OH! (culture)

 something about January

and my craving for culture...

 I talked Mr. Dub into an evening out, into which both of us waltzed, completely unaware of how saturated with culture this evening would be.

 Months and months ago, we went on 

a morning date to Clinton.  

We happened to drive past a building that caught my eye, and I just knew we would have to go back.

 The sign on the building read:

Museum of Russian Icons.

 Honestly, I entered the building with a completely incorrect assumption of what we would find.  A distinctive and emblematic part of Russian culture, icons trace their roots back to the year 988 when the pagan Rus’ were converted to Christianity. For over 1,000 years, Orthodox Christianity, the Greek branch of the Christian faith, informed and shaped the spiritual and cultural foundation of Russian society and directed the creative energies of craftsman and artists. Icon painting and the veneration of icons also originated in the Greek Orthodox tradition and were imported into Russia.

We couldn't have been more delighted!  

 the collection was impressive, interesting, and actually quite amazing.  It included this oldest icon (above) in the museum collection of John the Baptist, dating back to the 15th century.

 If we had allowed ourselves the time, I know I could have spent at least an hour studying the very large and intricate icon portraying the final judgment (below).

The real reason for our visit was a concert.

"A Russian Souvenir with Maria Lyudko."

She came from Russia as part of a trio, including an accomplished pianist and a very talented clarinetist.  WOW!  It was a very intimate concert experience in a small room with less than three dozen in attendance.  We sat in the front row, close enough to hold hands with the performers, and blown away by the beauty and clarity of the performance.

Georges, the clarinet player was a complete gentleman; he about blew the reed off his horn.  Maria was a top notch performer; acclaimed in Russia, and charming in person.  She even posed for a picture.

She spoke in Russian the entire evening, with her clarinet companion as her translator.  Even though we didn't understand a lick of Russian, it was easy to become lost in the universal language that is music.  I sat there wanting ALL of my friends and family to be part of that experience...

Lucky us.

The videos below aren't from our concert, but they might somewhat portray the quality of our night of culture.

a BIG win.