Tag Archives: Frick Concert Series

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. 

NY Mysteries Dec. 20, 2019

 

 

 

On December 15 we went to the Frick. Hyeyoon Park the violinist and Benjamin Grosvenor the pianist played to a packed and enthusiastic house. Ravel  and Beethoven were the better known composers. The evening begin with a rousing rendition of Karol Szymanowski’s Mythes. The Frick Music Room has a dated and tired grandeur. Its frayed wallpaper is a harbinger of the renovation of the Frick. What will happen to the Music Room?

I’m posting 25 Organizations that Take Care of Caregivers | American Society on Aging

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanan Ashrawi is on the right. She has long been one of my heroes. This distinguished Palestinian woman has fought for the rights of her people since 1947.

And for fun: The gadgets that defined the 2010s. The Verge’s top five gadgets are: The Apple iPhone 4; the Amazon Echo; the Apple MacBook Air; the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Tesla. The Selfie Stick takes the 58 spot and everyone’s favorite, the Juicero Press, checks in at 98. (The Verge)

A very happy holiday and splendid 2020 to all! 

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. 

NYMysteries Feb. 9

 

 The February 3 Frick Sunday concert was given by Calefax, a woodwinds ensemble from the Netherlands. The five musicians played the oboe, the clarinet, the saxophone, the bass clarinet and the bassoon. As if this weren’t enough, they switched to other instruments throughout the evening. It was  marvelous fun. The reed quintet enjoyed itself and so did the audience. The pieces ranged from César Franck to George Gershwin. 

 

Calefax at the Frick

 

CALEFAX

 

 

 

 

 

 I saw Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War. What’s all the fuss about? I liked the black and white photography and the period quality of post World War ll. The story of two people madly in love didn’t work for me because the woman was a retread of troubled, talented singers. Remember Judy Garland? The man in love meant it. He returned from Paris (de rigueur fifties jazz) and landed in a Polish prison under Soviet rule so he could be close to the love of his life. 

 

 

 

 

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

Millie Fitzgerald applies for a private 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 never listens or accuses her of lying? Her father who’s started a new family in 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 being stabbed ?  His hated boss, Captain Dick Holbrook, being a trustee of the Windsor School?  Losing his girlfriend to Holbrook? 

NYMysteries  Dec. 14

 

On Dec. 15, The Frick concert series featured Ensemble Correspondances, 10 singers and instrumentalists who specialize in the music created during the reign of Louis XIV.  Just the music for a France beset with financial problems. I don’t think this elegant group will be the poster children for the yellow jackets. In addition to a program, we were each given pages of translations of the various pieces. I’ve never been interested in following the librettos. Around me, the audience was studiously following the text of Constantin’s La Ballet Royal de la Nuit or of the Venetian Francesco Cavalli’s Ercole Amante. Instead, I enjoy the sounds and like to study the different musicians: the extremely elegant director and harpsichordist, the extremely stern viola da gamba player, the extremely handsome countertenor. You get the message. As these musicians perform seventeenth century music and as they tour Japan, China and the U. S. A. are they wondering about their futures?  

The Garden and Forest Book Club meets at the Arsenal about once a month nine times of the year. I joined it because I know nothing about gardens and forests. It’s been quite an education. Those gardeners and landscape pros aren’t afraid of hefty volumes. We’ve just finished discussing Victoria Johnson’s American Eden. Ms. Johnson’s main figure is David Hosack (1769-1835). Dr. Hosack was a physician and a botanist. His goal, finally achieved, was to build the first botanical garden in the Republic, the Elgin Botanic Garden. It was later abandoned and became the site of Rockefeller Center. Hosack was the friend of Burr and Hamilton and was Hamilton’s doctor at the infamous duel. Later, Burr fled the Republic with money given him by Hosack.  

Elgin Painting at Ny Botanical Garden

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 private 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 never listens or accuses her of lying? Her father who’s started a new family in 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 being stabbed while Kulchek was buying cigarettes? Escaping an attempted car bombing?  His hated boss, Captain Dick Holbrook, being a trustee of the Windsor School?  Losing his girlfriend to Holbrook?