Tag Archives: Beethoven

NY Mysteries February 14, 2020

A word of warning: don’t eat popcorn in bed. In my endless quest to lose weight I embraced popcorn. Unfortunately, in my ardor the bag burst and popcorn flooded the bed, under the bed, on the floor. You get the picture. 

A friend and I went to Phaeton Piano Trio, part of the Frick concert series. The German trio, Friedemann Eichhorn, Peter Horr, and Florian Uhlig, play violin, cello and piano. On Sunday evening we were treated to both Beethoven’s and Mendelssohn’s  Piano Trio in D Major as well as Dvořák’s Piano Trio No 4 in E Minor. The enthusiastic audience welcomed a Beethoven encore. For supper we went to Via Quadronno. My friend regaled me with her hike from Brooklyn to the upper west side of Manhattan to feed her newborn. Oh, yes. It was on 9/11.

On Thursday afternoon a friend and I went to a Vintage Posters auction at Swann auction galleries. The auctioneer is a face you would recognize on Antiques Roadshow. He stood at his podium, identified each poster and waited for bids from the floor and from the phone. The room in which the auction was conducted was layered in the posters that were for sale. It was glorious.  

Swann Auction Galleries
Swann Auction Galleries
Swann Auction Galleries
Swann Auction Galleries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now for a stern note. Governor Cuomo wants third parties to increase their number of votes if they’re to remain on the ballot. I belong to the Green Party and received this disturbing letter from the Green Party. Howie Hawkins, our presidential nominee, is quoted. 

Swann Auction Galleries

Last week in an open letter, Noam Chomsky, Barbara Ehrenreich, and other progressive luminaries insisted that Howie Hawkins and the Green Party vote Democrat for president in battleground states.

They condescendingly describe Green votes as a self-indulgent “feel-good activity” as if Green votes are not votes for urgent climate action, real social and economic justice policies, and peace policies.

Don’t they see that the Democrats have joined the Republicans in supporting pro-corporate economic policies and pro-war foreign policies that have generated growing inequality at home and endless wars abroad?

As Howie said, “The left cannot outsource fighting the right to the Democrats.”

Howie points out that the Democrats have helped to normalize Trump by joining with him to overwhelmingly support military budget increases, the US Mexico Canada Trade Agreement (NAFTA 2.0), and the prosecution of Julian Assange and persecution of Chelsea Manning.

 

 

Graphic Lessons: What do a thirty-four-year old, a nine-year-old and an eighteen-year-old have in common? Murder. 

Millie Fitzgerald applies for a Windsor School teaching job, faints on a  dying man in the school kitchen, deals with a troubled nine-year-old and with the eighteen-year-old niece of the murdered man.

Graphic Lessons: Nine-year-old Dana is the only witness who overhears a person fighting with George Lopez, the soon to be stabbed Windsor School kitchen worker. Who can she tell? Her mother who  accuses her of lying? Her father who’s fled to Singapore? She tells Millie. 

Graphic Lessons: NYPD Detective Steve Kulchek is assigned the murder case at the prestigious Windsor School. What’s bugging him? His partner was stabbed. He feels remorse over screwing up an important case. His corrupt boss is a trustee of the Windsor School. His girlfriend married his boss. And his daughter quit college. 

New York City Blog Feb. 21 – Feb. 27

Nicholas Alstaedt, the cellist, made his NY recital debut in the Frick Music Room on February 21. He and Alexander Lonquich, the pianist, have impeccable credentials. Their choice of music was perfect. I had never appreciated Nadia Boulanger until I heard her Three Pieces for Cello and Piano. The recital included works by Debussy, Britten, Beethoven and Webern.

Wonderful Saturday afternoon with an outstanding Symphony in C, music by Bizet and choreography by Balanchine. The dancers are like race horses, aren’t they? Powerful, agile animals with very strong legs. Dancing in close proximity, they could maim each other. The conductor, Clotilde Otranto, gave us a wonderful afternoon. She came on stage and was dwarfed by the tall dancers.

Blue polka dots are at the eastern end of the NYCB's vestibule
Blue polka dots are at the eastern end of the NYCB’s vestibule

 

 

A very Happy Year of the Monkey. Old friends celebrate the New Year annually, thanks to the hard work of one of our members. We’ve met at the Evergreen for years.

Begin the week with the Frick. End the week with the New York City Ballet. Only in NYC, folks.

Steve Kulchek and one of the members of his team, King, ate in ‘wichcraft. Both had one of the breakfast all day items on the menu.