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Last
night at the Horticultural Society of New York's Flowers
& Design, The Avant Garden. Above, left: Rod
Winterrowd, Inc. Above, right: LMD floral events
interiors. 8:20 PM. Photos: JH. More table settings on
tomorrow's Diary.
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Last
night at Alice Tully Hall pianist Bruce Levingston returned
to Lincoln Center this season as soloist in the world premiere
of Philip Glass’ “A Musical Portrait
of Chuck Close.” The
artist and the composer have had a long close friendship and, of
course, the composer’s portrait by Close is world famous.
This beautiful composition that Mr. Levingston played last night
served as a tribute to the many years of friendship that the two
men have shared as well as the profound influence they have had
on one another’s work. It was a tremendous hit with the audience
who rose to a standing ovation at its ending. The pianist indicated
to the composer who was also in the audience and received a second
standing ovation. It was a pure New York night.
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The
Steinway on the stage of Alice Tully Hall
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Bruce Levingston is regarded as one of this country’s
leading exponents of contemporary music and has premiered
numerous works at both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as well
as appearing in
concerts and recitals throughout the world. Many of today’s
most acclaimed composers have written works for him including William
Bolcom, David Del Tredici, George Perle and Charles
Wuorinen. Mr.
Levingston besides being a virtuoso on the keyboard has the great
gift of friendship. Alice Tully Hall was packed last night and
someone sitting nearby me, looking over the crowd just before the
recital remarked in jest that “all of Bruce’s friends
are here.”
The title of the concert was “Portraits” and began
with Brahms’ Ballade in D Minor, Opus 10, number one “Edward.” It
was followed by Messiaen (from Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jesus) – L’echange and Regard
de la Vierge and then Schumann’s Kreisleriana,
Opus 16, which was a huge hit with this audience. After the intermission,
Mr. Levingston came back with “A Musical Portrait of Chuck
Close,” and after the ovation and the introduction of Mr.
Glass, he indicated to Mr. Close who was seated in a box above
the orchestra and waved to the clamoring crowd. I’ve been
in the company of Mr. Close several times – always at public
events and charity galas. He has a very warm and agreeable personality,
and you can see it in his photographs.
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The
pianist and the artist
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After the Glass portrait, Mr. Levingston played DeBussy and ended
the program with a rousing and powerful Liszt.
I went to the concert with my friend and neighbor Charlie
Scheips who loves music, and like me took piano lessons
as a kid. Although he is much more knowledgeable about what he’s hearing than
I am. During the intermission we were talking about the fact that
our generation learned to play the piano and many people had pianos
in their houses. The piano in our parents’ generation was
the guitar of the day, and was often played after dinner and on
holidays. I had aunts and an uncle who earned after-school money
playing in orchestras at dances on weekends. No matter the gray
times that might have been around, the piano seemed to wipe away
the tears and bring on the laughter.
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Bruce
Levingston playing Philip
Glass’ “A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close” |
Watching Bruce Levingston begin his concert last
night, however, I was filled with reverie and the intense memories
of those recitals when I was a kid. The fear of flubbing. So seeing
this man, whom I know as a luncheon or dinner companion, a man
who is full of the ease of conversation about life and music and
art (and gossip), I suddenly was filled with trepidation before
he started to play. No need for it, however: once started, I watched
the artist meld into his music, taking us with him.
There was a champagne reception afterwards in one of the meeting rooms of Alice
Tully, and not surprisingly the place was crowded. I saw lots of people I’ve
met along the way as well as a lot of people from the art and music world. David
Rockefeller was there, as was Agnes Gund and Daniel
Shapiro, Robert Storr, former of MoMA; Mr. Rockefeller’s cousin,
the sculptress Elizabeth de Cuevas, Arne Glimcher, Donald Baechler, Philip
Taafe, who lives in Virgil Thompson’s old apartment
at the Chelsea Hotel, and is a neighbor of Mr. Levingston; Chuck Close, Philip
Glass, Tim McHenry, and Ted Porter. Outside
Alice Tully Hall it was slightly chilly in the night, and the trees were blooming
spring. |
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The
artist's portrait of the composer
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The
artist and the composer
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Ruminating
on Dining Out Bigtime. I went to the AMNH Environmental
luncheon the week before last – a lecture followed
by lunch, a fundraiser. The lecture (really a panel discussion)
is always good. This year’s was about water. Last year
it was about women's health. The year before it was about
food. It's actually the same subject at this point because
we are definitely, as a civilization, whether we like to
think so or not, coming to the abrupt end of something, maybe
everything, as we know it and have known it up to now. So
when I read about the business of those men and occasionally
women and their well-heeled media lapdogs in Washington and
their ploys and plays and laissez forays, I am left in a
state of the utterly confounded. I could be angry but it's
too big a matter to be angry. Like dogs baying at the moon;
and does the moon care?
Friday night a woman friend of mine took me to Per Se, the Thomas
Keller restaurant
in the Time Warner Building. It is very chichi with a prix fixe of $175 per person,
not counting the drinks/wine, etc. It certainly is an impressive place, very
fancy and ultra-post-modern (Adam Tihany), although lots of muted shades of greige
and brown and beige -- but then, taste is phenomenal. The menu is a five-course
number or a nine course "chef's tasting." All the portions are small,
which is fine with me, and the "tasting" menu courses are practically
miniscule by Big Guy American standards -- which is also fine with me because
I'm far from underfed anyway.
But aside from the complex concoctions so carefully described on both menus,
a great many of the items were foods, mainly what we used to call seafoods, which
the environmental experts over at the AMNH are now including in their warnings
of what NOT to eat because of dioxins, PCBs and mercury chloride (for starters).
I know a lot of people are oblivious or ignoring such matters, (and I’m
often one of them for the sake of expediency). However, I tried to skirt, as
much as possible (not easy anywhere these days) most of those items, finally
rationalizing that I had to eat SOMETHING, no matter what. The result was spectacularly
presented, always interesting and with a variety of tasting experiences which
ran the gamut from okay to fabulous.
The room was full, populated (fifty or sixty guests) including mainly younger
people (late twenties, thirties, early forties), Wall Street hedge fund types,
people who can obviously afford it. Our bill, with tip came to $600. It was probably
one of the lowest bills in the room, considering what was going on at other tables
with everyone rapt to try the brilliant cuisine of the brilliant Mr. Keller.
Although I couldn't escape the fact that there's certain irony to the bill of
fare in America today where food-wise the most is the cheapest (and makes you
the fattest) and the least costs the most and keeps you slender; and yet either
or, we’d better watch out because Mother Nature doesn't play favorites. |
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