A "Lucia" for the ages

When Gaetano Donizetti wrote the opera "Lucia di Lammermoor," based on Sir Walter Scott's "The Bride of Lammermoor," he chose an interesting accompaniment to the title heroine's "mad" scene. At that time the glass armonica, also known as the glass harmonica, was an early forerunner to the theremin with its ethereal sounds. The glass armonica is a series of spinning bowls contained in a cabinet resembling a harpsichord that is played with the dampened fingers of the musician. To get a rough approximation of what the sound is like, try moistening your fingertip and running it ever so slightly around the rim of a fine crystal wine glass. Any glass will do; crystal just sounds better. The glass armonica was invented by Benjamin Franklin and was popular during the latter 18th and early 19th Centuries. To "play" a virtual glass armonica, go to this site: http://fi.edu/franklin/musician/virtualarmonica.html . There are two ways to play it. One is a fascimile of a glass armonica, while the other is a modern keyboard. Either way one can appreciate the ghostly sounds that emanate from this instrument and discern the degree of difficulty in playing it. Because of difficulties in staging the first production of "Lucia di Lamermoor," Donizetti rewrote the glass armonica parts and substituted the more conventional flute. It was reputed that the glass armonica player demanded more money. Whatever the reason, the opera had never been played with a glass armonica accompaniment until soprano Natalie Dessay and others suggested it be used for the Metropolitan Opera's new staging that began last October. Radio listeners of the popular Met Opera broadcasts were treated to the new production yesterday and the eerie result of Dessay's resplendent voice and the glass armonica in the third act received a well-deserved standing ovation of well over a minute. For opera enthusiasts it was an unreal moment where the original wishes of the composer who died 160 years ago were finally granted. And for those who enjoy what is highly regarded as Donizetti's greatest work, opera lovers (and the composer) were probably well-pleased. It was truly a "Lucia" for the ages.

The Old Gray Mayor

Mayor Ed Koch, who served as New York City's highest elected official for 12 years (1978-89) swung into New Orleans yesterday for the Jewish Federation's Campaign Celebration and I was one of only two journalists allowed to interview him. For an 83-year-old man who suffered a stroke and survived a heart attack, he is amazingly spry. He is as sharp a tool as has ever graced the shed. He just completed his 17th book, an examination of his dealings throughout his political career with anti-Semitism called "The Koch Papers." He writes a weekly commentary and reviews movies and boy! does he have stories to tell. Koch kept the crowd of 300 in stitches last night as he recounted stories of his days as a New York Assemblyman, a U. S. Congressman and finally a New York mayor. In between his colorful and lively remembrances were several admonitions and challenges to the crowd. The celebratory mood was diminished by the news from Israel of the slaughter of eight Yeshiva HaRav students by a terrorist. Only a few people in the room knew about the attack, since news reports had just started emerging around the afternoon drive time. Koch was informed by yours truly when I handed him a breaking news report I had hurriedly printed just prior to leaving for the the interview session. It was clear he was moved and he stated unequivocaby that the centrality of the Jewish people needs to be Israel. And he went even further. "We are facing from Islamic terrorists a war of cultures that is an attack on all of Western civilization," he opined. "At the forefront in the vanguard of defending Western civilization and being attacked for it is the State of Israel." As somber and telling as those words may have been, Koch didn't stay morose very long and following the interview session (and a private dinner for major campaign donors), he was ready to address the packed house at the Westin Hotel. He gave audience members what they most wanted: an interesting, gregarious and funny celebrity who engaged the crowd with a snappy rapport. His support for the State of Israel is undeniable. That led to what was probably the biggest laugh of the night. Koch recalled a lady who expressed concern about evangelicals' support of Israel. He told the crowd that she had stated to him that she felt uneasy because "'what they say is they cannot have their Messiah return unless and until Israel is fully retored to Jewish control and then they expect the Jews to convert or die. That makes me a little queasy.'" Koch said he immediately shot back with this rejoinder: "Let me tell you how to handle this. If there is news in the land of Israel that there is a new Messiah, seek him out and ask him 'Are you Jewish?'" The room exploded in laughter. "And if he says yes," he continued, "then ask him 'Is this your first or your second visit?'" Again the room rocked. "And if he says it's his first visit, maybe they should convert. If he says it's his second visit, then we'll talk about it!"

"Plan Nine from Outer Space"

Eureka! I have found it (again). I have finally secured a DVD copy of Ed Wood's cinematic classic clinker "Plan Nine from Outer Space," regarded by most authorities as the singular worst movie ever shot, directed or released. Those who have seen the 1994 Tim Burton movie "Ed Wood" know full well who Edward D. Wood, Jr. was. Johnny Depp brilliantly played Wood, the world's worst director and cross-dresser, but in many ways the real Wood was so much more a rara avis than even Depp could only approximate his capacity for the bizarre. Yet, as poor a director and as inane a writer as Wood was, he was by all accounts a ferocious fighter when he enlisted as a Marine during World War II. Wood lost most of his front teeth in hand-to-hand contact with a Japanese soldier during one of the bloody conflicts in which he was engaged. He saw combat in the Marshall Islands and survived the costly battle at Tarawa. It was Wood who acknowledged that he wore a red bra and panties during one of his landings, but that didn't stop him from earning the Bronze and Silver Stars and two Purple Hearts among his war momentos. After Wood was honorably discharged due to injuries he had suffered in 1944, he ended up at college briefly and later joined a carnival where he regularly bit the heads off chickens. It was only natural with his many habits and questionable talent that he would end up in Hollywood and that he would assume the roles of writer and director. Wood's first foray into film was "Glen or Glenda," a somewhat autobiographical look at a transvestite, in which he wrote, directed and starred. Aside from copious continuity errors and his using stock film for cutaways, Wood was driven to shoot pictures on a budget and strove to use the least amount of film possible. The results were laughable movies that received scathing reviews or were largely ignored by the public. Despite his being a cross-dresser, Wood was devoutly heterosexual. He was married twice, although the first marriage was never consummated when his new bride found out he was wearing better female undergarments than she had. The marriage was annulled several months later. His second marriage fared better, lasting 22 years, but it was reported he and his wife were evicted from their apartment just prior to his death from heart failure, probably brought on by his rampant alcoholism. Wood's triumph "Plan Nine from Outer Space" deserves special attention from critcs because it was so horribly bad that it lowered the bar for all others that would follow it. Many years ago I recorded it on videotape when TBS ran it late one midnight. My wife used the tape to record a David Letterman program she wanted to keep and when I found out she had erased my only copy of Wood's travesty, I exclaimed "You erased 'Plan Nine from Outer Space!'" "Yeah, so what?" she asked me. "But you don't understand, it's the singular worst movie ever made!" "And so I recorded over the worst movie, what's your point?" she shot back. I had to shake my head. I didn't have a retort to that one. She would never understand. It's like the Three Stooges. Guys get that. Girls never do. But none of that matters now. I have my own copy of the glorious Golden Turkey of all time and I can just make out in my mind the excited voice of director Ed Wood exclaiming on the set "That's it. Perfect. Cut!"

Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant

Hillary, I never knew you knew they knew you had it in you. But after Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island, there is a more than a spark of a scintilla of a chance that the campaign will wage on between the two Democratic hopefuls. On the Republican side, John McCain cinched his party's nomination and I think his role over the course of the next several months is definitely more enviable. The pundits are all over this one and the possiblity that Florida and Michigan may decide to "redo" their primaries could loom large. Frankly, it is just what any political junkie could hope for: the soap opera goes on.
Last Sunday I met a young man who is really making a difference. Ethan Zorn, the winner of "Survivor: Africa" in 2002, has been quietly working to stop the spread of HIV in Africa through his Grassroots Soccer charity (http://www.grassrootssoccer.org). Zorn, the curly, raven-haired and unshaven hunk with the six-pack abs was a fitting speaker at a gathering designed to promote youthful philanthropy. Here is a role model if there ever was one. Zorn has received numerous awards for his charity, which trains soccer players to encourage safe sex practices among targeted youth in nine African countries as well as in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. As Zorn explains, the numbers of lives lost to AIDS in Africa boggles the mind because it is so rampant and is clearly a heterosexual disease. Zorn started the charity with the proceeds from his "Survivor" $1 million winnings. Talk about paying it forward. This still young fellow, who lost his father at 14, is grateful for everything he has amassed in life. "What do you do when you win a million bucks?" he asked the youthful crowd. "It's not as easy as you might think." He may have entered the contest on a whim, but he is clearly a quiet and reserved man with drive and determination, points he probably picked up on the soccer field. "I want to be the type of person who can use his celebrity to make a difference," he explained. From your mouth to the ears of the future leaders and philanthropists. Bravo and mazel tov, Ethan.

Down to the wire

Is it just me or does this presidential campaign seem like it is running interminably long? Perhaps by this time tomorrow night we will have an insight into the final players. Perhaps not. All I know is that a win for Clinton in Ohio and Texas is a must. That's not news to her or her campaign and it's probably not news to you. To go for a big victory tomorrow night, Obama only needs to pull off a win in either of those two states. To go for a kill, he needs to capture both states and I believe it's all over. Then, perhaps, we can get down to the serious issues of deciding running mates. I've already mentioned Michael Bloomfield as a potential running mate for McCain. Even though Bloomberg announced he was not interested in running for president last week, he did not touch on vice-president. What about Ron Paul? Would he help shore up the GOP team with a more conservative tilt? Would Paul be interested in working with McCain or would he decline the honor? And on the Democratic side, who would be a good choice to run along side of Obama? How about someone to pull the party ranks together with Clinton? Is there anyone out there who could capture the imagination of the party faithful? If Obama does pull off a victory, would he benefit from a Southern Democrat like John Edwards to take the second slot? Or would he be well-advised to pick up a Southwestern figure like Bill Richardson to combat the influence of Arizona's McCain? Hmmm....
Signing petitions: One of the items I touched on briefly in the four part series I published last month (Of hoaxes, scams, and spam...), was on Internet petitions. These are well-meaning attempts at stirring people into action to let "authorities" know of your opinion. Quite often the petitions are aimed at Congress, but I must tell you that Representatives and Senators tend to discount e-mail as opposed to actual letters written in longhand or printed through a word processor. Putting a stamp on correspondence upgrades its importance to Congressional staffers. The most recent petition I received is aimed at stopping Microsoft from stopping its support of Windows XP slated to end at the end of June, 2008. Let me caution everyone. Microsoft is fully intending on supporting the Vista operating system and doesn't care how many petitions it receives. While they may have acknowledged that Vista had its problems initially by continuing support for XP over the last year and a half, the fact is that they have already rolled out a service pack for Vista and that will take care of the lion's share of problems associated with Vista. If you don't like it, don't send petitions. Think about getting a Macintosh. I did.

A Tale of Two Cities

With apologies to Charles Dickens, today's title refers not to his connection between London and Paris, but to the bond between two modern American cities, each of which have experienced untold tragedy. When terrorists struck New York's Twin Towers in 2001, the city of New Orleans responded by sending numerous gifts and personnel to the scene. One group provided meal wagons filled with Cajun and Creole goodies for the recovery workers who toiled for months following September 11. One of the most remarkable gifts was a fire engine constructed in Louisiana and presented as a remembrance for the fallen firefighters who had perished and as a replacement for one of the engines lost when the buildings collapsed. The City of New York returned the favor and that engine following the destruction resulting from Hurricane Katrina as a gesture of thanks. So, the two cities have enjoyed close ties in recent times. Yesterday that connection was made even closer when the Navy christened its newest amphibious vessel, the massive USS New York, officially known as New York (LPD 21) at nearby Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding headquarters in Avondale, Louisiana. What makes this vessel ever more speciai is its bow, which was constructed out of 7.5 tons of steel collected from the rubble of the Twin Towers site and sent to New Orleans. It bears the admonition in a massive gold ribbon 'NEVER FORGET." A crowd estimated at 4,000 watched as the massive warship that stands ten stories tall and covers a length of 684 feet was offically dedicated. Members of the New York Fire Department as well as World War II veterans who had served on the previous vessel dubbed New York were also on hand to witness the christening first hand. It was a day that made New Yorkers and New Orleanians alike proud of what they had done to shore up each other and to strengthen the security of the nation with the launching of a vessel specifically designed to target terrorists. The USS New York is scheduled to be commissioned in New York harbor in September on or near the date of the seventh anniversary of 9/11.

Marching along together

Before anything else, I must give credit to the Jefferson Performing Arts Society and Artistic Director and founder Dennis Assaf for a lovely production of "Tosca," (one of my favorite operas) last night. The opera was reset from early Nineteenth Century Rome to Fascist Italy of June, 1944 just before the Allies take over Rome. Sometimes updating the setting of an opera clicks and sometimes it fails miserably. To see Baron Scarpia strutting about on stage with menace while wearing the black shirt uniform of one of Il Duce's own was really quite pleasing and gave the tawdry tale of treachery and woe new relevance. Plaudits to Isabella Maderi, who played the title role of Floria Tosca, and Peter Lindskoog who was a truly evil Scarpia. Assaf held the baton as he led the orchestra through its paces and the melodic line he produced was memorable. Many opera enthusiasts hold to the belief that the staging must remain true to the composer'a and librettist's original intentions. While I do agree resetting is ill-advised in some cases ("Aida" and "Turandot" need to be cast in Egypt and China, for example), I am of a mind to believe that it can enhance the opera experience and bring it more pertinence for today's demanding audiences.
New Jazz Fest Poster revealed: The 2008 New Orleans Jazz Heritage Festival poster was just announced and I must say it is one that I will have to acquire for my collection. The subject is my dear friend Irma Thomas, the Soul Queen of New Orleans, as depicted by Douglas Bourgeois. Set in a lush Louisiana swamp with an old 45 rpm record player behind her and an old style microphone and stand next to her, Irma is seen through the artist's hands as an iconic and statuesque figure from the early Sixties, the time of her greatest popular hits. To view the poster go to http://www.art4now.com
Fast blog facts: Since the beginning of the year I have had 51 daily entries, which means I have only missed a possible eight entries in the past two months. Today marks the beginning of my third month and the 52nd blog for Kosher Computing. I look forward to hearing from you with any comments and hope to continue providing you a bit of information and humor along the way.