Carnegie Hall in Four Movements

One of the fun things about New York is that friends take you to dinner and Carnegie Hall to celebrate you. At least that has been my experience.

Tonight Ellie and I had a wonderful dinner and a great evening at one of the most famous concert halls in the world. I gloat because it is just so gloatable and I am overcome with gratitude and good fortune tonight.

1. We had the best seats. Row L Orchestra right off the aisle. I have never NOT been up in the gods in Carnegie Hall and here I am ruined for life with these fantastic seats. It is like finally getting a washer/dryer in your apartment, there is no going back, at least not happily. Or getting bumped up on an airline. I show my true bumpkin colors here.



2. Looking up from these seats I see all the balconies painted cream and done up in elaborate gold leaf. It is as if I have been shrunk and I am looking up at the most glorious wedding cake made of layers and layers of the finest buttercream adorned with little peoples' heads way up top.



3. Carnegie Hall has always had a special place for me because Andrew Carnegie was from Scotland where my mother is from, but more so because my dad sang a solo here probably in the late 40's. He used to say in his off-beat expression of love whenever any of us kids achieved some level of greatness: "Come and see me once you have sung a solo at Carnegie Hall."


4. Being up so close to the orchestra for an evening and seeing the shoelaces and eyeglasses on cellists and violinists, there were a few I felt I had come to know and have a relationship with. "I wonder where he lives in Chicago and if he planning to go out in the Big Apple tonight?" "That girl in the pants I wonder if she thinks she is a better violinist than that girl in the long skirt next to her?" "I bet those bassists think they are cooler than the oboe players." Rarely do these close personal relationships with this orchestra members happen in the balcony. It is akin to when I used to drive up Highway 5 from LA to San Francisco and there were certain cars I used to tag team with on the way up. Some would pass me and then I would pass them. I felt like we had a relationship of sorts. And there were some I loved and some were my Dick Dastardly enemies. I would make up bios for each of them to pass the time. I did the same here. Clearly I need to get a cat.

Pierre Boulez conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and they were wonderful. They played pieces by Stravinsky, Varese and Elliot Carter. Elliot Carter just turned 100 a few months ago and was there in the audience. He wrote Reflexions which was played tonight for Pierre Boulez.



It was a love fest all around