Streets of Philadelphia

A photo from this weekend's quick sojourn to Philly. I didn't see any ladies in bonnets (except for those working at the Pennsylvania Dutch bakeries), but this is just one example remnant of the city's former glory. I discovered many leftovers from its days of high society, including a 1780s pianoforte from London (with all the original ivories!) in the historical home of Dr. Physick, inventor of soda.

Now playing: Music by Philadelphia composer (and R. Serkin grandson) David Ludwig from instant encore.

Now eating: Leftover cha-soba from last night's dinner at Morimoto (the original...and it's purportedly better than the Chelsea location). I also had a lovely experience at another Stephen Starr restaurant, Alma de Cuba.

Proof of Life

I haven't exactly had a stress-free existence lately, so in place of an actual post I've decided to share more photos from my last visit to the Boston MFA. The first is of an ornately decorated Hensch harpsichord from 1736, one of only five surviving.





My other favorite in the MFA's instrument room was a 1796 Broadwood piano. At first I was perplexed by the middle pedal- surely a piano this early could not have been outfitted with a sostenuto?- and I think the security guard was wary of me peering underneath the instrument on my hands and knees. According to a book on the collection's keyboard instruments (which I did ultimately find and order online, after great effort), the middle pedal actually controlled a drumstick that would strike the underside of the piano. It may have also been linked to a cymbal or triangle. Evidently it provided a bit of "Turkish music" to accompany the pianist. It reminded me of some old player pianos I've seen that also included percussion sounds.




The media was full of stories last week about the NY Phil's trip to North Korea. I don't think the orchestra has enjoyed that much attention since Bernstein was alive. I listened to parts of the broadcast and enjoyed Maazel's attempts to speak Korean. I'm not sure what he was trying to say and I'm fairly certain the audience wasn't either. Maybe the Music Director will return to NY with an Asian rock star haircut. Or wig.

I Thought These Were an Urban Shoe Myth

But apparently the Manolo Blahnik mary janes are alive and well, and living in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. My only complaint about the "Walk This Way" exhibition there was that the shoes were sprinkled throughout the museum. I had envisioned a gigantic room full of footwear much like the Vogue accessories closet where Carrie Bradshaw uttered those famous words.

Also on display was "Symbols of Power: Napoleon and the Art of Empire Style," which included some amazing examples of textiles and furniture. The symbolism of various icons (bees, butterflies, swans, etc.) was very well explained in the accompanying literature, and the importance of the balance between masculine and feminine representations in neoclassicism was also stressed. Some of Napoleon and Josephine's home furnishings were incredibly beautiful, but I was of course most interested in the 200-year-old Empire waist dresses.

I Wish I Had a River...

Another wintry image from my Thanksgiving break jaunt to Lake Placid. I spent summers there as an aspiring figure skater, but hadn't been back in years. Not much has changed, still frigid, obviously!

While there, I resumed an old family tradition and went to the premiere of this season's Smucker's Stars on Ice show. The performance's quality was far inferior to what I remembered seeing in the tour's heyday, when the featured skaters were Scott Hamilton, Kurt Browning, Kristi Yamaguchi, Gordeeva and Grinkov etc., but it was still exciting to watch my former sport live. Sasha Cohen really needs to work on her triple toe loop though. I was most impressed by the Canadian skater Jennifer Robinson, who landed a very clean triple lutz and triple salchow in her program, although her attempts at acting in the first half of the show were painful to watch.

Choreography is incredibly important in a performance setting like this, and the overall look of the show didn't live up to the standard set by its former director/choreographer Sandra Bezic, who is a genius when it comes to blending music and skating. The one innovative number featured Cohen playing a mannequin (minus skates) being lifted by 3 of the male cast members. It showcased her flexibility beautifully, and since she wasn't actually skating, she didn't fall like she did in each of her solo programs.

On the way into town, we stumbled upon the Swedish Hill winery near the ski jumps. $3 for a taste of 8 wines, including souvenir wine glass! Apparently they have a sister store on Main St. where one can try 8 more varieties for 99 cents. Next year we'll have to start earlier in the day. And hire a driver.

Deep Freeze

Clang Clang Clang

A week ago, wistfully noticing the dwindling number of summer days remaining on the calendar, I prepared a mental to-do list of activites I wanted to accomplish before the onslaught of academic year madness. Riding a cable car (and nearly being involved in a trolley/automobile altercation in the process...quite an adventure) was not on the list, yet was included in today's ambitious itinerary. I walked through the center of Chinatown tonight (not in NY, but another, on the opposite side of the country) remembering how my travel companion is always telling me that the world is incredibly small. I'm beginning to believe her. 　　

Summer listening: Feist - The Reminder
Paolo Nutini - These Streets (A Scottish Italian - the musical equivalent of Dario Franchitti.)
Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Music Vol. 1

Summer reading: Everything is Illuminated - Jonathan Safran Foer. I assume this is a hilarious book, unfortunately I'm not familiar enough with Jewish culture to understand all the jokes.

Summer activities: Visiting the Serra exhibit at the MOMA. Dog watching in Central Park. Eating at my favorite Italian place on Bleecker. Attending beach parties. Plenty of non-traditional exercise.

Photo by Alex.

New baby!

I'm officially living in a piano warehouse. I'm beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic.
Here's my new best friend:

This means my ex-best friend is up for adoption. We had a few special years together, but it's time for me to move on. Please let me know if anyone's interested, I'll enjoy being able to see out of my living room windows again.

Harajuku Girls

(L-R: Composer Tamami Aburakawa, Yayoi Sakaki, me, composer Yumi Hara Cawkwell)

After plenty of drama, especially the day of the performance, our Women's History Month concert was ultimately a great success. We had a moderately-sized yet extremely appreciative crowd, but for me, the most exciting part was having two of the composers featured on the program in attendance. The US premiere of Yumi's piece went well, the audience loved it, and I hope to play more of her amazing music in the future. I was lucky enough to spend some time with her after the performance and the following day, and she is definitely one of my new favorite people. See you soon in London, Yumi!

You can listen to an excerpt of the piece Groove Study XL (in its incarnation for six pianos, Groove Study Mega Mix) on the composer's Myspace page.