The Rs, sub-atomically speaking

This significant moment (May 7 2013, 18.05, Belmont, County of Hereford, England) in the combined lives of VR and RR was captured as an arrangement of pixels, flushed through the Large Hadron Collider, bombarded with rampant electrons and emerged, somewhere in Switzerland, with a whole range of sub-particles identified and (conveniently) numbered. Click pic for greater truths.

Why significant? The temperature was about 21 deg C, the following day was predicted to be rain-swept (This did ensue.) and it was a case of Carpe Diem: our first patio drinkie-poo this year.

1. Quite fashionable shawl round VR's shoulders proved to be unnecessary.

2. The previous weekend we agreed: if we persisted with our director's chairs (collapsible, low-slung, created from aluminium tubing and canvas) we would, one day, have to call the fire-brigade to have ourselves extracted. Hence new all-metal chairs.

3. Book. Taking the photo lasted about 3 min; while I did so VR read. After, she put the book to one side and we talked. That's how she gets through 200-plus books a year.

4. Solar cell, attached to fence, switches on LEDs in tree when it gets dark. For free!

5. Tree - a prunus. Bought and planted by RR as VR's birthday present a few years ago. Amazingly, it flourishes.

6. Wall. While we talked, two pigeons attempted rumpy-pumpy on it, failed, flew off.

7. Patio trough. Recently re-planted with alpines by VR.

8. Generic white Burgundy in insulative, double-walled chill preserver. Not a serious wine.

Unnumbered (LHC not sensitive enough to identify this sub-particle). Talk. About our mothers. 

Is music for nerds? Yes or No?

Last week, staying a couple of nights with friends in London, we heard a recital by Jonathan Biss, an unsmiling American pianist who acknowledged applause with his hand over his heart – as if pledging allegiance to the flag. He played two Beethoven sonatas, opus 10 no. 1 and opus 81a (Les Adieux), plus a Janacek sonata (From the Street).

I sort of know most Beethoven piano sonatas but beforehand I let Alfred Brendel refresh opus 10 for me. Les Adieux is famous and I tasted several versions on YouTube. The sonata’s opening bars consist of well separated notes and chords which must be made to hang together as a slow melody. Guiomar Novaes and Solomon managed this, Wilhelm Backhaus did not.

In further preparation I listened to Elias-Axel Pettersson play the Janacek in his final doctoral recital last year at Montreal University. I didn’t know the piece but he played with authority, especially the slow stuff. I emailed to see whether he got his doctorate. He said yes and I was glad.

Forward to Biss. Technically no problems but the opus 10 sounded too loud given its comparative simplicity. I’d have preferred a fortepiano. Facing those initial fragments in Les Adieux Biss avoided the problems by playing faster; legitimate but not as breathtaking. Biss’s Janacek was harsher than Pettersson’s but did it proud. Our friends also hearing the J for the first time liked it and that was good news.

But I was left feeling nerdish. Isn’t such preparation overdoing it? Like boning up on the dictionary before tackling Aldous Huxley. It’s only music. Elsewhere in the world people are really suffering – being denied sub-titled French movies.