Pat and I were attending our monthly Probus meeting this afternoon (a service club for retired business couples)  The guest speaker was Arthur Arnold the conductor of the annual Symphony training course held in Powell River.  (PRISMA)  He is also the chief conductor of the Moscow Symphony.  He came to promote the annual recital held by the students that come from all over the world for classes and eventually put on a series of symphonies

This is not for high school kids these are serious musicians that attend this school (at great cost) to learn how to get into the major orchestras.  Actually a big deal.  Anyway Yadda Yadda

Arthur Arnold (who lives in Holland and conducts orchestras worldwide) started off his career playing the Cello.  Although he no longer plays it in public, he brought his it along to the meeting to show how he directs musicians.  Before he left he was asked to play another short number and  he played Bach’s Suite # 1 for Unaccompanied Cello.

At the end he asked if anyone recognized the number.  Pat kept me from jumping up and saying it was the theme from the movie ‘Master and Commander’.  The cello music from the beginning of the movie and later when Jack played with the doctor.

I did not embarrass my wife by shouting out “Master and Commander’ but it did make me reflect how perfectly great classical numbers have become associated with TV or movies.  I cannot think of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro without thinking of Trading Places and of course William Tell Overture will always be The Lone Ranger.