SYMPHONY OPEN HOUSE

 

Our beloved St. Louis Symphony Orchestra performs in a hundred-year-old building, originally designed for movies and vaudeville. It was remodeled to become the orchestra’s home in the late 1960s. Mrs. C and I went on our first date there in the spring of 1973 (Mahler’s First, but I don’t remember what she wore) and we’ve now been subscribers for, I think, 47 years. Despite good acoustics, the hall had many drawbacks, with very inadequate backstage space.

It had been closed for two years for a major restoration and construction of a large new building covering two sides of the old hall. We’ve been to a few performances already but there was a public open house on Saturday showing off all the new stuff. Here, a septet of orchestra members perform as a tango group (unfortunately, no bandoneon). Having visited Argentina a few times, I love tango. The group played some of the biggest hits, including Carlos Gardel's Por Una Cabeza and Astor Piazzola’s Libertango.               

Images And Memories

.
People who visit Buenos Aires may remember the sound as much as any other sensation. The traditional accordion-like instrument is the bandoneon, played here by an old master in the show at La Ventana. It has a character all its own that can sing with exquisite lyricism (it seems especially well-suited to sadness) or tap dance around your ears. The great modern virtuoso was Astor Piazzola, who died in 1992. I recommend that you run right out and buy his CD Tango: Zero Hour. You'll thank me. The first track, Tanguedia III, makes me shiver. Watch and listen to Piazzola perform it here.

I suppose if I go dumpster diving I can come up with an Arch picture for tomorrow.

Images And Memories

.

I have no new local material and this week is horrible at work. For the next few days I will post a few images from Chile and Argentina that give me something to remember. Time to get back to leaving some notes on my friends' blogs, too. New St. Louis material around the weekend.

Many more pictures have been added to the trip set on Flickr here.

STL DPB Far From Home: Life, Death And Transitions In Buenos Aires

.
My co-workers have an unfortunate habit of throwing black balloon birthday parties at the 10 year marks. I'm having none of it. I turned 40 and 50 far from St. Louis. Today I turn 60 in Buenos Aires.

This city has an intense sense of life and death. I shot some more in Recoleta Cemetery yesterday and was again struck by the monuments of mourning. Over the top by today's standards, sure, but so robust, so brazenly displayed by those who survive. In the evening, we went to the obligatory tango dinner show at La Ventana. Fabulous. Well-performed tango is electric, a swirl of motion and full of grim sexual energy.

A couple of museums today, then an overnight flight back to the US. Home tomorrow afternoon.