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mojosmomLet's see, the weekend started Friday night hearing the Newberry Consort. Actually, only one member, director Mary Springfels, joined by harpsichordist Barbara Weiss and soprano Christine Brandes. Hasse, Handel, C.P.E. Bach. Splendid, especially Handel's O Numi eterni (from "La Lucrezia"), a real tour de force. Think she's a bit pissed off? "May the ground beneath his feet open up/And the air the evil Roman breathes grow foul/Wherever his step leads him, or his eyes turn/May he meet ghosts and expect destruction."
Saturday was more of the CHF. In the morning, I went to a panel discussion by the three co-editors of the Chicago Encyclopaedia at the Newberry Library. I was very tempted to buy a copy, but didn't want to lug it around the rest of day! It was quite interesting to hear how fraught the process was. How do you choose what (or who) to include is a very complex and difficult question. Exciting news is that they hope to have it online in the Spring, with even more info. Even better, if things work out, online access will be free.
Then, having some time before the next program, I went to Tender Buttons and bought some new buttons for my red wool knit suit, an errand I have been intending to do for some time but just hadn't gotten around to. The ones I bought are gilt on glass, kind of a braided design. Now I just need to take them to the tailor to have them sewn on. One button (even two) I'll two myself, but 13? No, I don't think so. I also stopped at Hidden Treasures, but found none. Browsed a bit at Border's and then had lunch at a Thai restaurant (chicken mussaman curry and cucumber salad). Stomach satisfied, I went to St. James Chapel at Quigley Prep to satisfy my soul with a bit more early music. Ars Antigua doing Stradella, Vivaldi, Telemann and J.S. Bach.
Home to rest for a couple of hours, then I went to the Mexican Fine Arts Center for a performance of Sins of Sor Juana and yummy food, a benefit for Teatro Vista. The play was quite good, the story of Mexico's "Tenth Muse", a seventeenth-century poet and nun. It was unexpectedly humorous, and was told in flashback and dream sequences. The acting was generally up to Teatro Vista's excellent standards, though one of the characters (the viceroy) was played a bit too broadly for my taste. (More about Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.)
Up early again today to get back to the Newberry Library for the panel on Illuminated Manuscripts. The talk focused on a Book of Hours that the Newberry bought a couple of years ago from the Gould collection (hence, the "Gould Hours"). I actually saw it during one of their Associates' Days shortly after its acquisition. Paul Saenger talked about that acquisition, and then James Marrow from Princeton talked about the illuminator and his work, with side-by-side slide comparisons of his early and later work. Sandra Hindman talked about its place in the world of illuminated manuscripts, how we can use the book to learn about its maker, its owner, etc. Absolutely fascinating stuff. So much so, and so much information, that I was sure they had gone way over their time and I'd miss my next event. But in fact it only ran 15 minutes long (very unusual, ordinarily the CHF events run like clockwork).
Speaking of clockwork (nice segue!), the next item was a brief tour at the Adler Planetarium of a special temporary exhibit featuring their collection of sundials and other early tools for Time measurement. We started outside, with the Henry Moore equatorial sundial, and then went into the exhibit to see some very unusual and very complex bits of clockwork. Afterwards, I ate lunch in their café. The food was not great, but the view is one of the best in the city.
Having some time to kill before the third and final CHF event of the day (and last for this year), I caught the free trolly back downtown and thought I'd pop into the Art Institute Museum Shop for a bit of holiday shopping. Well, sorry to say, the only person who benefitted was me. It was 20% member discount day. And they had the Chicago Encyclopedia. Now, it's not cheap, though even at full price it's under $10 a pound, less than filet mignon. But with the discount, I couldn't resist. And then, I saw on the 25% off "shopworn" table a copy of Sandro Botticelli: The Drawings for Dante's Divine Comedy. So 25% off, then another 20% member discount, hmm, it would be a sin not to take advantage. It was not quite as heavy as the Encyclopedia, but put the two together and my arms did get a workout!
Next to the Harold Washington Library, for a very fun concert: the Chicago Klezmer Ensemble (and what a guy named Kurt Bjorling is doing leading a klezmer ensemble, I don't know!), and David Young and his group (he's an awesome young jazz trumpeter). Kurt and David talked about the differences and similarities (both agree there are more of the former) and they alternated playing examples. But at the end the two groups played together, and if they'd wanted to stay another hour, or two, or more, I'd have been happy (as would a good deal of the audience, I think).
Now I'm home, and will have dinner in a bit, then finish my Italian homework. First night home in over a week!
Saturday was more of the CHF. In the morning, I went to a panel discussion by the three co-editors of the Chicago Encyclopaedia at the Newberry Library. I was very tempted to buy a copy, but didn't want to lug it around the rest of day! It was quite interesting to hear how fraught the process was. How do you choose what (or who) to include is a very complex and difficult question. Exciting news is that they hope to have it online in the Spring, with even more info. Even better, if things work out, online access will be free.
Then, having some time before the next program, I went to Tender Buttons and bought some new buttons for my red wool knit suit, an errand I have been intending to do for some time but just hadn't gotten around to. The ones I bought are gilt on glass, kind of a braided design. Now I just need to take them to the tailor to have them sewn on. One button (even two) I'll two myself, but 13? No, I don't think so. I also stopped at Hidden Treasures, but found none. Browsed a bit at Border's and then had lunch at a Thai restaurant (chicken mussaman curry and cucumber salad). Stomach satisfied, I went to St. James Chapel at Quigley Prep to satisfy my soul with a bit more early music. Ars Antigua doing Stradella, Vivaldi, Telemann and J.S. Bach.
Home to rest for a couple of hours, then I went to the Mexican Fine Arts Center for a performance of Sins of Sor Juana and yummy food, a benefit for Teatro Vista. The play was quite good, the story of Mexico's "Tenth Muse", a seventeenth-century poet and nun. It was unexpectedly humorous, and was told in flashback and dream sequences. The acting was generally up to Teatro Vista's excellent standards, though one of the characters (the viceroy) was played a bit too broadly for my taste. (More about Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.)
Up early again today to get back to the Newberry Library for the panel on Illuminated Manuscripts. The talk focused on a Book of Hours that the Newberry bought a couple of years ago from the Gould collection (hence, the "Gould Hours"). I actually saw it during one of their Associates' Days shortly after its acquisition. Paul Saenger talked about that acquisition, and then James Marrow from Princeton talked about the illuminator and his work, with side-by-side slide comparisons of his early and later work. Sandra Hindman talked about its place in the world of illuminated manuscripts, how we can use the book to learn about its maker, its owner, etc. Absolutely fascinating stuff. So much so, and so much information, that I was sure they had gone way over their time and I'd miss my next event. But in fact it only ran 15 minutes long (very unusual, ordinarily the CHF events run like clockwork).
Speaking of clockwork (nice segue!), the next item was a brief tour at the Adler Planetarium of a special temporary exhibit featuring their collection of sundials and other early tools for Time measurement. We started outside, with the Henry Moore equatorial sundial, and then went into the exhibit to see some very unusual and very complex bits of clockwork. Afterwards, I ate lunch in their café. The food was not great, but the view is one of the best in the city.
Having some time to kill before the third and final CHF event of the day (and last for this year), I caught the free trolly back downtown and thought I'd pop into the Art Institute Museum Shop for a bit of holiday shopping. Well, sorry to say, the only person who benefitted was me. It was 20% member discount day. And they had the Chicago Encyclopedia. Now, it's not cheap, though even at full price it's under $10 a pound, less than filet mignon. But with the discount, I couldn't resist. And then, I saw on the 25% off "shopworn" table a copy of Sandro Botticelli: The Drawings for Dante's Divine Comedy. So 25% off, then another 20% member discount, hmm, it would be a sin not to take advantage. It was not quite as heavy as the Encyclopedia, but put the two together and my arms did get a workout!
Next to the Harold Washington Library, for a very fun concert: the Chicago Klezmer Ensemble (and what a guy named Kurt Bjorling is doing leading a klezmer ensemble, I don't know!), and David Young and his group (he's an awesome young jazz trumpeter). Kurt and David talked about the differences and similarities (both agree there are more of the former) and they alternated playing examples. But at the end the two groups played together, and if they'd wanted to stay another hour, or two, or more, I'd have been happy (as would a good deal of the audience, I think).
Now I'm home, and will have dinner in a bit, then finish my Italian homework. First night home in over a week!
