide dog training life, is a trained classical musician
herself and is definitely in the know about such things.
And good it was
that she was there or I would have been blissfully applauding between
Movements, a definite faux-pax among the symphony goers circle.
Such is my ignorance..
As the performance concluded and
with an approving nod from her, my untrained opinion that the orchestra
sounded great was justified and soon we were out the door..
So
perhaps with the longer days and another shove from Pat, I can
extricate myself from the recliner. And soon I’ll be replacing the TV
remote with a fly rod.
Maybe my case of the winter doldrums has been broken.
Can a Maine Spring be that far away? I think not..
