The three squirrels seem to be suffering the...

Delusion that I bestow the gift of nuts for their sole and exclusive benefit; the jays are being a bit skittish in consequence. It may be that this is because it has been pouring rain off and on through the night and early morning and the birds haven't decided yet whether to come out or not. The dog just scattered the pack of squirrels to the three corners of the back yard and, sure enough, here are the Steller's jays.

Holy Mass for the feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul at Saint-Eugène in Paris begins (as seems to be usual in these days of the French government's prohibition of public worship) at 1000 (DO, Introibo, Wiki, St Lawrence Press Blog). There's an English translation from Dom Prosper Guéranger's L’Année liturgique for this feast, here. 

Tsk; I forgot that I should have gone out to the pharmacy this morning for my medicaments-- another month has passed: so quickly!-- tomorrow, tomorrow.

The Orchestre de Paris and Elza van den Heever are performing Strauss's Vier Letzte Lieder at the Philharmonie de Paris, livestreamed at 1130, and Brahms Symphony no 4. Am looking forward to this although am unfamiliar with Van den Heever.

And-- I put this in the calendar with lots of reminders-- on Friday the Royal Opera is performing a concert version of Handel's Ariodante, hurrah.  

Continuing its celebration of the operas Handel wrote for Covent Garden, The Royal Opera presents Ariodante in concert. Ariodante was the first opera written by Handel for the first theatre on the current Royal Opera House site in 1735 and has not been performed at Covent Garden since. These concert performances bring together singers Paula Murrihy, Chen Reiss, Gerald Finley, Sophie Bevan, Iestyn Davies, Ed Lyon and the Royal Opera Chorus with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House conducted by Baroque music specialist Christian Curnyn.

I haven't yet looked to see which other Handel operas I've missed. Maybe I won't. The Royal Opera is one of the companies that in ordinary times provides its productions for screening at the local theatre, Broadway Metro, downtown-- am not sure if Broadway Metro has ended this scheme in tempore pestilentiae or if the Royal Opera has. 

~~~

It's pouring down rain, golly; twenty degrees colder and we'd be in the middle of a snowstorm. Saint-Eugène's Schola Sainte Cécile was 'on duty' this morning so we were treated to a Missa cantata for the feast of the Dedication. The Strauss/Brahms from the Philharmonie de Paris seems good to go in five minutes, unless the rainstorm kills the electricity here. 

The Oregonian has cheerfully informed me that if I'm re-entering the state in the next two weeks I'm urged to quarantine for a fortnight, and advised to refrain from non-essential foreign or out-of-state travel.

Together with the governors of Washington and California, Governor Brown announced a joint travel advisory effective November 13, 2020. The advisory urges anyone entering Oregon – either residents returning from a trip, or non-residents entering Oregon on a trip – to quarantine for 14 days. It further advises Oregonians to refrain from any non-essential travel to other states or countries.

Governor Brown is an ass.

Elza van den Heever has a lovely voice. At the Philharmonie the house lights are off-- what I mean is that only the stage is illuminated-- whereas at the Nationaltheater in Munich the other day for the Staastoper concert, the house was fully illuminated. I think I prefer the illumination: there is no point that I can see to pretending that plague nonsense isn't ongoing but perhaps the producers imagine that the darkness facilitates a sense of intimacy. Perhaps, but I doubt the lights go on when we get to the Brahms symphony.

***