Music at the Philharmonic

Last Friday we had the grand opportunity to go to New York City and listen to the Philharmonic.  As many of you know, Paul's father was a subscriber to the Philharmonic beginning in the 1950s.  When he got old, he passed the tickets on to Paul, and we get to go to a couple of concerts a year.  [The rest we sell at cost to friends -- if any of you are interested, let us know.]

This year we had the opportunity to go and hear one of the most magnificent concerts we've ever had a chance to listen to -- Tchaikovsky and Dvorak. 

The concert started with Lisa Batiashvili, playing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto.  This is the concerto that is so hard that when Tchaikovsky created it the first violinist he asked to play it, Auer, said "no way ... that's impossible."  Well ... it isn't impossible but it is damn difficult.  We'd never heard it before -- either live or on a record -- and the loss was ours.  For 35 minutes Batiashvili played her heart out, with power, grace and beauty.  She eared the standing ovation and the 4 curtain calls she got, for sure.

After intermission, the orchestra played Dvorak's New World Symphony.  That we'd heard before, of course, but never like this -- live in New York by the orchestra that premiered the piece more than 100 years ago.  The power of the horns; the vibrancy of the timpani -- this was just about as pure a joy as you could imagine.  It seemed less "complex" than the violin concerto, but in some ways our familiarity made it purer and more fun.

Add to all this a pleasant train ride up and back and lunch with Paul's brother, Jim, on a beautiful sunny Fall day and it is hard to imagine that anything could be more perfect.  Sometimes we wonder if keeping the tickets is worth it.  On day's like last Friday we don't wonder ... but we marvel at our good fortune instead.

A Fantastic Weekend in New York City

In general, New York City is always challenging. The crowds in the city are daunting and the congestion makes getting around a pain in the butt. That having been said, when things fall right, there is no place like New York -- especially if you like good art, good music and good food.

We had one of those magical visits last weekend -- a quick 36 hour trip that packed in all the types of things we just love. It started, as all our good trips to NYC always do, with a pleasant train ride from Union Station to Penn Station. Nothing is really more fun than 3 hours alone on the train to read, or think, or chat.

After dropping our bags at the hotel (the Empire, right across the street from Lincoln Center) we went for a nice walk on the crisp day, across Central Park. Our first stop on the Saturday afternoon was the Frick Museum at 7oth & 5th. They had a wonderful special exhibit of Renoir's full length portraits. This one, "The Promenade" is in their permanent collection and always makes me think of our daughter-in-law and her two girls. The others, including several fantastic pieces we'd never seen before like "Umbrellas," really brought home how special Renoir's painting is. After a suitably extended visit with this small exhibit (just 10 paintings all told) we still had time for a wander through the rest of our Frick to see some old friends -- JMW Turner, Vermeer, Rembrandt. It is always a special pleasure to return someplace you've been before and refresh your memories.

After a nice rest and a nap at the hotel, it was time for our concert at the New York Philharmonic. We've been going for years and the music is always quite fine, but this concert was truly special. We were treated to two of Beethoven's symphonies, No. 2 and No. 7. We'd never heard #2 live before, but of course #7 is quite familiar. And yet these were different. The conductor, David Zinman, has spent the past few years reconstructing the original scoring from when the works were first performed. He has stripped away much of the romantic encrustations that have become so familiar. The result is like hearing these for the first time -- spare, dynamic, and powerful. The musicianship of the players and their sheer joy in playing really made the pieces come alive in new ways The opening phrases of the No. 7 Allegretto were some of the most gentle music we've ever heard and haunting. Throw in Peter Serkin on the piano playing a Stravinsky Capriccio and the music was pure magic.

We capped the day off with dinner at Picholine an very pleasant French restaurant just a couple of blocks away. It was a fine meal (Katy had the lamb; Paul the bass) with a nice French wine that just mellowed the day to an end. We finally rolled into bed around Midnight.

After sleeeping in the next morning, we had a quick breakast at a near by Le Pain Quotidien and then headed over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The only problem with the visit is we didn't have nearly enough time!!! We began with a small exhibit of Rembrandt and Degas self-portraits. Apparently Degas copied Rembrandt's style and seeing the two together was a revelation.

Then we took a trip back in time to the Renaissance and saw a great exhibit on portraits in Italy from Donatello to Bellini. Watching the style develop was fascinating, as was coming to recognize the idea that individual portraits were "new" at the time. The Donatello bust of a saint which opened the exhibit was truly a sight to behold.

Our third stop was "The Steins Collect." The Stein family (including Gertrude) spent the early 20th century in Paris. Leo Stein had a good eye and a sound business sense and they wound up collecting a number of Matisse and Picasso paintings (as well as several other artists) for absurd prices. One Matisse went for 500 francs (or just $100). Their salon was filled with great impressionist art. What a dream.

Finally, we went to see the work of Fu Baoshi. He was an artist who painted in the "old" Chinese style and lived through the revolution of Sun Yat Sen and then Chaing Kaishek and then Mao. His pictures were quite a joy to look at and something we'd never seen before. Made us want to study Asian art a bit.

And so, tired by happy, we took our seats on the train home and headed back to Washington, after a great weekend in New York.

NSEA -- Sheraton Four Points -- 0 Stars

We booked the Sherato Four Points in Chelsea because it was convenient to where my brother was hosting his 50th birthday party. We weren't expecting spectacular -- it was modestly priced and we would have been happy with a modest room. Which is exactly what we got. No bath mat. Plastic cups. But not "horrible" just "eh."

There the story would end if it weren't for the major failure -- no heat in the room. The hotel was booked solid. It was late. Etc. etc. etc. They did give us a space heater -- but it was one of the coldest nights of the year in New York. The thermostat said it was 55 degrees in the room. On the whole, this looked like a moderate, OK place -- but the lack of heat made this one of the worst experiences we've had lately.

Tribeca -- Part II

We left the hotel last night for dinner at Sapphire, an Indian restaurant up near Lincoln Center. The food was actually a little different from the "normal" Indian fare we are used to and well worth the effort to try out. Katy had scallops with a mango chutney for appetizer -- an unusual and tasty combination with a smoky flavor. Paul had fried Mussels Balchao that came in a spicy tomato sauce of some sort that was sharp on the tongue and had his bald head sweating in an instant. For the main course, Katy had a rather ordinary Lamb Sorrle while Paul had a much more interesting Lamb Xacutti, which featured a coconut flavor based sauce.

After that, we went the New York Philharmonic to hear another in a series of truly excellent concerts. It seems every time we go, the symphony just does a superb job. This time, they performed a short overture by Glinka and the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. The soloist, Leonadas Kavakos, was perfect for the music -- which was much "mellower" than the normal Tchaikovsky music we've heard. At the end, he got a well-deserved standing ovation for his effort with this very difficult piece. The second half of the concert was also quite good, featuring Debussey's Noctures (the Women's chorus of New York was eerie as the "Sirens) and then Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. Overall, a fine, mostly Russian, evening of music.

This morning, we had brunch at a local French
bistro called Balthazar. This photo gives you a good sense of the place -- all hustle and bustle with a whole lot of New York action going one. Our eggs were nicely done and the place had a homey feel to it -- maybe it was the Xmas decorations, maybe it was the crowd. Maybe it was the promise of good coffee and a pastry basket that was outstanding. Whatever it was the walk was worth it and the food was lots of fun.

One last note on the trip in case anyone actually reads what we are writing. We really did like the Tribeca Grand Hotel -- it was a nice place with a good atmosphere. But last night may have broken us of that enjoyment. The bar in the open atrium was playing music, loudly, until well past 2 AM. We suppose we should have expected as much from Tribeca, but still .... Katy was up and didn't sleep well at all. So if, like us, you think 11 PM is a realistic bed time, this one might not be for you. On the plus side, when we mentioned it to the manager on check out, he told us that it had been a special private party and he promised us a quieter room the next time we came and asked us to contact him personally -- so at least they were trying to address our issues. We decided we probably would give them a second chance.

We are on the Acela now on the way home. Will be good to sleep in our own bed.

Tribeca -- New York City

We're in NYC this weekend for a post-Thanksgiving shopping and music trip. Later tonight we go to see the NY Philharmonic. We spent today shopping.

We're staying at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, which is a delightful place, especially if you want to stay down in the area around Canal street. The lobby is a wonderful covered atrium where we are sitting right now just toodling away on our computers. We were greeted last night with a complimentary glass of champagne (who could ask for more) and an upgrade to a corner room. The rooms are smallish (but I guess all NYC rooms are) but the bathroom has a nice walk in shower with a seat to sit on and an "interesting" set of stainless steel fixtures.

Last night we dined at Il Matto which means "the mad man" -- a neat new Italian restaurant that lived up to its name. Katy started with a really neat tuna tartare and Paul had a peccorino creme brule with red onion jam. Yum. For the main course, Katy had a saffron pappardella with osso busco ragu and Paul had spaghetti with sea urchin. Double yum. A nice carafe of wine completed the meal. Well done and we would go back if we were ever near by again.

For breakfast this AM, we went to 12 Chairs. The OJ was =really= fresh squeezed and the poached eggs Paul had came with an "Israeli salad" of tomoatos and cucumbers and were covered in a mildly spicy Moroccan tomato sauce. Katy's challah french toast was the perfect texture -- not to soft and not over cooked either. Another nice place to visit.