An Awesome Sack

All of a sudden it feels like fall in the Salt Lake valley.  One day I had my air conditioning on and literally the next day my furnace came on!  I am incredibly happy about this change in the weather because I absolutely love fall.  I love the cooler temperatures, the smell of decomposing leaves, wearing sweaters, everything pumpkin flavored, Halloween, and watching football.  Yesterday was the perfect day for football because the sky was a crystal blue, the temperature required a hoodie, and I started to notice some of the leaves changing!  Sean's team is struggling this season but I sure do love watching him play.  Even though the Braves lost to the Kearns Cougars, Sean played very well and got an awesome sack (he told us later that he could hear us cheer on the field).

Note:  His Dad gives him $5.00 for every sack so he was pretty excited!

Augustin Hadelich Performs Beethoven's Violin Concerto

Last night I found myself at Abravanel Hall for the second time this week and, since I love the Utah Symphony, this was a very happy circumstance!  Last night was the opening concert for the 2017-2018 Season and it featured works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Strauss which, in my opinion, was a great way to start what looks to be a great season.  The orchestra began with the Overture to Don Giovanni by Mozart.  Why yes that is my very favorite opera so, as you can imagine, I definitely enjoyed this piece.  The music is so dramatic and it gave me goosebumps.  Next, Augustin Hadelich joined the orchestra for Beethoven's Violin Concerto.  I always enjoy it when he comes to town and, once again, his performance was simply brilliant!  He was so passionate and the speed with which his fingers moved in the third movement was mind-blowing.  The audience immediately jumped to their feet in a thunderous ovation which prompted Hadelich to perform Paganini's Caprice No. 21 to everyone's delight.  After the intermission, the program concluded with two tone poems by Strauss.  Don Juan was very tempestuous and I particularly enjoyed the theme played by the horns.  Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks was lighthearted with fun and playful themes by a solo horn and then the woodwinds.  I really enjoyed myself this evening and I am definitely looking forward to many amazing concerts during the upcoming season.  This program will be performed again tonight and tickets may be purchased here.

American Assassin

Last night I went to a Thursday preview of American Assassin, based on the novel of the same name by Vince Flynn, and, as a huge fan of the spy genre, I thought it was very standard.  Mitch Rapp (Dylan O'Brien) is the victim of a terrorist attack which claims the life of his fiancee.  Consumed by thoughts of revenge, he tries to infiltrate a terrorist cell in Libya which attracts the attention of the CIA Deputy Director (Sanaa Lathan) who then proceeds to recruit him as a black ops agent.  He is sent to train with veteran agent Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton) and the two of them are sent on a covert mission to various locations around the world with a mysterious Turkish agent (Shiva Negar) to retrieve some plutonium stolen by a rogue mercenary (Taylor Kitsch).  The story has a few interesting twists along the way but it is fairly predictable and more than a little far-fetched.  There are some great action sequences including a fantastic virtual reality training simulation, a car chase through the streets of Rome, a fistfight on a speeding boat, and an epic explosion at sea.  The low lighting and hand-held camera work give it a certain grittiness but I never really felt an edge-of-my-seat tension.  The characters are pretty one-dimensional but O'Brien does a good job as the brooding loner turned operative (I suspect that he will appeal to a certain demographic) and Keaton is an absolute hoot to watch in an over-the-top performance, especially in a scene where he is tortured by a former protege.  This movie is entertaining and fans of the genre will probably like it but it is ultimately forgettable.  There is nothing that we haven't seen a million times before done much better in movies like the Bourne series.

An Evening with Renee Fleming

Last night I had the incredible opportunity to hear Renee Fleming, one of the most acclaimed opera stars in the world, perform with the Utah Symphony and the Utah Opera Chorus at a benefit concert in celebration of the Utah Opera's 40th Anniversary and to raise money for Utah Opera's education programs.  Wonderful doesn't even begin to describe this concert.  I saw Renee Fleming perform a Christmas concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir several years ago so I knew I was in for a lovely evening when I bought my ticket!  The orchestra began with the Overture to La Forza Del Destino by Verdi and then Thierry Fischer introduced Renee Fleming to thunderous applause.  She sang Four Last Songs by Strauss and, even though I was unfamiliar with this piece, I loved her performance, especially "At Sunset" which was mournful, atmospheric, and gave me goosebumps.  Then the Utah Opera Chorus sang a rousing rendition of "Vedi le fosche" from Verdi's Il Travatore.  I wouldn't consider myself an expert in opera but I definitely recognized this piece and it was spectacular!  Fleming returned to the stage to perform the mad scene from Mefistofele by Boito, "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi (another instantly recognizable piece), and Mattinata by Leoncavallo.  As much as I loved the opera pieces, I think my favorite songs of the evening were "Somewhere" and "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story by Bernstein.  The former was achingly beautiful and the latter was spirited and playful.  Then Fleming told the audience that she really wanted to find a contemporary piece that would work with her voice and, interestingly enough, she found the song "Virus" by Bjork!   Her rendition was awesome!  The final piece brought the crowd to their feet: "Libiamo" from La Traviata, one of my favorite operas, performed with Utah Opera Resident Artist Christopher Oglesby!  I was so sad when this concert came to an end but I am thrilled that I got to be a part of such an enchanting evening, made all the better by knowing that all of the proceeds are going to such a great cause!

Note:  Seriously, listen to Bjork's version of "Virus" and imagine what that sounded like with Renee Fleming and a full orchestra!  Mind blown!

The Wrath of Khan

In honor of its 35th Anniversary (all of these anniversaries of films that I saw in the theater as a kid are making me feel old), I had the opportunity to see Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on the big screen last night and I absolutely loved it.  In my opinion it is the best of the original Star Trek movies.  When the starship Reliant surveys a barren planet for its suitability in the Genesis Project, the crew finds Khan (Ricardo Montalban), an old enemy who had been marooned there many years ago.  Seeking revenge against Admiral Kirk (William Shatner), Khan commandeers the Reliant to attack the Enterprise and tries to take Genesis for use as a weapon.  This forces an epic confrontation in which Spock (Leonard Nimoy) sacrifices his life to save the Enterprise (William Shatner, in the interview that preceded the movie, wondered if there was anyone who didn't know how the movie ends and if he was giving spoilers when he talked about Spock's death).  What I loved most about this movie, aside from the great story which continues a plot from the original series and Montalban as a fabulous villain, is the relationship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.  There are several great scenes between the three of them which really develop their characters on a deeper level.  Spock's death scene is one of the greatest scenes, ever.  I did find the special effects to be a bit dated but that hardly mattered because the story is so great.  It was so much fun watching this on the big screen with a fun and rowdy crowd, many of whom were in very elaborate costumes.  When Kirk shouted, "Khaaaaaaaaaan," the whole audience cheered!  If you are a fan of Star Trek, this is a must see on the big screen.  There is one more opportunity to see it on Wednesday (go here for more information) and I highly recommend it!