Hong Kong Space Museum

Considering the amazing curved spherical architecture, the museum itself is quite dated. There are quite a number of good models and simulations though, so it is worth a short visit.

Avenue of Stars

The main attraction according to the guidebook and countless tourist sign is the impressive statue of Bruce Lee, but the view across to Hong Kong Island is worth the walk on the promenade alone. The promenade is an homage to Hong Kong movie stars, so I didn't recognise most of the names.

Hong Kong Museum of Art

Many Hong Kong museums feature free entrance on Wednesday, so I took the opportunity to get out of the cold wind at the Victoria Harbour promenade. There is a mixes bag - modern contemporary pieces, focused exhibitions and aime experimental shows, although two of the collections were closed - antiquities and calligraphy.

The highlights for me included the display of wooden sculptures by Tong King-sum (with amazing conveyance of form and detail), a display about migrancy and the statue outside the closed antiquities hall.

Reflections: Kolkata

It has been just over 5 years since I was last in Kolkata. Like the new shiny airport, there are things that have changed drastically - yet much remains the same. The airport itself seems to have this dichotomy - the transformation is an engineering marvel; but it manages to retain the bureaucratic overhead, seemingly recycled the public signage from the old airport; and since it is largely underused, with no one but passengers and staff, it is quite soulless.

The gap between the rich and the poor has become more noticeable. Kolkata, previously proudly working class and communist, has acquired a distinct upper (middle) class segregation - flashy malls and gated high rise complexes, live side by side with beggars, slums and street vendors eeking out a living.

The pollution levels have not decreased, instead it probably has increased. Part of that could be purely cultural behaviour - shop keepers for example regularly thoroughly wash the perimeter of their stores, but have no hesitation to throw rubbish or spit just outside the perimeter. Noise pollution has certainly increased, and the haze seems to be ever present. That said , Kolkata is probably one of the greenest cities in the world - with greenery across the city, and one of the most noticeable aspects from any high rise.

Life seems to have become harder - the long commute times and big traffic jams (average car speed seems to be around 30 Km/h) and living costs have spiraled. Although some things, like the low cost of telecommunication services (due to economies of scale), and more stable electricity supply are significant improvements, these are probably still luxuries for most.

In short a lot has changed, but not necessarily for the better or for all. In many ways it retains the old stereotypes of being dirty and unprogressive (when compared to other large Indian cities). India may be on its way to becoming an economic powerhouse, but for Kolkata at least, it has a log way to go to becoming an attractive place to live.

Navigating Kolkata Traffic

Except for major roads, which have clearly defined pedestrian crossings, navigating traffic in India can be an experience on its own.

Cars, busses, trucks, bicycles, rickshaws, auto(rickshaw)s, motorbikes and pedestrians seem to have a complicated dance where they all seem to flow together. There is a cacophony of hooting from the various vehicles and the occasional cursing (usually of a smaller vehicle/pedestrian against a larger vehicle) although I didn't see any of these escalate to anything more.

In all of this, all parties just seem to flow past, in slow steps. Pedestrians do not wait, they just cross - vehicles seem to give way, one way or the other. Likewise, vehicles are often passing each other, often across what would be the opposing direction. Almost all vehicles preach about "following the rules of the road", none seem to actually do so.

Remarkably, I didn't see a single accident, but that is not to say that they don't happen. But the relatively slow speeds (cars seem to average about 30 Km/h) means that it is relatively easy to stop. Travel times are therefore long, and frustrating.

I haven't driven a car in India, and I don't think I want to. Being a passenger or a pedestrian is scary enough.

Effective Airport Security

For the most part, airport security is more theatre than reality. There are a number of articles written elsewhere on this subject, Bruce Schneier being the most prominent, so this post is about an airport that I think has got it better than most.

I didn't pay much attention to Kolkata's airport security coming in, but the differences on the outbound was certainly notable. Most notable is that quite a number of the key decisions are performed by the army as opposed to contractors. This means that the mandate that they are working with is more aligned to the goals (anti terrorism, civilian safety) than the contracted security firms in other airports. It also probably means that the level of training for the security personnel is significantly higher, so they can make meaningful decisions instead of relying only on written instructions.

Only passengers are allowed into the airport terminal itself, which is somewhat strange in itself. This off course means that the airport is not a shopping mall, and all goodbyes have to be done kerbside. Entry into the terminal requires an air ticket and a passport. The process is slow, but each passenger is checked on the match (does the passport document match the traveller , and does the ticket match the traveller).

Like the US, each bag is then x-rayed, but this us before check in can take place.  Airlines cannot check in bags until it has gone through this process; and an appropriate tag has been attached. This was one of the places where there were civilians manning the apparatus, although I think it was still supervised by a soldier.

The passenger security clearance didn't require separate screening of liquids and gels; but the screening process itself was more thorough. Each passenger undergoes a pat down, bags seemed to be scanned with the passenger, and they do seem to pick up more details. They also tag each bag that has been screened. At boarding, there is a final round of checks to check whether the bag you are boarding with has been screened or not. 

It is a massive bureaucratic process, with checks and counter checks. It is certainly not fast, neither is it particularly welcoming. However, I think it is a lot less theatre - it feels more effective. It feels like every check had a reason and that it all ties up together. It is a small airport with a handful of flights, so I don't know whether the process can scale. But compared to other airport checks, it feels safer and better.

Hamad International Airport

The newly opened Hamad International Airport in Doha is very impressive. It is not fully operational, and it has not yet become the shopping mall (like Dubai) but it is quite clear what the intention is! It does have some great facilities, including free WiFi, media stations, kids play areas and even a large teddy bear installation. As a functional mass transit hub, it is quite efficiently designed but it is not yet in the league of Singapore.

Migrant Workers

Since Qatar won the right to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022; there has been a lot of focus on migrant workers building the stadiums - and generally migrant workers in the Gulf. Migrant workers are prominent in almost every sphere of Qatari life - on landing at the airport, the first Qatari I met was the immigration officer; and thereafter the policeman at the front of the closed Museum of Islamic Art. In between, flight attendants, airport attendants, shop attendants, hotel staff and even the majority of shop keepers in the souq were migrant workers.

The hotel staff were almost all Filipino. The driver for my transfer back to the airport worked for a hotel in the Philippines before coming to Qatar 3 years ago. He didn't seem to be particularly happy - his salary is not much more, the costs of living in Qatar is high, and he hasn't seen his family (including 5 kids) since he got here (since all his savings are sent back home). He told me that this was the same scenario for all his colleagues - and he (and other colleagues) are even considering going back to Philippines. 

I suspect it is the same story for many of the migrants working in Qatar. Ironically, the face of Qatar is the migrants, and not the Qataris. So it is difficult to work out what the real Qatar is.

Around Doha

I had a long layover in Doha, and Qatar Airways organised a hotel, visa and hotel transfer. Unfortunately, it was not long enough to see a lot of Doha - especially the newer parts of the city; but it was still a nice city break.

The initial impression was sand - every building seemed to be of that colour. And, while the highways and main roads were very organised; the side streets felt like a completely different country! Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any public transport scheme, so I was constrained to walking around instead.

The highlight attraction in Doha, The Museum of Islamic Art, is unfortunately closed on Tuesdays; so I mostly walked around the souks and the seafront promenade (Al Corniche). The Corniche has glorious views of the futuristic skyscrapers of the new part of Doha. The contrast between the old (fishing boats) and the new is particularly striking.

Overall, it's a clean city; and despite the volume of cars, it is not a particularly vibrant city. Something is missing - but I am not sure what it is.

Doha Souqs

A large complex of traditional shopfronts (although often staffed by immigrants instead of locals), the Souq Waqif is a far more pleasant experience than the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. In some places it retains the older mud brick architecture, although it seems more like a facade than actual construction. Given the rapid rise of modern buildings all around, the older style, complete with crowded passages has a lot of charm.

The opening times are a bit strange - opening around 10, closing at lunch; and then opening in the evening around 4pm. 

The Souq Waqif is flanked by two specialised, and more modern complexes - the almost deserted Falcon Souq (specialising in falconry) and the  Gold Souq (specialising in jewelery). The Gold Souq featured a lot more workig craftsmen, although it was near closing time when I was there.

At another end of the Souq Waqif, there is an art centre with a fair amount of contemporary artwork (and artist studios). 

Qatar Airways and The Dreamliner

The Dreamliner seems to be small, especially when the other aircrafts around it are A380s. It is amazingly spacious, so much so that many passengers seem to have trouble reaching the overhead luggage bins. The large windows are amazing, but the lack of window shutters are annoying; especially with the sun streaming in as the plane took off. After a while, the electronic tinting took over and the soft lighting took over - a very strange  environment; with the sun reduced to a foggy orb in the horizon. Eventually I discovered the tinting controller, which works slowly, but has quite a wide range. Compared to the A380, the Dreamliner feels more modern, more futuristic. But how much of that is due to the airline vs Boeing; I am not sure.

Economy class on Qatar Airways is surprisingly spacious - my knees didn't even hit the seats in the front (don't remember the last time I had a flight in economy with so much space). The entertainment system is cool; with a touch screen remote system that changes controls based on the screen context; with running commentary on the flight status. There is on board cell signal, but the on board wifi is extortion - USD 2 per 5Mb!

Every announcement seemed to have the words award winning; and the service and was food certainly of high quality. It was an amazingly cheap ticket; and so far it has been amazing value for money!

Movie: The Judge

Long before Robert Downey Jr. became Iron Man, I remember him as a smart ass lawyer in the TV series Ally McBeal. In the Judge he reprises the role of a smart ass lawyer, but with a far defter performance as he takes up the defence of his ailing, estranged father - a judge who is accused of murder, played by Robert Duvall. The performances of the two central characters are amazing; although the legal case itself is only a side show. 

Movie: Fury

Set towards the end of WW2, Fury manages to portray both heroism in and the dehumanising nature of warfare. There are some amazing scenes with tank battles; but it is the grinding, brutal nature of war itself that is the centerpiece. And while each side seems to believe it is righteous, it is really only dehumanising and brutal.

Chinese New Year at Nan Hua Temple

A few years ago, O, gushed about the Chinese New Year celebrations at Nan Hua Temple. For one reason or another, I didn't go until this year.

The passages around the temple were set with stalls - from cheap electronics to vegetarian food to a lot of bubble tea. It was packed; and a variety of people were lighting incense in front of the giant Buddhas in the main shrine.

The cultural performances were equally diverse - martial arts, music and dance across Asia (including Bollywood), and African drums - but we didn't stay long.

It actually felt quite sedate - more like a large fete than a cultural celebration. Perhaps it was the hot weather, perhaps it was unrealistic expectations; it just didn't feel that amazing.

Final Concert

The final concert of the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival had two standing ovations, featured a conductor without music, and was one of the best musical concerts I have ever attended. The music spanned centuries - 229 years between the oldest and the most recent in fact.

The concert started with a slight re-arrangement of the line-up, and featured the chamber work Peter Klatzow - Lightscapes for Marimba and Five Instruments. It's a compact piece, and was performed against the backdrop of projections of various images. For me, the second batch featuring the sun and Egyptian relics achieved the harmony of images to the music - while I thought the rest didn't really work. Peter Klatzow has an earlier version on SoundCloud.

The second performance was short - but it's the concept and the performance itself that brought a standing ovation from the audience. Misconduct, conceptualised by performance artist Anthea Moys, is a combination of dance and orchestra - although not necessarily in the way you would normally imagine it. In the first half, the conductor conducts a piece of music - but there is no music from the orchestra - and there is no music - instead, the dance group - Moving into Dance Mophatong - dances on the cues of the conductor. We are told at the beginning - that only the conductor, the orchestra and Anthea Moys herself knows what the music is - the dancers haven't heard it or practised using it - they performed spontaneously. In the second half, the piece is conducted again - this time, the orchestra does play (Mozart's Overture from the Marriage of Figaro) and the dancers now dance to the music itself. The similarities in the performance - and the differences are startling - their performance itself is amazing. It is strange, exhilarating, special and a wonderful performance all round - thoroughly deserving of the standing ovation.

The second half started off with the debut of the newly commissioned piece by Peter Klatzow - All People Become Spirit People When They Die; comprising of Choir, Piano and Orchestra. Based on a poem by Stephen Watson about the San - particularly their beliefs relating to the afterlife. It's an interesting piece - sometimes sad, and a bit like a requiem - but I am not completely sure what to make of it.

The final piece, also for Choir, Piano and Orchestra was Beethoven's Choral Fantasy. I love Beethoven's music, and this had it all - great piano (performed by Florian Uhlig), great orchestral movements and then the choir that caps it off at the end. As the programme notes, it's a forerunner to the 9^th and it packs it all in. It was an amazing performance, and a perfect ending to an amazing concert.

Buskaid and Melvyn Tan

Buskaid performances are becoming a regular feature of the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival; and this year's concert was one of the highlights in Buskaid performances.

Rameau almost inevitably features in a Buskaid concert, and this year, his Overture to Pigmalion started off the rather short first half of the concert. Of the performance pieces this year, it was my least favourite - but that is not to detract from the performance itself.

At last year's concert, Sarasate's Navarra with 2 violins and orchestra featuring Kabelo Monnathebe and Simiso Radebe, was one of the highlights. It is a piece that shows of the soloist's virtuosity - and it is a testament to the talents of the senior Buskaid members. Debuted last year, Sancho’s Dance Suite by Julian Grant, a suite specifically written for the Buskaid finished off the first half.

In the first few minutes of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 12, there is only a few bars of the piano - as the string orchestra led the performance. Then, Melvyn Tan rolled up his sleeves and got stuck into the piano - and his performance with the Buskaid was mesmerising. He seemed to relish playing with the Buskaid - in the pauses while the orchestra takes over, he was paying more attention to the orchestra than Rosemary Nalden's conducting, seemingly bobbing his head, or shadow conducting to the music. And when the piano came to the fore - he was there, perfectly in time, and giving it his all. It was clearly an emotional performance - and one of the best piano concerto performances I have attended; a performance that thoroughly deserved its standing ovation.

I have head Aram Khachaturian's Waltz from Mascquerade Suite many times - though I wouldn't have been able to name it. The Buskaid members came on wearing masks, and played a perfect rendition - and a lively way to link up to their familiar Kwela and Gospel finale. The Buskaid has just finished recording a CD with 34 Kwela and Gospel numbers - none of them transcribed onto actual scores; and every concert seems to have a few new ones. It is a lively ending to the concert, and it is what makes Buskaid special.

Movie: No

Gael García Bernal stars in the Oscar nominated Chilean movie on the "No" campaign in 1988, which eventually leads to a peaceful transition to civilian, democratic rule from the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Shot very much in the style of a TV documentary from the late 1980's, it follows the story of an advertising executive who lends his talents in driving a successful campaign that focuses on hope and happiness instead of regurgitating policy discussion points (which is favoured position of Pinochet's team).

While the acting is superb, and manages to interweave historic footage seamlessly within the movie; it is unfortunately quite simplistic (as per this NY Times article). My knowledge of Pinochet has mostly been from bits of his war crimes trial - and unfortunately this movie, while providing some view of the horrors perpetrated by his regime - glosses over what it takes to depose a dictator. Even within the movie, some of the mechanics of how the plebiscite comes to be, and the 15 minutes of opposition airtime is glossed over - and overall it ends up detracting from the power of the movie.

It is actually a good movie (as far as movies go) - but in my opinion, such oversimplification of historic events end up colouring the actual historic events, and the movie ends up being the known historic record. And for me, that is a big problem.

Movie: Birdman

Yes, Birdman has been getting rave reviews and multiple award nominations. And, it does have some great acting performances, with some amazing monologues. For me however, these acting performances and monologues do not connect together to make a great movie. Maybe, it's an actor's movie - a self indulgent movie, about the art of acting - but as a 2 hour movie, I didn't find it captivating, entertaining, informative or thought provoking. As little vignettes, it was fine - as a 2 hour movie, I was just waiting for it to end.

Mass and Requiem

The program for this year's Johannesburg International Mozart Festival is the most interesting and varied since I have been going to them. One of the problems however, is that there is so much choice - that you can only really afford the time and money to go to a few of them.

This year's opening concert, on Mozart's birthday on Tuesday, featured his last work, the unfinished Requiem, together with South African composer (and the festival's composer in residence), Peter Klatzow's Mass for Choir, Horn, Marimba and Strings.

M doesn't agree, but my reaction to Peter Klatzow's Mass, was that it was quite "New Agey", something out of fantasy movies - and would fit perfectly in the Lord of the Rings (or similar). It is fun, it is light, and very enjoyable. 

Mozart's Requiem is a long piece and very well known. But the performance by the Chanticleer Singers and the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra was equal to the task, and thoroughly deserved the standing ovation. It is off course more traditional, when compared to the preceding Mass, but it also has a sense of gravitas that the Mass didn't. 

As an opening concert, it was a great  start to the festival.

Origins Centre

I have been wanting to go to the Origins Centre at WITS for a number of years, but for some reason or another, never got round to it. Last year, I discovered that they have free entrance (for South African ID holders) on Sundays ... except they were already closed for December holidays! The entrance includes the audio guide, narated by Gcina Mhlope - a treat on its own!

The entrance itself is a bit hidden - strange given its prominence as a tourist destination - especially as the entrance hall is part of the Archeology department. The cafe and shop were closed, so it was a bit deserted this past Sunday.

The initial presentation on the development of stone tools, and progression of why humans actually originated in Africa was interesting and a great display of concepts, in quite well defined sections. This section ends with a video, on tracing the roots of all humanity to single source within Africa - and the view that the San are the closest in terms of genetic proximity to the original sources.

This understandably leads to a very interesting section on the San - through rock paintings, their spiritual world and a brilliant potrait towards the end on various topics related to the San-Colonial engagements, including their forgotten genocide and near extermination.

The last section, focused on a small history on migration of other groups into South Africa is quite underwhelming taking acount of the previous two sections. What was also missing for me - was a more detailed look at migration of humans to other parts of the world - and the demise of other related species - such as the neanderthals. 

All said, it was a facinating way to spend 2 hours on a Sunday.

Yahoo! News Digest

I am a news junkie - and I have tried numerous apps on my iPad and iPhone. Apart from Flipboard, none of these have really stuck for continued usage. I discovered Yahoo! News Digest late last month - and it has become my defacto news app. The concept really works - a set of curated news summaries (multiple editions available), twice a day. The interface is sleek, and for the most part, the additional links (twitter feeds, maps, Wikipedia entries, etc) are a nice touch. For detailed news - Flipboard is still the leader - but this app is best for catching up on the key topics.

Ryan's Kitchen

Located just outside Franschoek's Main Street, Ryan's Kitchen is listed as a restaurant specialising in contemporary South African cuisine. 

For lunch, they offer "small plates" instead of mains and starters - somewhat like slightly larger tapas portions. The advantage of this approach is off course the opportunity to try a lot more variety.

We had two vegetarian plates, two seafood plates, two meat plates and two deserts. The seafood, one angelfish, one trout were amazing - both takes on curries; but not in an Indian style. The tapioca mushroom plate was equally impressive. In comparison, the other plates had some impressive components but I was not overly impressed with the full combination. For example, the warthog was amazingly tender but the plate itself wasn't as impressive. Likewise, the Impala had amazing beetroot accompaniments but the Impala itself was fairly ordinary.

The deserts were amazing - the soufflé was soft and very fluffy; and the chocolate mouse desert was equally impressive.

Overall, I enjoyed Ryan's Kitchen more than Reuben's (on this trip); and the small playes makes a lot of sense for fine dining restaurants.

Oroboros

Oroboros is a relatively new cafe, located in York street, Muizenberg. It is tiny - just a few seats, and a bar; with a small kitchen and staff leading to fairly slow service. But the menu changes daily (it's posted on a blackboard), cheap, and best of all, amazingly good. It's a quirky place - and the food is worth it.

Table Mountain via Kasteelspoort and Corridor Ravine

I have hiked up Table Mountain numerous times, but yesterday was the first time I went up on the Camps Bay side of the mountain. Thanks to R, who seems to go up on the various routes up table mountain often, K and I got a different experience up the mountain.

We started at intersection of Kloofnek, Signal Hill and Table Mountain - and the first few kilometres is quite an easy countour path (I see it is often referred to as the pipe track); with glorious views of Camps Bay and Lion's Head. Unfortunately, the thick tablecloth at the top meant that the views from the top were non existent.

The push up Kasteelspoort is relatively steep, but well maintained path. With the strong wind and thick cloud, I found the last push to be difficult but I think this route is actually easier than Platteklip Gorge.

We stayed only for a short while at the top (given the absence of any views); and and down the Corridor Ravine - about 1 Km away. The descent was steep, on a rocky and sandy trail which eventually meets up with a jeep track around the base. Once we cleared the cloud, there was a great view of the 12 Apostles Hotel and surrounding area.

I am not sure I can rely on Strava's data from yesterday, but it looks accurate based on the other data I have seen. The full path was approx 14 Km, with the one major ascent, which is a good distance and route profile for a day hike.

Rueben's

Reuben Reifel is one of South Africa's most well known chefs; especially with his more recent appearances as a judge on Masterchef and in TV adverts. Last year, our trip to Franschoek was not planned in advance; so getting a table at a well known restaurant was out of the question. So, this year these things were planned better ...

The food lived up to the reputation - simple style, great presentation and amazing taste.

The starter, which M & I shared, was probably the most different - trout with various pickled vegetables. 

M had the Kinglip with oyster and mussel sauce and I had a chicken and prawn curry. M doesn't like mussels much but there want much left on the plate afterwards! The curry was surprisingly sweet but very flavorful. I didn't think all the accompaniments worked though - the chilli oil for example didn't make sense with the style of curry and I didn't like the carrot sambal (bottom right of the picture) at all. 

The sparsely named "salted caramel tart" turned out to be an elaborate chocolate based dessert - really rich and decadent. I had the panna cotta, with various fruits - a combination that was far superior to the other versions I have had before with berry coulois as a topping for the panna cotta. Ultimately, I suppose that is one of the key differences between the fine dining and regular restaurants.

Swartberg Pass

I read an article some years back on the spectacular unpaved Swartberg Pass connecting Prince Albert and Oudtshoorn; and have wanted to drive over since. 

It is one of the best mountain roads I have traversed (admittedly some in Peru were at night). The narrow road winds itself up the Swartberg mountains with scenic views of the valley below on one side and the cliffs on the other. It was a cloudy day, and the temperature dropped  15 degrees to a chilly 12 degrees at the top! 

The drive down to Oudtshoorn was shorter; with the fertile ground below. It's well worth the detour!

Meiringspoort

The original plan yesterday was to try to go see the Cango Caves, but I was aware that getting tickets without booking was unlikely. I also wanted a detour; and the co-owner of the BnB at Graaff-Reinet highly recommended the first part of the detour - driving through Meiringspoort. It's a spectacular gorge, with a small river and the N12. Clearly the local authorities have worked out the touristic propositions and there are lots of rest places (with braai and toilet facilities) along the route. With a public holiday, it was very busy - and the caves didn't work out - but the detours were definitely worth it!

Hester Rupert Art Museum

Housed in an old Dutch Reformed Church, which was saved from demolition by businessman Anton Rupert, the art gallery has a wide variety of South African artwork, mainly from the 1960s. There is no real theme, but there is probably something of interest for everyone. 

Graaff-Reinet

I didn't do a lot of South African history at school, but for some reason the town of Graaff-Reinet stuck in my memory. Looking for a slightly alternate way to drive to Cape Town, I decided to stop here and then follow the Swartberg range. An old town, it has some spectacular architecture - especially around the magnificent old church in the centre. Almost everything is closed today - giving this old town an even more deserted feel. 

Valley of Desolation

Located in the Camdeboo National Park outside Graaff-Reinet, the valley is best known for its spectacular rock formations  against a backdrop of the Karoo. The late afternoon sunshine lit up sections spectacularly - but I didn't manage to get such good photos :(

Movie: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The final instalment of The Hobbit, starts with the spectacular sequence of Smaug burning down Laketown and his ultimate demise at the hand of the Bard. Unfortunately, this is also probably the only real highlight of the movie - a franchise that has strayed often too far from the story, and extended the plot line for no real reason. 

The entire movie is about a battle - but much of it feels forced and over the top for no reason. As an example, it feels strange that suddenly the emergence of the 13 dwarves would immediately turn around the fortunes of the Dwarven and Eleven sides against the thousands of Orcs - a battle that was clearly being lost. 

All in all, while being entertaining from an action movie perspective - the series has not risen to the heights of Lord of the Rings. It's sad - I think the Tolkien universe has a lot to offer - but not in this way.

The Foo Fighters

In one of my classes in high school, I sat next to a guy who was Nirvana devotee - his pencil case was devoted to Kurt Cobain, he doodled Nirvana logos all the time, and etched Nirvana on desks. This was still a few years after Nirvana disbanded, but I was introduced to Nirvana and related bands such as Foo Fighters through him. Although I really got into Nirvana, I only occasionally listen to Foo Fighters; thus when the concerts were announced, I didn't rush to get tickets.

I did however read about their amazing concerts, and given that Kaiser Chiefs were also on the bill; I sourced some tickets via gumtree (at cost - so no scalpers prices required). The concert itself was sold out of standing and golden circle - but quite a lot of the stadium seating remained open.

I am glad I went - this was one of the best, if not the best, concert I have attended. It did not have pyrotechnic effects, or amazing lighting effects. It was just a long and energetic performance with amazing crowd rapport from Dave Grohl.

I have avoided parking at the FNB Stadium previously - but the park and ride options this time around were not ideal. The parking itself was easy to access, and well controlled; getting out however was a nightmare with very little co-ordination and control of traffic flow. Once inside the stadium, the food and merchandise stands were equally badly managed with long queues, so much so, that we ended up missing most of BLK JKS.

The last performance of Kaiser Chiefs I attended also involved Jared Leto's 30 Second to Mars, and featured Jared Leto climbing up scaffolding "to see the crowd better". Clearly front man Ricky Wilson (who also donned the Kaizer Chiefs jersey with his name on the back) learnt something - the performance was amazingly athletic; with him running across the stage, and climbing scaffolding a few times. I haven't heard much of the new album; but the performance was a combination of some of the great hits together with the new album and it was great to hear them live again.

After a couple of songs from the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl commented that they are not "a 1 hour 30 minute band, not a 1 hour 45 minute band ... not a 2 hour 30 minute band" but rather, they will play until they can't play no more. This is not a new claim by headline acts - but for once the band delivered. For close to 3 hours, with no breaks in between, the Foo Fighters went through their repertoire - songs from every album, a song from Queen, and even a song with Dave Grohl drumming (cover of a Cheap Trick song).

The performance was a perfect example in how the live performances can be so different (and in my mind better) than the recorded albums. From additional chorus renditions, to leading the crowd through singing choruses, to long musical interludes within the song - it was an amazing concert performance.

Movie: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

Of the three Hunger Games novels, Mockingjay is the most complicated - but I don't think it warranted a split into two parts; especially when the first part of the story is basically a set-up towards the finale. The acting is mostly mundane (including very wooden performances by actors such as Julianne Moore), and nothing really happens - although the experience does feel a bit short-changed. I think movies like these, should really be released close to each other, or just combined to be one large movie.

Cape Town Tango Ensemble @ The Orbit

The Cape Town Tango Ensemble (or at least a part of them) flew up to give a recital at The Orbit last night; with support from some local musicians (Elena Zlatkova on violin and Tambinkosi Mavimbela on double bass) with Melanie Scholtz providing vocals. The ensemble is featured quite often on Classic FM (and the Cape's Fine Music Radio), and their live performance did not disappoint. The performance was a mixture of "classic" tango music, heavily featuring Argentinian composer Astor Piazolla, as well as the ensemble's own compositions.

JPO's 3rd 2014 Season, 2nd Concert: Azerbaijan

For the 2^nd and last concert of the season, the JPO had a special concert on the music of Azerbaijan, sponsored by the Azerbaijani Embassy. Earlier this year, the JPO was the orchestra for the Gabala music festival, and the return leg featuring music from Azerbaijan was a good showcase of global music.

Every piece performed was a good departure from the traditional fare. Quite a bit of the music felt like film scores - of a piece trying to tell a tale. The cultural influences of Arabian and Western European musical styles made a great contrast - and was very enjoyable to listen to. I particularly enjoyed the Piano Concerto - which had amazing contrast between the Western and Arabian styles; for both the orchestra and the pianist.

This is the type of concert that the JPO should perform more of. Unfortunately, the marketing seemed to be a let down once again, and the attendance was very poor. A pity - it was a great concert. I would actually go as far as saying, it was one of the best JPO concerts I have been to.

Program:

Amirov's Azerbaijan Capriccio

Tchiaikovsky's Variations on a Rocco Theme

Hajibeyov's Caravan

Amirov & Nazirova's Piano Concerto on Arabian Themes

Ibramimova's Confession for Cello, Piano and Strings

Garayev's Adagio & Waltz from the Seven Beauties Ballet

Conductor: Yalchin Adigezalov

Cellist: Aleksey Miltykh

Pianist: Saida Tagi-Zadeh

Movie: Interstellar

It is part a movie about extinction - of humans, part a movie about exploration and the bravery of explorers of the unknown; and partly a movie about mysticism and time travel paradoxes. Interstellar is visually stunning, with an amazing cast and script that manages to narrate what survival of the human species beyond Earth might actually mean. 

In a near future, Earth's agriculture is failing, people have died in mass from starvation, and it is clear that the end is nigh. Almost as a last ditch attempt, Matthew McConaughey leads a team to a different galaxy via a mysterious wormhole to try find a new world for humans. Others have gone before to try identify potential worlds - now is the time to pick one so that humanity can continue. The plot, with its twist and turns is amazing (complete with the very well known time travel paradox) - and the only negative I have is the last few scenes before the finale as Matthew's character re-connects with humanity. If it was to be done, it should have been done a lot better. I am not sure if it needed to be done in the first place.

The visuals are spectacular - not only of the strange and alien worlds (much filmed on Earth, not necessarily effects); but also of Earth itself, as it grinds to dust. This is a movie that must be watched on a big screen - the bigger the better. With only two Imax cinemas in South Africa, the choices are limited - but it is certainly worth it.

JPO's 3rd 2014 Season, 1st Concert

To call it a 3^rd season is overly generous - after all, there are only 2 concerts!That said, the line-up for both concerts is quite interesting and some shows are better than no shows! Last night's concert, in some ways, encapsulated two of the big problems with the current state of the JPO - poor communication and poor attendance. I am a subscriber, but I only got a SMS about the concerts the day before - certainly not the best way to advertise at such short notice. There were apparently emails, but quite a few people didn't seem to get them. There were apparently a few radio ads also - but in the age of so many communication mediums, it is quite sad that the JPO can't seem to get the word out that that there are actually performing! Poor attendance obviously flows from poor communication and marketing, and it certainly doesn't help the JPO's financial position, sponsorship and ultimately its future prospects.

Starting the evening off, was Grieg's Holberg Suite. I have heard most of the individual components a number of times on radio - especially Sarabande and Rigaudon - but this was the first time I have heard them all together. It was a fun piece, and very easy to appreciate - and certainly a good piece to kick off a concert!

Multiple competition winner, Russian pianist Andrey Pisarev, played a double concerto bill of Chopin's First and Second Piano Concertos. Like the performance last year, Andrey Pisarev, seemed to be in his own world; looking only at the piano or the conductor during his performance. His fingers flew across the keyboard - something that was quite fun to watch, especially in the virtuoso parts of the performance - but he was far more reserved. It was a great performance, and I think I am getting to like Chopin more and more - but not necessarily as personable as Alexander Lubyantsev last year.

Movie: La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty)

Lavishly set amongst some of the finest art and architecture in Rome, La Grande Bellezza, or The Great Beauty is a visual masterpiece - but with seemingly no plot and no real storyline. The film revolves around a great (fictional) Italian author, Jep Gambardella, who starts to question his lavish, partying lifestyle upon his 65^th birthday - but doesn't really come to any meaningful conclusions. It is a visual masterpiece, backed by an amazing sound track - and in a few places - some amazing dialogue (his assessment of the failures of one his ego-seeking friends is probably worth the ticket price); but there is no meaningful story, and in the end quite unsatisfying.

War Horse

The UK's National Theatre's performance of War Horse has had rave reviews and the marketing hype for the South African performances has been like no other theatre performance. The hype is definitely warranted - this is certainly one of the best live performances (of any genre) I have attended.

Part of the spectacle, is off course the puppets - especially the large horse puppets - whose movements are so well crafted, that the puppeteers blend into the background; and are completely unobtrusive. This is not Punch and Judy - the puppets manage to convey amazing emotion, and natural movement; and presence -  that it is sometimes easy to forget that these are actually puppets.

 Backing the puppeteers amazing craft, is a superb cast of actors and lighting and stage effects - that manage to completely portray the horrors and cruelty of war. It is a visual feast, that sucks the audience in completely. It is a great story - but it is amazing creativity that has managed to translate the story so completely for a stage performance.

Johnny Clegg - Best, Live & Unplugged

Johnny Clegg's current tour is more than just a musical performance of his best hits, arranged acoustically. Yes - all the big hits are there, including performances with Sipho Mchunu - but there are also a few obscure pieces. But more than the music - it is a discourse on South African culture.

In between the songs, Johnny Clegg discussed difference in instrumentation, the impact of migration on the change of culture and its eventual impact on new styles of song and dance. It was not just a speech, but as he put it a "show and tell". Off course, this is all wrapped up within the wider context of South Africa's history - not only apartheid, but going further back to colonial times such as the Battle of Isandlwana and its inspiration for Impi.

20 years into South Africa's rainbow nation - the discourse in cultural roots, transformation and amalgamation is still missing. While this is a very personal discourse from Johnny Clegg, it provides a glimpse into how various traditions of culture and music have influenced South African music.

Movie: Dracula Untold

There have been a few "origins" movies in the past few years - movies to explain the origins of a famous character (or in the case of Planet of the Apes, an entire species). And in most of these, a feature has been to humanise the characters even more. 

In this regard, Dracula Untold, boldly ventures forth into turning one of the major villains in modern English literature to, not only a hero, but one that should be applauded and revered. The movie does manage to expand the powers of Dracula, and how he comes to actually save Europe from being taken over by the evil Ottoman empire (where the emperor seems to have an army similar to Game of Thrones' Unsullied); and eventually becomes a vampire in order to defeat this army and save "his people".

Plot holes aside, there are two impressive acting performances by Luke Evans (in the title role) and Charles Dance (as Dracula's sire) and great visual effects. It is a fun action movie - but ultimately, it is different to the original concept of Dracula - and thus ends up making a new anti-hero, as opposed to rehabilitating a villain.

Movie: Gone Girl

M has been raving about the works of the author Gillian Flynn since the beginning of the year. Based on Gone Girl - I can see why. The plot is superbly paced, with some great twists - and enough ambiguity in its ending, to cater for multiple versions of "why". The acting is superb, and this is an excellent twist on the "whodunit" genre. Perhaps, I should read the books ...