富士河口湖コンサート Fuji Kawaguchi Lake Concert

 富士河口湖コンサート

9月２１日、辻井伸行さんのピアノ演奏を聴いた。会場は富士山の麓にある「河口湖円形ホール」であった。古代ローマの円形競技場のような造りで、３０００人収容する。ただし、座席は石造り、背凭れはない。会場入り口で敷物を借りる。

辻井さんの演奏は三回目。いつ聞いても鍵盤の音一つ一つに感情がこもっている。

アンコール演奏中に会場の天井が移動して富士山が一望できるようになった。カタンカタンと音がするので邪魔な音だと思っていたが、天井を開ける音だった。

改良すべき点：円形競技場は石造りで老人泣かせ。腰が痛くなる。演奏中に天井を動かさない。動かすなら音がしない装置にすべき。

写真真下にピアノと辻井さん

Fuji Kawaguchi Lake Concert

I enjoyed listening to Tsujii Nobuyuki’s piano performance at the Kawaguchi Lake Stellar Theater on September 21. The theater resembles an ancient Roman amphitheater and accommodates 3,000 people. The seats are made of stone and lack backs, so you need to borrow a cushion for comfort.

This was the third time I had the pleasure of hearing him play. Each time, the keys he strikes seem to convey his delicate emotions.

However, I was annoyed by the clickety-clack noise during the encore, caused by the theater’s ceiling moving to reveal the magnificent Mt. Fuji.

Some suggested improvements:

• The stone seats can be uncomfortable for elderly people with backaches.
• Avoid moving the ceiling during the performance. If necessary, ensure it moves silently.
  
  
  
  
  
  

串団子土星 Skeweredーdumpling Saturn

 串団子土星　

９月２０日、長野県八ヶ岳のホテルで星空観賞会に参加した。場所はホテルから十分ぐらい歩いた野原であった。十七夜で満月に近く、月光が明るかった。雲は、かなり出ていたが、南方には夜空が広がっていた。参加者は野原に敷かれた敷物の上に仰向けに寝た。周りは黒い灌木が我々を取り巻いていた。

担当の女性が懐中電灯で夜空を照らし、カシオペア、白鳥、北極星、北斗七星、オリオンなどの方向を示し、説明をした。ほとんどの星座は雲に隠れて見えなかったが、オリオン座や冬の大三角形が見えた。２０分後、説明は終り、天体望遠鏡で土星を一人ずつ見た。私も土星を見たが、土星の輪っぱの面が見えず、土星は串差し団子のような形であった。中学校の時に観た、土星は輪っぱが、ほどよく傾き、輪っぱの面も見えて感動したが、今回は呆気なかった。担当者によると、今年は輪っぱの面は見えないという。15年周期で面が見えたり見えなかったりするとか。中学生の時見た土星は、丁度いい時期だったのだ。

　Skeweredーdumpling　Saturn　

I attended a star-viewing event at a hotel in Yatsugatake, Nagano Prefecture, on September 20. The viewing site was a grassy field about a 10-minute walk from the hotel. With over 90 percent of the moon illuminated, it was almost as bright as a full moon. Clouds covered about one-third of the night sky, but the southern sky was clear. Each star-gazer lay on their back on a small mat on the grass, surrounded by eerie black bushes.

The woman in charge pointed her flashlight at various constellations in the dark sky, such as Cassiopeia, Cygnus (the Swan), the North Star, the Big Dipper, and Orion. Most of these constellations were obscured by clouds, but Orion and the Winter Triangle were visible. After a 20-minute talk about the stars, each participant had the chance to view Saturn through an astronomical telescope. I was disappointed because I couldn’t see Saturn’s rings clearly; instead, I saw a skewered-dumpling shape. The Saturn I saw in high school was unforgettable because the rings were tilted at a favorable angle towards Earth. The woman explained that this year, the rings appear edge-on and are nearly invisible due to their extreme thinness relative to their diameter. According to her, Saturn’s rings reach their maximum tilt towards Earth approximately every 15 years. The Satrun I saw when I was a boy had the rings tilted in a good angle.