happy new year!

I've had this on my kitchen cabinet
since at least January 23rd.
How can I be sure of that date?
That's when the story about the
earlier concert, "Royal Baroque", appeared.
I strongly suspect I tore this out of the issue
the week prior to that article.
Here's the point:
I wanted to make sure I went to this,
I wanted to make sure I was there
to celebrate the Chinese New Year,
to mark it more auspiciously than

I was able to do January 1st in SC.
Today is important to me.
February 16th marks the start
of the Year of The Dog, 戊戌, yes,
but there's more to it than that.
2018 is the Year of the Earth Dog,
just as 1958 was, sixty years ago.
I regard today as the start of
my lunar birthday year, the first day
of the 354 I can call mine and the moon's,
through February 4 of calendar year 2019.

The music program had been designed by LiZhou Liu, the one standing. He has been a principal viola for the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra since it began in 2009.
LiZhou designed this chamber concert as a bridge between the orchestra, the Chinese culture, and the Savannah community.
Here, he is performing the third song, "Spring Blossoms", a traditional piece, on violin.
He stood because he says it makes him want to "shout to the sky"!

His friend, Qiwei Sun, provided background stories.
"Spring Festival Overture", by Li Huanzhi in 1956, is quite popular for Chinese festivals.
"Moonlight Shines Upon The Two Wells", better known as "Erquan Yingyue", dates from the 1940's.
Hua Yanjun - the blind pipa player, Abing, who composed it - can be seen here, playing for posterity.
(Very nice to find this recording!)

The second song, "Scent of Night", as written in 1944 by Li Jing Guang.
It was so beautiful, but I can find naught, sadly.
This was inspired when the composer left a stuffy, hot room to go outside... and was captivated by the cool night air and the sweet scent of mountain flowers.
How very refreshing that cool fragrance must have been, especially during war-torn times.
I can feel the gentle breeze now...

The sixth song was easily located! Inspired by one of China's Four Great Folktales, "Shuang Fei" - "The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto" - was composed in 1959. The music weaves a haunting beauty into the story of Liang and Zhu, star-crossed lovers who finally are joined together. (This was played with such emotion, I very nearly cried at the end - and that was before I did my research.)
The last song on the playlist was another traditional Chinese favorite. "Joy of New Year" was bright and shiny and speaks of much happiness to come!

Then, the four players gave us an encore!
Was it also a Chinese piece?
Hahaha! Not unless France is located over in Asia now!
Nor was the song French - it was Argentinian!
All that LiZhou could recall about Gardel's "Por Una Cabeza" was that it was famous as the tango in "Scent Of A Woman".
How right he was that we would recognize the music!


My many thanks to LiZhou, on the left, for this program! By the way, his name is pronounced "lee joe". How do I know? Well, about nine years ago, I was at a birthday party at the home of Doug and Amy Povie, mutual friends of ours. I made the mistake of saying "lee joo", to the great merriment of the hostess.
Ah, good times!
(smile)
After the concert, his wife, the tall blonde viola player, was talking with me. She knew she recognized me from somewhere... all I had to say was "Povies" and she instantly recalled those children's birthday parties.
The other violinist today was Erica Pisaturo, while the cellist was Samuel Cho. (Her name differs on the website. Sam is not listed at all, but trust me, the cello-strumming was done by male hands!)

When all the music had stopped, more treats were ahead!
I had not known that a New Year's feast was to follow.
How wonderful to have a concert
and dinner for just $25!
The Chus, one of Savannah’s oldest families, were the ones who graciously supplied all of the food and decor.
Thank you so very much, Linda, Melissa, and Amanda Chu!

I had already planned to dine on Chinese food,
so this surprise allowed me a more sumptuous feast
than I might have had.
Fried spring rolls, steamed broccoli and pasta,
noodles with mushrooms, sweet'n''sour spareribs,
barbeque spareribs, spaghetti carbonara -
that last must be like mostacholli at Polish events -
fancy little cupcakes, sweet rice balls, grapes,
niangao (gooey rice with red bean paste)...

and dumplings.
Oh, my, there were dumplings!
There were dumplings galore, steamed and fried,
dumplings being freshly prepared and boiled,
even demonstrations on making dumplings.
Why so much attention to these items?
For good fortune, of course!
Good fortune being good finances, too.
I made sure to have plenty of dumplings!

i thank You, God, for this unexpected bounty!