THE TITLE OF THIS ENTRY IS IN ITS ANTIQUE MEANING - MADNESS. WHEN ONE SCHEDULES TOO MANY ACTIVITIES THAT IS A FORM OF MADNESS. iT SEEMED THAT WAYTHIS WEEK, ALTHOUGH I SEEM TO REMEMBER DOING MORE, BEING BUSIER IN THE PAST, BUT ALAS, I WAS YOUNGER AND STRESS AND MY BODY'S ACHES, PAINS, AND STIFFNESS WERE NOT SO BOTHERSOME AS LATELY THEY HAVE BEEN.
MONDAY, I DID NOT TAKE THE RICHARD WILBUR POETRY CLASS........WAITING FOR THE PLUMBER, WHO DID NOT ARRIVE................SURPRISE!
BUT I DID GO TO THE SHAKESPEARE SOCIETY CLASS "SPEAK THE SPEECH" WHERE WE CONTINUED READING HENRY IV, PART 2. HAVING STUDIED THIS PLAY BEFORE, AND HAVING COACHED SOME SCENES FROM IT MADE A RE-VISIT VERY PLEASUREALBLE.
TUESDAY NIGHT I COULD HAVE GONE TO LINCOLN CENTER TO HEAR GERGIEV CONDUCT THE KIROV ORCHESTRA IN TWO SHOSTAKOVICH SYMPHONIES, BUT I DECIDED TO REST BECAUSE OF THE REST OF THE WEEK'S ACTIVIITIES.
WEDNESDAY, THE MEN''S LUNCHEON GROUP WAS UP TO 17 ATTENDEES, AND THE DISCUSSION WAS TOP DRAWER.THEN THE CLASS IN BRITISH EMPIRE'S RISE.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT I SAW RIGOLETTO AT THE MET. AS USUAL, GREAT SETS AND COSTUMES. THE BARITONE, JUAN PONS, I HAD SEEN BEFORE AT THE MET, BUT THE OTHER PRINCIPALS WERE NEW TO ME. THE TENOR WAS O.K. SERVICEABLE AND NOT UNPLEASANT, SANG ALL THE NOTES, BUT THERE WAS SOME LACK OF EXCITEMENT THERE. HOWEVER, I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE SOPRANO WHO SANG GILDA...................A LOVELY VOICE AND STAGE PRESENCE, A REAL BEAUTY WHOM THE AUDIENCE TOOK TO THEIR HEARTS. I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE SWEPT AWAY.
CAST:THE DUKE, JOSEPH CALLEJAH, RIGOLETTO, PONS, GILDA, EKATERINA SIURINA
THURSDAY NIGHT'S PHILHARMONIC CONCERT WAS WELL ATTENDED..............EMPPHASIS UPON HUNGARIAN COMPOSERS SANDWICHED IN BETWEEN BEETHOVEN PEICES. VERY CLEVER PROGRAMMING! A GOOD WAY TO KEEP THE AUDIENCE FROM LEAVING DURING THE BARTOK AND LIGETI PIECES BY KEEPING THE BEETHOVEN FIFTH AS THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE CONCERT.
AS USUAL, LIGETI'S PALETTE NEEDS SOME GETTING USED TO, BUT IT IS QUITE INTERESTING MUSIC........................STANLEY KUBRICK USED LIGETI'S MUSIC IN MANY OF HIS FILMS.
PETER SERKIN, WHOM I HAVE HEARD AT LEAST FIVE TIMES IS A GREAT FAN OF THE SO CALLED "MODERN" COMPOSERS, ALTHOUGH I'VE HEARD HIM DO ALL PERIODS OF MUSIC. WELL, HE PLAYED THE HELL OUT OF THE BARTOK CONCERTO, ECHOING THE PERCUSSION SECTION OF THE ORCHESTRA......THE PIANO IS, AFTER ALL, A PERCUSSION INSTRUMENT. BUT THE BARTOK CONCERTO IS SO DIFFICULT TO PLAY!
IT WAS GOOD TO HEAR THE B EETHOVEN FIFTH PLAYED AGAIN BY THIS ORCHESTRA. I ALWAYS SEEM TO HEAR SOMETHING NEW. PEHAPS A COUNTER MELODY THAT I NEWLY DISCOVERED.
THE CONDUCTOR, WHOM I HEARD LAST YEAR AND LIKED VERY MUCH, JONATHAN
NOTT, IS WELL LIKED BY THE ORCHSTRA, ONE COULD SENSE, AND THE PUBLIC RESPONDS WELL TO HIS YOUTH AND GOOD LOOKS. HIS BATON TECHNIQUE IS EASY TO READ, ALSO. PERHAPS HE WILL BE ON "THE SHORT LIST" SOME DAY FOR THE PHILHARMONIC JOB!
PROGRAM: BEETHOVEN-OVERTURE TO KONEG STEPHAN
LIGETI -LONTANO, FOR LARGE ORCHESTRA
BARTOK- PIANO CONDERTO N O.1 (PETER SERKIN)
BEETHOVEN- SYMPHONY NO.5 IN C minor
SO TODAY TIRED AND RESTING.