Yesterday I did two things that I always say I need to do more of, see live classical music and hang out with Erika. We went to see The Mostly Mozart Festival at Damrosch Park. That’s the park and bandshell in Lincoln Center. It was part of the Restart Stages, referring to the restart of cultural life in New York City after the shutdown. They are very careful with COVID-19. We were seated in pods, nobody was adjacent to us. I take that back, they were careful, not very careful. They did not check our vaccination status, it was on the honor system. Unvaxed people were supposed to stay masked. It was outdoors so I felt comfortable.
We met in Columbus Circle and bought out dinner at Whole Foods and then ate them sitting under the statue of Columbus. There are very broad benches there that double as tables and chairs. I had tikka marsala. I do well with Indian food. More importantly I was able to buy grits. I was disappointed the other day when I had my heart set on it grits for breakfast but found the cupboard bare. As Whole Foods is pretentious it’s labeled in large letters as “polenta” and in small letters as “southern style grits.”
Things were run efficiently at Lincoln Center. They staggered the entry times. The show was 8:00 but out ticket said enter at 7:45. There was no line to wait on. Our seats were near the back but as this was a symphony orchestra there’s not much to see. The program was Mozart’s first and last symphonies, composed at the ages of 8 and 35. The First is very pleasant to listen to but not a masterpiece, like I said, he was only 8-years-old. I know I couldn’t compose a piece like that until I was a teenager. That’s a joke. If any graduate level composition student wrote something that good his teachers would consider him prodigy. The orchestra was joined by students from local music schools. Some had never even been to Lincoln Center until this summer. It’s part of a program started in Union City by a Venezuelan immigrant to bring classical music to underprivileged kids. They have something like that in Venezuela which is why it can punch above its weight in producing world class musicians. I love the idea.
Mozart’s last symphony, the 41st aka The Jupiter is a mega-masterpiece. One of the great works of art. Even though I haven’t listened to classical music live in years, but I snapped right back into serious listening mode. I closed my eyes and visualized the music. Great classical music is a dance by a large company, and you get the most out of it when you follow ever dancer. I gained more pleasure in my life from my classical music courses than anything else I took in college. They pay off every time I listen. I was so intent on the music that it wasn’t until the break before the final movement that I noticed the large image of Jupiter on the stage backdrop. You can see it at the top of this page.
Yesterday was one of the special days to put a circle around in my scorecard. I got to spend quality time with Erika, and quality listening to Mozart. I even had an easy commute. I can get to Lincoln Center in just 45 minutes on one train. I know that to people in the rest of the country that’s a long trip, to an outer borough New Yorker that’s right next door. There was even a bonus dog.
A block later we saw another English Sheepdog. Are those coming into style? I never get that with dogs; all of a sudden, you’ll see many of a breed that you rarely saw before. Where do they come from? How fast can they be bred? That’s a large dog for a NYC apartment.
Tonight, more great music, Madeleine Peyroux. Speaking of great music, let’s see if I can record or at least script this week’s Gord’s Gold.
Wise Madness 