We’ve been gone. Oh, you noticed? That makes us happy. Our site has been down and having some technical difficulties for a couple of weeks. But we’re back and with a vengeance! You might notice some bumps and scrapes as we swing back into full gear, but our hearts and best intentions will still be there behind the glitches. In the meantime we leave you with these beautiful chuletas de cordero. Mmmm…
The house is quiet today. There is no “music” streaming – no, blasting – from some electronic device in my oldest’s room. There is no complaining about how “the twins ate all my cereal” Even her room is neat. Normally this would make me happy except… except…
We dropped her off at camp yesterday. It is her third time away. She doesn’t stay all summer, just a few, short weeks which seem interminable to me. My buddy is not here with me, my sidekick who is my size. The first baby. She looked so pretty when I walked into the cabin. And as I looked around at her new cabin mates for the first time I expected to see little faces of little girls, but there was something different about them this year. They were nameless to me, but these weren’t the faces of “little girls” anymore. These girls looked different. Young and pretty but in a “big girl” kind of way. It surprised me, but I don’t know why. My “baby” doesn’t look that much like a baby anymore, either, but I see the toddler in her still. I know what a “Mommy I’m a little nervous” feeling looks like on her, but other people don’t. They see a beautiful, petite girl with olive skin and dark hair and eyes. I still see her at 20 inches and 8 pounds.
So “Daddy” and I hugged and kissed her goodbye and stepped back. And then I went to give her a second big hug and she said “Mommy, don’t. I will start to feel homesick and cry.” Her eyes teared up a little bit, and she put on her glasses. And instead of going in for the second hug, which I realized at that moment was really for ME, I smiled and stopped. I realized that the first big hug and kiss was enough for her, and that she was OK. I realized that I was the one that needed a second hug, and to give it to her and to unbalance her would be unfair. And I remembered when she started pre-school and the teachers all said, if she turns around to play with her friends and isn’t crying or running to you, just walk away. She will be OK.
So Daddy and I turned to leave, and as I looked back she and her friend walked into the cabin.
The first Disney animated movie I ever saw in a theater was Sleeping Beauty (or La Bella Durmiente). I remember it through a haze, but I remember it nonetheless. I was so young, probably about 8 years old. And here is the interesting thing. I saw the movie in Spanish, because I saw it at one of the beautiful teatros on La Gran Vía in Madrid.
Three things stood out for me and captured my imagination about this movie. The first two, in reverse order, were the three fairies (Flora, Fauna and Merriweather – Flora, Fauna y Primavera in España), and the music. The score, of course, was a variation Tchaikovsky’s ballet, yet having heard it in the movie first I will always love it in a special way. A good score is an uber important component of a movie. Is it possible to beat Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky? It would certainly be difficult. After seeing this movie, my Tía Mar bought me a 45 (that’s a vinyl record for those of you who don’t know) with a book incorporated into the cover, which only had Sleeping Beauty’s theme music and the lyrics to it in Spanish. I listened to it a MILLION times and still remember the words by heart…
¨Eres tú mi príncipe azul que yo soñé, Eres tú tus ojos me vieron con ternuras de amor, y al mirarme así el fuego encendió mi corazón, y mi ensoñación se hará realidad, y te adoraré como aconteció en mi sueño ideal.¨
I learned two big words in these lyrics, “ensoñación” and “aconteció”. I even looked them up in my father’s Spanish-English dictionary. If anyone could ever claim that watching movies is fruitless is wrong. From this Disney classic I learned a greater appreciation of classical music and improved my vocabulary. And this does not even include the lessons learned from the story itself.
But what was the first thing that stuck me so intensely about this movie? Maleficent! ¡Maléfica! She was so bad, so evil, so cold… and the moment you saw her you knew it. She was shapely yet shapeless in her evil – long, lean and horned! She was green* and yet possessed what should have been the classic features of beauty personified, and yet her ugly nature shone through. She was complex, angry. paranoid and insecure. And her name was, no is, the best name for a witch of all time. “Maleficent” – desirous of or causing evil. None of Disney’s other witches can touch her. She is aloof, poised and composed. And her demise, at the hands of the Prince in her form of a dragon… well that just says it all, doesn’t it.
I am excited to see the new Disney adaptation of this old witch.
Recently Walt Disney Studios announced that March 14, 2014 will be the US release date for Maleficent. This new adaptation of the story will star Angelina Jolie as the witch! The film will be live-action and is said to explore:
“…the origins of the evil fairy Maleficent and what led her to curse Princess Aurora in Disney’s animated classic Sleeping Beauty. Leading a team of visionary filmmakers known for creating and transporting audiences to new and exciting worlds, Academy Award®-winning production designer Robert Stromberg (Avatar, Disney’s Alice in Wonderland and Oz The Great and Powerful) will direct with a script by Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Alice in Wonderland) Maleficent is produced by Joe Roth (Disney’s Alice in Wonderland and Oz The Great and Powerful).”
This sounds like an all star team direction and production team for certain. I am looking forward to seeing it, although March 2014 seems so far away. It will be fun, though, to watch and listen for the trailers, interviews and sound bytes as time passes. (I’ll do my best to bring them to you along the way.)
And so, I wait to see if Angelina Jolie as Maleficent will spark my daughters’ imaginations in the future, as much as the animated Maléfica did to mine in the past.
*It’s not easy being green!
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I was not compensated in any way for writing this post. It is just a happy childhood memory shared, as sparked by an announcement.
What is ¨El Día E¨? El Día E is a celebration of the Spanish language, which started in 2009. It was created and organized by the venerable Instituto Cervantes (http://www.cervantes.es/default.htm) , an organization developed by the Spanish government in 1991 to promote the Spanish language, and the varied and beautiful cultures of the world’s Spanish-speaking countries, around the world. It is an organization created for all lovers of Spanish, whether they are Spanish or not. It welcomes people who wish to learn the language or perfect it, and for countless individuals it has provided them with a new understanding of just how beautiful and diverse it is. According to the website for El Día E in NYC (http://www.eldiaenyc.org/home.html), there are currently 73 outposts of the Instituto Cervantes worldwide, and growing.
Why Spanish? For me personally that is an easy question. It is the language of my ancestors. It is the language in which I speak to my family. It is ancient. It is evolving. It is beautiful. Language grows and changes. Languages evolve. All languages evolve. In our ever shrinking world it is easy to note that languages are blending, as well. Words from one language are adopted into the common parlance of others, and just as the world’s cultural boundaries are softening and vibrating and occasionally spring leaks, so do those of language. Is there one language that is more beautiful than others? That depends on the nationality of the person you ask, doesn’t it? I don’t think there is. I suppose it depends on what your ear is accustomed to hearing or what might seem melodious to you. I am not chauvinistic about my love of Spanish. For me it is simply evocative of home, and it is beautiful.
This June 23, the 4th annual Día E will be celebrated around the world. The day on which it falls is determined by the summer solstice. The Saturday closest to it is the day on which it is celebrated. Why not? The longest day for one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. More than 495 million people speak it worldwide. (Would you like to see more staggering statistics? Visit http://www.eldiae.es/la-situacion-del-espanol/) That is a lot to celebrate! What it IS NOT is a celebration for Spaniards, or Mexicans, or any specific nationality or ethnicity. What it IS is a celebration for everyone from every country and ethnicity and culture, to learn and explore the Spanish language and ALL its beautiful cultures.
Here in New York City it is going to be a tremendous day! There will be live performances, tastings, dance workshops, Spanish workshops, raffles and more, organized around a street fair at 49th Street between Third and Second Avenues, from 11AM to 4PM. There will be authors, musicians and tons of activities for people of all ages. It will be a wonderful experience for kids and adults alike. Don’t be shy about coming out to this one, or the one nearest to you. As they say on the Día E site, it will be celebrated from Sidney, Australia to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (http://www.eldiae.es/el-dia-e/) You don’t need to know Spanish to go. All you need is the desire to have fun, eat great food and become a joyful part of the world around you. Locate your local Instituto Cervantes here (http://www.eldiae.es/actividades-en-los-centros-2/) and find out what they have in store for you.
See you there!
This sturdy bag will hold most important documents, medications and emergency supplies.
In case you missed it in my post last week Ready New York, thanks to the New York City Office of Emergency Management and the Ad Council, Mommylogue is able to host a worthwhile giveaway of a great “Go Bag“. We have already had a few entries, but I thought you might like to see what the prize actually looks like.
The kit includes batteries, a radio, flashlight, a blanket and more.
This sturdy backpack comes with useful items which would come in handy in the case of an emergency or evacuation. If you would like to participate in the giveaway, all you need to do is:
Safety work gloves are always a good idea to have in an emergency.
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The “Ready New York Go Bag” prize and its contents are provided by the Ad Council and the New York Office of Emergency Management. This post is part of a campaign with the Ad Council and the New York Office of Emergency Management. I received a Go Bag in exchange for writing this post. However, all the opinions, photos and experiences expressed are my own. The Ad Council and OEM adhere to the FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials.
Summer is upon us and you know what that means boys and girls. It means scary, dangerous, parking lot carnivals. You know – the kind kids especially love.
Carnivals. They look harmless enough, but are they really safe?
Not all carnivals are creepy, but we’ve all been to one that was. The one where giant black electrical cables run out from under the rides across the lanes where people walk, covered by black and yellow “safety mats” which you have tripped over many times. The one where the port-o-potties are lined up along the outer ring, beckoning your kids to “take care of business” in the most awful way possible. Or, better yet, the one with the “fancy” port-o-potties/trailers where a mysterious liquidy substance leaks from the bottom thereby making you BEG your children not to walk on the “wet stuff”. The one where you were forced to buy a minimum number of tickets that will never match up to the number of rides your children will go on, forcing you to either (a.) disappoint one of your children by making him/her sit out a ride, (b.) buy more tickets so one of your kids don’t have to be disappointed, or (c.) bring a pocket full of tickets home which you will find four months from now and make you say to yourself “boy was I a sucker.”
The ride that destroyed my shirt and almost injured my daughter's jaw.
This particular carnival was the perfect storm of creepy. All it was missing was a scary clown. The employees were miserable, and looked and acted miserable. They could not be bothered to stand at the entrance to each ride, groaning each time they had to stand up to open a gate and let kids on or off. Heaven forbid you asked them a question, each answer was prefaced by a deep sigh and a muttered response that you had to make them repeat three times since the first two were inaudible. They never checked my kids’ heights unless I asked them to check it. (Let me tell you, there is a BIG difference between 44″ and 48″ and if you are a professional carnival ride operator and this has to be pointed out to you, well Mr. company owner, you better hope your insurance policy is up to date.) You’d think in this day and age for liability sake alone they would do it. Most of the cables didn’t even have the rubber mat over them, and even my nimble kids were tripping over them. The port-o-potties… there were none! (That might have been a blessing, come to think of it.) And on the pirate-boat-ride-from-hell the edges of the seats were bent out of shape and so sharp that I actually ripped my shirt. And the fish tank had the least fish to water ratio I have ever seen. I can’t believe the fish actually survived in that tank.
The operator never checked to see if my daughters made the height requirement for this ride.
There were two saving graces. The first a lovely woman with almost no teeth (reinforcing my point about low pay) who operated the “fun house” and actually made sure the kids went through it safely. The second was the lady who worked at the win-a-fish game who treated my girls very kindly and mentioned that she had four daughters of her own. I reflected on these two women yesterday evening and thought about how hard life must be when you can’t afford to replace front teeth, or you have to leave your four daughters behind to hand broken beach buckets full of ping pong balls to other people’s kids so they can win a crappy fish which won’t last a week. And yet these two women, who were the only carnival employees who were working like they actually cared about their jobs, showed pride in what they did. They are noble people in my eyes.
Cables ran all over the walkways and around the rides where the children mounted and dismounted them.
And so, with all that said, here are my two cents on how to attend one of these events with your kids, as safely as possible:
And if you are a member of an organization planning to host a carnival, please make sure to do some due diligence on the companies you are considering to run the event for you. The last thing a well meaning, hard working, concerned and caring not-for-profit company (whose business it is to take care of others) needs is a tragedy on its hands.
Have you ever been to a creepy summer carnival?
We were all excited about our second trip to the Outer Banks. As we entered Cape Hatteras the sun was shining, but not as brightly as I had remembered from our previous trip in 2009. It was a portent of things to come. As the week started we began to hear rumblings of a storm in the Caribbean. Just something to keep our eyes on, according to the Weather Channel. But with each day that passed, the storm intensified until it became something nameable. Irene. It seemed impossible that the storm would head toward the East coast, at least to me. But head for the East coast it did and on August 23rd, 2011, as we were riding the ferry to Ocracoke Island, I received a phone call from my Dad. “I just heard they issued a mandatory evacuation of the Outer Banks.” “Ha ha,” I replied. But he wasn’t kidding.
Lunch was a little unsettling that day. All eyes were glued on the news, and I was feeling a little lightheaded. I thought it was a little delayed reaction to the ferry ride when I felt the deck where we were sitting move. Nope. It was an earthquake. It was too much for me to handle. First a hurricane, then an earthquake. I wanted to go home… but I was scared of that, too. We returned to Avon a little earlier than we’d planned, not wanting to stick around to get caught in a crush of people wanting to ferry out a bit early. Ocracoke’s mandatory evacuation was to take place one day earlier than the rest of the Outer Banks.
We spent our last day on Hatteras trying to forget what was coming. And so were all the locals, it seemed. Even our usual kayak rental place had written a request to please refrain from talking about the hurricane. It was ruining everyone’s summer.
Bonner Bridge, August 25, 2011, 6:30AM
We left the morning of August 25. My husband and I woke up at 5AM to pack the car, and we were all out the door by 6:15AM. The roads were lonely still out on Hatteras, with one care heading South for every 10 heading North.
Kitty Hawk/Nags Head, August 25, 2011 ~ 7:15AM
Traffic became a little heavier by the time we got to Nags Head. Road workers and emergency crews were out in force by 7:00AM to direct traffic off the island. All the stop lights were set to flashing yellow and police officers waved cars through to avoid congestion on the bridge out. I was both relieved and sad to leave. I was sad for a lost, very much anticipated, vacation. And I was sad for what might happen to the people who remained. We met many locals who said they would stay and even had their own hurricane rituals. They knew how to board up, they knew where to meet up, and it seemed that as much alcohol was being sold as water.
Not wanting to completely disrupt our vacation, we stopped for an overnight in Washington D.C. The capital was eerily quiet, though life went on. The oddest and most beautiful thing about it was the sky that evening of August 25. It was a strange, purple hue – beautiful and daunting.
We were home on the 26th. We bought water and toilet paper along the road home, stocking up just in case. We charged our cell phones and laptops, and I took my daughters downstairs, away from the roof, to sleep. It was a loud evening, but gratefully the storm was not as strong as had been expected and feared. But even with the diminished power, the damage was tremendous. In our neighborhood just north of New York City we lost a few trees, and our sewer just damaged.
But the damage in the Bronx where my parents lived was incredible. The Bronx! In a million years I would have never expected it to take the hit it did. New York City? Affected by weather? That kind of thing happens in Long Island, or Westchester, or Rockland. But not the city!
Not so. Century old trees were uprooted everywhere. It was impossible to drive down the streets. And those that didn’t fall during the storm did the eeriest thing. They fell AFTER the storm, taking with them power lines and light posts.
Hurricane Irene taught us an important lesson. It is important to be prepared for an emergency. The next week my husband and I went out and purchased a backup generator for our property and hired an arborist to inspect the trees on our property. We prepared an area in our home where we keep emergency supplies for good measure, purchased a hand crank radio and charging station, and we take routine good hard looks at our home and property to make sure it can withstand the worst. Since the turn of the millennium, two events have shaped my outlook on the importance of emergency preparedness. I don’t need to name them. You know what they are.
Are you prepared?
The 2012 hurricane season is beginning. It seems crazy to think about it now, in June. And yet it is important to be prepared. One resource you can use to prepare is New York Office of Emergency Management’s (OEM) guide, Ready New York: Hurricanes and New York City. It was eye opening for me as a New Yorker to see how much damage a tropical storm or hurricane was able to do to the City. It was just as incredible to see it happen. The guide includes general tips on how to prepare for an emergency, instructions on how to develop a hurricane disaster plan and secure your home, and a map of New York City hurricane evacuation zones.
Give Away
If you are the “ready for action” type, or even if you aren’t, here’s a great opportunity for you to start preparing. Enter to win your very own “Ready New York Go Bag“. The Go Bag includes the bag itself, a pocket radio, flashlight, first aid kit, batteries, worker’s gloves, light sticks, an emergency blanket, and more! All you need to do is:
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The “Ready New York Go Bag” prize and its contents are provided by the Ad Council and the New York Office of Emergency Management. This post is part of a campaign with the Ad Council and the New York Office of Emergency Management. I received a Go Bag in exchange for writing this post. However, all the opinions, photos and experiences expressed are my own. The Ad Council and OEM adhere to the FTC guidelines regarding endorsements and testimonials.
Juan Sebastián de Elcano
The Juan Sebastián de Elcano holds a special place in my heart. I’d encountered it on two special ocasions in my youth, so when I heard it would be in town for OpSail 2012, the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, I knew I had to visit it. It was the first time I ever boarded it, and I made careful note of the fact that, although I have not yet been to Spain this year, once aboard it I was on ¨Spanish soil¨.
Ship's Wheel on the Bridge
The first time I saw the Elcano was during the first OpSail – Operation Sail 1976 – for the Bicentennial of the United States. I was in grammar school at the time, but I will never forget seeing the ships from the terrace of our 16th floor apartment in Riverdale. We had a completely unobstructed view of the Hudson and some form of a guide to the order of the sailing ships coming up the river. I think it was a newspaper. It was a beautiful and hot day, and although I don’t remember what food my parents served our friends who had come to see the flotilla, I’m sure it was my mother’s best attempt as something “American”. When the Elcano came into view my mother was beaming with pride, talking a mile a minute and proud of the fact that she could see it from her new home in America. That day the Elcano became a mystic and majestic creature to me.
The Figurehead
The riggings
Think about climbing this mast, while the ship is moving...
The second time I encountered the Elcano was as a teenager in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We had gone on vacation to visit the family there, and while on the beach saw some sailors approaching. Although most were in their bathing suits, a couple still had their hats on. As they walked in our direction we heard clearly from their accents that they were Spaniards. And as they got closer the word “Elcano” show on the ribbon on their little white caps. My mother, of course, struck up a conversation with them commenting that they were so far from home. The sailors laughed and moved on to another spot on the sand. I spent much of the afternoon watching them (I was a teenager after all) and caught a funny exchange between them and a couple of local boys. A few of the sailors, who were quite fit, had spotted some coconuts on a palm tree a few feet away and decided to try to reach them. One after another they tried to climb the “palmera” but did not get far enough to reach a “coco“. Then a few of the local boys, roughly around the same age, took on the challenge and showed them up. Despite climbing the tree well, the Spanish boys never quite got there. But the Puerto Rican boys who probably grew up on the beach easily and quickly climbed the “palmera” and knocked off some coconuts for the sailors. It started and ended amicably. I filed that memory away until now.
On the bridge
Vitally important to every ship
It was a wonderful experience being able to finally board the ship on Memorial Day. From July 4, 1976 until Memorial Day 2012… 36 years had passed since I first saw or heard of the vessel. But I finally got to see it first hand, and reflected on the history of the man after whom it was named. Juan Sebastián de Elcano was one of Fernando Magallenes´ (that’s Ferdinand Magellan to those of us who studied history in the USA) officers on the voyage in which Magallanes has set out to circumnavigate the globe at the behest of the Emperador Carlos I (or Charles V depending on your perspective). Magallanes never made it, but Elcano was able to sail back to España on the Victoria, the one remaining ship of the five that had first set out. He was awarded a noble title and a coat of arms bearing the globe and the words Primus circumdedisti me, or ¨you were the first to circumnavigate me¨. These same words are found in several places on the ship.
Awarded by the Emperor Charles I to J.S. de Elcano
Spanish Coat of Arms
It is worth noting that in addition to seeing the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, we were able to see several other ships at the Brooklyn Piers, including the Shirane of Japan, the Belle Poule and Étoile of France, and my favorite (other than the Elcano) the Cuauhtémoc of México. My oldest daughter had the added good fortune of boarding the Guayas of Ecuador while attending an event at the Intrepid in Manhattan, as a guest of some really special and wonderful friends. If you are ever fortunate enough to be able to attend or view an OpSail event, it is really worth doing it. It is a wonderful learning opportunity for the whole family, and seeing and especially visiting a ship, particularly a foreign ship, will put a lot of what your children learn in school into perspective.
The Cuauhtémoc of México
The Belle Poule and Étoile of France
Wheel of the Guayas of Ecuador, photo taken by my daughter
I am happy and proud to have been able to take my daughters to see the Elcano, and am pleased to be able to share my memories with them now.
AUSTRIA/Vienna/Igudesmanandjoo / credits - @ Julia Wesely - www.julia-wesely.com
I first heard and saw Igudesman and Joo one morning in the midst of a frenzied preparation-for-school routine. Quite apropos. It was while brushing one of the twin’s hair and looking for a pair of pants for the other that I spied an interesting title on my TV screen. “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Classical Music.” It was a bold, “Allenesque” claim and, being a sucker for such things, I bit.
No, not my daughter. What I mean to say is that I dropped everything and watched the “documentary”. I don’t recall if I ever actually finished brushing the first twin’s hair or finding the other’s pants. In fact, I can’t even say for sure they wore pants to school that day. But what I can say is that I was intrigued.
As soon as the little angels left the house, I googled ”Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Classical Music” and came up with the names Igudesman and Joo. I read about their friendship which commenced at the Yehudi Menuhin School in London, their love of fish and chips, and their interest in making classical music more interesting and attainable to young people. That was the icing on the cake, or better said, the batter on the cod. Musicians, comedians and philosophers dedicated to making classical music fun. I became an avid fan. I visited their web site (http://www.igudesmanandjoo.com/), I followed their twitter account (https://twitter.com/igudesmanandjoo), and I liked their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/IgudesmanJooOfficial?ref=ts).
Sadly, all I ever read about was “BBC this” and “Wiener Konzerthaus that”. (Honestly, Nathan’s wieners are so much better). And just when there seemed to be no hope of ever my seeing them live, the announcement came. Igudesman and Joo were coming to Carnegie Hall! I went online immediately and bought two tickets in the third row, center orchestra. No – not for the twins. For my 12 year old daughter and for myself. And then I immediately regretted it… because the tickets were on the right side of the orchestra and my daughter would not be able to see Joo at work on the piano. So I bought two more tickets! These were in the third box, left, with the piano keyboard in full glorious view!! Then I gave the first two tickets to my parents. Heh. They were excellent tickets, nontheless, and were it not for my parents’ love of music I would not be teaching my own girls about it today. And it was my father who introduced me to P.D.Q. Bach and who took me to two of Peter Schickele‘s concerts, there in Carnegie Hall… in the nose bleed section, with a semi-obstructed view. So, yeah I gave them the center right orchestra tickets without the view of the keyboard!
The concert was excellent, and my daughter and parents had a blast. Igudesman and Joo are intelligent and very funny, and a tiny bit risqué. I did catch my mother look at up at us in panic when Joo momentarily made amorous moves toward the piano. But that was it. I was proud that my young one knew every piece of classical music they played from Mozart to Rachmaninoff, and that she understood the musical jokes. And if their own performances weren’t stellar enough, their guests were over the top. The first surprise guest was Joshua Bell, whom my parents had spied early on sitting near them. He had developed a little bit of a fan following there on the right side of the concert hall, being not only one of the best violinists in the world today but also quite attractive. I spied the second surprise guests immediately before the intermission when he stood up quickly and raced to the green room just as Igudesman and Joo walked off the stage. Billy Joel!! I kept an eye on him during the second half of the concert, as he was sitting right below us, and spied his fingers moving along his legs as Joo played for the crowd.
I can’t say enough wonderful things about Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-Ki Joo. I wish them continued and growing success. I hope that many others learn about them and have the opportunity to see them, and I hope for a world where all kinds of music can be enjoyed and laughed at – especially classical music.
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I was not compensated in any way for writing this post. I am only writing it because I genuinely enjoy Igudesman and Joo, and because I am trying to kiss up to them in the hopes of perhaps receiving an autographed photo… or a pair of wobbly, sunglasses worn by Aleksey himself.
Today, by accident, I happened upon a link to a Young People’s Concert which aired on December 1, 1961. Of course, the presenter, the lecturer, was Leonard Bernstein. Leonard Bernstein was ahead of his time, although you could make the argument that promoting the study and love of music is not a modern concept. Yet the way he embraced the technology of his time, and his conviction in promoting his cause by using one of the greatest orchestras in the world, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, is remarkable. I am a big fan of the Young People’s Concerts, but I’ll leave that for a later post.
The fact, though, that Bernstein chose “La Mer” as the jumping point for his lecture on Impressionism thrills me. What a combination of two things I love so much.
La Mer has a special place in my heart. It ties many beautiful memories of my youth together. I began to love Debussy around my Freshman year of High School. (I was not your typical high school student, that’s for sure.) I credit my piano teacher, Doña Sonia Vargas, with that. She, too, holds a very special place in my heart. But curiously it was my Junior year physics teacher, Fr. Timothy Donohue, who introduced me to La Mer. One day my friend Meg and I were hanging around the physics lab at lunch time (I told you I wasn’t your typical high school student) when the subject of “classical” music came up. We asked Fr. Tim if he liked it. He responded that he was not terribly familiar with it, but that he recalled once hearing a piece called “La Mer” which he had liked. (Yes, yes, I know La Mer is not a “classical” piece, but I am writing in laymen’s terms here.) Naturally Meg and I went on a search for the music, and I was hooked right away. I was, in fact, so enamored with the piece that I purchased a cassette – yes a cassette – of it. I listened to it night after night on my Walkman – yes a Walkman – with the lights off, completely depriving all my senses other than my sense of hearing, absorbing the music. It was transfixing to the 17 year old version of me.
I loved the music so much that I brought the cassette with me on my Senior year trip to France. I remember sitting quietly on the edge of the tub in the bathroom of my room in the Hotel Terminus in Caen the night before visiting Mont St. Michel, and listening to it while my friends chattered away in the room. I was trying to steal a moment of privacy during a very fun and decidedly “unprivate” trip so that I could prepare myself musically for what I was about to see the next day. I wasn’t wearing my headphones as the coach drove up the causeway before Mont St. Michel the next morning, but La Mer played like a soundtrack in my brain as the looming medieval structure grew larger and larger before me. If I ever return I will do everything in my power to have the music present and playing as it comes into view.
If you have never heard it before, I urge you to take nine minutes out of your day to listen to the first movement. You can do it here:
The version of La Mer I first listened to was also conducted by Herbert von Karajan. And if you love it so much you want to hear more, watch Leonard Bernstein conduct the third movement below. The quality of the recording is not great, but if you watch him conduct it, it will give you a sense of how much he loved it. And maybe you will spring a tear as I always do beginning at minute 7:30 (or especially at minute 8:10 of the first movement).
Thank you, Fr. Tim, for introducing me to La Mer at such an important time in my life. Perhaps you have met Claude Debussy already. Say hello for me. Rest in Peace.
Sweetheart, please close the garage door.
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These are links to some of my favorite places on the web, and to some of the nicest people.
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