A Night at the Ordway

Famed concert violinist Leila Josefowicz thrilled a sold-out audience at the Ordway tonight, earning a standing ovation for her part in Prokofiev's Concerto No. 1 in D for Violin and Orchestra, Op 19. The Scherzo: Vivacissimo was exquisite.
Even so, Kathleen and Stan enjoyed the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's rendition of Kabelevsky's The Comedians, Op.26 as much or moreso, perhaps bemused by the dark irony of a Stalinist-era composer producing humor for the Soviets with his cute music. His spritely Galop evoked merry slapstick images: we're sure it's the same score used in pie scenes of I Love Lucy, or at least by the Marx Bros.

Great for folks with short attention spans looking for a quick fix in the classical genres. The merriment continued into the night with Tchaikovsky's Serenade in C for Strings. The Pezzo in forma di sontaina: Andante non troppo -- Allegro moderato lifted spirits high in a town presently suffering the tragedy of a failing baseball team.
The evening's upbeat, almost silly mood was tempered somewhat, however, when Stan had to retrieve the car from 10 flights up on Level J after paying $15 for the privilege of leaving it there. Apparently there are no elevators in Historic St. Paul. He caught his breath in time for this photograph of him breaking his "No Ties After Retirement" rule, and enjoying a scotch to honor the evening's sponsor.