December 2nd 2021, “Tosca” by Puccini at the Met Opera; Dec 14th 2021,”The Lehman Trilogy” by Massini at the Nederlander theater; December 16th 2021, “Program A” by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo at the Joyce theater; December 12th and 19th 2021, Saint Ignatius Loyola’s “Annual Christmas Concerts”.
Welcome back friends, And welcome again, this week, to our wonderfully vibrant and cheerful, holiday season!
Yay! yay! yay!
And before we ring in the new year, let me share, a short, “medley” review, of four amazing holiday shows, performed in New York this season, and seen these past few weeks, originating from the world of Opera, Broadway, Dance, and Christmas carols!
Yay! yay! yay!
So happy!
Always great, to share wonderful new finds, or great recurring holiday shows!
Yay!!!!
Firstly, of course, let’s start with one of my all time favorite operas: Puccini’s “Tosca”, composed in 1900, and a tale from librettists Giacosa and Illica, based on the Sardou play “La Tosca”, and still as powerful and relevant, over a century later.
Wow! and yay! yay! yay!
And what incredibly beautiful music in this three act opera, from the first to the very last bar, and what incredible “classic” arias.
Wow! wow! wow! And Yay! yay! yay!
An astounding story about an acclaimed and pious diva, Floria Tosca, in love, and “an item”, with a painter, the talented and courageous Mario Cavaradossi; And Tosca, believe it or not, will soon be double crossed by a dark and terrifying suitor, Scarpia, the Chief of Rome’s Secret Police, leading to a terribly dark outcome for Tosca and Cavaradossi.
Oh boy! Oh no! Gasp!
Wow! wow! wow!
And this elegant, solemn, and jaw dropping production by Sir David McVicar, wonderfully conducted by MET’s Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, was as beautiful as ever, and American soprano, Sondra Radvanovsky, was fabulous in the title role of “Tosca”, a complex character to portray, both strong and vulnerable, and whose fateful destiny takes on an incredibly dark, yet riveting turn.
Wow!
Just awesome!
And now, here is my very favorite rendition by Maria Callas, of the heart wrenching “Vissi d’arte” aria, the most beautiful aria, in my opinion, from this opera, which depicts well Tosca’s complex personality.
Wow!
And Yay! yay! yay!
Enjoy!
Just incredible!
And there are still upcoming “Tosca” shows at the MET Opera, in January, February and March 2022, with various performers, go and see it if you have not already, you won’t regret it!
Yay! yay! yay!
Secondly, “The Lehman Trilogy”, is definitely an incredible piece of theatre, and can still be admired this month, on Broadway, after acclaimed, sold-out runs at London’s National Theatre, the Park Avenue Armory, and in London’s West End.
Wow!
And yay! yay! yay!
This is the story of a family and a company, that changed the world, a truly compelling story, which starts in 1844, in New York City, a tale illustrating perfectly, “the American Dream”.
Wow!
It is a story about ambition, family ties, capacity to envision new trends, new needs, new partnerships in society, while depicting iconic historical events from that era, whether in the South, in New York, or in America’s West, which unfolds over 176 years, in three “acts”, over a 3 hour long evening.
Wow! wow! wow!
Academy Award® and Tony Award® winner Sam Mendes, directs with great panache, and nuance, three amazing actors: Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Adrian Lester, as the Lehman brothers, their sons, and grandsons (and a few unexpected secondary characters, which make for wonderfully fun and sometimes even, hilarious moments).
Wow! and Yay! yay! yay!
What a feat!
Wow!
And to me, the wonderfully imaginative, simple, yet grounding, rotating, scenic design, by acclaimed artist and designer, Es Devlin, as did the video design, by Luke Halls, or the lighting design, by Jon Clark, brought as well, additional incredible focus and rhythm, to the this awe inspiring, and incredibly long and fascinating fable, spanning over a few generations.
Wow! wow! wow!
And Yay! yay! yay!
So what does the Lehman Trilogy” depict?
It starts on a cold September morning, in 1844, as a young man from Bavaria, stands on a New York dockside, dreaming of a new life in the New World. He is later joined by his two brothers, and an American epic begins: from starting a business, as fabric vendors in the South, in Alabama, the brothers will ultimately, start “reinventing” themselves constantly, become “middle men” for various businesses, and start buying, and reselling, and will eventually evolve, to becoming bankers.
Wow! wow! wow!
163 years later, the firm they establish – Lehman Brothers – spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy, triggering the largest financial crisis in history.
Wow!
And the writing to depict various key episodes of their lives, the capacity of this close knit family to constantly rethink opportunities, “reinvent themselves”, alongside the evolution of America, is just fascinating, incredibly intricate, poetic at times, and captivating.
Wow! wow! wow!
A truly remarkable exercise in storytelling, and acting, which can be admired on Broadway, until January 2nd, 2022!
Yay! yay! yay!
Definitely a must see!
Thirdly, Les ballets Trockadero de Montecarlo, are a recurring ballet holiday show, which always brings loads of laughter to the audience.
Yay! yay! yay!
This incredible, highly expressive, and joyful, international, comic troupe, an all male dancers company, once again this year, treated us to a variety of parody pieces, based on highly acclaimed ballets: from Tchaikovsky’s 1877 “Swan lake” (see picture below):
Wow! How fun! Yay!
To a “spoof” of Robbins’ 1969 “Dances at a gathering” (see below picture of the Robbins production, by NYCB dancers).
So poetic and lovely!
Yay!!!
To a “spoof” of Robbins’ 1970 “In the night” ballet (see picture below of the Robbins production by NYCB dancers), both Robbins pieces, being set to beautiful Chopin mazurkas, waltzes or études.
So dramatic and mesmerizing!
Wow! and yay! yay! yay!
To finally, a spoof of Balanchine’s 1975 “Walpurgisnacht” (see picture below of the Balanchine production by NYCB dancers), set to beautiful music by Gounod, for the 1859 “Faust” at the Théâtre National de l’Opéra in Paris.
Wow!
So charming and wonderful!
The dancers were all incredible, and highly expressive, and a holiday spirit of joy, fun, and lightheartedness was definitely floating in the theater.
Another fun holiday recurring show, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, to be enjoyed by all, until the end of the month of December!
Yay! and Wow!
And lastly, but not least, St Ignatius Loyola’s Annual Christmas Concert, this year held on December 12th and 19th, is another NYC Holiday show fixture, not to be missed.
Yay!
In addition to the beautiful excerpts of Handel’s “Messiah”, fun and sometimes wonderfully well re-orchestrated Christmas carols (“Little drummer boy”, and “Oh holy night”) can also be heard!
Yay! yay! yay!
And now, here is one of my favorite Christmas carols:
Enjoy!
If you can, go and catch this terrific St Ignatius concert, it is always a wonderful experience, filled with beauty and joy!
Yay!
Happy Holidays to all, and Merry Christmas!
Until next time friends, in the New Year!
Yay!
Soft…
Fluttering…
Sunny…
Joyful…
Happy…
Loving…
Eternal butterflies 😊