There was excitement at the front yard feeders this morning. A small, blue jay-sized, hawk was chasing a small, gray bird around the feeders in an incredibly acrobatic 30 sec display. The small bird, maybe a tufted titmouse, stayed ahead of the hawk and flew over the roof with the hawk close behind. I lost sight of them at that point. The hawk was black and white with bold striping on the tail. I’m guessing it was a sharp-shinned hawk. A few times this winter I have seen little piles of feathers in the yard, so maybe the hawk has been here before.
There was also excitement Friday night at Carnegie Hall. The Philadelphia Orchestra with Conductor Yannick Nézet Séguin, a favorite of ours, played the NY Premiere of Nico Muhly‘s Liar, Suite from Marnie, his opera that recently premiered at the Met. The composer was on hand for an enthusiastic reception from the full house.
I found the piece chaotic at times but melodic at others. One of the instruments on the long list was a ‘brake drum’, an automobile part re-purposed as a percussion instrument usually used by steel bands. There was a piano toward the back of the stage used as another instrument for occasional notes.
Judy and I both preferred the next two pieces, Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 and Shubert Symphony No. 9 after the intermission. The piano got moved to center stage for the concerto, played by Jan Lisiecki. He’s a 23 year old, very tall and very brilliant pianist.
We had an excellent dinner beforehand at 'Trattoria Dell'Arte'.
The beautiful Carnegie Hall while the Philadelphia Orchestra was warming up.
Architectural details in gold, the acoustics are golden also.
Slightly closer look at the stage. You can see the open piano in the back on the left.
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