Intermezzo

Rockers delight

Bartlett Sher's traditionally-styled but actually ~new~ production of Le Comte Ory opened at the Met last night. Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times has pronounced it 'A Lively, Stylish Met Debut'. It's certainly spectacularly cast, with Juan Diego Florez, Diana Damrau, Joyce DiDonato, Stéphane Degout and Michele Pertusi all making an appearance.

when Jimmy met Patti

 
photo © Jill Krementz; all rights reserved

Taken at the Met's opening night party - lots, lots more on New York Social Diary.

Poetry ahoy! - Philip Glass and Patti Smith at St Lukes

Philip Glass/Patti Smith - St Lukes, 19 October 2007

The hot ticket du jour, sold out months in advance, and the only reason why I turned down Plácido Domingo in Die Walküre, was this one-off with Patti Smith and Philip Glass in the tiny and atmospheric St Lukes ex-church.

Described as an "evening of piano and poetry inspired by their mutual passion for the work of seminal beat poet Allen Ginsberg", it was part of the Barbican's 'Glassworks' weekend, a 70th birthday tribute to Philip Glass.

With Glass noodling behind on the piano, Patti delivered a few of her own poems as well as Ginsberg's. Reading with a passionate ferocity and a true musician's rhythm and dynamics, she melted between numbers, warm, equable, funny, spinning anecdotes like a favourite professor. In between the poetry, Philip Glass got a brief rest while Lenny Kaye joined Patti on guitar for a couple of songs.

Although it was nominally a Philip Glass evening, Glass himself played just three of his own works solo. Perhaps it was just as well. Although it's always fascinating to see a composer of Glass's stature performing his own work, it has to be admitted he's not up there with Pierre Boulez as a pianist. After titanically fudging Night on the Balcony, he redeemed himself with hypnotic readings of his Etudes 2 and 10.

The audience was perhaps more of a Philip Glass than a Patti Smith one, 'young people' in the minority. Neatly fitting the demographic was Leonard Cohen (and his gigantic crew) - who sat just inches away from me. He'll be visiting the Barbican for a Q&A on Saturday night (concert ticket holders only).

Some photos here - and thanks to the professional photographer who took them for being kind enough to share.