Symphony Sundays

Benaroya Hall

We had tickets to Seattle Symphony concerts three weekends in a row. Going downtown on Sunday afternoon with the Seahawk fans almost feels like a new routine. But now there's a cultural drought until our subscription series picks up again in February. That seems like a long time from now-- by then a whiff of spring will be in the air and the gardener will be back at work.

Yesterday afternoon the nice couple who sit next to us at the symphony said they had gone to the ballet the night before and were headed to the Rep theater that evening for a play. Which made me feel like a lightweight, happy to come home at five, eat fried rice with leftover pork and watch Inspector Morse on DVD.

We're finishing up the 33 episode Inspector Morse series we've been slowly working through for a couple of years. Morse is the fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. Morse owns a Jaguar, likes English beer, art, classics, crossword puzzles and music-- especially Wagner and opera. He's a brilliant and likable character, despite being sullen and patronizing most of the time. The television series is beautifully filmed on location near Oxford.

Anyway, the final episodes are poignant because the fine actor John Thaw (1942-2001) who played Morse so well died shortly after the series ended. The mysteries are complicated, but when you get lost in the story it's an enjoyable escape to watch the evolution of technology and fashion through the 1990's.

John Thaw as Inspector Morse and his Jaguar Mark II