Awww... o/~ The Sound of Music o/~ :-D

    So-o-o-o, a week ago today, I sat here and wrote a posting all about having attended the concert the night before. It took me quite awhile to do. But I worked away at it and got it ' perfect'. Your right, I didn't post it. Why not?  Here is how I explained it to my dad, sister and Kate.
    "I thourally enjoyed the concert!!!!!  Last evening I sat here and typed up a posting all about it. It took me quite a while to do, between the feeling the stones in my head move around, trying to figure out the spelling on some words, and wanting to make sure I included this, this and that 'detail'.
    Finally I had it done and was happy with it. Very much so. So I started copying it over to our blog. I copied the title and then clicked to go back to my email account to copy the body. But I had the little arrow too close to the 'close the window' button when I clicked to go back to the other screen and it closed it!!!  Grumble, grumble. I reassured my self that it was okay, it wouldn't be gone, because SBC always saves things periodically as your working on them.
    But it hadn't. I could not believe it!!! I was ever so frustrated!!! I had Benson try. He says that it's because our virtual memory (not saved memory) is too full. BOTHER!!! (challenges with a eight year old computer)
    So later today I hope to yet again try to compose the posting. grumble, grumble, grumble... I now know that I must send postings to the people whom I do first and THEN copy it over to our blog. (I'd roll my eyes here, but that makes me dizzy ;-p)"
    As you know, I did not get right back to it. I was just so-o frustrated!!!
    But neither did I 'just forget it'. HOPEFULLY, I won't run into any problems this time! ! !

    For my birthday this year, Brian had bought me a ticket so I could accompany my sister to a concert. The city's Symphony where we live, was doing a concert with 'The von Trapp Children'.
    Sigh. Did I just hear someone question who 'The von Trapp Children' were?!?!??? Bigger sigh. You know that wonderful musical movie called 'The Sound of Music'? In it Julie Andrews sings the song, o/~ "The hills are a-live, with the sound of mu-sic..... " o/~. Yeah, THAT movie. The Captain and his children in the movie, were based off of the real life family called The von Trapp's.
    This past summer my sister and her husband had attended one of the symphonies 'Picnic Pops Concerts'. During the concert she had browsed through the little booklet the symphony hands out, telling about the concert your at, as well as promoting upcoming events on their schedule. She says that when she came upon the news of them doing a concert with 'The von Trapp Children", she had pointed out the information at least seventeen (17) times to her husband, each time declaring that Cheryl would LOVE to go to that. I am so-o-o glad she thought that way!!!
    I was looking forward to attending. And then I watched the movies cast reunion on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'. I sang along. I smiled ear to ear. I switched from looking forward to going, to eagerly anticipating going!!!

    Brian both dropped us off and picked us back up from the concert. That way this vertigo girl didn't have to ride through a low ceiling-ed, winding parking ramp. Thanks again Brian!

    As I shared, it was a combined concert with both our local symphony and 'The von Trapp Children' doing different numbers. Our conductor told us that due to The von Trapp's having immigrated here from Austria, the symphonies numbers that night would be from Austrian composers. They started off with 'Morning, Noon, and Night in Vienna' by von Suppe. While I liked parts of the long number, I did not enjoy it as a whole. Aw well.
    The conductor then shared that they would then be doing three polkas written by J. Strauss Jr., and that most people were unaware he had composed polkas. After hearing them, I figured that the reason most people are unaware of it, is due to his polkas not sounding anything like what I think of as polka music. ;-p
    Then 'The von Trapp Children' entered the stage. My sister commented, "I bet your thinking, "it's about time!" ;-p". She was right!!! o;-p
    They started right off with 'Do Re Mi' (I can hear you singing it ;-) ). Some of you will get this next little tidbit. As I was trying to ever so quietly sing along, I couldn't resist. At one point I leaned real close to Brenda and sang, "Ray, a guy who is a BUM!!!". Aww what tweaking can happen to songs at camp... ;-p
    We really enjoyed 'the kid's'. They came across as very real, very good natured, highly appreciating humor, type of people. One example of their humor came when the 'boy' introduced a song, stating that the composer hailed from Austria, and that he was still there, although now he was there de-composing. ;-p
   'The kid's' are three sisters and their brother. They are the great grand children of Captain von Trapp. Their grand father was Curt. In the movie, he is the son who with crossed arms declares, "I'm Curt. And I'm encorageable!" And he was too they said!!!
   'The kid's' are actually in their late teens and early twenties. Their names are, Sofia, Melanie, Amanda and Justin. We enjoyed them so much! Both their (absolutely beautiful) singing, as well as their sharing things about themselves and their family with us.
    They had first come on stage wearing A-typical Austrian children clothing. The girls all had on mid-length skirts, which had aprons over the front. Under them they wore thick white stockings and brown shoes. Their tops were white bloucie things with buttoned vests over the top. They shared that each of the outfits were ones which had been worn by the original Maria, after the family had immigrated to America, and was traveling doing singing shows to support themselves. Cool! They also pointed out that the buttons on the eldest daughters out fit, were actually one hundred year old Austrian coins, which had been made into buttons. Amazing!
    The 'boys' outfit was also an A-typical Austrian male youth outfit. I can not begin to write the proper word for them. So I'll describe it. o;-p  The pants were light brown/tannish corduroy, ending just below the knee, knickers. He then had on thick white stockings, and brown, sort of ankle high, flat bottomed, slipper/boot/shoe things. The pants had suspenders attached to them, which went up over a very bloucie white button up shirt. He looked cute!
   ;-p They also made a point of pointing out, that no, their costumes were not made from curtains. ;-p
   During the course of the concert, they sang several songs from the movie: 'My favorite things', 'The Sound of Music', 'The Lonely Goatherd', 'Edlesweiss', 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain' and 'So Long, Fare Well, Alvidazane Good-nig-ht'. (I hear you singing again ;->).
    But they also included songs not from the movie, such as o/~  'Anything You Can Do' I can do better ... o/~ which is from the musical 'Annie Get Your Gun'. For this particular number, the older two sisters had left the stage, and it was preformed by the youngest sister and the brother. They hammed it up so nicely!!! ;-p What fun!!! The part that totally amazed and wowed the audience came, when the brother hit an ever so much higher note than that sister had been able to. W-O-W!!!
    They shared that their new singing career was due to a recording they had made for their grand father, when he had been declining in health. The 'kids' grew up in the state of Montana (with parents, neither one of which could sing!). The grand father had resided in Vermont, which is where the Captain and Maria had settled the family shortly after arriving in America. They had made him a recording of a bunch of the songs from the in-famous movie about his family, as well as some of the songs he had taught them over the years. Somebody else had heard the recording, who shared it with somebody else... who then suggested they cut a CD ("which is way harder to do than it sounds!!!"). They then began getting requests to do concerts. And then more requests. And then this became a big thing and they have even sang in different countries, including singing for the new president of Africa. Wow!
    For their grand father Curt's funeral, they had sang their rendition of 'Down to the River', which they also sang for us. Beautiful!
    Before their last two listed numbers, they did a quick costume change. The girls returned wearing full length A-typical adult female Austrian outfits. Full length shirts with aprons in the front, etc.. Very nice looking! And the brother was wearing an A-typical adult Austrian males 'suit'. He looked sharp!
     They had asked the audience  to join them in singing 'Edelweiss'. "Oh sure", Brenda said, "They say it's okay for us to loudly sing along, on the one song we're not all sure of the words for". ;-). I thought that they had probably done so on that partciular song, due to how, in the movie, when the family had sung it at their last Austrian concert, much to the dismay and displeasure of the German officials in the audience, the whole Austrian audience had joined the family in singing the song.
    Speaking of German officials. The 'kids' shared how one time the Captain and Maria had been sitting at an out door cafe' in Germany, when Hitler and a few of his men had either taken the table right next to theirs, or very close by theirs. Due to the conversations the Captain and Maria overheard, they said they wouldn't want to invite Hitler or his men into their living room, let alone to be leaders of their be-loved country!!!!
    So several months later, when the von Trapp's butler brought word that the German officials had orders to come for the Captain, the family left on a picnic into the mountains. And never returned. They had left with basically only the clothes on their backs.
    As soon as they had finished their last listed song, Brenda had us head to the exit. We were sitting in the first balcony, just left of center stage (when looking towards the stage), a ways into the row. We had originally planned on just sitting still till the place was pretty much emptied. But then we got to our seats and realized that would mean we would have to turn sideways to allow a lot of people to exit our row. Probably not a good combination with this vertigo girl! [But the seats were wonderful for seeing the stage good!!!]
    I carefully made my way past the few other people in our row, and then worked my way up the un-even stairs. One really deep step. One narrow step. One really deep step. One narrow step. 8-/. 
    Just as we were about to open the door and exit into the upper lobby, the stage broke out in music again. Oh so appropriate, von Trapp family, end of the show, beautiful music!! It had not been listed in our program, but they started singing o/~ 'So Long, Fare Well, Alvidazane Good-nig-ht'. o/~  :-D .. :-> .. :-) ..

     Yes Brian, as you 'thought I would' on the ride home, I DO want to watch the movie again!!! Very much so!!! Any of my girlfriends want to sing along? I mean, watch it with me?  o;-p

     Brenda, Thank-You (!!!) so much for thinking of me and suggesting it to Brian as my B-day gift. I really enjoyed it!!! And I also enjoyed attending it with you. ;-)

     Brian, Thank-You for again spoiling me and giving me a desire of my heart!!! I enjoyed the concert immensely!!!

     For the rest of you - 'the kid's' have recorded over six albums and a DVD. Their latest recording is entitled 'A Cuppla' (which is how they sang a few of their songs, and were amazing in the process!!!). No, I do not know who their record label is, but I have confidence in your being able to find their albums!!!
   
   o/~  My heart wants to sing, eve-ry word! o/~ 


p.s. -
      ;-p - it has been pointed out to me, that I missed something in the original posting.

    "One very important thing you forgot to mention was that you were able to see and wave to two very important (people) that were there also."

     o;-p - Oops......
    
     Our dad had let my sister and I know that he and Joan would be in attendance at the same concert, and about where their seats were to be. So Brenda tried looking for them, and spotted them. Brenda was the one doing the searching, seeings how we were standing in front of our seats, high up (not that I'm scared of heights, it just increases my balance issues 8-/) , and the fact that the people all around us were not standing still. [Quite bold of them I thought. o;-p]
      Before the concert had started, Brenda did spot them and was able to point them out to me. The thing was, both of them were ever so busy reading their little symphony brochures/booklets that it was useless to even begin and try to get their attention. We just chuckled at them.
     I think it was during intermission that we were able to get their attention and wave at them. Even they weren't all that far away really, we thought it best to not attempt going to them for hugs. Brenda was being very protective of her vertigo sister that night, and I appreciated it!!!

    There, now I've told you 'the missing important detail'. o;-)

     For the record, dad had followed up his pointing our my "error" with a "Just kidding of course!!". And he had preceded it with, "Thank you for the glowing report. I was sure you would enjoy it as much as we did." .