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March 11, 2022:

THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, thankfully the stupid of Wednesday gave way to the not stupid of Thursday so that I go into Friday with a sense of both stupid and not stupid, which is a fine way to go into a Friday, if you ask me. And now, I am sitting here like so much fish listening to a really fine recording of Vaughan Williams’ A London Symphony. I didn’t really think I needed yet another Vaughan Williams symphony cycle, what with Adrian Boult (both mono and stereo), Vernon Handley, and Andre Previn. But in listening to the various Serenade to Music recordings I came upon a really first-rate one by conductor Andrew Manze. In researching it, I found he’d don an entire cycle of the symphonies. They were all on the Tube of You, so I listened to a few selections and they completely won me over enough to purchase the four CDs that contain all the symphonies. I can’t say that this one or that one is better interpretively – I’d have to sit and listen to one after another – but what I CAN tell you is that this may well be the best recorded version, technically speaking, and it makes the music shine beautifully. The music comes off with great warmth, vitality, and beauty. And the coupling is the eighth symphony, which I love, and the opening here is the best I’ve ever heard – clarity and detail is incredible. Save for the usual pedantic pedants, these were very well reviewed CDs. So, so far, so good, cycle-wise. Prior to the listening we, of course, had our rehearsal. I just drilled all the musical numbers we had time for, for both staging and interpretation, and we did some very good work and things are getting much better.

Prior to that, it was on okay day. I got about seven hours of sleep, I think, got up, answered a lot of e-mails, then I got dressed and moseyed on over to Staples to have the designed book printed out for final proofing. They did it while I was there, so that was nice. Then it was a trip to the framers with the Harvey Schmidt original paintings. I kept it simple but appealing and made sure it really showed the drawings to their best advantage. Then I came home.

I wasn’t in the mood for any of my usual foodstuffs and so I chose Pad Thai from a local Thai place. It arrived about forty minutes later and I ate it all up – filling and good, with chicken. I also ordered a little salad with peanut dressing, but I only had one bite – didn’t care for the dressing. After that, I did some work on the computer, got the Manze CDs into the computer, and then it was time to mosey on over to the mail place, where I picked up a book residual check, which might buy me two meals at Taco Bell. I gotta tell you. Then we had our rehearsal. After that, I came right home and had some chips and salsa for a snack whilst listening to the Manze recording. Looking forward to the other three discs of the other symphonies.

Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll really buckle down, Winsocki, and write at least two or three pages, but the majority of the day will be spent proofing the new book. It looks wonderful. In chapter one, I already found two things I hadn’t caught before, nor had the other proofers. That’s why I always do a careful go-through one final time. I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll eat something light but amusing, I’ll write more, and then I can watch, listen, and relax.

Tomorrow is our long rehearsal. I think we’re only without one person, so we should be able to get a lot done. I have in mind to do more drilling and running the parts rather than the hole. I think that’s the best way to utilize the time. Richard Allen will be with us and we really need to run music stuff. We’ll be upstairs because they start building the set. I’ll have to make sure we’re all on the same page in terms of what will work best in this theater. I’m hoping we can really clean up everything really well, so that when we return on Tuesday, we can begin doing full out run-throughs. Sunday is a ME day, Monday I’m having a visit with my brother, and then it’s back to rehearsing.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, write, proof, hopefully pick up packages, eat, proof, write, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, the Andrew Manze Vaughan Williams CDs. Blu-ray player, I have no idea. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to be doing the final proofing of the new book – and we all know the proof is in the pudding so perhaps I’ll have some tap tap Tapioca pudding as a treat.

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