Archive for March, 2010
a movie – Vincere 3/27/10
Saturday, March 27th, 2010It is about Benito Mussolini and his first wife (or mistress), Ida Dalser and her son, Benito. Both Ida and Benito Jr. died in the mental institutions. The movie depicts the relationship between Mussolini and Ida, and the insanity grew in Ida and Benito Jr, and of course the fascism in Europe back then.
It seems more crazy and obsessed Ida became Italy’s fascism became crazier and crazier! It is a dramatic movie with fantastic acting! During the movie I started to feel Ida’s obsession inside of myself. I am sure there have been those women in the other parts of world, and the character of Ida can be depicts differently, but it is an Italian movie. The story is expressed strongly with the Italian way! I like this movie.
My Birthday! 3/20/10
Sunday, March 21st, 2010My birthday is in March. The school system in Japan is different, and the new year starts at the beginning of April. So I was usually the youngest in the class! On the first day at the high school I was late for the school because of the traffic difficulty, but I was forgiven by the teacher (after he scolded!) because I was youngest!
We went to “Kiwami”, one of the best Japanese restaurant in LA, last year for my birthday, and we loved it so we chose again to go there. They offer “Omakase” in “Omakase room”. It is a special course meal served by the chef in the special room! The food is wonderful, and each dish is so beautiful. Also the food is so creative. They never serve the usual items in the usual way, and they combine the unique items together. We sat in “Omakase room” for almost 3 hours to enjoy food coming one by one! We chose the original sake because it has dry and clear taste to go with food very well.
I take my lunch when I teach at Occidental College, and I usually cook at home. So it is very nice to treat myself for the special dinner! I was super satisfied and happy!
Another Trombone Recital! 3/15/10
Sunday, March 21st, 2010My dear friend, Andy Malloy, had a faculty recital at California State University-Northridge, and I was his pianist to play with. We have played together for several years, and recorded his first CD including new pieces which he commissioned. The new commissioned work on this recital was Steven Williams’s Three Poems. This is a great work we loved! Andy recites a poem before each movement, and the poem was accompanied by piano. The music and the poem go together so well, and it is very strong and effective. Congratulations, Steve! Since it was close to St. Patrick’s Day we played Nick Lane’s Hoi Polloi (2006) again. I love this work too, and I admire Nick deeply.
My Field Trip in LA! 3/10/10
Thursday, March 11th, 2010Occidental College is on spring break this week, and I wanted to do something different–. I don’t have time to go out of town, but I have more free hours than usual! So I decided to do some field trips in LA. LA is so huge that there are so many things I have not done yet. Related to my Spanish study I went to El Pueblo which is the origin of Los Angeles (please see photos). It was started in 1781 under the order of King Carlos III, and Spanish governor Filipe de Neve picked the location for El Pueblo, near the current downtown LA. 44 people, 11 families, came from Mexico after 1200 miles of travel! It is very interesting that there were various racial mix, like current LA!
After visiting historical buildings and learning the history I went to the Mexican restaurant, Las Anitas, for lunch. This is a special place because the family of my Spanish teacher owns! I spent only 3 hours in El Pueblo, but it was fun and refreshing! After I left El Pueblo I went near by Little Tokyo for Japanese food shopping! It is another LA thing, multi culture! At home I did the rehearsal with the flutist before the Sashimi dinner! Happy Spring!
My Recital at Newport Beach Public Library 3/8/10
Monday, March 8th, 2010I had 3 solo recitals this spring, and I played the last one at Newport Beach Library yesterday. Newport Beach is located in Orange County, and it is more than 60 miles from my house! Los Angeles area is huge!! So it was my first visit to Newport Beach. The library is a beautiful architecture, and the auditorium is located facing to the court yard. It gives us an open feeling. I liked it! I enjoyed performing there, and it is always nice to meet the audience after the performance. I chatted with many nice people. After the recital I went to Valencia (20 miles from my house, and opposite of Newport Beach!), Cal Arts, to perform with a young and talented trombone player. He played great, and I had a good time performing with him!
Los Angeles is still pretty cold, not like usual March weather. We have had so much rain this spring, and we are still using heater!
Frederica von Stade – Master Class at Occidental College 3/8/10
Monday, March 8th, 2010I attended her master class last week at Occidental College. She presented her recital a day before. I was very impressed by her class. As you know she is a super star!!! She has appeared at major opera houses, and sang with big conductors! She is a very nice person and a great teacher. She finds something to work with each students, and accomplishes her points in short time. And she is always positive, lively, fun and creative! She connects to people. Again I enjoyed attending her class, and meeting with her.
