Category Archives: Uncategorized

New York City Blog Oct. 30 – Nov. 5

I love so many aspects of opera: its history, its backstage drama, the composers’ lives but I don’t appreciate sitting through performances. The solution is to attend recitals and master classes. Last week I attended two sessions of a Joyce DiDonato Master Class at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Room. The room was electric with anticipation. Promptly at 4 p.m. each day Joyce DiDonato soared into the studio. She’s about 5’ 2” and packed with energy. The four gifted, brave participants sat in the front row of the 100 seated room. Maestra DiDonato had already worked for one day with Suzannah Waddington, soprano, Sophia Fiuza Hunt, mezzo-Soprano, Raphaella Medina, mezzo-Soprano and Haô Ting, tenor. The singers were accompanied by Justina Lee and Djordje Nesic. DiDonato referred to the Weill Music Room as a safe playground for magic to happen. She is bubbly, engaging and deadly serious about music. Some of her remarks were: Technique, discipline and desire. Talk to us. Show us who you are. If something is 99% true, it’s false. It has to be 100%.

To loosen up tenor Haô Ting she had him take off his jacket and shoes and sing while doing push ups. She told the four singers to get off the hamster wheel by traveling for three months. During that time, not to sing. Instead, learn a foreign language well, eat the food, sit in cafes, imbibe the culture. When you return, after two weeks of warm ups, your voice will be better than ever.

Joyce DiDonato is a musical activist who exhorted us, her mesmerized audience, to make it an active part of our lives.You can see this dynamo in action on YouTube.

Weill Music Room
Weill Music Room

Off to the Green Party in Thompkins Square Park. Isn’t democracy dangerous?

New York City Blog — Oct. 24 – Oct. 29

Hands up everybody who’s read Charles Darwin’s The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms : With Observations on Their Habits. I thought so.
Yes, it was tedious. It was also fascinating to witness the care Darwin took with his experiments. The book was chosen for discussion by the Garden and Forest Bookclub at Central Park’s Arsenal. It was delightful to be immersed in an early evening discussion of Darwin’s background, his science, and his interest in all of nature. How relaxing not to be discussing current events.

Chromatic Space is a celebration of the eightieth anniversary of American Abstract Artists. It’s at the Shirley Fiterman Art Center in Lower Manhattan. I wanted to see the work of Clover Vail and, as usual, she didn’t disappoint.

Untitled by Clover Vail
Untitled by Clover Vail

 

 

A Tree Falls in Brooklyn
A Tree Falls in Brooklyn

A Tree Falls in Brooklyn to quote my clever friend, C. B. I hope that’s not your Mitsubishi.

 

New York City Blog – Oct. 16 – 23

Sunday evening was spent for a few hours in The Frick Collection’s Music Room. The Carducci Quartet, two violins, one viola and one cello, played a lively selection of Mendelssohn, Shostakovich and Beethoven.The Anglo-Irish quartet plays across a gamut of classical and modern. The concert began at five p.m., ended around seven and then it was on to dinner at Le Charlot, a very snazzy, local French bistro.

Part of the City Center sprawl is the Studio 5 series that is presented in a 56th Street studio. It began with Damian Woetzel and Wendy Whalen, sitting on high chairs like life guards, talking to the 200 member audience sitting around the perimeter of the large, bare space. Whalen and Woetzel met in 1986 when both were fledgling dancers at New York City Ballet. Woetzel is now the Artistic Director of the Vail Dance Festival. The evening’s program focused on Remixing A Festival From Vail to New York. The workshop is the first of four about dance. The dancing began with Robert Fairchild preforming a solo dance that Woetzel critiqued. This was followed by Unity Phelan and Cameron Dieck, young NYCB dancers, demonstrating how to interpret various dance movements. Heather Watts joined in the discussion and led Phelan through a few suggestive steps. Cameron Grant was the pianist who tripped merrily along with the dancers.

Robert Fairchild coming round the bend
Robert Fairchild coming round the bend
Unity Phalen, Heather Watts, Wendy Whalen, Damian Woetzel
Unity Phalen, Heather Watts, Wendy Whalen, Damian Woetzel
Wendy Whalen, Damian Woetzel and Cameron Grant
Wendy Whalen, Damian Woetzel and Cameron Grant

It’s an immediate, behind-the-scenes experience. I can’t wait for the next three sessions.

New York City Blog — Oct. 11 – 15

Friday night a friend and I knew why we love NYC. We attended The Music of Gerry Mulligan at Julliard. The jazz pianist, Bill Charlap, was the conductor. In addition to leading the Julliard Jazz Orchestra, Charlap played several of his favorite Mulligan pieces. As if this

Juilliard Jazz
Juilliard Jazz

weren’t enough, he also gave succinct summaries of Mulligan’s musical development. Line for Lyons was a tribute to Mulligan’s pianoless quartet that played at the west coast club, The Haig. .Everyone who’s interested in jazz knows that Mulligan played the baritone saxophone. I had not realized what a fine composer he was. Thanks to Julliard, now I do. The audience in the Peter Sharp Theatre was a mix of family (“My grandson is the drummer,” a very proud grandfather told me.), fellow students who shouted encouragement whenever their musician pal was cited by Charlan and the rest of us jazz lovers.

It’s great fun being a two hour docent at Judson Memorial Church during Open House New York. People are in awe seeing the LaFarge stained glass windows. They soak up the Judson history and nod approvingly when told that Judson welcomes all, whether you believe in a religion or not is your business as is your sexual orientation. Some know about Judson’s rich theatrical and dance history. Because we don’t have pews, many are surprised it’s an active church. It is wonderful to stand in a church you know well and have other people, in their delight, remind you of how luck you are to be a member of such a special space.

LaFarge Staingassed window at Judson Memorial Church
LaFarge’s stain glassed windows at Judson Memorial Church

New York City Blog —Oct. 1 – 10

Was it only last Saturday that I flew home on Virgin Atlantic fortified by Le Latin Fizz, champagne and South American citrus? Want to spend a lot of money? Want to die poor? Fly Virgin Atlantic Upper Class. When you arrive at the airport you’re ushered to a private section, usually an elevator ride to another floor. At Heathrow the Virgin Atlantic Club resembled a swanky scene from a James Bond movie. Enough of this bragging. Arriving at JFK was a wake up call. We returned to the homeland with a jolt. Were the supervisors who run the entry experience trained at Rikers? Round and round we went in circles until one of the employees shouted stop. Okay, I’ll stop.

The bar at the entrance to Upper Class, Virgin Air
The bar at the entrance to Upper Class, Virgin Atlantic

 

The next night was the first Frick concert. It’s a harbinger of autumn, a delicious season in NYC. The Brazilian Guitar Quartet played, among others, Albania, de Falla, Villa-Lobos.

 

Off to Granville, New York, on the N. Y. – Vermont border to spend time with lovely friends. They live part time in an 1880s house built by a great-grandfather. We travelled around the area and had fun trying new

Lulu, one of the weekend guests and a great listener
Lulu, one of the weekend guests and a great listener

restaurants such as The Good Beet in Greenwich. That’s pronounced Green Witch and it’s worth the trip alone for the brisket. North of Granville is Rathbun’s , an old favorite for delicious food (buttermilk pancakes, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy) and cardiac arrest. In between eating we travelled the Vermont backroads where autumn is in full swing. Calendar perfect views were everywhere. We went to Roy Egg to say hello to an old pal, Leroy, who is obsessed with chickens and eggs.

Roy Egg's Eggs
Roy Egg’s Eggs

New York City London Blog —Through Sept.29

Highgate Cemetery: what do George Eliot, Karl Marx, Corin Redgrave, Ralph Richardson have in common? They’e all buried in Highgate Cemetery. It’s a wild, magical forest filled with topsy-turvy tombstones and prowling cats. An employee, a lone woman we heard then saw cutting off dead branches, told us that being buried at Highgate costs between ten thousand pounds and one hundred thousand pounds. People requested being buried near Karl Marx. if there’s a spot and if you can afford it, it’s yours. What supreme irony.

 

Karl Marx in Highgate Cemetery
Karl Marx in Highgate Cemetery

 

Headstones of (rich) socialists behind Marx’s headstone.
Headstones of (rich) socialists behind Marx’s headstone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On a perfect day, 72 degrees and breezy, we walked from the Sevenoaks bus stop down a foot path to the pen meadows and finally arrived at Knole. Wikipedia quotes the National Trust’s claim that at one time it was a calendar house: 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and seven courtyards. Part of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando was set at Knole. I vaguely remember the book was about an English ice age and a main character who changes sex. We strolled through the deer park before heading into town and to fish & chips. For supper we acclimated ourselves for the trip home to NYC and went to Burger & Shake. I had a divine, liquid dessert called Ovaltine and made with the following ingredients: tequila, coconut, rum and caramel. Weight Watches is welcomed to the recipe.

We arrived in Cambridge to find to our horror that we could not walk along the Cam. So, ever resourceful, we were sculled down the Cam to a spot where we climbed out of the boat, not with grace but without incident, and went to the Fitzwilliam Museum.

A part time sculler, full time philosophy student at Cambridge University
A part time sculler, full time philosophy student at Cambridge University

Pelicans in Greenwich, England? We saw a street sign, humped pelican crossing. Hum…pelicans would be strange but humped pelicans? We asked an Englishman to explain the term. Amidst lots of laughs, he explained that humped pelican crossing meant a bumpy  crossing with traffic lights operated by pedestrians. Mr. Wikipedia gave the following explanation: pelican from pe(destrian) li(ght) con(trolled), altered to conform with the bird’s name. Like so many inscrutable things, the term was invented in the 1960s.
If you like an old fashioned night in the theatre and as a child you enjoyed Punch and Judy, The Play that Goes Wrong is for you. The man to my left at the Duchess Theatre laughed wholeheartedly, delighted at every prat fall, collapsing ceiling, doors smacking people in the face etc. The timing was flawless. Silly fun.

I had to get the Globe out of my system. The Globe is the umbrella term for the recreated theatres from Shakespeare’s time situated along the Thames’ embankment. From St. Paul’s we walked a few blocks to the Thames and crossed on the Millennium Bridge as the sun was setting. I had bought the tickets for The Two Gentlemen of Verona online in NYC. Next time, if there is a next time, I’ll wait until I can go to the theatre. We sat on benches in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. For the most part I stared at mechanical devices and modern day rock equipment in a space that was supposed to be an authentic reproduction of a Shakespearean theatre. Shakespeare’s words and cadence were the least important part of the production.

Back to NYC…

New York City London Blog — Sept.24 – Sept. 30

The days continue to be  warm, autumnal and heavenly. The British Museum was packed. What did I expect in the Elgin Marbles Room? Has the controversy between the British and the Greeks been settled? I guess both countries have more pressing matters to address. One is leaving the EU and the other might be kicked out. I tiptoed around Brexit for about five minutes before asking English friends what they thought of it. An unmitigated disaster was the way they phrased it. They licked their EU wounds as I licked our U. S. political wounds.

Elgin Marbles The British Museum
Elgin Marbles
The British Museum

 

Magic Carpet Edward Ardizzone

Magic Carpet
Edward Ardizzone

 

 

Tate Modern is featuring a big exhibit of Georgia O’Keeffe. I appreciated the photos of Ansel Adams, an O’Keeffe buddy and O’Keeffe’s sketches. The Tate Modern building was originally an industrial plant.This is reflected rather heavy handedly in the names of the various galleries: the Boiler House, the Switch House, Turbine Hall. The building could be a business corporation anywhere in the world.

 

Edward Ardizzone is one of my favorite illustrators.The House of Illustration, tucked behind St Pancras Station (“All aboard for Hogwarts!), is having a delightful exhibit of his work and life.

St. Pancras Station where Harry Potter took the train to Hogwarts
St. Pancras Station where Harry Potter took the train to Hogwarts

 

 

 

Somerset House on the Themes is as beautiful as ever and contains the lovely Courtauld Gallery. Look at the luscious Renaissance to 20th Century pictures or glance out the window at beautiful Somerset House. There’s a charming cafe not to be missed.

I had remembered the Wigmore Hall as being grander than it is today. Now, it’s threadbare but the acoustics are great and the concert of young musicians singing and playing harp, piano and violin gave one great hope for music’s future..

New York City London Blog —Sept.16 – Sept. 25

I flew to the U. K. on Virgin Air. Is there any better service? Disclosure: I flew Business Class. The only reason I’m fessing up is so I can describe the gorgeous layout of Upper Class. That’s Virgin Air’s name for paying a great deal of money to fly for seven hours max plied with attentive, fawning service. When you enter the plane, the First Classers (Me!) are directed to go left and the rest, you poor sods, are directed to the right to sit on folding chairs and eat food you’ve bought from a stand in JFK. The first thing I saw was a bar, lined with lovely cocktails. The lighting was very nightclub. I was escorted to my seat. Virgin Air has individual alcoves. Each resembles an ironing board between two barriers. Lots of gadgets to turn on and off – a TV in one wall/barrier. Lots of gadgets to raise and lower the ironing board. Is Madame chilly? A sparkling white duvet was tucked around me. as I was offered a glass of champagne. After dinner – a little pate, a smidgen of duck, a tiny bouquet of perfectly cooked french green beens – I lay back on a fluffy pillow, the duvet around me, sipping chamomile tea and eating shortbread cookies, trying to sleep but always conscious that I had to stay awake or the plane would crash.

I’m staying at The Penn Club. It’s named after William Penn and is run by the Quakers. It could be straight out of a Barbara Pym 1950’s social comedy novel. It’s quiet, bookish, there’s the click of crockery, tea reigns. There’s one TV in the whole place and a daily assortment of English newspapers. I’ve noticed that we Americans, within the hotel’s confines, speak our version of an English accent. Maybe it’s the water.

London, like NYC, had been hot and humid. It’s now autumn, perfect walking weather. I got my bearings circling around Russell Square and then tried out the Oyster card, comparable to our metro cards, and took one of the big red buses to the Royal Academy. There’s a David Hockney exhibit. Across the way is Fortnum and Mason. I was last in it many years ago when it could have been a stage set for Peter Pan. It was gentle, lovely in a China dish way, and deserted. Has that changed. It’s vibrant, enticing and filled with wonderful packages that proclaim Englishness.

Off to the British Museum…

New York City Blog — Sept. 5 – Sept. 11

I like to walk up the Guggenheim’s spiral rotunda, turn around and walk down. The current Moholy-Nagy: Future Present exhibit is a stunner. Moholy-Nagy was born in Hungary at the end of the nineteenth century. He embraced the new technical developments of his times. Aluminum and plexiglass shimmer in his later, American works. Moholy-Nagy sculpted, painted and experimented with photography and film. The Guggenheim is a perfect venue for his work. The sky was the limit for him. Half way up or down the ramp is a charming key hole shaped door. It’s the entrance to a small, beautiful library with Frank Lloyd Wright like chairs and free standing book stands, a cozy nook packed with books and tech equipment about Moholy-Nagy.

Moholy- M aluminum art exhibited at the Guggenheim
Moholy- Nagy aluminum art exhibited at the Guggenheim
Moholy-Nagy at the Guggenheim
Moholy-Nagy at the Guggenheim

 

 

 

 

 

 
On Thursday I ventured to Morristown, N. J. to attend a Johnny Mathis concert. Isn’t he dead? several friends asked. Not at all. At eighty, the elegant, gentlemanly Mathis is still belting out Henry Mancini’s standards: “Moon River”, “The Days of Wine and Roses”, but the songs I savor are “Wonderful, Wonderful”, “It’s not for Me to Say” and “99 Miles to L. A.”. One of our party mentioned that Mathis had received operatic training. It certainly shows. And another thing. Mr. Mathis practices the old fashioned virtue of punctuality. The concert was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Guess what – It did.

City Center is like a beehive. Entrance to the main site is on 55th Street but studios associated with the theatre are found within a two block radius. Mac Twining was performancing in Walkaround Time by Merce Cunningham. The Cunningham Foundation studio is on 56th Street. You take the ornate elevator to the fifth floor, enter a vast and empty studio and are engulfed by the NYC thrill of the new and the young venerating the old and venerable. In NYC terms, 1968, the year Cunningham created Walkaround Time is venerable. It was a delightful three quarters of an hour.

New York City Blog Aug. 22 — Aug. 28

I saw Florence Foster Jenkins. Fine acting by pros Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. It’s a remake of the children’s tale, The Emperor’s New Clothes. In this case, the one person who speaks and writes the truth, The New York Post’s critic, is portrayed as the villain for reviewing honestly Jenkins’s Carnegie Hall recital. I didn’t see the point of the movie and I didn’t like Jenkins. She embodied our American mantra: money talks. She manipulated people through her wealth. Florence Foster Jenkins is surrounded by older ladies who are either very, very stupid and honestly think she can sing or they’re dreary social climbers dazzled by her $$$$$. As a gigolo, Hugh Grant is very good at playing a man who’s playing a part. Question: Why should a rich white lady be encouraged to delude herself? Answer: Because she’ s a rich white lady. What do people of color think of Florence Foster Jenkins?

Employees Only is a wonderful restaurant on Hudson Street. Forget the weird name but remember it until you arrive at 510 Hudson. It has a dated speakeasy ambiance, so beloved by us sentimental New Yorkers. Are the five owners/ bartenders pictured in the retro photo? After you arrive at 510 Hudson, you give your name for admittance and enter a dark crowded bar. Oh, where is the cigarette smoke of yesteryear? Then you proceed to a surprisingly bright room with a skylight. The food is delicious. The knockout lamb chops wrapped in bacon, the fresh and tasty succotash. The word conjures up tired veggies but not at Employees Only. Lovely service and lots of fun. Watch out, Minetta Tavern. You have the buzz but Employees Only has the food.

Employees Only
Employees Only
Employees Only Dining Room
Employees Only Dining Room