On Saturday, Lena and I, and my mom, and Lena’s friend – all four of us went to see the Orchid show at the Chicago Botanic Garden; a tradition we had kept, strangely, since February 2020 – that was the last event we were able to attend before the lockdown.
This year’s show was exceptional! The staff at the exhibit told us that they have a new artistic director )or however this is called), and yes, it was something!
I recorded several immersion videos, which obviously, won’t play as immersion here, but I also took a lot of pictures, and I am going to show just a fraction of them here. The theme of the show was “The show,” so there were some elements of circus, amusement park, and so on.
I was at CSO twice last weekend: one time with Nadia and one time with my mom.
On Saturday, we had a “Carnival of the Animals” concert, which was supposed to be for “bigger kids,” but many parents still brought very small children there. I don’t know why they are doing this, and more importantly, why they won’t leave when the child is evidently not enjoying the experience. The concert was very good, though, with just the right duration overall, the musical pieces of the right size, and a very good narration.
Once again, I had my CSO for Kids Ambassador perk: we were invited to meet one of the musicians after the concert. He was a cellist, and he started by asking the kids what they knew about the cello. After Nadia was the first to answer his questions three times in a row, he asked whether she was playing some musical instrument :).
Then, we had a whole hour of activities. Anna and Kira were able to join us, and both girls (and Anna) had fun making animal masks and trying different instruments at the musical instruments “zoo”:
The Sunday concert featured Estonian conductor Paavo Jarvi and an amazing young cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. I tried to find some of his recordings online; there are not that many, but hopefully, you can see how awesome he is! The second act was Nielsen’s Symphony No. 5, another outstanding piece, and overall, it was one of the best concerts of the season.
That’s the concerto he performed at the Sunday concert.
As I said, February is very culturally loaded. In addition to what was originally planned, since both my neighbor and I travel, we had to exchange several performances, and the exchanges ended up in February as well. “The Girl from the North Country ended up being a complete miss, and we left after the first act. I know that the show received many awards and a lot of praise from the critics, so I am ready to assume “that’s us ” or probably the mood we were both in.
Just to compensate for the disappointment, Joffrey’s “Studies in Blue” was flawless as usual! The program consisted of three one-act ballets: Yonder Blue (inspired by the book Plea for Eros), Hungry Ghosts (they didn’t say it, but the name is definitely derived from the Realm of Hungry Ghosts), and Hummingbird. I especially liked the set in Hummingbird (although I would love to know whether there was any specific meaning in it; it looked like the artists were floating out of some hidden realm :)). The Hungry Ghosts was a World Premiere, and I think that was the first time I had an opportunity to be present at such an occasion.
February is coming packed with cultural activities, to compensate for a very “dry” January, indeed! I saw two operas in one week: the first was The Champion, and the second was Rossini’s Cinderella, which I saw on Saturday. I never saw this opera performance, and never heard the music, and it was so different from the story of the glass slippers – and I loved it! Both the prince and Cinderella are real characters, with the sense of self-wort and determined to be in control of their lives; you know that it’s not the magic that brought them together, but their actions. The opera is very long, more than three hours, but I didn’t even notice it! When the intermission started and I looked at my watch, I was so surprised to see that almost two hours had passed! Beautiful in all possible ways :).
That’s the opera I wanted to write about. I went to see it the next day after I arrived. I didn’t know the opera, and I thought it could be interesting, but not more than that. And it so exceeded expectations!!!
It’s the real person’s story, but the opera synopsis does not exactly follow Emile Griffin’s life events. It was very difficult to watch for many reasons, but for me, the most heartbreaking were the scenes of older Emile living with dementia. I went on the Lyric Opera website to look for the videos, and I noticed that pretty much all advertising materials showed the young Emile, although think that the old Emile was the most moving.
I don’t know what else to say. I almost cried when I was in the Opera house, and I want to cry now, when I recall all the scenes. it’s a heartbreaking story.
Igor and I went to the City of Chicago fireworks, and I have nothing but good to say about how everything was organized this time. We should have come earlier and watched “The Best of the Art on the Mart,” but I was not sure that the CTA would deliver as promised (it did!), so we decided to come later and saw only a little bit:
On Friday, I took Naida to the CSO Christmas concert. We went to that concert last year, and at that time, I was surprised that Naida sat through the whole thing, even though I told her that we could leave during the intermission if she felt it was too much.
This season, since Anna could not come, and I would have both Nadia and Kira in my house, I asked her whether I should keep the tickets and find a sitter for Kira or return the ticket, and she said – the first one :).
So we went to the concert, and it was amazing! Probably the best concert since the time they stopped doing “stories” for these Christmas concerts.
We had first-row tickets right in front of the conductor. Thomas Wilkins was the best possible conductor for this concert, and Ashley Brown made it spectacular. Thomas Wilkins immediately noticed Nadia in her Sant hat and addressed her when he talked to the audience. Then he asked her to step forward for a second, and when she did, he snatched the Santa hat from her head but returned it right away.
The concert was perfect, with a mix of old and new melodies and a sing-along.
Santa arrived unannounced before the last two songs. They are doing Santa really well in the CSO! Nadia remembered each word Santa said last year, and she was pleased that he didn’t repeat himself. After the last song and applauses, Santa reappeared carrying a music stand, asking the maestro to play one more song, “which everybody from the audience wanted to hear” (audience burst into applause). He added that “although there are no words for this song in the program, everybody in the audience knew them.” Indeed, how could we not? I am so thankful to the CSO for keeping this tradition of “one more song, and we all know what song it is!”
(The recording is one of the previous years).
CHRISTMAS IN CHICAGO Christmas in Chicago is my kind of Christmas It’s just what Christmas ought to be Snowflakes fill the frosty air, skaters frolic on the square And on State Street dazzling windows are a beautiful sight to see Christmas in Chicago, as hearts fill with wonder Lights sparkle all along Magnificent Mile I love Christmas in Chicago, that’s my kind of Christmas At Christmas all Chicago wears a smile The City of Big Shoulders wears a robe of winter white The lion statues wear their wreaths of green Picasso’s sculpture wears a cheerful multicolored glow Reflected from the city’s Christmas tree Christmas in Chicago is music and laughter And singing carols here at Orchestra Hall I love Christmas in Chicago, that’s my kind of Christmas It’s like no other Christmas at all Christmas in Chicago is my kind of Christmas It’s just what Christmas ought to be We’ll make a trip to carol at the zoo in Lincoln Park We’ll sing for kangaroo and chimpanzee We’ll warm up with hot chocolate there and then we’ll go downtown To Marshall Field’s and sit on Santa’s knee Christmas in Chicago is my kind of Christmas It’s just what Christmas ought to be Sleigh bells ring on horsedrawn cabs near Water Tower Place Church bells peal from steeples ’round the town Salvation Army Santas add a joyful ring-a-ling The Loop is filled with happy Christmas sounds Christmas in Chicago is music and laughter And singing carols here at Orchestra Hall I love Christmas in Chicago, that’s my kind of Christmas It’s like no other Christmas at all Chicago’s kind of Christmas is a magic kind of Christmas It’s like no other Christmas at all –Music and lyrics by Gary Fry, Copyright 1996 Fry-By-Night Music (ASCAP)
This abbreviation is how a famous conductor, Michael Tilson Thomas, is referred to (and I believe he introduced it:)). I heard him conduct many times, and I greatly enjoyed his spark and liveliness, and even his habit of talking between musical pieces.
Last year, MTT returned to conducting after an extremely difficult battle with brain cancer, and on Tuesday, I attended his concert for the first time after his return. He is very frail, and it is very difficult to recognize him. He was helped on the stage. Yet, his performance was spectacular, and the audience gave him a standing ovation. Most importantly, he was visibly happy being in the environment, which has been the essence of his life for a half-century.
Copying from his website (that’s not like he looks now, but I will always remember him this way)
Dear Friends,
My return to performing these last months has been very special. The 20 concerts with the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony were heartwarming. Making music with these great artists and for so many friends in the audience felt like coming home, like coming back to life. I couldn’t have been happier.
It takes strength to meet the demands of the music and to collaborate on the highest level with the remarkable musicians who so generously welcomed me. I now see that it is time for me to consider what level of work and responsibilities I can sustain in the future.
I have not publicly discussed my medical diagnosis. I have Glioblastoma Multiforme, a type of aggressive brain cancer. I had an operation to remove what was visible and had radiation and chemotherapy. Currently the cancer is in check. But the future is uncertain as Glioblastoma is a stealthy adversary. Its recurrence is, unfortunately, the rule rather than the exception.
I’m taking stock of my life and will be reducing my administrative responsibilities. I have decided that, after 34 years, I will be stepping down as the Artistic Director of the New World Symphony. This organization, which I co-founded with Lin and Ted Arison, has been and will continue to be a vital and ever-growing resource for musicians. I’m proud of what we have accomplished and very proud of our 1,200 alumni. I will soon assume the role of Artistic Director Laureate and will dedicate myself to working with the NWS Fellows and Alumni on adventurous projects that have long been close to my heart.
I look forward to my work the remainder of this season with orchestras in the United States and Europe and to the many musical collaborations planned for next season. I intend to stick around for a bit. Creating and collaborating to make great music is what it’s all about for me. Every moment on stage with my colleagues is memorable. I want to thank all who have been supportive during this time, especially my husband Joshua Robison. He has always been by my side and is, as ever, my hero.
I will continue to compose, to write, and to mull over your thoughts and mine. I’m planning more time to wonder, wander, cook, and spend time with loved ones – two legged and four. Life is precious.
Another opera I never heard about – Janacek’s “Jenufa.”
It’s not that common that you come to the opera and are captivated by the twists of the plot, trying to catch each and every single word said on stage, and that was the case with Jenufa. It’s anything but simplistic: no heroes and no villains, clashes of the characters, horrible decisions, and life-long regrets…
Last weekend, I ended up doing three different outings with my mom. I already wrote about two of them: the Aquarium Member’s Night and the visit to the Christkindle market. The third event – the CSO concert – was on Sunday.
I am glad that this season, there are some Sunday matinee orchestra concerts- last season, they only had piano concerts on Sundays (and that’s the only time I can take my mom to the concerts).
Philippe Jordan was a conductor. It was the first time I heard him, and now, that I read about him, I am wondering how this was even possible!
The program included the original score of Mussorgsky’s Saint John’s Night on the Bare Mountain, Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No 2, and Stravinski’s The Rite of Spring – all pieces very emotional and powerful.
After the concert, we attended the Subscriber’s appreciation coffee with musicians. That time, this event hosted the CSO librarian and one of the violas, and we learned quite a bit of interesting things! The librarian explained how they order notes for the whole orchestra for each new piece (it differed whether the music is in the public domain or is still copyrighted) and how they often need to make their own copies of the pages if there is no rest at the end of the page or at the beginning of the next page, and why the music publishers do not pay attention to that (saving paper). Somebody asked about using iPads and the pedal page turner, and both the librarian and the musician replied that it might be good for practicing but that the iPad is difficult to share on the music strand, and anyway, they will always perform in a traditional way.
Remembering the concert we attended in Helsinki in the Church in the Rock, where most of musicians were using iPads with pedal page turner, I am wondering how long will it take until it become a common practice 🙂
Hettie's Reflections 