Winnipeg's Winter Cultural Highlights

Winnipeggers, justifiably proud of  the cultural offerings of the city,  are  not surprised that the city was  named the Cultural Capital of Canada for 2011. During a recent visit to winnipeg to visit family and friends, I attended two events: a Manitoba Chamber Orchestra concert and a Royal Winnipeg Ballet performance of The Nutcracker.

Attending The Nutcracker, a holiday tradition for many, became a highlight of my stay in Winnipeg. My two nieces and my sister-in-law organized the evening to recapture some of the activities we had enjoyed together when I lived there. The Winnipeg production of  Nutcracker preserves much of the Russian balletic tradition while adapting the choreography to incorporate aspects of Winnipeg winters--ice hockey played on the street outside a stately mansion is but one example of how the choreographers transformed the original work from Russia, 1892 , to Canada. The sets were stunning and the dancing was superb.

Westminster United Church, home to the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, was the location of an outstandingly beautiful string trio concert in December, 2010. The Ehnes, Armstrong, DeMaire Trio performed Ravel's Piano Trio in A minor and Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50. Both Ravel and Tchaikovsky usually focused on large orchestral palettes or probed the colours of the piano. These two piano trios demonstrate the composers' ability to weave beautiful melodic strands that reveal each instruments' unique tonal properties while combining the voices to ensure balance among the registers.

All three musicians, James Ehnes, Andrew Armstrong, and Robert deMaine, are outstanding players with dazzling technique, passionate musical expression, and beautiful tone in all registers and dynamic levels of their instruments. Their reading of the two works allowed the audience to vicariously experience sparkling spiccato, sombre pathos, and joyful dances.

The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and Royal Winnipeg Ballet are but two examples of the rich and varied cultural life of the city. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra,  Manitoba Theatre Centre, The Warehouse, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Prairie Theatre Exchange are also excellent cultural institutions that produce timely and sound performances for their audiences. The Winnipeg Art Gallery, The Planetarium, Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature provide interesting permanent exhibitions as well as host exhibitions from other institutions.

In addition to the professional institutions, there are a host of cooperative galleries and regional exhibits that contribute to the exciting cultural life of the city.

Luxor, Alexandria, and Cairo

Luxor is situated on both sides of the Nile. The east bank is known as the city of the living; the west bank is known as the city of the dead because the pharaohs built their funerary temples here. It was from here that our balloon ride and tour of the Valley of the Kings began. What I had not mentioned in the previous blog was the amazing Museum in Luxor. It is spacious, carefully organized, and displays many exquisite statues and artifacts.
One of the intriguing statues was to Akhenaten, a pharaoh who tried to transform the spiritual beliefs of the country by declaring that there was only one god. He also tried to change the form of representation, insisting on realism in portrayal, rather than the idealized and stylized images of his ancestors. As a result, the faces of statues display emotion, and bodies are not perfectly proportioned.
There is a avenue between the site of the Luxor Museum  and Karnak temple known as the Avenue of the Sphinx. Statues of the Sphinx lined both sides of the avenue. Recent excavations in the area have revealed their presence and efforts to bring this avenue back to its original majesty are currently in progress. Since the statues were several metres underground, buildings have been demolished, peoples' homes have been destroyed and residents have been moved to other areas of the city.

My camera captured some of the elements of the potential site--the line of Sphinxes already excavated, the king standing between the paws of the sphinx, and the head of the ram.
The river portion of our Royal Egypt included 26 people. Only 2 other people joined us for the land portion in Alexandria and Cairo.

The tour was entitled the Royal Egypt; the boat had been built by King Farouk. Our hotel in Alexandria was a former hunting lodge built by King Farouk. Many pieces of furniture in the lobby and restaurants were used by the royal family. The lodge overlooks the Mediterranean and is situated in the midst of a large garden. The view from our window--

We toured Alexandria in a small van, stopping to view a Coptic Christian church, the newly built library at Alexandria, the Catacombs, and the Roman Theatre. Traffic was unbelievable and driving habits were extremely interesting. Three lanes of traffic were delineated on the pavement but at least 6 lanes of cars, busses, and cycles jockey for position. Street lights were few and separated by several hundred metres. When drivers tried to enter the main street from the side streets, they honked and gestured. Drivers on the main street allowed them to enter,causing even more congestion.

Our travel companions were very interested in architecture and art and had requested a tour of several churches and mosques. Our guide, Waleed, arranged a tour of the Coptic Church in Alexandria.
An exterior view of the church, hidden along a small alley, too narrow for our van. We had navigated through what seemed to be a maze of streets and then stopped at the end of the alley. Our guide jumped out and beckoned us to follow him. We rounded a few corners and entered a small square to fin

The interior of the church

I was most impressed with the newly constructed Biblioteka Alexandrina, a complex designed by a Norwegian firm of architects. The link describes the various aspects of the buildings. The galleries, reading rooms, permanent displays were buzzing with activity; the site is definitely well used by native Egyptians as well as by visitors. We wandered through the complex for several hours and arranged a return visit the next day.

We also visited the catacombs and an excavation site of a RomanTheatre. Our stay in Alexandria ended with a tour of the catacombs, followed by lunch in an exquisite fish restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Pyramid of Cheops, from our hotel room.

Cairo was much busier and dustier. From the balcony of our room, we could see two large pyramids. We visited the three pyramids of Giza, spending several hours at the site, clambering over the walls, and entering part of the tomb. We could not venture anywhere in Egypt without meeting the tourist police (yes, that is what they are called). They guarded the entrance to tourist sites, ensuring that visitors did not touch the statues, walls of the temples. Nowhere, however, did the police provide such an image as outside the pyramids. The man, camel and mud brick wall  . . .

the mosque

the ablution fountain

The last stop on our tour was the Alabaster Mosque, built as part of the Citadel during the time of the Ottoman empire. Our guide demonstrated the great acoustic properties of the dome by singing a prayer. The sound seemed to circle around the dome, returning to us in a new form.

Our Royal Egypt tour was a wonderful experience but we were pleased when we arrived back in Torquay.

Luxurious sailing along the Nile from Luxor to Aswan and back

The sun streamed through the windows and we looked out the cabin windows of the SS Misor to see the docks at Esna and to glimpse the small Temple Khnum, built during the 2nd century BC and noted for the brilliant colours of the wall paintings. Two of our travelling companions on the SS Misor were following an alternative itinerary that included a visit  to this temple; the boat docked for an hour to allow them a short tour before it was navigated through the locks at Esna.

We had arrived on board the small, luxury SS Misor at 2:00 am the previous night and set off to explore the vessel, locating the sun decks, pool, lounge areas, and restaurant. The ship, a steamer built for King Farouk in 1919, was purchased by Traveline, the tour operator, for a special cruising experience. Our experience certainly was special: the ship is small with only 24 cabins to accommodate only 47 passengers. During the week of our cruise, there were only 26 passengers aboard. the 60 crew members provided excellent and personal service.

Our first temple visit was to the temple of Edfu, to  the Temple of Horus the protector. The temple was built on the site of an existing temple to Horus. The remains of the outer wall demonstrate the power of the king, whose arm is raised, ready to smite the vanquished.

Pylon outside temple

upraised arm of king, holding flail to smite his victims

We learned that there are four basic elements to Egyptian temples: the facade with pylons, an open court, a hall of columns (Hypostyle Hall), and the sanctuary that could only be entered by the high priest and the king. Mohamed, our guide for the week, helped us interpret the paintings and to read the signs used to depict numbers. To decipher the hieroglyphs, one begins at the top, looks to  see the  direction the animals are facing, and then reads in that direction.

The famous mural in the Temple of Edfu is the Festival of Celebration that depicts one of the legends of Horus and Hathor. It shows the king, dressed in the skin of a panther, and his queen, placed in a ceremonial boat carried by 30 priests ( one priest was drawn, then 4 lines around his body represented 5 priests).

Entrance showing two doors, one to Sobek, the other to Horus

Before sailing the next morning, we visited Kom Ombu, the Temple of Sobek, the crocodile god. Since the crocodile was associated with evil, the temple has two accesses to provide a temple for the worship of Horus.

details of a wall carving

Our guide explained the process of carving, plastering and painting within the walls of this temple. All the carvings in this temple are examples of bas-relief and each wall is built out of a huge block of stone. A grid of papyrus was glued to the wall; string dipped in red ochre was used to mark the horizontal and vertical lines of the grid. Figures were then drawn on the stone, using the grid to ensure uniformity and precise symmetry. Then the walls around the figures were smoothed. Final details, such as facial features, the head dress, crowns, sceptres were added. After the carving was completed, plaster was smoothed over the stone and painted.

This temple helped us understand the narrowing from the entrance pylons to the inner sanctuary--as one proceeds deeper into the temple, the floors are built up, the ceilings become lower, the walls converge. These techniques were used to focus on the narrow, dark sanctuary that could only be entered by the high priest and king.

Colours have survived 4000 years 

We saw the vivid colours of the carvings.

We returned to the ship to relax and to avoid the heat of the day. A short Felucca ride took us to Kitchener's Island, named after a British governor who established a botanical garden on the site.. We also sailed around the Elephantine, a small island in the Nile close to Aswan, home to 4,000 Nubians who were displaced when the Great Dam was built in the 1970's. we also saw the Mausoleum of Aga Khan,  and the Old Cataract, the hotel featured in Agatha Christie's, Death on the Nile.

feluccas docked at Kitchener Island

Barrie and Sharon posing on a tree

Aswan, a city of 500,000 people is the largest city in Upper Egypt. It is a few kilometres from the site of two large dams--one built by the British for irrigation, and the larger great dam built by Nassar to supply hydro-electric power. The dam has created Lake Nassar, 500 kilmoetres in length, 10.5 wide, and 60 metres deep. The huge lake flooded the land formerly known as Nubia that stretched from the first cataract on the Nile to Kartoum (Sudan). The Nubians were displaced from their land and offered homes in other parts of Egypt. the Nubian language is oral and with the moving of the Nubians, the children attend school, where they speak Arabic. The Nubian language is now a threatened language.

The Great Dam is a military installation; were were able to leave the coach to look at both sides of the dam. Everywhere we went, armed soldiers were visible. At least 4 guards were stationed outside the temples, at the docks, and often the road narrowed to control traffic flow and to monitor security.

Abu Simbel was flooded as a result of the building of the Great Dam and an international effort to move it to a safe location was completed in 1970. Abu SimbuNefertari. Our trip to this site required us to begin our journey at 5:00 am in order to cross the 300 Kilometres of desert before the heat of the day became too intense. We were accompanied by an armed guard to protect us as we crossed the desert. We were stopped at several checkpoints to allow soldiers to verify our paperwork and purpose.

The entrance, flanked by 4 massive statues of Ramses II, is impressive.
 What is amazing is that the ancient Egyptian's knowledge of the solar system, calendar, and mathematics allowed the sanctuary to be illuminated twice each year, October 22 and February 22. The sanctuary is located 200 feet inside the rock. It contains 4 statues--Horus, Ramses, Amun-re, and Ptah, the god of the underworld. The sunlight penetrates the sanctuary to light the statue of Horus for 13 minutes, Ramses for 7 minutes, Amun-re for 5 minutes, and leaving Ptah in darkness.

On the walls of one of the smaller rooms is the written documentary of the Battle of Kadesh, listing the heroic exploits of Ramses II.

What cruise would be complete without festive dinners. The chef prepared several dishes--Egyptian and European cuisine-- each evening. the crew sang and danced for us prior to our Egyptian Gala; we all appeared dressed in galabia , head dresses, and other appropriate garments. Some of our fellow passengers improvised costumes; others purchased our special attire from the shop on board the Misr.

With one day left of the cruise, we were offered the opportunity to go up in a hot air balloon at dawn. I was quite apprehensive but the day was calm. we left the ship at 4:30 am, watched the sun rise over the west bank of Luxor, crossed the Nile on a small ferry, and arrived at the balloon launching area where we were met by our pilot who taught us the landing procedures and positions. At least 40 balloons were there awaiting passengers. It was wonderful to float above the city of Luxor, look over the Valley of  the Kings, and  watch the villagers start their day. We were high  above the Temple of Hatsheput, a very modern appearing temple in a great state of preservation. the colours insider her temple are brilliant.

aerial view of the temple

The blue sky, yellow stars are on the top level, Isis is on the left side of the 3rd level.

A visit to the Winter Palace, the temple of Luxor, and to the massive site of the Temple of Karnak  ended our events on the cruise portion of the trip. We were off to Cairo and Alexandria for more sight-seeing.

Powderham Castle and Rock Walk

Golf fans who have been watching the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor will know that the weather in England and Wales has been filthy. The high winds and heavy rains have  been intermittent; the times between storms have been glorious.

Several weeks ago I had received an invitation to a concert, to be held in the Music room of Powderham Castle. The concert was part of a campaign to restore the organ built in 1769. Intrigued by the invitation, we decided to order tickets. The castle box office wanted to know how I had received information about the event--when I explained the invitation, I was told: "Oh, the Earl invited you." My interest was piqued even more.

Friday's storm cancelled golf but we set off in the late afternoon for a leisurely drive along the coast of Devon. Part way through the short journey, the rain and wind stopped, the sun came out, and the sea was spectacular.

We entered the castle grounds, hoping for directions to park. We proceeded up the drive, over the castle moat, and parked in the castle yard along with our fellow concert attenders. Diana of Devon welcomed us into the state dining room, a wooden panelled room with crests of noble families adorning the walls. The concert was held in the music room, a delightful room with a domed ceiling, magnificent marble panels, translucent lights, and hundreds of rosettes. The small organ sits at the front of the room.

The chamber music was chosen from the time period that the organ was built--1769. we heard, a Corelli Sonata da Chiesa, four arias from Handel's Oratorio,"Theodora," a Mozart "Epistle Sonata," and Arne's Shakespearean songs. Also included were some popular pieces written at the time.

There is a music library housed in the castle and the organist found several pieces in the archives that were also performed. Six of the pieces were written by Nardini and do not appear in Groves, the most comprehensive scholarly record of music. that means that they might only have been performed once before.

During the interval, we made our way to the dining room for wine and canapes. The Earl of Devon introduced
the concert.

On Saturday, the Royal Terrace Gardens or Rock Walk officially opened. The gardens are situated on the cliff face that extends along the sea front.They were closed three years ago because they were not safe--it was feared that rocks would fall on the local bus that passes in front of the area every 10 minutes. Residents were irate but the council was adamant about closing the area. For three years, work has been carried out behind high fences. Yesterday the newly renovated gardens were unveiled.

During the day, activities to highlight the Geopark and to tie rock Walk to the heritage of this area were arranged. the sea front was buzzing with music, plays, mimes, and games. We climbed the steps to rock walk, enjoying the views from the two viewing platforms and learning more about the local area. For example, Oliver Heaviside, used to ride his bicycle through the streets of Torquay and Paignton but few knew of his genius. The famous line in the musical "Cats"--up,up, up by the Russell Hotel is followed by a reference to Heaviside's work. Another fact is that Isabella Eugenie Boyer, the wife of Isaac Singer of sewing machine fame who lived in the area, is the model for the Statue of Liberty. The third fact is that the area lies on the Sticklepath Fault.
Did you know that Rudyard Kipling longed to run naked through the streets of Torquay?
Did you know that ochre was used by the local fishermen to colour the sails of their boats? We often see boats in Torbay with sails of red, yellow and ochre. Now we know that fishermen use the colours to make their boats distinctive.

The rains fell heavily during the opening ceremony in the evening but the musicians, singers, and dancers carried on. the light and sound show, projected on the rock face, was spectacular, depicting the history of the rocks in the area.

Golfing may be interrupted by the rain and wind but culture in Devon carries on despite the weather!

Mohawk legends and virtuosi

Mohawk College hosted the World Premiere of Malcom Forsyth’s Trickster Coyote---Lightening Elk, a work commissioned by Mohawk violinist Tara-Louise Montour to honour and explore her First Nations roots. The soloist appeared on-stage, dressed by Dene designer. Forsyth’s work, three movements played without a break, exemplify different aspects of different nations—the pow-wow, the four points and colours of the compass, and the flight and whooshing of arrows. The eagle, soaring to the sun and representing the colour yellow, fixes the eastern point of the compass. The bear, black, broodingly introspective, fixes the west. Forsyth employed contrapuntal lines in this movement, to represent the ‘serious’ nature of the bear’s inner gaze. The seven Arrows of the finale, contrasts the linear sounds with forceful, rhythmic jabs of sound. Aborinigal drum and rattle figure throughout.

The other works on the concert, narrated by former prima ballerina, Veronica Tennant, combined music, movement, and legend. The Prometheus myth, written by Beethoven, opened the concert. Excerpts from Tchaikosky’s Swan Lake and Stravinski’s Firebird completed the concert.

Boris Brott, former conductor of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, has founded the Brott Music festival, a summer experience for young performers on the cusp of their professional careers. The musicians, invited by Brott to work with local musician-teachers, spend the summer rehearsing and performing in the National Academy Orchestra of Canada.

Concerts, rambles, and Literary Festivals

Sunshine glinting on a paved courtyard. Church bells chiming the hour. Soft melodies floating through the muted sounds of traffic. A solitary figure, perched on a bench, introduced friends and colleagues to the new sounds of the lyra, a small stringed instrument she discovered during a short stay in Crete. Janna explored her recently discovered instrument, taking her audience with her on a journey and sound narrative. The Cretan folksongs helped us appreciate the instrument in its traditional setting. But, when we left the courtyard and entered the 16th century chapel for her recital of improvisation and composition, we learned how the three strings could convey longing, dreaming, as well as the 21st century sounds of traffic, agony, and enjoyment. For an hour, Janna improvised and wove her improvisation in and around the semi-structured compositions she had created for the ground, provided by three classically-trained musicians. The sounds of clarinet, violin, recorder, and cor anglais entered into dialogue with the lyra.

Earlier in the week, Sharon and I had attended several sessions at the literary festival, Ways with Words, in Dartington. The annual festival affords opportunities for writers and readers to meet, learn about the stories that prompted their writing, and to marvel at the variety of topics addressed and interests explored. If I were to find one theme from Ways with Words, it would be follow your passion with confidence. Each author/presenter offered hints about choosing topics, about composing processes, and situated their work in a personal as well as a more global domain. P.D. James begins with the setting; Margaret Drabble looks at the landscape; Antonia Fraser and Julia Nicolson search for the story behind events, and Lord Bragg wonders about science and culture. Janna, in her pursuit of the spirit and soul of the lyra, shares their understanding that you must pursue that which is of interest. All of them knew they were tellers/writers of stories because they loved sharing stories with their families.They may have wondered whether their work would get published but they all knew they had to write. Many began their writing careers after they had worked in other professional areas.

Another group, the South Devon ramblers, also pursues their interests--the Devon landscape with its spectacular coasts, woodland areas, wild moors, and rural areas calls them. They know and love this landscape,willingly sharing their favourite rambles with the group and teaching me about the ruins, stone circles, wild flowers, and birds as we ramble, climb, and yomp