Hamilton's New York City Program students took a much-needed break from the cold and tumultuous world of finance this past weekend, attending the opera Il Trovatore on March 20 and a concert by the New York Philharmonic on March 21.
Although these performances were only a sampling of the rich cultural landscape that New York has to offer, the artistry presented in the two performances was joyful and angry, baroque and modern, traditional and eclectic, as well as everything in-between, a fitting analogue to the diversity of the city itself.
On Friday, students began the evening with a meal at Nick and Tony's Cafe on the Upper West Side and then headed over to Lincoln Center for the beginning of Verdi's tragic opera. Set in civil war-torn Spain during the 15th century, the plot centers around a military and romantic battle over the noblewoman Leonora between Count di Luna, the leader of the Royalist Aragon troops, and Manrico, commander of the rebellion. Fitting the Italian libretto by Leone Emanuele Bardare, Verdi's classical sensibilities and effortless glide among the soaring aria, the somber dirge, and the tempestuous battle song represent a romantic-period take on Mozart.
On Saturday, students convened at Gabriel's restaurant and hurried to a performance of a new percussion concerto, Spices, Perfumes, Toxins!, by the Israeli composer Avner Dorman. Conducted by Zubin Mehta and performed by percussion duet PercaDu, the concerto has a colorful provenance whose stylistic influences include jazz, western pop, Arabic, rock, and Indian. During the second half of the concert, the New York Philharmonic presented Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, an orchestral staple whose folk-music influences and experimentation with form make it a unique and pioneering contribution to the repertoire.
-- by David Foster '10
Although these performances were only a sampling of the rich cultural landscape that New York has to offer, the artistry presented in the two performances was joyful and angry, baroque and modern, traditional and eclectic, as well as everything in-between, a fitting analogue to the diversity of the city itself.
On Friday, students began the evening with a meal at Nick and Tony's Cafe on the Upper West Side and then headed over to Lincoln Center for the beginning of Verdi's tragic opera. Set in civil war-torn Spain during the 15th century, the plot centers around a military and romantic battle over the noblewoman Leonora between Count di Luna, the leader of the Royalist Aragon troops, and Manrico, commander of the rebellion. Fitting the Italian libretto by Leone Emanuele Bardare, Verdi's classical sensibilities and effortless glide among the soaring aria, the somber dirge, and the tempestuous battle song represent a romantic-period take on Mozart.
On Saturday, students convened at Gabriel's restaurant and hurried to a performance of a new percussion concerto, Spices, Perfumes, Toxins!, by the Israeli composer Avner Dorman. Conducted by Zubin Mehta and performed by percussion duet PercaDu, the concerto has a colorful provenance whose stylistic influences include jazz, western pop, Arabic, rock, and Indian. During the second half of the concert, the New York Philharmonic presented Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, an orchestral staple whose folk-music influences and experimentation with form make it a unique and pioneering contribution to the repertoire.
-- by David Foster '10
