Mostly Mozart Festival At the Lincoln Center

It is that time of year again when the Lincoln Center has their Mostly Mozart Festival. This year they are putting focus on Mozart naturally, but also on Igor Stravinsky a modern composer known for his work in the 30's and 40's. Featuring a film of the 1966 CBS News Special on Stravinsky, along with a screening of Stravinsky himself conducting the Symphony of Psalms in Hungary. This year there are musical offerings with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra and special guest Conductors, Pianist, Soprano's, and much more. One can enjoy an All-Mozart Program with Iván Fischer conducting and the lovely soprano Lucy Crowe, on Tue. the 9th and Wed. the 10th. Then there is a night of music where Mozart shares the stage with Haydn lead by the French conductor Jérémie Rhorer. The French pianist Bertrand Chamayou will also perform Mozart's Piano Concerto No.12 in A major, on Tue. the 23rd and Wed. the 24th. There will be more programs with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra on the weekends through August. Then come the Quartet's with nights filled with music from the Takács Quartet and Emerson String Quartet. There will also be dance and even an Opera. Don Giovanni, "Mozart’s most haunting opera" will be on stage several times this month. Along with these big events there will be smaller shows under the New York sky in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse. These start late at 10:30pm and will be intimate little gatherings. So get ready for some Mozart this August through the 27th at the Lincoln Center.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age at the Film Society of Lincoln Center

Today was the first day of The Film Society of Lincoln Centers respective on Elizabeth Taylor. This weekend New Yorker's get a chance to see this screen goddess in the best films of her career. See Her with great leading men like Paul Newman in Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Or with James Dean and Rock Hudson in Giant. She also stars with two actors that became her husband's Montgomery Clift (Raintree County and the out of print A Place in the Sun), and Richard Burton, twice her husband many times her co-star. They play lovers in both Cleopatra and Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf. In which Taylor was given the Oscar for best actress for her role as the aged wife of an alcoholic. As an added plus there will be a photo exhibit in the lobby of the Walter Reade Theater celebrating Taylor and her life in film. What is there to be said about Elizabeth Taylor. Some consider her the last classic movie star. She had a soaring career and rocky life, but always came through with style and grace. She has shown the world that everyone can make a difference. It is hard to look into her velvet eyes and not love her. She grew up right in front of all of us, a life worth living and remembering.

The Queen of Spades at the Metropolitan Opera

The moon was almost full as the crowed filled the courtyard around the famous fountain at Lincoln Center last Friday night. The spring is almost here and the people are coming out into the night now that the cold has gone away for the year. The spring and Fall, in New York are the best for the weather is almost perfect, no unbearable heat of the summer and no freezing cold that the winter brings. So as is expected for the Opera the Women are in skirts and dresses and the men in nice jackets and light sweaters. The Metropolitan Opera always starts on time so getting uptown on time is a must. This night the stage was set for a production of Tchaikovsky's "Queen of Spades." The music was written by the great composer but the plot was adapted from a short story published by Alexander S. Pushkin in 1834. The story is set in the late 1700. The last years of Empress Catherine the great. This opera had its premiere in St. Petersburg in 1890. Which if fitting for Act 1 opens in a public park of the great Capitol in the Summer. The Stage opens on Hermann (Vladimir Galouzine) a dark men with a dark mind. He is walking through his world in a kind of daze as the rest of polite society are living around him. Hermann admits to the Count Tomsky (Alexey Markov) that he is in love with a girl he does not know. When the Prince, Yeletsky (Peter Mattei) enters with his new fiancee Lisa (Karita Mattila) and her grandmother The Countess, (Dolora Zajick) Hermann knows that it is Lisa he has fallen for. As the day gets late Tomsky shares the history of the Countess and how she won her fortune in Paris Decades ago with "the three cards." The countess stills keeps the secret of "the three cards" and will die at the hand of whom ever takes the information from her. The others laugh at this fairy tale but Hermann has had the seed planted in his mind. That night he begs for Lisa's love and wins affection taking her in his arms. In the second act there is a grand ball with wonderful dress and dance. Lisa has become icy toward the prince and he knows that something has happened to her feelings for him. Lisa sneaks Hermann a key for the house to use after the Countess leaves on a trip. Hermann driven by his imagination uses the key to confront the Countess and gain the secret of the Cards. This is a tale of Love, Obsession, and Madness. How will the Cards Lay? Who will escape the fate that the cards tell? Completely played out in Russian this Opera is as emotional as it sounds. Framed on the stage with a set that seem as deep as the characters. Every stage set up pulls the audience deeper into this torchered tale. Mark Thompsom has out done himself on the costumes for "Queen of Spades." The beautiful and detailed costumes feel muted and faded and bring a rich texture to the production. Tchaikovsky's music is full of the build ups and breaks downs of the cast of characters and Conductor Andris Nelson keep this ominous score together by using all the talent in his orchestra. At the Ball in Act 2 there is a play within the play where two lovers are in Cupid's hands. This is where one sees the Dance that is a staple for Operas of the time. Choreographer John Meehan gets his own story to tell in this Ballet of two lovers. The Dancers are angelic and happy and his story has a happy ending. Will the real Drama have this type of ending? Will the Cards save them or damn them? One has only one more chance to find out this Saturday in the gold room at The Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center Plaza.
Queen of Spades -
Saturday, March 26, 2011, 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm

25% off at the Lincoln Center

NYC youarehere wants to see you Jazz it up at the Lincoln Center this holiday season. The Red Hot Holiday Stomp is how cool cats celebrate. And how! In the Santa's red and white will be Wycliffe Gordon and other friends of Jazz at Lincoln Center. So get balled up, find a doll and head up to the Rose Theater between December 9Th and 11Th. Use the link to Save 25% on tickets with code “Red Hot 25”!

Tickets start at $15 with your discount!
Link: http://jalc.org/concerts/details309a.asp?EventID=2353

New York Philharmonic's Night With Brahms

This last Saturday was a night full of fall colors and winds. Lincoln Center was alive with people dancing in the courtyard to a free concert that ended just in time for all to find their seats at the Opera or Symphony. The New York Philharmonic, lead by Conductor Alan Gilbert, had a full evening of Romanticism. Starting this concert with Passacaglia, op. 1 from one of Schoenberg's pupils Anton Webern. This was Anton's last piece completed while working with Schoenberg. This Passacaglia uses the basic late-romantic complements of instruments of a standard orchestra. This "passacaglia melody" is made up of eight-measure phrases that repeat through the piece in one way or another. This passacaglia theme is also heard in Brahms 4Th Symphony that rounds out the evening. Then Pinchas Zukerman a world-renowned violinist that studied in the 60's at the Juilliard School came out on stage to play Brahms Concerto in D major for the Violin and Orchestra, Op. 77. This was Brahms first Violin Concerto. He had the pleasure of working with the top Violin around in the 1850's Joseph Joachim. Who helped his good friend with this composition. On this night in October 2010 Pinchas Zukerman chose to play Joachim's Cadenza, the over-embellishment that Joachim played when performing this concerto. After a standing ovation and a small violin encore of one of Brahms lullaby's there was a intermission before the main event. The Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98, was Brahms last Symphony and is considered one of the masters best works. In 1872 Brahms Said he would never write a symphony. He went on to finish 4 very different pieces in this medium. The forth shows opposing emotions. This is a bittersweet piece that evokes many different feelings. With a intense first movement and a second that seems serene. Then the third seems to build and fall to build again and leave you ready for the finale movement where we see the passacaglia. This symphony takes forms of a romantic love affair that is striking, then easy, then faltering to end in a over emotional build up of unconditional love and discontent. This is what romance is and always will be.

Great Performers Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra Feb. 19, 2010

The Avery Fisher Hall on Broadway and 65Th st is a wonderful place to open your ears to music. The acoustics are just perfect for classical music. This brisk windy night in February brought the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra to New York as part of Lincoln Center presents Great Performers. The Great Performers this night included masters like conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin and the lovely Viktoria Mullova on Violin. The music was started with Brahms Violin Concerto in D major, 0p. 77, written in 1878. This is the German composers only violin concerto and said to be "against the violin" and "unplayable." The difference in this piece from other violin concerto is the difficult part of the soloist on Violin. On stage Viktoria Mullova was amazing with her swift movement and straight back. You became entranced by the second measure. Then after intermission a smaller part of the orchestra came out to do a "new piece" from 1996. (Theo Verbey Conciso) This short fierce number reminded one of a soundtrack to a Thriller. After this the whole Orchestra came out on stage. The Cello and Bass section was quite large and had a sound that was dark and rich. Last on the Schedule was Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, BB 123 from 1943. In this each section of the orchestra is used as a soloist would be, making this contrast to the conventional concerto. The build up and breakdown with the strings was breathtaking. The oboes, bassoons and clarinets seemed to be in a different wind section then the other horns. The use of drums and cymbals was key to the arrangement. The fifth and final movement was a intense clash of everything once apart thrown together. This was a great night full of what Lincoln Centers promised, "Great Performers."

Other events this week:
*Beethoven Cycles: Quartets VI
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 7:30 PM
This is the last of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center complete quartets of Ludwig von Beethoven. Alice Tully Hall, Starr Theater
Look for more Beethoven on May 13, 2010 - Beethoven Cycles: Violin Sonatas
*Monday, February 22 2010, 8:00 PM.
Juilliard String Quartet. The foursome plays music by Mendelssohn, Davidovsky, and a Mozart quintet (with Robert Mann, viola). Alice Tully Hall at 1941 Broadway New York, NY 10023,

http://new.lincolncenter.org/live/

NYC The City That Can't Sleep - Horror Films This October

Every October brings falling leaves, colder weather, and best of all horror movies. Sure you can go out to see the new "Zombieland," but if your a real fan of horror the city's art houses have loads of old films to scare and frighten. Going back all the way to the early 30's we get "Dracula"(31) with Bela Lugosi, and "The Mummy,"(32) two oldies but goodies. Both these classics are part of a double feature at Bam Rose Cinema in Brooklyn on Oct. 19Th. The Film Forum is also doing a gruesome twosome but this engagement last one week from Oct. 30Th - Nov. 5Th. For the price of one admission you get "Theater of blood"(73) were Vincent Price takes revenge on theater critics. (OH NO!) Then for free you get "Scream of Fear" (61) given an x rating by the British censors, so it has to be good. The Sunshine Cinema midnight movies start their fright fest early on Oct. 16Th and 17Th with "Beetlejuice."(89) Then they have the "Lost Boys"(87) on the 23rd and 24Th. And then "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors" (87) on Devils Night and Halloween. Remember the price at the Sunshine goes down to $9.99 for these midnight shows. As an after thought they have "Phyco"(60) on Nov. 20Th and 21st. The Anthology Film Archives is spotlighting Roger Corman. This director is known for his films based on Edgar Allan Poe, and this is what the Archives is bring you starting with "The House of Usher,"(60) with Viscent Price. At the Archives they always go above and beyond. So true with this retrospective going deeper then just the Poe films. So we also get "A Bucket of Blood,"(59) "The ST. Valentine's Day Massacre,"(67) and "Bloody Mama."(70) Don't forget "The Little Shop of Horrors"(60) shot in only two days, what a classic.(see link for showtimes) Rounding out this month of thrills and chills in the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Their Scary Movies 3 is running from Oct 12Th - 22ND with too many great films to go into here.(see link for showtimes) Covering everything scary starting with werewolf's in "An American Werewolf in London,"(81) and "The Curse of the Werewolf."(61) Then the vampires get in a bite with "Horror of Dracula."(58) Zombies, don't forget the zombies!! "Dead-Alive"(92) and "Night of the Living Dead"(90) will cover the flesh eaters this year. Even mother nature gets in on the act with "Long Weekend."(78) Hay if your not green your toast. What horror movie list would be complete without a film by the master Dario Argento. You must get out to see "Creepers aka Phenomena."(85) In this tale of terror Argento works with a 14 year old Jennifer Connelly and we all love her. Lots of ways to get the heart pumping , the blood flowing and the bones shaking this fall. Have fun in the city that can't sleep after these flicks.Movie Art Houses Horror selection:
http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=1558
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/NewYork/NewYork_frameset.htm
http://www.filmforum.org/films/halloween.html
http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/schedule/search/search-result/?program=ROGER%20CORMAN:%20POE%20AND%20BEYOND!
http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/scary3.html

South Pacific At Lincoln Center

The movie South Pacific was a great adaptation of this Rodgers and Hammerstein's stage musical. This does not mean that everyone going out to the Lincoln Center to see the show knows about the movie. Most patrons on the night we squeezed into a performance had not seen the movie and did not know what to expect from this controversial story. How could something so fun be controversial? Well the underlying themes in this are war and racism. Don't let that take away from how extremely entertaining the song and dances are. Laura Osnes a breath of fresh air as Miss. Forbush, playing a southern country girl very convincingly. What a voice on her and did you check out those stems. Emile De Becque was played by understudy William Michals, who did a good job with the difficult baritone song patterns. One of the best parts to play is the comical Luther Billis. Danny Burstein steels some scenes as this funny black sheep of the Navy. Other standouts are Loretta Ables Sayre and Li Jun Li as bloody Mary and her daughter Liat. Then when Lt. Joseph Cable walks on stage everyone takes notice. Dashingly handsome Andrew Samonsky plays this troubled young man, not sure if he should choose love or social expectations. South Pacific has been running at the Vivian Beaumont Theater for almost a year and is still filling seats. Get out to see this one because even if you don't know the material, as soon as the orchestra plays its first cord, you will love it.

Bachiana Filharmonica with Joao Carlos Martins & Dave Brubeck Oct. 2nd, 09

Friday was such a nice night to get invited to the Lincoln Center. It is not good to be running late to one of these events, so jog up the block and get there on time. When late it is hard to notices details. This is the reason for only realizing that the fountain was working again during the intermission. They are celebrating 50 years over there on Amsterdam Ave. Why not celebrate together? It so happens to be the 50th anniversary of Dave Brubeck's Gold album "Time Out". Dave has been known for crossing genres and that is what this program was about. The first two pieces where by Brazilian composer Heeitor Villa-Lobos. This year happens mark 50 years since his death. This composer took inspiration from the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Blending Bach with Brazilian music with his Bachianas Brasileiras. The Bachianas Brasileiras No.4 followed by Bachianas Brasileiras No. 7 was a nice start to the evening. After a quick break Chris Brubeck, proving that musical talent does not skip a generation, came out with his Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra. Then his dad American jazz pianist and living legend Dave Brubeck step out on stage to a standing room ovation. They played two of his pisces and one of his brothers. (Brandenburg Gate: Revisited, Thank You (Dziekuje), Theme For June) All this and more because they stayed on stage to play three unannounced selections. Joao Carlos Martins was living a dream conducting and playing along side the Burbecks. Most the People in the room where bobin' their heads and tappin' their feet. This is what being a music fan is all about, shows that change your life.