The first person correctly to identify the Paris building in the above photograph will win his or her choice of free concert tickets for tomorrow night.
Option Number One: The Minnesota Orchestra, Hannu Lintu, conductor, Alban Gerhardt, cello. Program: Dvorak Carnival Overture, Elgar Cello Concerto, Prokofiev Symphony No. 5.
Option Number Two: The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, John Storgårds, conductor, Christian Tetzlaff, violin. Program: Sibelius Valse Triste, Schumann Violin Concerto, Corigliano Symphony No. 2.
The winner, in making his or her selection, might wish to note that Tetzlaff is one of the three of four finest violinists in the world today, while Gerhardt would not even have a career were Heinrich Schiff still in his prime.
The winner might also wish to note that most observers, comparing the two Finnish conductors, would rate Storgårds above Lintu, although such comparison is of piffling consequence, much like arguing whether Kansas or Nebraska has the higher mountain range.
Each program, in its way, is attractive. Joshua and I had penciled both concerts into our calendars—this was to be the weekend of The Battle Of The Finns—but we have decided not to attend either concert owing to our outrage over Monaco’s new policy on Guillemets.
Instead, we shall devote our weekend to teaching something useful, such as algebra, to my parents’ dog.
Rex knows algebra already. He is even well-versed, I'm sure, in imaginary numbers. Therefore, he really needs someone to teach him complex variables, and, after that, tensor analysis so that he can at last understand the General Theory of Relativity.
ReplyDeleteWhen we tried to introduce him to Einstein a few years ago, he threatened to bite us.
ReplyDeleteSo perhaps we’d better stick with squeaky toys and snacks.