OMG GEORGE CRUMB

Tonight I had a George Crumb epiphany.

I went to a concert featuring three works by Crumb: The Sleeper, Vox Balaenae, and Voices from the Morning of the Earth (American Songbook VI). The concert is part of a Carnegie Hall series called "Making Music"; each concert in the series spotlights a different contemporary composer, and includes on-stage discussions with the composer. 

Sometimes the composer-discussion concept works well; sometimes it doesn't. I went to a concert at the Guggenheim last week featuring Charles Wuorinen. The programme didn't include any information about the works of his that were being performed, and he only talked after they were played. I was willing to endure some confusion and curiosity about his works during their performance, when I thought that he would explain everything afterward. But then, when he finally did speak, he barely said anything about the works played that evening!  I'm a pretty hard-core contemporary music supporter, but come ON. You have to throw your audience a bone, especially if your music is difficult (as his definitely is). If you don't give us a chance to understand, or a hint as to what we should be looking out for, how can you expect us to ever appreciate your music on more than a superficial level? And I'm sorry, but I don't abide composers who dismiss the audience as a bunch of idiots who don't know how to listen any more than I abide audiences who dismiss contemporary composers as a bunch of idiots who don't know how to compose. 

The Crumb concert was completely different. Before each half of the concert, a Carnegie staffer guided Crumb's discussion along very effectively, asking intelligent questions about each work to be played. While the discussion wasn't too technical for non-musicians, I still found it fascinating; I learned a great deal about both the pieces at hand and about Crumb himself. 

And then the performances. OH. MY. GOD. I fell in love with Vox Balaenae and Voices from the Morning of the Earth on the spot. Vox Balaenae, inspired by whale song, was just one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. And the diversity of sound-worlds that Crumb creates in Voices from the Morning of the Earth was breathtaking. I was sitting on the edge of my chair for the whole concert. 

All I want to do now is find every CD of Crumb's music owned by the combined forces of CUNY and the NYPL and put it on my computer and spend the next week doing nothing but listening to it. I recommend that you do the same.

A typical New York day

So....I had pretty much given up on this thing, but when I briefly stopped in Montreal on my way home for (Canadian) Thanksgiving I was severely reprimanded for this decision by two devoted readers who shall remain nameless. (I can't believe I had two readers!) They're probably wondering now why the hell I didn't post anything after promising them to write about my exciting life in New York.

Well, the answer is, it wasn't that exciting the last couple of weeks. I mean, I was in Ottawa, then I came back, there was a bit of a lull in concerts.....But finally today some interesting things happened:

-I shadowed a tour at Carnegie Hall, something that I have to do every week as part of my docent training, but something that nonetheless impresses non-New-Yorkers. More exciting to me though: seeing the face of a fellow McGill alumna, Emily Duncan-Brown, on one of the huge upcoming-event posters outside Carnegie Hall!!! She's having her Carnegie debut in a couple of weeks.

-I did some quality shopping on 34th Street (though I ran out of time for Macy's!!).

-I went to a panel discussion at the Japan Society featuring WILL SHORTZ (the NY Times crossword puzzle editor) and Maki Kaji, the "godfather" of Sudoku.  The discussion was super-interesting, and afterward I got their autographs!!

-I then found a super-cheap Chinese noodle house on 2nd Ave ($5.30 for a huge bowl of BBQ pork and noodle soup! That's even cheap by Mtl standards) that gave me a NEAPOLITAN fortune cookie. Seriously. Things you only see in NY.

-As I walked to Grand Central (! I love passing through famous places all the time) to catch the subway home, I had an amazing view of the Chrysler building, all lit up.

It's days like this when I wonder to myself, how am I really here, doing this??!! and I worry that I'll wake up and it was all a dream.

Day trip to Avignon!

The day after we went to the Camargue we went to Avignon. I had really been looking forward to seeing the Papal Palace, which was built in the late Middle Ages for the Avignon Popes (go Wikipedia "papal schism," I can't be bothered to recap the whole story). 

Walking through the Palace was mind-blowing.  As Notre Dame was primarily impressive because of the detail that went into it, the Palais des Papes was primarily impressive because it. was. HUGE. I also took to it because it fulfilled many of the stereotypes that any good medieval castle should: It had towers galore, complete with tiny, winding staircases, crazy secret passages, a bagillion rooms, each with its own wonderfully esoteric purpose, and crosses everywhere, even in holes in the wall:

The other big attraction in Avignon is the partially-collapsed bridge over the Rhône:

You got to walk right up to the edge and everything. It was pretty cool too.

Those two attractions took up most of our morning and afternoon, and we headed back to Aix-en-Provence, to enjoy yet another al-fresco dinner (I think the number that weren't outside for our whole trip was less than four).

 

Naomi once again realises the pitfalls of procrastination.

Ugh. I am officially the worst blogger ever. 

Well, maybe not the worst. I have too much self-confidence for that. But certainly one of the most inconsistent. Anyway, although my trip is finished and I am moved into my tiny dorm room in New York, I will try to recap the rest of my trip for any interested parties who haven't already heard every juicy detail three times over. Starting where we left off:

Day 2 in Aix-en-Provence

In the morning, we did indeed go to the market as I said we would. It was really cool! Rather than being one big market, concentrated in one square, Aix's farmers' market takes over several smaller squares nestled throughout the Old City. We had a lot of fun, both that morning and on the morning that we left Aix, strolling through the tiny, winding streets, happening upon new market squares every few minutes. Everything we saw was true to all the old Provençal clichés: gorgeous displays of the area's produce, olives and olive products galore, beautiful seafood, artisanal cheeses and meats....We only regretted that we couldn't take all the beautiful things we saw home to cook up our own Provençal feast. I would love to come back and rent a villa in Provence somewhere for a couple of weeks, and do just that on every market day.

In the afternoon, we went on a tour of the Camargue with about ten other people. 

On the way there, we drove on side roads so that we could see the beautiful countryside. As much as you may appreciate the work of all the Provence-crazed Impressionist painters now, its value will instantly double for you once you see in real life what their inspiration was. 

You are probably wondering what exactly is the Camargue, and rightly so. It is a marshy area at the delta of the river Rhône, most of which has been sanctioned a national park or wildlife reserve or something. It is famous chiefly for two things: the horses raised there (this may be the only place on the Continent where you can find cowboys) and the thousands of flamingoes that live in the bird sanctuary there. Yes. Flamingoes in France. Year-round. I know. Who would've thunk. 

First we saw the horses:

Later, after a quick dip in the Mediterranean (which was wonderful!), we saw many MANY flamingoes:

Look at this guy flapping his wings!

If you ever need pictures of flamingoes, huddling together in any number, striking any flamingo-y pose, I have over 70 other snapshots for you to choose from.

It was a really wonderful day - a welcome change of pace from the city/culture-oriented activities that predominated on this trip.

DEADLIEST CATCH MARSEILLE!!!

I know it's been forever since I've posted anything. Sorry. We haven't really had internet access for the last week. Later today I will post more about our adventures, but for now some quality pics from the Marseille fish market will have to suffice:

Pictures from Paris

I have been instructed to add some photos to the blog. But most of them are sideways (remember how in the age of real photos on real film that wasn't an issue??) and I really don't feel like putting in the effort required to figure out how to fix that on Blogger. Maybe later. So here are just a couple of teasers from watching the Tour de France's eight circuits around the Champs-Elysées yesterday. I tell you, Mom and I got tired just standing there watching them! I don't know how they did this for the whole day - let alone three weeks.

Here are the first few racers:

And here is the peloton (look at me using fancy Tour de France terminology!):

Today was much more relaxed than the previous days. We caught an early-ish TGV to Aix-en-Provence. To answer your question, yes, it really is that fast. I am a regular train-taker, and I noticed the difference in speed right away. Everything zooms by so quickly out the window! And walking while the train is moving is a little difficult. The scenery along the way was breathtaking - exactly how you picture the French countryside. We saw old chateaus and fortresses, farmhouses, and even an ancient aquaduct! 

We spent the afternoon and evening strolling around Aix-en-Provence. It is an absolutely beautiful town. Most of the downtown area consists of tiny, winding pedestrian streets, with tall, old buildings rising up on both sides. As in Canada's most popular resort towns (think Banff and Whistler), there are plenty of tacky souvenir shops and all the usual chains. But there are also some true Provençal shops, such as the beautiful patisserie we stopped in that was opened in 1792. 

For dinner, we stopped at a popular take-out pizza spot just off of the main drag. Our pizza came with chorizo instead of pepperoni, and emmenthal instead of mozzarella, substitutions which I would highly recommend you try at home. After dinner, we took in the crafts market that opens every night at dusk along the main street. Again, some tacky souvenir duds, but also some gems, such as the stand where I purchased an original illustration of the Paris flower market from an 1897 publication.

Tomorrow morning, we will explore Aix's food market. In the afternoon we will head out on a tour of the Camargue, a vast area of wetlands south of Arles where flamingoes roam free and you can swim in the Mediterranean. I can hardly wait!

Three days in (and around) Paris

I really wish I hadn't procrastinated on my blog for the last couple of days. Now I have so much to tell! I suppose I better do this day by day:

Friday – The Paris Sights:

Friday was our big sightseeing day. We started off with the Arc de Triomphe, which may just be the most impressive monument I have ever visited. I have always had a certain fondness for Ottawa's War Memorial, but Paris's is on a scale I could never have imagined. Of course I had seen countless pictures of it before our visit, but nothing can quite prepare you for something that is just so big. Not to mention intricate – the amount, size, and complexity of the sculpture that covers the Arc is astounding.

After wandering down the Champs-Elysées for a block or two, and looking at some $20, 000 Cartier watches, we headed for the Eiffel Tower. To be honest, it felt like more of a theme park than anything, and we jetted pretty quickly.

We took a boat along the Seine to Notre Dame, taking in the gorgeous views on both sides of the river along the way. I hadn't been too, too excited to see it, but like the Arc de Triomphe, it impressed me in person in a way that a picture never could. We looked around inside for awhile, and spent some time in the Crypte archeologique, where remains of Roman-controlled Paris (think 3rd and 4th century) were discovered.

We then went to see the Bastille, which was one of the things I had been most looking forward to. Evidently, my mom's historical education was somewhat less robust than mine (which I suppose suits an engineer vs. a musicologist). She was under the impression that the actual Bastille was still there, and that we were going on a tour of a real prison!! She was quite shocked when we got to the Place de Bastille and all that was there was a large monument. I filled in the gaps for her.

Afterward we spent quite a long time walking around the Bastille neighbourhood, which quickly became our favourite part of the city. Unlike most of the other areas we visited, it wasn't saturated with tourists – real people live there! We even had a nice conversation, entirely in French, with a bookseller who gave us some good restaurant recommendations.

On our first two nights, we had a great deal of trouble finding nice places to eat dinner – all the restaurants around us just looked like tourist traps, and the only places we had heard about were super-famous and super-expensive. But we ate Friday night at a seafood restaurant that the aforementioned bookseller recommended, and it was delicious! I had my first bouillabaisse, something I have long wanted to try. Mom had a nicely-cooked fish.

Saturday - Versailles:

We spent most of Saturday at Versailles. After some trouble with my metrocard, we finally made it there by about 1pm….and then stood in line to buy tickets for TWO HOURS. Ironically enough, when we got to the front, it turned out I didn't even need one! Evidently music students get in free, so all I needed was my student ID. They didn't even give me a ticket that says "free" or "student" on it. But I suppose I couldn't very well have gone in and looked around while Mom stood in line.

Out of the parts of the castle that we toured, my favourites were two halls near the end. One had huge portraits of every battle won by the French since the beginning of time hung on the wall, in chronological order, up one side of the hall and down the other. The other hall I really liked had sculptures of all the kings and France's most famous intellectuals.

Something else I found funny were the rooms that framed the Hall of Mirrors. One is called the War Room and the other is the Peace Room. I found myself wondering, is that because in the day of the Ancien Regime, the king would meet with his enemies first in the War Room, awe them with the Hall of Mirrors, and then get them to sign a peace treaty in the Peace Room out of the fear/wonder caused by the Hall of Mirrors?

The most amazing part of Versailles for me was the gardens outside of the palace. It's not that I've never seen a symmetrical palatial garden before (hello, Belvedere Palace!). But, like Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe, it's on a scale that I could never have imagined. Even the forests surrounding the palace are perfectly symmetrical.

I also appreciate the way in which the symmetry of the garden plays out within the palace as well. The windows in the Hall of Mirrors look directly out into the centre of the garden. And the window across from the King's bed looks right out through the centre of the front gate. I could go on.

Before leaving for Versailles, Mom and I cracked and finally bought a real Michelin guide to Paris restaurants (the website is USELESS). When we arrived back in Paris from Versailles, we decided to look up a couple of the restaurants in the neighbourhood a little north of the Bastille. It is a beautiful area, and we enjoyed walking around there very much. However, all three of the restaurants we tried were full! So we decided to go to another one that was on the same block, but wasn't in the book, featuring the cuisine of Normandy. This turned out to be hands-down the best meal yet of our trip. We both had delicious appetisers, followed by the most amazing lamb, served with its own juices (heavenly!) and gratiné dauphinoise – which basically is scalloped potatoes made with lots of cream, with a delightfully crispy topping of cheese. The waiter was very friendly, and was excited to meet "des étrangers" – a sure sign we weren't in touristland anymore.

Sunday – TOUR DE FRANCE!

Finally the day I had been waiting for came – the final day of the Tour de France, when all the bikers race down the Champs Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe.

Before heading out to the Champs Elysées, we had plenty of time to do some more exploring. First we set out for the weekly bird market on Ile de la Cité (the same island which Notre Dame is on). There were cages upon cages of canaries, budgies, finches, and all kinds of parrots. The highlight, though, was definitely a pair of baby Amazons, still partially covered in down.

After that, we wandered down Rue de Rivoli towards our favourite Bastille neighbourhood. Then Mom and I split up; she went to the Picasso museum and I paid a visit to Victor Hugo's house.

After lunch by the canal near Place de la République, we took the metro to Jardin des Tuileries, and staked out our spot for the Tour de France. We were only two or three people away from the barriers, and we were on the curb (those ahead of us were on the road), so we had a pretty good view. It was amazing seeing all the racers whiz by – they really do go very very fast! After their first couple of tours around the Champs Elysées (they do a total of seven), the crowds started to thin, and we got to go right up against the barriers.

For dinner, we phoned ahead and booked a table at a Michelin-recommended restaurant near the Eiffel Tower. Walking across the Seine and seeing the Eiffel Tower looming in the distance was quite magical – in my opinion much more so than seeing the tower up close. The dinner was pretty good, too – the restaurant was very chic, and filled mostly with locals, and our dishes were well-prepared (especially our appetiser of prawns!).

Tonight is our last night in Paris. Tomorrow morning we have to get up very early to catch our train to Aix-en-Provence. Paris has been fun (in an exhausting, touristy sort of way), but I'm really looking forward to spending some time in the south of France, in some smaller cities. Till Provence, then, I bid you adieu!
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