Unexpected

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 18 March 2010 00:00

“The best things in life are unexpected — because there were no expectations,” according to Eli Khamarov. I will have to try and remember that more often. But it’s true. My fondest memories are the ones I wasn’t expecting. Perhaps expectations are burdens that society places on us — in which case, I will do my best from now on to throw all my expectations to the wind and have you all as my witnesses.

The other night I found myself at Carnegie Hall, begrudgingly I might add, for a performance by the New York Lyric Opera. As of late, I haven’t really gotten excited by any of the performances at Carnegie Hall but this one was different — unexpected you might say. It was a performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto and gave me a new appreciation for this opera.

Modern art

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 11 March 2010 01:00

Sometimes it’s difficult to appreciate modern art. Sometimes people, myself included, don’t have the necessary vision to foresee how far ahead of its time a painting is. Other times, the so-called masterpiece is merely posing as a great work of art. Well, let me tell you about my favorite piece of modern art.

Gustav Klimt’s famous portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer hangs in the Austrian Neue Galerie in New York. Regal and elegant, swathed in gold cloth, this Viennese Mona Lisa is as much a femme fatale now as she was in 1907 when she was first painted.

Adele Bloch Bauer was the mysterious and elegant queen of Viennese society at the turn of the century. Married to an immensely wealthy sugar magnate, the couple spent summers in their castle in Prague. They lived in a palatial townhouse in Vienna where Adele hosted a literary salon inviting the cream of Vienna’s painters, musicians and writers. Her husband commissioned the great Gustav Klimt to paint his wife’s portrait.

April in Paris

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 04 March 2010 01:00

“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast,” said Ernest Hemingway. Paris has always been the place where artists and intellectuals gravitate — it would seem that there is something in the air there that people find inspiring. One of the darkest hours in the history of Paris was the German occupation during WWII. But it would seem that through all this darkness the Parisians still found a way to let in the light.

The French side of my family has told me many of their WWII stories. As a child I used to love listening, both frightened and fascinated. And as they would tell me their stories, these ancient relatives, old and weary, became young again as they told the animated stories of their loves, losses, the soldiers who fell in love with them. I was, and am still, mesmerized.

The Essence of Style

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 25 February 2010 01:00

“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn,” said Gore Vidal. I believe that must be true. Of course, the “not giving a damn” is the hard part. It is difficult to silence the disapproval that buzzes all around us when we try to be different, but that is something that all style icons have had to endure before they achieved their “iconic” status. French style is different, whether it be their cuisine, fashion or joie-de-vivre the French have a distinctly unique style.

If you’re interested in exploring French musical style, choral music that is; you may be interested in the upcoming March 7, 4 p.m. concert by the Greenwich Choral Society. Entitled “Music from a French Cathedral,” the concert will feature choral works by great French composers, thus delving into the heart of French choral style. Tickets can be purchased online at greenwichchoralsociety.org.

The art of travel

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 18 February 2010 01:00

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness” said Mark Twain.

Can such a statement be true? Well, travel does impart to even the silliest of us a certain amount of wisdom. Indeed, you can read about Paris, France, in 100 books but spend just a day there and you will learn and understand things books could never teach you. And when one experiences different ways of life it’s true that it has a tendency to do away with narrow-mindedness.

Those of you with a passion for traveling may enjoy the upcoming exhibit at the Bruce Museum entitled “Exotic Encounters: Art, Travel, and Modernity.” This exhibit will run from now until April 25.

Rebels without a cause

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 11 February 2010 16:50

“A lost battle is a battle one thinks one has lost” said Jean-Paul Sartre.

Indeed, the power of the mind is great and, some say, it can alter the path of our own destiny. Jean-Paul Sartre, famous for his philosophy writings, will be remembered not only for the power of his mind but more importantly for his infamous relationship with Simone de Beauvoir, a Goncourt prize winner and some say even greater writer than Mr. Sartre himself. Many consider her the greatest writer of the 20th Century.

A Gershwin valentine

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 04 February 2010 01:00

“True music must repeat the thought and inspirations of the people and the time. My people are Americans and my time is today,” said George Gershwin.

Does that mean we shouldn’t listen to Gershwin since his time has passed? Or is it more we should acknowledge him much as we do works in a museum but charge towards the future? I think it’s a question that any true artist, musician or composer should ask themselves. And what about classical music? That day and age is long gone, so should we acknowledge that music as if it belongs in a mausoleum? I don’t know the answer to that question, but I do know that to not ask it is profoundly ignorant.

This Valentine’s Day the Ryan Keberle Jazz Orchestra will join the Greenwich Choral Society in a performance of Gershwin favorites.

Bollywood

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 28 January 2010 01:00

In my opinion, there’s only one thing that can compete with Hollywood and that is Bollywood.

From the home of the Indian movie industry, these lavish productions are commonly referred to as escapist cinema. These movies are enjoyed by all strata of the population in India but some say that the genre evolved as a way to entertain the huge poverty-stricken communities — so they could escape their sorrows for a while.

The Red Ribbon organization is a Greenwich nonprofit aimed to help stop the spread of AIDS and care for those with the disease. It provides support for prevention education programs for high-risk people, cutting-edge research to eradicate the disease, and assistance programs for those living with HIV/AIDS.

The queen’s music

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 14 January 2010 01:00

I have a new favorite movie. Last week, I went to see The Young Victoria starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend, which tells the story of the young Queen Victoria’s life. I absolutely loved it. I’m not entirely sure what this says about my personality, but the costumes and sets were breathtaking — so spectacular that I watched it twice. It was like stepping into a beautiful painting.

But without a doubt, the best part of the movie was the music. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s grand love story is brought to life by their mutual admiration for the music of Schubert. Mr. Schubert’s infamous Serenade becomes their love theme.

The piano

Written by Victoria Baker
Thursday, 07 January 2010 01:00

Alicia Keys said “When I first fell in love with the piano, I knew it was me. I was dying to play.”

The piano is one of those instruments people just fall in love with. Maybe it’s because an entire musical universe is suddenly at the piano player’s fingertips. Maybe because it runs the gamut of Beethoven to Billy Joel and beyond, and it’s never out of place, never outdated. It’s an instrument steeped in history yet firmly grounded in the future. It’s an instrument that plays classical music as beautifully as it does jazz and pop music.

Those of you who are piano fans may be interested in the upcoming Movie Night showing at the Greenwich Library on Friday, Jan. 15, at 8. The movie, presented by Friends of the Greenwich Library, will be free admission. Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 is a feature-length independent documentary that follows the creation of a Steinway concert grand from forest floor to concert hall. Each piano’s journey is complex, spanning 12 months, 12,000 parts, 450 craftsmen, and countless hours of fine-tuned labor.