Music

Jan 12. MACBETH by Verdi at the Met Opera. Lively and exciting performance under Maestro Levine. The witches were disappointing. Instead of a cauldron around which the 3 witches worked (Marian's nose is red and raw, while Greasy Joan doth keel the pot), we had a gaggle of girls in bobby sox. Yuck! They frightened no one.
Jan 20. Princeton Symphony at Richardson: CONE, SCHUBERT, MAHLER . Marian loved Mahler lieder. I enjoyed the Schubert Rosamunde Overture, Op 26. Cone was a composer, pianist, author, and teacher-- and a Princeton grad and student of Roger Sessions.
Jan 30. Schubert's WINTERREISE at Westminster. Elam Eley, baritone, and JJ Penna at the piano. 24 fabulous songs in an hour and a half.
Mar 26. ERNANI at the Met. It's the early 16th century. All the powerful figures of Spain lust after Donna Elvira, a beautiful noblewoman. The would-be lovers include Don Carlos (Thomas Hampson), the king of Castile, her uncle Don Ruy, and Ernani, John of Aragon, whose father was killed by Don Carlos. She truly loves Ernani, but he has become an outlaw in the mountains, and is hated by the king and her uncle. At the end, he kills himself to satisfy a foolish oath he has given the uncle. A case of honor gone wild.
Apr 6. CARNIVAL MUSIC FROM THE BALLET RUSSE, Rosanne Vita Nahass, pianist, at the Zimmerli Museum, Rutgers. A rabble-rousing rendition, repleat with trills, of Schumann and Stravinsky. Wonderful concert in the afternoon at the Zimmerli in the midst of early 20th century Russian art works.
June 11. MUSIC OF LA BELLE EPOQUE, lecture given at the Princeton library by Timothy Urban, Rutgers prof. Boring summary of the social and technical developments of the late 19th century, followed by a most interesting survey of Impressionistic music of the period, from classical down to popular music in the music halls of Paris. Performances by many artists such as Edith Piaf shown from YouTube. Must try it myself.
June 17. Pleasant evening listening to the Peabody Trio at the first university summer concert in Richardson Auditorium. Why do I enjoy performances in Richardson so more than much more technically perfect performances in Fischer Hall? Finally realized that it involves memories built up over half a century. From the fifties I recall that the results of the senior final exams were posted outside Richardson. In the sixties the seniors rebelled and tore up the placards. End of an era. I recall the time I booed a performance and was roundly criticized by the woman sitting beside me. I recall afternoon performances when you could keep track of the movements of the sun by the way the sun beams moved along the walls. They have removed this pleasure by sealing up the windows. That was an improvement? I recall the enthusiasm shown by Mel Gottlieb, our director, who always jumped up after a performance and applauded wildly, as if what we had just heard was one of the wonders of the world. Enthusiasm takes you far in this country and he had enthusiasm to burn.
July 18. ILYA ITIN, flamboyant Russian pianist, gave a virtuoso performance of Haydn, Prokofiev, and Beethoven at Taplin. Overflow audience went wild--not normal in Princeton.
July 11. Just returned from 3 days at the BARD SUMMER FESTIVAL, this year focussed on Prokofiev, the musical genius who returned to the Soviet Union in 1936 to the amazement of everyone. We stayed at the Stone Church B&B, in Rhinebeck, about 6 or 7 miles away from the festival in Avondale on the Hudson, the home of Bard. Phone: 845-758-2427. Marian met a few old friends in the music and Russian worlds, we enjoyed the company of Maryjane Harris, and attended the musical events and lectures. Especially liked the Prokofiev Sonata no. 7 and the Symphony no 1.
Sept 19. The greatest pleasures in life come unexpectedly. Last night we went to the basement of St Paul's Church in Princeton to hear a pianist (Beethoven, Ligeti, Bach, Ravel) perform. We expected nothing but a so-so performance. Instead, we heard a brilliant 20 year old Korean girl--SOYEON LEE, a parishoner-- play like a demon. Turns out she has already played in all the great concert halls in the world. A wonderful treat!
Sept 29. ELEM ELEY, baritone, and JJ Penna on the piano. In his melliflous voice Eley sang songs of the French Masters--Duparc and Poulenc--along with some bawdy French songs, at Westminster.
Nov 7. Pablo Villegas, Spanish guitar, regals us at the Evening Concert in the Patrons Lounge. talented young man who has won international guitar competitions.
Nov 8. DOCTOR ATOMIC at the Met. John Adams music, production by Penny Woodcock. Best of the modern composers frames the first test of an atomic bomb at the Alamagordo test site in New Mexico. Oppenheimer wails about the future of the world after the war. He might have thought of this before he took over the direction of the bomb project.
Dec 20. THAIS by Massenet at the Met. Thais, the most famous prostitute in Alexander, is converted to Christianity by the monk Athenel. He points out that she will get eternal life in heaven if she converts. To show her seriousness, she must burn down her house and destroy her possessions. Sounds like the Taliban to me. She does take it seriously, marching over skorching deserts in Egypt to get to the convent, where she seems to work herself to death rather quickly. The monk changes his mind; he prefers he body to her soul, but he reaches the convent too late to save her. Thais sung superbly by Rene Fleming.