So, Mrs Fox and I were at the circus! Circus Krone, in Munich - now that was a night out! One of the neatest things about the whole show was that they had a live orchestra doing almost all of the music, which just made the atmosphere so much warmer and more magic in a way that's hard to describe.
Anyhow, not long after the intermission, the house lights dim and a spotlight hits the bandstand for a gentleman to get to his feet with a saxophone. He puts his lips to the mouthpiece, takes a breath, and starts to play. Instead of the traditional fluttering which starts the piece, it's a long, slow - deliciously grimy - drawl on that opening note... and after maybe a second and a half, I couldn't help myself. "Oh!" I squeaked, giving Mrs Fox a nudge on the shoulder. "'Rhapsody in Blue!' Hell yeah!"
She turned and gave me a look. Then the saxophonist coaxed that familiar little trill and launched into one of the most well-known stings in modern classical music. The house lights dropped a blue filter as the brass behind the solo joined in. "Oh, fuck you," she hissed, trying not to laugh behind the elderly couple seated just in front of us, "how in the hell did you get that?"
Just makes me smile. Sometimes all it takes is the verve someone puts on a single note and you know what's coming.