Leonard Bernstein and Wiener Philharmoniker

Arkadij Volodos plays Brahms concerto 2

OnThursday, 24th April I heard Arkadij Volodos play the Brahms Piano Concert nr. 2 with the Oslo Philharmonic. He certainly is one of the leading pianists of this decade. After the third call he sat down again and played something quite opposite to the fairly boisterous concerto. Was it Bach, I'm not sure, gentle, fairly slow, but his pianissimos are magical.

We also heard the 5th symphony by Sibelius, my favourite. The director was Saraste. I love the ending by cords. It also has the famous 'swan theme'. You can find the 5th on YouTube by many conductors. I loved the intrepretation of Bernstein, partly perhaps as it is taken from a DVD, not CD, so you can see him. The ending cords are perfect. And the end where he first thanks the orchestra and then puts his folded hands in front of his mouth as if overcome with emotion. 

For most Finns, Sibelius is something you have grown with, that is ingrained in one, ingraved in one's heart. His name is Swedish but his soul has greated music that feels so true to the Finnish soul. Somewhere in his symphonies and other greater works I often hear the wind in the forest. 

It did not come cheaply!

My old tap in the bath must have been as old as the house (built in 1957). The packing went at last  and water was not just dropping, it was running! Of course this happened in the weekend. On Monday I called my plumber and got an appointment in the afternoon.  But I was not going to get off  cheap. No changing parts when it was so old, he had a whole new tap with him, shiny and beautiful. "This is Norwegian made!" I did not have the heart to tell him that I would have preferred Finnish made!
When it came the time to stop the water, the thing would not turn, he had to go to the cellar to turn the water off, and back to turn it on again. That seemed to add another hour in the bill. The new tap cost me 4200 kroner (720 USD, 548 euro)! But it's shiny and beautiful and simple to use.  No matter it took care of about half of my monthly budget. I think it cost more than my stove! (The shower was not part of the deal.)

Altar rail

Altar rail, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

Now they say that resident found blood around a boat in his yard and it is said that the subject was alive when he was taken to hospital. Now they say : in serious condition. did he shoot himself or some-one else shot him . I hope he is still alive.

Justin Bieber 2012

Justin Bieber 2012, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

Justin Bieber arrived again to Oslo. He was here last summer and caused a riot or rather the fans did. One concert was arranged at the Opera house square, it was hot and many fans had  had very little to eat or drink so some fainted. This year he travelled straight from the airport to the concert house. There must have been a queue of 20 000 people so the concert was over an hour late before they were all inside the Telenor Arena.
There was even a program in the TV and he was interviewed by Skavlan of the Norwegian TV. You get an idea of a balanced, normal and lively young man. Amazing that so many people dislike him, make fun him etc.

Boston Skyline, from Bunker Hill Monument

Boston Skyline, from Bunker Hill Monument, a photo by City of Boston Archives on Flickr.

The Boston marathon suspect has been captured after the most extensive manhunt in memory. The evidence seems certain of the deed but difficult to understand how he could have done it (with his dead brother) as there had been no indication, friends and people who knew him were puzzled.
I felt terrible for the parents and other relatives who thought he had been framed, he could not have done it, that was natural .
Wonderful that he is now in custody and alive. Maybe we can get answers. Why did they have to kill the young policeman?

Telenor Arena

Untitled, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

The Finnish National Theatre, Helsinki

The Finnish National Theatre, Helsinki, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

I belong to a group reading plays aloud together, which is great fun. We do not see the plays beforehand. A few years ago we read Alan Ayckbourn’s ’Body Language’, an outrageously funny play. One of the characters is called Hravic Zyergefoove, an 84 years old surgeon from an unspecified East European country. Ayckborn has created for him a language, which he speaks in the play. The copy of the play provides a translation but I got the idea that in the performance he just speaks the language that is not understood by the audience, though sometimes his assistant provides a translation. A great chance for an actor!

I went to the internet to see more information of the play. Martin Hoyle, Financial Times, 24 May 1990, in Body Language, writes:

"…an octogenarian surgeon from Eastern Europe whose speech seems a cognate of Serbo-Croatian mixed with Czech and Slovak."
,
But David Jeffels, The Stage, 21 June 1990, in Women On The Verge writes:

"Nigel Anthony as the German surgeon of international repute gives a delightfully funny performance, contrasting with the straight-laced Benjamin Cooper, brilliantly played by Geoffrey Whitehead, who runs the high-class medical clinic in the South of England where the play is set."

I am at a loss to understand why he thinks the surgeon is German as the language looks like this:

Lololo! Nit im. Ip gool crack, men. Int klingt ip ribbt shickershack snoop ipper smoot! or
Ert zimter, een fiss shrigger Memmer Hrootpucker woo ten benshtergeel teadle. Oh, een woot vint ipper ribbies.

Sleeping 4

Sleeping 4, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

A kitten of the friend renting my apartment was put to sleep by a guy by stroking him between the eyes, she quickly went to sleep. Then he noticed that he could lift the kitten's paws and they stayed in that position. Then he gently manipulated the paws roung this toy and the kitten just kept sleeping.
I saw a kitten on Flickr with big eyes, looking up, with a funny caption. It had over 18 thousand views. I think mine is rather cute too, it has 18 views. I am gradually getting so frustrated. I have 248 contacts and I am trying to go comment on their photos and many other people's photos too. Yet very few comment on mine or even view them. I have a very simple camera but I did not think my photos are quite that bad.
How do some people get so many comments, even photos on subjects I have photographed like the Oslo Opera house. People comment often on photos that are not even as good as mine. It is terrible to moan like this, maybe my photos are not interested enough. I should probably up load less photos.

Shuttle Endeavour: Incredible View [1680x1050]

Shuttle Endeavour: Incredible View [1680x1050], a photo by DUCKofD3ATH on Flickr.

NASA has some great photos that are shown on Flickr . I wonder if I could also get over one thousand views if I used one ;). Actually, I think it is great that some people dare to upload them as we might not otherwise see them. They usually give the source.

The wonder of winter

The wonder of winter, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

There was a heavy fog at night and when I woke up in the morning, I took this photo out o the window. All the birches in the area were covered with hoarfrost, looking absolutely magical. I took a few more photos, then went to have coffee. I should have gone out to take photos immediately, because in an hour or two, all the white had disappeared because of the sunlight.
I thought the people on Flickr would have liked the photos, but hardly anyone has view them. Sometimes I wonder why I take photos and send them to Flickr, I have lots of contacts, yet I am not known.

Corvus m. monedula II

Corvus m. monedula II, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

I did not know jackdaws can be so friendly! I do not actually know why he came to sit next to me on the bench. He was the only bird in the shopping centre, which is a bit strange, as these birds are social birds and usually in flocks.
I was eating an ice cream but it did not look as if he was begging for food. He just sat there for several minutes some 20 centimeters from me, turning his head once in a while. I was able to take as many photos as I wanted, though I only took two. After a while he just left. I enjoyed our short companionship.

On top of the ski jump

Untitled, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

Wonderful view to all directions from the Holmenkollen ski tower. I had a really happy Christmas with my son and his wife from Australia sharing it with me, joining me and my daughter. It is so good to show sights to people who appreciate them.
As one can see, we had a white Christmas, with almost too much snow (and snowing of course!), but also some beautiful sunny days.

Miss Myanmar

There's a competition, Miss International, taking part in Japan each year. This time for some reason, they decided to send the photos to Flickr. The photo getting most votes, which in this context meant 'views', would be the winner. Myanmar (Burma) has not taken part in anything like this for 50 years, so many are eager for her to win. It was not  just one vote per person, these people sat for hours at their computers clicking away until they got to 16.777.612, when the numbers stopped growing. Consternation! They came on Flickr Help Forum to ask what is going on. Flickr is not a voting machine and views have never reached such high numbers, so the servers probably would not work after that. So they put in another photo hoping they would be counted together.
This was a draft, but I want to publish it too, with some different information.

Miss Myanmar in Miss International pageant.

nankhinzayyar, a photo by bluesky@ on Flickr.

These are some competitors of c. 40 beautiful ladies taking part in Miss International competition in Japan, this year in Okinawa. I do not know how official it was to use Flickr as a ’voting’ site. It is a photo sharing site and not equipped for voting . Myanmar people have the first chance for doing anything like that for 50 years. They stayed at their computers and internet cafes clicking away. When the count reached 4.777.126, the Flickr servers could not manage any more. That caused consternation and questions: Why? So they added a copy of the photo and started ’voting’ on that. The closest competitor was Miss Macau who in the end also reached the limit of 4.777.126. People also wrote comments, mostly :We love you, Miss Myanmar, also : fighting!
” no matter how we face bully and unfair condition, we are bad up giving up… non sleep tonight for miss myanmar,
sleeping can get the next day,
voting only tonight”
Now at last the voting finished, the result: Internet view count poll for Miss International Internet poll award is officially over. Myanmar stands first at 16,777,216 +4,852,624 view counts vs Miss Macau at 16,777,216 view counts. The Flickr poll had to add a second picture of Miss Myanmar as the view counts reached over the maximum number of clicks.Waiting for the official announcement of the winner.
I do not know what effect this 'voting' has on who is going to win, anyway, as it seems that the final of the competition will be on Sunday with judges and all.
missinternational-okinawa.com/final/  Bluesky@ called Miss Finland "doll face". I hope that means a positive thing in Myanmar culture.

Berkheya cirsifolia White Surprise

Berkheya cirsifolia White Surprise, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

Even this late in the autumn, the Oslo Botanical Gardens present some wonderful flowers, as this one from South Africa. I had taken some photos a couple of months ago and went there to find a nametag for a flower and stayed to take a few other photos seeing new flowers.

Punting on Cam

Punting on Cam, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Newspapers and magizines have decided that the world is interested in the Duchess of Cambridge’s breasts.
”We have intellectual freedom” says the Italian magazine editor Alfonso Signorini when confronted by criticism. . What have Kate’s boobs got to do with brains ? He thinks that the photos will boost her image as a moderen day royal.
According to French editor Laurence Pieau they were visible from the road. ”They are a beautiful couple in love, he’s putting cream on her. The photos are full of joy, they are not degrading.” She also defends her magazine with that they had much more intimate photos they decided not to publish.
Of course they are not degrading, but intimate is intimate, why would anyone want to share such moments with the whole world? They are for her husband to enjoy. Why should her breasts be of more interest to the world than anybody else’s? Irish Daily Star editor Michael O’Kane has been suspended. According to him, the photos were very tasteful . ”It is incredible that Kate Middleton would think, being one of the most famous people in the world, that she can expose herself topless outdoors and expect that the world would not take notice of it.”
So it is her fault!? Also the French editor explains that they were visible from the road. Lawyer Aurélian Hamelle, their lawyer tells they were in a private house and could not be seen by the naked eye, only by a powerful camera lens.
According to Pieau, the editor of the Closer who first had the photos also makes it their fault: ”It is because of the couple that the journalists are here.”
Would you like to be famous?

A heavy joke

A heavy joke, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

Fest konsert

Opera at night, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

Today was the open day at Bjørvika and at the opera, of course. There was a festival concert inthe evening, we could get free tickets to it from 10 in the morning. One was allowed four tickets and I was able to get two friends take two of the tickets. Lots of people watched and listened on the opera roof.
The concert presented excerps from future programs. The conductor was Fiore, the opera director, most of the vocal soloist were Norwegian, except for Olga Guryakova. Everyone performed wonderfully, one could feel with Olga's Madam Butterfly, for example. The last piece, Salome's dance, by Richard Strauss, was exciting, the orchestra exceeded themselves. And Fiore is so funny.

Meow. Now you know how to speak "Cat".

P1100653, a photo by ausfi on Flickr.

When you start Flickr, you get a greeting in a different language. As a joke, they also use "cat" as a language. I just do not think it works very well, the title tells you what a cat says in English, Finnish cats say "miau".