I went to see Ludovico Einaudi on Monday evening at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. I started listening to him and playing his music just over two years ago and was looking forward to the concert, even if I was a little tired having just finished two pieces of written work the night before.
I was obviously expecting that the concert would be musically exceptional, and it was. Everything he does with his music has even given me ideas about what I could change to my own playing. I knew some of the pieces he was playing and it was interesting to compare how I imagine playing it to how he performed it.
I was most surprised by the visual aspects of the concert, which I definitely wasn't expecting. It was very simple but had a massive effect without doing much. He basically just had a projector with a few moving objects/animals/people in the background. The lighting was stunningly effective and, again, the visual images in my mind were vastly different to those projected on-screen.
When you listen to Einaudi on CD (or wherever) you imagine a guy at a piano with maybe a handful of other musicians around him. That's what was there, but I never imagined what that would come to live. It started out as a very well-constructed and beautifully performed set but two and a half hours later resembled a rock concert with flashing lights and climatic pieces.
I can safely say I have never had an experience at a live music event like this. Quite frankly, he is a God.
Thanks,
Ollie :)
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Friday, 12 February 2016
Funneh Stuff
A couple of brilliant moments have occurred in the last two days. Here we go...
Ever had one of those dreams where you dream of something and it translates to a real-life action? I've been in my dad's car and asleep before waking up having kicked the glovebox because I dreamt I was making a tackle in football. Well, yesterday (Thursday) morning at around 0400 local time I was fast asleep until in my dream I needed to kick out for one reason or another. Next thing I knew my left calf had cramped up and I was lying there half-conscious and screaming "AARRRRGGHHHHH!!!!!" I can still feel it in my calf now (Friday evening). Make of it what you will.
Today, I was waiting for the bus after my labs and a bus came that wasn't for me. But another guy came through the crowd as it was for him. So he walked through and accidentally stood on my foot. He said, "Sorry". I said, "Don't worry, it's only a yellow card". It went straight over the guy's head. My friend I was with laughed. No one else did. I thought it was funny. Oh well.
Oli :)
Ever had one of those dreams where you dream of something and it translates to a real-life action? I've been in my dad's car and asleep before waking up having kicked the glovebox because I dreamt I was making a tackle in football. Well, yesterday (Thursday) morning at around 0400 local time I was fast asleep until in my dream I needed to kick out for one reason or another. Next thing I knew my left calf had cramped up and I was lying there half-conscious and screaming "AARRRRGGHHHHH!!!!!" I can still feel it in my calf now (Friday evening). Make of it what you will.
Today, I was waiting for the bus after my labs and a bus came that wasn't for me. But another guy came through the crowd as it was for him. So he walked through and accidentally stood on my foot. He said, "Sorry". I said, "Don't worry, it's only a yellow card". It went straight over the guy's head. My friend I was with laughed. No one else did. I thought it was funny. Oh well.
Oli :)
Saturday, 2 January 2016
My Holiday Blog
The joke on me is that I'm a granddad. My 'blistering' pace across the tennis court, creaking body and elderly habits do me no favours in this area. Of course I can take the joke, but I've felt like a granddad these past 12 days: coughing horrendously when breathing 'fresh' air; barely able to do any strenuous movement without ending up almost collapsed on the floor; sapped of energy almost throughout the day. If I was being selfish, I'd describe the last week or so as the worst Christmas I've ever had. But, obviously, that's not true at all.
Instead of moaning about the last two weeks of 2015, I think I'll recap on the other 50 weeks that weren't too bad.
The word 'academic' sticks out when I think back on the year. A lot, if not all, of the year was about getting into uni, then going to uni. At the moment I'm still very much focused on the 6 exams I've got later this month, and I feel like it's the first time in a while I've had a chance to 'zone out', almost, and give myself time to reflect. I don't know if I say this in every blog but, as desperate as I am to do the best I can at uni, it won't be the end of the world if I don't get exactly what I want from it. Something else is also a big part of uni and, no, drinking isn't what I'm thinking. Many people see uni as a chance to be more independent etc. and I feel as though I've learnt enough things about myself in three months to fill a thousand pages. I'm in a very good place and there are many new people (and a song!) I've met that I am extremely thankful for.
I learnt things over summer too. I learnt how important it is to live life on my own terms - not letting other people's interests determine what I do - so I learnt plenty about myself and what I really wanted. I think my summer hinged on one moment, which I'll put down as my personal moment of 2015: seeing my friend looking completely crestfallen after prom and deciding that we had to help him. Two things came of that: 1. a great friendship; 2. a terrible feeling of almost-hatred fighting against a desire to forgive and forget. I'm very happy with the first one. The second, I'm still not sure which way I'll fall but I hope I'll never have to go through it again.
To family and friends, thanks for what you've done for me in 2015 and best wishes for 2016!
Thanks,
Oli :)
Twitter: @Chowerz
Instead of moaning about the last two weeks of 2015, I think I'll recap on the other 50 weeks that weren't too bad.
The word 'academic' sticks out when I think back on the year. A lot, if not all, of the year was about getting into uni, then going to uni. At the moment I'm still very much focused on the 6 exams I've got later this month, and I feel like it's the first time in a while I've had a chance to 'zone out', almost, and give myself time to reflect. I don't know if I say this in every blog but, as desperate as I am to do the best I can at uni, it won't be the end of the world if I don't get exactly what I want from it. Something else is also a big part of uni and, no, drinking isn't what I'm thinking. Many people see uni as a chance to be more independent etc. and I feel as though I've learnt enough things about myself in three months to fill a thousand pages. I'm in a very good place and there are many new people (and a song!) I've met that I am extremely thankful for.
I learnt things over summer too. I learnt how important it is to live life on my own terms - not letting other people's interests determine what I do - so I learnt plenty about myself and what I really wanted. I think my summer hinged on one moment, which I'll put down as my personal moment of 2015: seeing my friend looking completely crestfallen after prom and deciding that we had to help him. Two things came of that: 1. a great friendship; 2. a terrible feeling of almost-hatred fighting against a desire to forgive and forget. I'm very happy with the first one. The second, I'm still not sure which way I'll fall but I hope I'll never have to go through it again.
To family and friends, thanks for what you've done for me in 2015 and best wishes for 2016!
Thanks,
Oli :)
Twitter: @Chowerz
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