Two years and more I have done my main grocery shopping online
First with Coles:
Until the day they delivered my order to the wrong address! Then I switched to Woolies, and I have been very happy with the service.
Footy tipping
I began with the City Diggers tipping competition some eight years ago, and to my surprise even had some success! It was also a great conversation starter. See King of the tipsters, me! (2016). Lately I have been less brilliant, and the competition I am now in is far to my north at the beautiful town of Pottsville, to which I have never been. But my good friend and former Wollongong High colleague Rosemary lives there and via Facebook admitted me to this august coven of tipsters… No actual money is needed. Last week I did fairly well…
“The Kiwi” — as the name suggests — is in NZ, and has a very good YouTube tipping channel. He is actually quite knowledgable, unlike me. He has not yet done Round 8, but I have. I add his tips to the graphic later.
Error correction
Yesterday’s post has been well received. but this morning I saw a gross error in it! The rowing photo was wrong! I have now fixed it!
Music — Butterfly Lovers
This has long been one of my favourite pieces of music, ever since 1990 when Michael Xu first played the cassette he had brought with him from China of this performance.
I have posted several times about this piece.
Thanks for introducing me to this music, Michael Xu!
Another rendition of the Butterfly Lovers Concerto. See what this woman from the USA says: “I absolutely adore this piece. Just heard it for first time on WRTI in Philadelphia and thought I must get this on my playlist. This piece has a lot of emotional components and I feel such a connection to each and every one. Out of a tragic story can come such beauty. It takes you on a such lovely journey. Bravo!” The power of music to break down barriers, to go beyond politics?
One can only hope. Yes Donald. They were doing this in CHIIINAAAH in April 2019. What were you doing, Donald? Ah! That figures! “Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Apr 2, 2019 No matter what information is given to the crazed Democrats from the No Collusion Mueller Report, it will never be good enough. Behind closed doors the Dems are laughing!”
Bugger that. This is far more worthwhile. Enjoy the music!
Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Conducted by Tan Lihua
A Chinese commenter writes: “I am proud to be Chinese. I am proud that we have this music. By the way, I saw the two composers and premiere violinist were in the audience seats, in case you don’t know.”
There is also a piano version, and this rendition is amazing — from Singapore, a piano solo abridged version by one of the most amazing 87-year-old women you will ever see — Elaine Wu YiLi.
In this photo Wu YiLi 巫漪丽 is front row right. She is 14.
Wu made her public debut at the Shanghai Lyceum Theatre in 1948. Her performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, accompanied by Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, made her famous in China.
In 1954, she joined the China National Symphony Orchestra (then called the Central Philharmonic Orchestra) in Beijing, and became its first solo pianist a year later. She married Yang Bingsun (杨秉荪), the lead violinist of the orchestra. Recognized as one of China’s top pianists, she frequently performed for foreign leaders visiting China and went on tours abroad.
After the debut of the Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto in 1959, Wu was the first to make a piano arrangement for the work, and the first to perform it at the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China that year. It was one of the most famous performances of her career. She was personally received by Premier Zhou Enlai in 1962.
During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), Yang Bingsun was denounced as a “counter-revolutionary” and imprisoned for ten years. Wu was forced to divorce him in order not to be implicated, but was still beaten by the Red Guards and suffered long-term injuries in her feet.
She moved to the USA in the 1980s, and settled in Singapore in 1993. She passed away “on 20 April 2019 at Singapore General Hospital, after losing consciousness while attending a concert at the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall.”
What a talent, and what a hard life! See also Wikipedia.
Yesterday on Facebook I shared this from Canadian violinist Kerson Leong. Do watch it!
And here is a full piano version. Note there are also several versions using the erhu or Chinese violin.
Neil's Commonplace Book 