a southern gal in the north

Both articles are from PLAYBILLARTS.COM

James Levine Cancels This Weekend’s Verbier Festival Appearances
By Matthew Westphal – July 20, 2007

James Levine
photo by Steve J. Sherman

For health reasons, conductor James Levine has withdrawn from his appearances at this summer’s Verbier Festival and Academy in the Swiss Alps. He was scheduled to lead the festival’s opening concert this evening as well as a program on Sunday (July 22) featuring the Mozart Requiem.

Filling in for Levine at both concerts will be Manfred Honeck, who in January was appointed the next music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony and who this fall begins a term as music director of the Stuttgart State Opera.

“It is with great sadness that I have to cancel my two concerts with my wonderful orchestra,” Levine said in a statement released by the festival this week. (He was referring to the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra, founded by Levine in 2000 and made up of students at and alumni of the festival’s renowned Academy.) “My doctors have strongly advised me not to travel but to stay calm and collect my energies.”

Levine has been conducting the Boston Symphony at the Tanglewood Music Center this summer, beginning with the orchestra’s first concert of the season there on July 6 and with Mahler’s epic Third Symphony last Saturday (July 14).

BSO spokesperson Bernadette Horgan told PlaybillArts today that Levine is still at Tanglewood, that he is up and about and working with students, and that he plans to conduct all of his scheduled concerts there, including next Saturday’s Verdi Don Carlo (July 28, starring Patricia Racette, Johan Botha and James Morris), Berlioz’s Damnation de Faust (with Marcello Giordani, José van Dam and Yvonne Naef) on August 18, and Boston Symphony concerts on three successive Fridays in August.

She also confirmed that Levine expects to conduct the BSO, as announced, for its European tour from August 26 through September 7, including multiple concerts at the Lucerne Festival and the BBC Proms.

Levine’s health has been a concern to observers for the past few years, as he has struggled with sciatica and intermittent tremors in his left hand and arm. In the spring of 2006, he took a four-month break (the longest of his career) to recover from a torn rotator cuff; when he returned to work that summer (at the opening concert of last year’s Tanglewood Festival), he said that he felt better than he had in years.

Leon Fleisher Withdraws from This Weekend’s Tanglewood Engagement
By Kevin Shihoten – July 20, 2007

Leon Fleisher

Pianist Leon Fleisher has withdrawn from his July 22 engagement with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood because of tenosynovitis, an inflammation of the tendon sheath, in both hands, the orchestra announced today.

Fleisher was to perform Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto. French-Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin will take his place in the same work. The substitution marks Hamelin’s debut with the BSO.

Fleisher’s expected return to the stage will be in Florida on August 2, which coincides with the airing on HBO/Cinemax of Two Hands: The Leon Fleisher Story, an Academy Award-nominated short documentary.

Tenosynovitis, which causes tendons in the fingers to lock or stick, is a tendon and muscle disorder that affects athletes and musicians.

Fleisher suffered famously from another such disorder, focal dystonia, which struck the pianist in his late thirties, disabling his right hand. Following treatment, he returned to standard piano works in 1982, performing them intermittently thereafter but concentrating on the left-hand repertoire.

From 2004, periodic Botox injections have enabled him to resumed a regular performing career.  Fleisher, who turns 79 on July 23, was Tanglewood’s music director from 1984 to 1997.

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Queen Anne's Lace
Originally uploaded by BadCatDesigns

Isn't this GORGEOUS!!!?

Designed by a member of our monthly knitting group … and a recent blogger herself.

Check out her other gorgeous creations – they are DIVINE!

Bad Cat Designs

Camellia Grill Reopens
Originally uploaded by ernieattorney

Somehow I missed this momentous event – if you have ever eaten at the CG you will understand.

I am so thrilled to see it open that i may have to visit NO – I haven’t been back since before Katrina.

Maybe it’s time. (well, not these next 8 weeks – you know the heat and all).

Go here if you REALLY want to know what happens to Harry Potter.

WARNING –  ALL is REVEALED!

Its the dog days of July and late at night and into the early morning cooler hours, I have been working daily (or almost) on the Shetland Garden Farose Shawl of Sivia Harding.

Here is where we stood on 13 July… this is in the middle of the second big side chart and working thru the middle section… i think these photos are in the 80s number of rows.

First the whole shawl (yup, lace, yup a pile)

Now a little of the center section (stretched a bit to see the design)

And here are my charts arranged on a music stand that sits next to my sofa

Last night I finished the 6–7 st st rows and started the large border pattern – but i had to rip out once because the number of repeats didn’t come out. And then I ended up with extra stitches which i just doubled up to make the pattern repeats work out and then after about four rows the last pattern repeat is not working out. 

so dang and blast, i guess at knitting group tonight i will have to rip again and try to figure out where the count went off – i guess i can just add up all the stitches and go back to the last st st row and increase or decrease to fit the pattern – i still can’t figure out since the rest of the charts were working out fine.

maybe there is errata?  i bought the pattern just recently from the website so i assumed it would be fine. 

hmmm.  well have to see.

in other news, i am ANXIOUSLY awaiting the BEE FIELDS Shawl pattern from Wooly Wonka Fibers.  Just a reminder of it in its gorgeousness. 

the cats trying to stay cool…

By Matthew Westphal
18 Jul 2007

Jerry Hadley
photo by Christian Steiner

Jerry Hadley, one of America’s and the world’s leading operatic tenors of the 1980s and ’90s, died this morning at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York of complications from a gunshot wound to the head. He had been in a coma ever since his suicide attempt last week; two days ago he was taken off life support following a review by the hospital’s medical ethics committee and the administration of last rites.

Family spokesperson Celia P. Novo said that Hadley passed away at 11:20 a.m. His breathing became labored yesterday afternoon and remained that way through last night, according to The Daily Freeman of Kingston, New York.

“He was never in any pain,” she told the paper. “He never regained consciousness, never responded to any stimulus.”

A product of the American heartland, Hadley was born in 1952 in the small Illinois town of Manlius, not far from Peoria; he received his bachelor’s degree from Bradley University in that city and a master’s in voice from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

More here

ONE WORD – GO !!!

Ok, a FEW more words – get ON the phone, ON the internet, in line, whatever  – GET A TICKET to this show!  

Patti Lupone gives what may be THE performance of her career.  From stopping the show DEAD with a standing ovation at “Sing Out Louise” through the heartbreaking “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” to the devastating finale, Ms Lupone grabs you by the throat reaching in to pull your heartstrings.   She inhabits this character willingly thus allowing us a look at all the facets of Rose – the scheming, driving, dreaming, tenaciousness, yearning hunger and fearsome ambitions.  With the climatic finale “Rose’s Turn”, Ms Lupone dives even further to the depths of Rose’s soul where we glimpse the nakedness of her life’s true desires. 

<img alt="Laura Benanti, Patti LuPone, and Boyd Gaines in Gypsy
(© Joan Marcus)” src=”http://www.theatermania.com/news/images/11140a.jpg&#8221; align=right border=0>Boyd Gaines gives a superb performance as Herbie, the ever loving, ever steady helpmate/beau/side kick with subtle layers to his character building to his exit scene with the professionalism and skill exhibited in so many of his performances over the years – including the most recent Tony-nominated JOURNEY’S END.  His ensembles with Ms Lupone and Ms Benanti are exquisite examples of duets and trios in musical theatre.

Right: Laura Benanti, Patti LuPone, and Boyd Gaines in Gypsy  (© Joan Marcus)

Ms Benanti is a delight – transforming before our eyes from the tom boy oh-so-not-willing-to-be-on-stage to the take-charge center-stage persona of Gypsy Rose Lee revealing the steely core beneath the softness of young Louise.  Not for nothing is she Madame Rose’s daughter.   As her physical beauty is unveiled during her big “stripper” number, so her vocal beauty blossoms thru the progression from scared dutiful side kick of Baby June thru the tender longing of “Little Lamb” to the eloquent elegant stripper Rose Lee.

The entire company is beautifully cast – with credible young stars especially notable for their earnestness and honest performances.  Tony Yazbek as Tulsa, the troupe member who runs off with June after singing “All I Need is the Girl,” is delightful and delicious – you will want to run away with him as well – he needs to be doing this kind of role somewhere else SOON.

Special praise for the orchestra and conductor Patrick Vaccariello performing this oft-played well-known music with panache and style and at a tempo which keeps the pace of the evening from dissolving into treacle.

Director Arthur Laurents celebrated his 89th birthday on Opening night (Saturday the 14^th) and has presented the audience a wonderful gift in this multi-layered, realistic version of his original production.  The original Jerome Robbins choreography adds to the perfection of the entire evening.. 

For three weeks only until July 29^th at the New York City Center.

 Reviews
TheatreMania
John Simon at Bloomberg.com
Ben Brantley at the New York Times
Linda Winer at Newsday
New York Post
Washington Post

 UPDATED 7–20–07  Terry Teachout’s review

Did you order yours?  If not go here NOW

Its being offered in two colors – the one above and a gorgeous honey yellow/gold.  While I love that color, its not in my color palette – so I went with the one above which is the original shawl knit by Anne herself.

I also succumbed to one skein (yes only one!) of Alpaca Laceweight Yarn in this colour – Nantucket.  If I can’t get to the island, I can knit the colors! 

Check your place in line..

My place (SIGH)

• You signed up on July 8, 2007
• You are #10384 on the list.
• 4666 people are ahead of you in line.
• 6106 people are behind you in line.
• 33% of the list has been invited so far