24 hours of holiday cheer
Dec. 8th, 2007 08:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lauraanne_gilmanEvery December I swear I won't go into Manhattan until Those Damned Tourists leave. And every year I get coaxed out, against my better judgement...
I put a moritorium on my moritorium on holiday music Friday night, having been invited to hear the St. Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra perform Bach's Christmas Oratario at Carnegie Hall. It was a delight and a joy, even with the gentleman behind me attempting to cough to death on his own fluids, and the couple in front of us who seemed to think that they were at home and therefore allowed to whisper comments endlessly. I tuned them out, and lost myself in the music. And despite my partiality for tenors, the bass-baritone, a gentleman named Paul Houghtaling, impressed mightly, if only to wonder where he kept that Voice in such a relatively slender frame!
The Orchestra was magnificent (kudos especially to the trumpets and oboes), and the Chorus equally so, especially in the spectacular 'Ehre sei dir Gott.' For all the ills, historical and modern, that may be laid at Rome's doorstep, the arts thus inspired must also be considered. Just lovely... If you ever get the chance to hear them perform, take it.
After, midnight supper at Petrossian ("asking me if I'd like to come here is like asking a Muslim if he'd like to go to Mecca" = vodka snarf. Ooops.). Caviar and steak tartare, and several shots of chilled vodka, and I felt good will to pretty much the entire world (even our cab driver) by the time I collapsed into bed hours after the meerkat's usual bedtime.
Home this afternoon, despite some UnExcitement of which more later, and a quiet channukah dinner with C., opening a bottle of Very Fine Wine and talk of various things occuring in our various lives. A nice wind-down, and just what I needed.
At some point I will relapse into Bah Humbug. But for now, I'm still pretty mellow and fiiiiine....
And my lizard brain as already started churning on the next project. Back to work on the morrow.
I put a moritorium on my moritorium on holiday music Friday night, having been invited to hear the St. Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra perform Bach's Christmas Oratario at Carnegie Hall. It was a delight and a joy, even with the gentleman behind me attempting to cough to death on his own fluids, and the couple in front of us who seemed to think that they were at home and therefore allowed to whisper comments endlessly. I tuned them out, and lost myself in the music. And despite my partiality for tenors, the bass-baritone, a gentleman named Paul Houghtaling, impressed mightly, if only to wonder where he kept that Voice in such a relatively slender frame!
The Orchestra was magnificent (kudos especially to the trumpets and oboes), and the Chorus equally so, especially in the spectacular 'Ehre sei dir Gott.' For all the ills, historical and modern, that may be laid at Rome's doorstep, the arts thus inspired must also be considered. Just lovely... If you ever get the chance to hear them perform, take it.
After, midnight supper at Petrossian ("asking me if I'd like to come here is like asking a Muslim if he'd like to go to Mecca" = vodka snarf. Ooops.). Caviar and steak tartare, and several shots of chilled vodka, and I felt good will to pretty much the entire world (even our cab driver) by the time I collapsed into bed hours after the meerkat's usual bedtime.
Home this afternoon, despite some UnExcitement of which more later, and a quiet channukah dinner with C., opening a bottle of Very Fine Wine and talk of various things occuring in our various lives. A nice wind-down, and just what I needed.
At some point I will relapse into Bah Humbug. But for now, I'm still pretty mellow and fiiiiine....
And my lizard brain as already started churning on the next project. Back to work on the morrow.
