Saturday, July 30, 2011

running out the clock


Today was my last full day in the Mexican Magic Kingdom -- as some are wont to say about San Miguel.


With nothing planned, I simply enjoyed wandering.  But I did have one task.  To pick up my dress shoes at the cobbler.  New heels.  New soles.  Both the sad victims of San Miguel’s magic cobblestones.


While I was in town, I decided to reprise my stops at several of the churches I had seen earlier.  All of them are filled with more stuff than a good grandmother’s closet.  There is always some detail that will send me into reverie.


But it was Saturday -- a day for weddings and first communions.  If you were not wearing a white dress, there was no chance of entering.  In fact, most of the church doors were not even open.

 
So, I did what any Cotton would do.  I ate.  I headed off to the restaurant that started my stage in San Miguel -- La Grotta.  You might remember it from a day of refreshment


I read The Oregonian on my Kindle while eating my pepperoni and onion pizza over the next two hours.  I love lunches in Mexico.  No one is in a rush.


Then I hiked back up Stairmaster hill and did a costume change.  After all, it was another night of chamber music.  Out came my Bob Fosse blacks.


The Parker Quartet was back on stage tonight.  And this program was every bit as good as last night’s.


They started with Haydn’s Quartet No. 5 in F Minor.  Unlike last night’s Haydn, the quartet played it as the Classical Period piece it is.  Playing it straight made the Handel musical references that much more whimsical.

 
The audience’s favorite, though, was the middle piece -- György Ligeti’s String Quartet No. 1, Métamorphoses Nocturnes.  Similar to last night’s performance of the Kurtág piece, Ligeti’s quartet demands great skill and stamina of the performers.  But it demands as much of the audience.


This is the piece for which the Parker Quartet earned their Grammy.  And it is easy to see why.  They bring an appropriate voice to the piece.  Ironically, though, I would not be interested in it as a recording.  It needs eyes on the performers to get the full impact of their kinetic energy.  I tried closing my eyes as if I was listening to a recording, and I had to open them to get the full impact of the piece.


The audience was on its feet as the bows arced into the air.


After that, the last piece (Brahms’s String Quartet No.2 in A Minor) seemed a tad tame.  But the performers did a marvelous job of invoking the Romantic period.  And especially Brahms’s love affair with the gypsy violin.


It was a nice way to round off my stay in San Miguel.

 
But as all things must, this visit is at an end.  I am almost packed (with the obvious exception of my computer).  I will head to church in the morning, and I will then be off to spend August in Pátzcuaro.


My missives may not be as frequent while I am there.  I will be broadcasting from an internet café.  But this page will not go black.


At least, not yet. 

23 comments:

jennifer rose said...

Did you remember to lock your car this evening?  

Steve Cotton said...

It was locked earlier in the day and I have not touched it since.

Felipe Zapata said...

Dress shoes. There's a term I have not heard in quite a while. I own no dress shoes. I guess that's because I never get "dressed." I brought a suit, tie and a couple of white shirts south when I moved here, but I've only donned the suit and tie once, when I got married. I vaguely remember dress shoes too, but I don't think I have them anymore. Cannot imagine I tossed them out, so maybe they're on a shelf in the closet.

I brought the suit and tie (which has a cow on it) south for funerals. Cannot imagine either why I thought I would be attending funerals, but that was the reason. Have not attended a single funeral yet. I guess a red tie with a cow on it would not be appropriate at a funeral anyway, would it?

John Calypso said...

Kurtag - not to be used for background music - demands all your attention. As  you suggest better seen than just heard and tough to follow. 

Give Tancho a hug!

Steve Cotton said...

And Kubrick pout it to good use in several of his films -- not as background, but as an integral part of his film.  It was a great concert.

Steve Cotton said...

This was the first time I wore hard leather shoes since my long trip north.  My feet are sandal-happy.  They did not like the confinement.

I can think of nothing more appropriate than a red cow tie at a funeral.  I used to wear my saxophone tie to solemn occasions.  But I seem to have lost it.

Kim G said...

But as all things must, this visit is at an end.  I am almost packed (with the obvious exception of my computer). Silly me, I thought it was with the obvious exception of your legal pad and fountain pen.  LOL...Happy travels,Kim GBoston, MAWhere we're feeling a smidgen snarky this morning.

Laurie Matherne said...

I wonder is San Miguel too full of retirees for me to enjoy as a getaway? I love good music. I love climbing hills ( reallly I do). I could bring my mama I guess. She is in better shape than me. 

ANM said...

Cobbler?!  You took your dress shoes to the cobbler?  Are you doing Hans Christian Andersen meets Mexico?  You're getting very close to the line on that one, Old Duck.  You're just two heart-beats away from a brass-nobbed walking stick, a furry fedora, and the report of a pistol.  Trust me on this one.

ANM

Nita Laughlin said...

Your visit to San Miguel sounded great. I'm sure Patzcuaro will be as great, perhaps in a different way.. I love Patzcuaro as much as San Miguel so I'm anxious to hear your stories. 

Mexican Trailrunner said...

Well, I see I had the same reaction as others. . .DRESS SHOES!?!?  Then my next reaction was. . .SHOES!?!?  I never wear shoes.  To turn an old song lyric, I moved to where the weather suits my clothes.  Ba dump bump
In spite of that, a wonderful post. 
Enjoy Patz!  And, if you're giving hugs to Tancho, give him one for me too.
Buen viaje.

Marc Olson said...

Well, Steve, you certainly have enlightened me about some aspects of San Miguel. I now look forward to your posts from Patzcuaro, a place I have visited a few times but still don't know well. Safe travels.

NWexican said...

Thank you for the San Miguel trip it was wonderful and fascinating.. I can not wait to hear how you Pátzcuaro trip goes. That is truly one area of Mexico that I am dying to visit..

Steve Cotton said...

The notepad and fountain pen seldom leave my side.

I am now learning some new cultural lessons in an internet cafe.  But more on that later.

Steve Cotton said...

San Miguel's general population is of the retired variety,  But there are plenty of people who still have jobs up north and come for extended stays.  I met quite a few of them.  I think you would feel quite comfortable there.

Steve Cotton said...

You appear to have been searching through my closet again. 

Steve Cotton said...

My quick visit to Pátzcuaro in February left me with a great first impression.  And it was reenforced yesterday and this morning.

Steve Cotton said...

As you know, I live in sandals.  But hills, cobblestones, and sandals are not a good mix.  You can imagine how my feet rebelled against the constraint.

Steve Cotton said...

Be certain to comment.  You always add a new spin on what I see.

Steve Cotton said...

I almost moved here.  I hope to write why over the next month.

NWexican said...

Aint over 'til the rubenesque woman belts out a tune.

ANM said...

Okay, you caught me.  But explain the checked polyester pants.

ANM

Steve Cotton said...

I didn't notice you were wearing them.