Early Music, Contemporary Art, Turkish Sofra, and Revolutionists

Early Music Concert

I'm a fan of "Early Music," the collective term for medieval, renaissance and early baroque music. Last weekend, I attended a wonderful concert by Ayreheart Early Music Band, which consists of two lute players, a percussionist, and a singer (alas, no recorders!) They performed an excellent program of British Renaissance music, including not only expected classics by John Dowland and William Byrd, but also traditional folk songs of that era from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. A couple of pieces featured lyrics by Henry VIII and Shakespeare. There were even a few outstanding modern lute pieces written by the group's leader, Ronn McFarlane.

Contemporary Art and Turkish Sofra

Also spent an enjoyable afternoon last weekend with the Rare One and her sister and niece who were visiting from Manitoba. We visited the Art Gallery of Alberta, saw some interesting contemporary art, and then went for delicious Turkish food at Sofra Restaurant. Look at Sofra's fabulous light fixtures!

The Revolutionists

With some theatre buddies, I attended a matinee performance earlier this week of The Revolutionists by American playwright Lauren Gunderson. Four badass women -- playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle -- lose their heads in an irreverent, women-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. "It’s a true story. Or total fiction. Or a play about a play. Or a raucous resurrection … that ends in a song and a scaffold." Good times!