Orfeo ed Euridice

Two of the artwork at the lobby of the Metropolitan Opera did not go unnoticed as we walked in.

Canadian artist David Altmejd's solo exhibition at the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Gallery is connected to the premiere of John Adam's Doctor Atomic. This all-glass mirror contemporary sculpture many parts of which are cracked or broken symbolizes the effect of the first atomic bomb.

The Kneeling Woman : Monument to Debussy by the French sculptor Aristide Maillol grace the grand staircase of the Metropolitan Opera. It was originally created for a monument at Claude Debussy's birthplace, Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Today's program was Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice conducted by the renowned James Levine. Written for an alto castrato, the role of Orfeo was played by mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe. The way she was made-up she sure looked like Rosie O'Donnell from a distance. The dancers appear as characters throughout the opera their costumes were contemporary and the choreography a bit modern. Hopping and skipping at the conclusion of the opera, one man's comment was, "There goes your Greek myth of Orpheus. I'll take Jerome Robbins anytime".

I take that as a thumbs down for the dance component.

The chorus was pure delight, it reminds me of Nabucco - Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves. The 100-member chorus played a major role and were fitted with Isaac Mizrahi's costumes representing historical personalities from Moses to Callas to Gandhi to Jimi Hendrix. It was easy to miss the beautiful creations, unless you paid for premium seats, since the choir members were standing on three-tier levels on stage. Thank goodness for opera glasses. The action of the chorus is played by the dancers and the dance music was plenty.

The famous Act III aria Che faro (sung here by Marilyn Horne) and Act II aria Che puro ciel (sung here by Kathleen Ferrier) were probably the highest point of this production of Orfeo.

To me it was more of a dance drama, something different and I'm not strictly a rigid follower of and limited to the classical style of the opera productions. The music superb and the singing heartrending, but the stage design and the choreography is the sort of thing one either warms up to or dislike altogether.

I also found it odd that Amor, the god of love was dressed in a pink golf shirt and a pair of khaki pants with milk-white little wings on his back. It didn't seem to fit.

Nothing is set in stone, not even in the musical productions that adapt with the mood of the times. For those who have a penchant for tradition this Met staging was a departure from the convention, but it wouldn't be fair to say that the opera dies with Gelb's and Levine's concept of change. Che faro will play in my head over and over again regardless.

Culture shock - Nordic and Tokyo styles

After buying a skinny wedge of gruyere cheese at the Grand Central Market (that's all I could afford at this place) and having lunch of piping hot pizza with Ped, I dragged Rose to walk with me four blocks south of the Terminal to the Scandinavia House, The Nordic Center in America.

I remember reading a write-up on the Victor Borge Centennial exhibition but the starting date did not register in my head. It pays to check the web or at least call which obviously I failed to do - my mother who's a centenarian would do better than that. I know my friend the Ayatollah Mary (MCW) would laugh and have something to say about this. Go ahead.

To my disappointment (sigh) none of the galleries at the Scandinavia House were open at this time. The place is gearing up for the Victor Borge exhibition which does not open until January 24th. After picking up a couple of flyers from the information desk, we ended up checking out their shop.

The shelves were filled with fine luxurious handmade sweaters, hats, gloves, winter gear and clothing in an assortment of design and fashion Nordic style. Quite expensive I thought, since I just bought me a woolen hat from Windhorse for $20.00 at the Terminal and the same one here costs $40.00. What a rip-off! Rose and I didn’t give in to our desire to shop. Boohoo!

What to do now? I needed to get a few items from Staples and the nearest one I know is around my old work neighborhood on 41st & 6th Avenue, so we trekked towards that area in the 20-degree weather. I was nicely bundled up so I didn’t mind but Rose must be tired. On the way, she spotted a train station that will get her home, so she made a quick run for it and said goodbye to me. Oh well, she has to be home by 4:00 pm for her Oprah Show! That’s Rose for you. Thanks for the company, Rose!

Anyway, I cut across Bryant Park and watched the skaters at The Pond while I also took some pictures. What else? They did an excellent job of transforming the park into a skating rink for the winter, but a notice was posted that says it will close down next week in preparation for Fashion Week. That’s one show the visiting fashionista shouldn’t miss. American designers produce the fashion shows to show off their spring collection and Bryant Park will be converted into a fashion arena with tents.

Just before going in to Staples, I passed by a store which wasn’t in the area a few months ago. It is the Kinokuniya Bookstore. The store is impressively stocked with tons of books, magazines, DVDs, crafts, paper, a good selection of anime and manga (Japanese comics), music, etc.

Leave it to the Japanese - everything is so neatly and elegantly displayed on the shelves and the display windows. Some of the books were arranged as if they are museum pieces not to be touched just to be admired. I must admit the book jacket designs are refined and incomparable.

What shocked me was the sign conspicuously posted which says : No Photography Allowed Inside the Store. Really? Are they serious? I never saw such thing in any of the stores around here before. It doesn’t bother me, who says I'm going to take pictures anyway? I’m no Japanophile, and my admiration for Kurosawa and Hiroshige’s woodwork doesn’t make me one. Phew!

If you’ve been to any of the Mitsuwa Marketplace stores, you’ll know what I’m talking about. You’ll get a taste of Japan and Mitsuwa is not just your ordinary supermarket, it offers a wide selection of organic produce and a wide variety of Japanese food products. The pastries are delightfully decorated, but be prepared to pay a hefty price for them. That goes for the rest of the merchandise from juices to teas, frozen foods and beers. You must carry gold bullion in your purse if you plan to shop here. Pricey!! No thanks, I'll stick to Trader Joe's.

The best part of my daytrip I'd say is the thought that I got my hat at a bargain price. Thanks for lunch, Ped and did you know that it was my first time to drink Dr. Pepper? It wasn't so bad.

Despite all the letdown, I still plan to see the Victor Borge exhibition, I love that guy, he was so talented and humorous. Remember his Phonetic Punctuation routine? But will I ever shop at Kinokuniya? Most probably not! Barnes & Noble's good enough for me. Washout! No pictures.

Bench Warmers

Some heartwarming dedications on park benches

Come sit on me.

Spider-man

'love NYC

Gertrude Stein

Welcome, Mr. President

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

From Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost

Winter Splendor of Central Park

Endlessly fascinating, that's Central Park in the winter!

Some favorite shots after yesterday's snow.

5th Avenue & 70th Street

Sleigh ride!

Life in the fast lane

Walk, pedal or run

Light and mist

Come sit for a while

Gapstow Bridge and the Lake

Grandma Moses' view

Carriage Ride

Andrea Riccio: Renaissance Master of Bronze

The Frick Collection

Today is the last day of the exhibition dedicated to Andrea Riccio at The Frick Collection. Riccio was one of the most creative sculptors of the Italian Renaissance. It is a snowy Sunday and also a pay-as-you-wish day so I took advantage of that.

On view were 31 pieces of sculpture both classical and religious subjects mostly figurative statuettes and others are functional objects. From a sampling of the bronze masterpieces, what appealed to me most were Shouting Horseman and Boy with a Goose with it's exquisitely chiseled goose feathers and the boy's curly hair. Sword Pommel and Guard with the very fine details of Medusa's head is a breathtaking piece. The ithyphallic 21-inch male figure Drinking Satyr deserves the superlatives.

The small-scale statuettes are fancifully crafted in bronze, one must pay close attention to the embellished helmets, the folds in the muscles of the small bodies, the curls, the scales on the fish and the snakes, all in magnificent details. The smallest piece I believe is the Putto (figure of a pudgy little naked baby, almost always male) which is about 2 to 3 inches in height. Sculpture as I've never experienced viewing before. Just awesome!

The Garden at the Frick Mansion

The Frick Collection is housed in the former residence of Henry Clay Frick. Preserved in the ambience of Mr. Frick's private house, the collection is a rich mix of the finest paintings and other works of art by the greatest European artists.

The inner Garden Court (not pictured) with it's grand fountain and garden provides a peaceful setting for the elegant mansion and a place for the weary art lovers to take a break. The mansion itself covering almost an entire city block is a true work of art. Come visit.

A grand exhibition on a small scale but in a grand setting.

Wing and a prayer

It could've been much worse, but thanks to the "Tiger Woods of pilots", Charles "Sully" Sullenberger III , all 155 passengers of US AIR 1549 that he remarkably landed onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, were safely rescued.

Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III

He had the calmness that translated into the passengers' equally orderly exit and rescue. "Brace for impact" and a split-second decision to glide on the icy Hudson River on a blustery lower teens temperatures. He deserves a medal for a true hero. He got the job done and masterfully.

Earlier this morning I walked the snow-covered grounds and stole some shots of these small birds which were "hanging in there" for a few weeks more until the warm weather sets in. It was 11 degrees and snow was still falling. These birds weren't as large as the geese that were responsible for downing the aircraft later in the day but imagine what such an encounter between man and nature can lead to.

Go, Sully go and thanks to the efforts of the able-bodied New Yorkers: the dock workers, commuter ferries, a well-organized disaster plan and the response team and all the neighboring hospitals and workers that helped. A good outcome - as always New Yorkers were there to lend a helping hand.

"It's not the way people normally arrive (*or leave) in New York City," said Mayor Bloomberg, "but as long as they all got out safely, everything else is secondary".