A Little Romance

 

Ying Li, Pianist

We went with Alice to the Cape Symphony in Barnstable today.  She fed us a wonderful brunch first, and all we needed do was transport her.  What a deal!  The program focused on the Romantic Era, one of which I like a lot since I'm a romantic at heart.  I also like baroque, but that's for another concert.  I was surprised to learn Wagner was of the Romantic Era. When I consider the music it is perfectly clear.  But when I think of the man and his the Nazi connections, I get a totally different vibe.  

Ying Li, the pianist, was superb.  Amazingly, she played the entire Liszt piece without sheet music (or the now present iPad). Also, today Stuart Gunn, Principal Tuba who is retiring, was recognized for his 40-year service.  That's a lotta air, man. The Konzertstuck gave opportunity for him and the horn section to shine.  The Cape's music director, Jung-Ho Pak is a personable, smiling conductor who radiates enthusiasm and a desire to educate, share and promote music.  

Program

KONZERTSTÜCK (CONCERT PIECE) FOR FOUR HORNS AND ORCHESTRA
Robert Schumann

ACADEMIC FESTIVAL OVERTURE
Johannes Brahms

PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1
Franz Liszt

PRELUDE TO DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG (THE MASTER SINGER FROM NUREMBERG)
Richard Wagner

 

A Winter in Boston: A Side Trip to NYC

 

At The Metropolitan Opera

DAY 1, Jan 6

Driving in from New Haven, we checked into the Garden Sonesta Hotel on East 64th St.  It's a great room with ample seating and a kitchenette.  The staff is gracious, happy and helpful.  Since we had been sitting in the car all day, we decided to walk to Lincoln Center, about 2 miles.  What we thought would be a green and easy stroll on an slow street through Central Park turned out to be a route on a fast busy street with tunnels (the dreaded Central Park tunnels that are in every murder tv series).  But we arrived without incident, took a quick look at the Met's Marc Chagall murals, then headed for dinner.  The Lincoln Restaurant is in Lincoln Center.  Our waitress was funny.  The food was outstanding (smoked short ribs with pearl faro).  The show this evening was Mozart's The Magic Flute.  And, it was magical.  The engineering for the set simply awed me.  It was a complexity of moving, turning structures, giant, giant puppets of flying birds, polar bears, serpent, and more.  The Queen of the night simply shimmered with giant wings of light also controlled by puppeteers. But her voice out shown all.   Five Stars!!!  We did take a taxi back. LOL

DAY 2, Jan 7

We had the Pirates of Penzance at 2pm in the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College presented by the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players.  The Playhouse was only a few blocks from our hotel.  We decided to walk there and find breakfast along the way.  Well, it was Saturday in NYC and every spot to eat had a line blocks long.  That was good news for restaurants, bad news for the LaGues.  Not having the patience of the Gen Y and Gen Z crowd out for brunch, we walked and walked.  We did finally find a quite decent patisserie where we scoffed down 4 croissants. The play was delightful as are all the G&S. Then we made yet another country bumpkin decision to order dinner in at the hotel.  Warning!  Do not order from Tony's Di Napoli's Family Style restaurant.  

DAY 3, Jan 8

This was my favorite day. We took a taxi to the Ganesvoort St. High Line entrance and walked the 1.1 miles down to the Whitney Museum of American Art.   The High Line is a raised rail line reinvented into a beautiful, wide, art and flora filled walk way.  Today we had an excellent brunch at Pastis.  We dined outside and were entertained by a very well-behaved Golden Retriever (of some sort) who sat in the booth like a gentleman. I had reserved ticket at the Whitney to see the Edward Hopper show.  He's been a favorite of mine and a big influence on my work since college.  This show was curated to represent Hopper's focus on NYC streets and interiors.  There were pieces I had not seen in person.  The crowd was small enough to see each piece without disturbance.  

That evening we made reservations at downtown at Fine and Rare, advertised as fine food, rare spirits and live entertainment.  We were looking for live entertainment.  Our choice was Cafe Carlyle where John Pizzarelli was playing.  However, they were closed on Sunday.  So, off we taxied to F&R where there are hundreds of spirits lining the walls.  The spirits menu is a small book.  Behind us were private (and viewable) lockers called "Bottle Keep". One can purchase a favorite bottle, enjoy it, tag and store it.  The wine was ridiculously overpriced.  The risotto was bland and the red snapper dry.  The music was so very loud that we could not talk.  Two different tables asked to be moved to a quieter spot after holding their ears and laughing.  It was an interesting experience not to be repeated.  

Photos of the trip.

A Winter in Boston, A Side Trip to the Big Apple: First Stop New Haven

Wayne admiring the Abbey painting of Richard III
Yale Museum of Art

We had a pack-filled three days and four nights this week end.  On our way to NYC Thursday, we stopped in New Haven for some excellent art engagement and also some great pizza.  Our hotel, The Graduate New Haven, practically abuts Yale University.  Our intention was to visit the Yale Museum for a look at one painting, Richard III by the Pre-Raphaelite artis Edward Austin Abbey.   We both love this painting with its strong diagonal lines, its bold use of red and white, and the narrative interpretation of Shakespeare's Richard III.  It also came to be that Hilton Als was lecturing across the street at the Center for British Art.  The lecture concluded with the third and final show in a series curated by Als, The Beautiful Ones by Njideka Akunhili Crosby. We looked at the show prior to the lecture.  I liked her work and was intrigued by her methods.  Als did not address the plastic aspects of the work nor the sources and inspirations.  Disappointingly, he talked extensively about his own history and a small bit about Crosby's history.  The evening ended with our go-to pizza joint and favorite pizza.

Peppe's White Clam Pizza

For a few pictures of the day, visit Google Photos

 

A Winter in Boston, Happy New Year 2023

Oysters, steak, twice baked potatoes, wine, scotch, fireworks, FaceTime with Oleg and Martha.  We actually stayed awake until 2023.  

Happy New Year, 2023

On Sunday the 1st we met Judy and Matt in Cambridge for lunch at The Little Donkey.  All of us then went to Sander's Theater to hear Boston Baroque perform a medley of music.  Two stood out for me: 1) Telemann's Concerto in Eminor for recorder and flute.  Aldo Abreu performed with outstanding dexterity.  One of the recorders was so tiny I couldn't see how his manly fingers could work it Vivaldi's Motet, O qua Coeli with soprano Amanda Forsythe. It was virtuosic.   

 

Sander's Theater above. Judy, Christy, Wayne in the Theater.

On Monday we returned to Cambridge for a visit to the Harvard Natural History Museum. We had never seen the Glass Flower holdings.  It was very interesting.   The Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, better known as the “Glass Flowers." is a unique collectionmade by Leopold (1822-1895) and Rudolf Blaschka (1857-1939), a father and son team of Czech glass artists. Over fifty years, from 1886 through 1936, the Blaschkas produced 4,300 glass models that represent 780 plant species.

Wayne in the Ware Collection, Harvard Museums

Lunch was had at Grindel's Den

Which we walked to following in the horse steps of William Daws.  

We ended our New Year week end with some errands.  I needed to drop two paintings at the Copley Society for the Members' Winter Small Works Symphony 2023 show.  Then straight on to Landmark Center to return a vest to REI and buy a new palette knife.  We were planning to eat lunch in the new Town Market at Landmark Center.  However, parking evaded us, Wayne parked in a tow zone, and I took care of business.  

Paintings at the Copley Society for the Winter Members' Show, Symphony.