Did you know that the phrase, “warts and all,” is attributed to Oliver Cromwell, in his instructions to the portrait artist, Sir Peter Lely? According to the Free Dictionary, Cromwell ordered Lely “not to flatter him, but to paint him with any and all physicial imperfections . . . “warts and all.” Nowadays, when we… Read More Warts and all
Yesterday I have to admit that the period between 5:30 and 6:15 pm was pretty frantic. I actually had a relaxing day, as my only task was to find a piece of jewelry to wear to dress up my outfit. And I finally found it—an opal-esque pendant from Walmart that only cost $5! However it took… Read More Clavierübung—so many notes!
You’ll never believe it, but our tradition of inviting all of our 35th floor neighbors to a holiday party began with the St. John Passion in 2004. Carl Crosier always liked to give a party after a big performance, and even though we had just moved into our building and didn’t have any area carpets… Read More It started with the St. John Passion
On the 7+ hour flight on Lufthanza from Frankfurt to Boston, I flipped through the available entertainment channels and was pleasantly surprised to find a video of Bach’s St. John Passion performance by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Simon Rattle. What caught my eye in the opening credits was “staging by Peter Sellars,” and I… Read More Dramatic St. John Passion
Last week’s soloists for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion were not only the same soloists for Saturday’s St. John Passion, they were the chorus too! That meant there were only two singers per part, and the orchestra outnumbered the chorus. Pacific Music Works’ presentation of the St. John Passion was held in the smaller Nordstrom Recital… Read More St. John Passion