Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age

Sunday wasn't much of a day that I accomplished anything, and yet I did. If that makes any sense at all. I spent a little time practicing on some concert music. I forgot a little discovery from yesterday. It's finally happened--my old age has caught up with me. Moose, Kamey and Rachel have all laughed at my expense by offering to hold a menu far enough away so I can read it. And I've worn glasses while working on the computer both at home and at work. But now I can no longer play/read music without wearing reading glasses. I didn't have them at Saturday's rehearsal, and found that I definitely need them. For the most part I was OK, but there were plenty of wrong notes on my part because I couldn't read the exact notes or maybe the accidentals. In any case, my ego and psyche took a hit on Saturday. At least I have all my hair!

---

That's not quite true either...I shaved it all off again on Thursday.

---

Funny that the next movement of The Planets is "Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age"... This movement sort of plods along. Much like I do these days. There's a nice little trombone section solo in this. We have to play with taste, delicacy and in tune. Three things the trombone isn't immediately know for. However, Holst was a trombonist as well, so he must have known a secret or two. This movement doesn't really change in character much, though there are some very nice moments in it. It ends by dying away softly. Just like in real life...


On a different note--I just found these YouTube videos that were made by British filmmaker Ken Russell. He did an entire film on the piece. He's also well-known for his other documentaries on other British composers. I'll use these for the final 3 movements. If you're so inclined, you should check out the video for "Mars".