Pop Stand

Welcome back to "Where In the World Is JoAnn Falletta?," the show wherein we track and trail our globe-trotting maestra around the wide, wide world.

Last time we played this game we were a few miles off. It turned out our divinations were not completely accurate. Falletta was in London, not where we said she was. Well, we were close! Getting there was half the fun.

Today we are absolutely sure! So, without further ado ...

Where in the world is JoAnn Falletta?

She is in this city.

Here is a hint. The city's name means "Northern Capital."

Let us take another shot. It is of ancient fortifications!

Here is a clue that is closer to home.

Think food.

Got it yet? JoAnn Falletta is in ...

Beijing!

That is the Great Hall of the People above. And above that is Peking Duck. Before it was Beijing, Beijing was Peking.

The Tonawanda map will lead you to Beijing Garden.

The picture above that is of the Great Wall where JoAnn Falletta went wandering the other day according to an email she sent to Pop Stand. That's right, this is direct information!

"I am here in Beijing, conducting the Beijing Symphony - What a fascinating city- I went walking today on the Great Wall  (actually quite challenging- it is VERY steep) and went to the Ming Tombs and the Olympic Stadium, she writes.

She adds: "The concert will actually take place in the Forbidden City!"

Pop Stand wrote back to Falletta telling her not to get persecuted, that from what we were reading, a lot of people in Beijing were getting persecuted.

She replied:

"So far it has been wonderful! The environment is very different, but somehow musicians must have the same chemical makeup.  We really enjoyed our Tchaikovsky and Beethoven together today. No discussion of politics! Just music-making."

BPO Concertmaster Michael Ludwig is making his debut in Beijing. He is playing the Wieniawski D Minor Concerto which goes like this.

That is an earlier Michael on violin. It is Michael Rabin. What a romantic piece that is.

The Forbidden City is echoing with it even as we speak!

Wow, my heart beat fast -- in three-quarter time, of course -- when I learned I would have a chance to become the Official Photographer for Andre Rieu when he comes to HSBC Arena this fall.

Everyone has a chance! So blared a bulletin from Rieu-land.

The perks are many:

"The winner for the show at HSBC Arena will receive a pair of tickets for great seats to the show on November 21, a Nikon CoolPix digital camera, an autographed tour program, and a chance to win a specially designed canvas that utilizes their photo.   The winner will document his/her experience at the concert, with photos taken before and during the performance, and then send their favourite shots to the Web site after the concert.  The best photos from each concert will be featured on Andre’s site, offering fans not at those shows a glimpse of what they’re missing."

So... how does one throw one's cap into the Waltz King ring?

This is kind of a disappointment but you do not have to swim the blue Danube, or demonstrate your skills at the waltz or the polka. You do not have to write in 50 words what Johann Strauss Jr. waltz is your favorite and why.

You do not even have to take any pictures and send them in, demonstrating your skills as a paparazzo.

It appears that you just get on Andre Rieu's Web site and register for a drawing.

Pick me, Andre, pick me!

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

This is the game wherein we take on the challenging task of locating our effervescent, unpredictable and globe-trotting Buffalo Philharmonic Music Director.

In this round -- Round 4, I think, it is -- the answer is especially exotic.

This time, it jumped out at me pretty quickly! I found out on Facebook, is what happened. Because of a post -- elementary, my dear Watson -- by the British author Norman Lebrecht. Norman Lebrecht, who in addition to his books writes the music blog Slipped Disc, is something of a globe-trotter himself. He is also a Facebook friend of mine. Let me say this right now: Anyone who knocks down Facebook and Twitter has no idea what he or she is talking about. Facebook and Twitter have been awfully darn good to me.

Norman Lebrecht wrote on Facebook this morning that he is having lunch with JoAnn Falletta .... where?

Here is a picture.

 
That is a cab in front of their City Hall!

By the look of the cab you get the idea that we are not in Kansas any more, or even in America. You are correct!

But where are we? Where in the world is JoAnn Falletta?

Here is another picture. This is where the orchestra plays.

Here is a musical hint. This is a famous song sung by a tenor I love.

Now you are getting warmer! But it is not enough to say the country. You must say the city!

While you are thinking, you may listen to the song sung by the great Irish tenor John McCormack. You know me, I love my John McCormack.

I did not want to give away the tune's actual official name but now I have. It is from Londonderry.

JoAnn Falletta is in ...

... Ulster! 

She is the new music director of the Ulster Orchestra -- that is, when she is not here in Buffalo -- and that is where she is today having lunch with my Facebook friend Norman Lebrecht. And might I add that I introduced the two of them. Norman Lebrecht visited Buffalo last fall, reading from his new book "Why Mahler?" And it was my great pleasure to introduce Norman to JoAnn over a beer at Founding Fathers.

That is a picture up above of a pub in Ulster.

I hope JoAnn Falletta and Norman Lebrecht are having a beer there!

-- Mary Kunz Goldman 

Last night I caught Suzanne Vega's voice on WNED-FM, the classical music station. It seems she is the host of San Francisco Symphony broadcasts.

That is Suzanne pictured at left. She is currently the host of a series called "13 Days When Music Changed Forever." There are episodes about  Bach and Mozart as well as 20th Century avant garde events which, we know a thing or two about that stuff here in Buffalo.

What with Vega having been championed by the late Buffalo folk singer Michael Meldrum, and San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas a former music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Buffalo vibe must be strong these days in the Bay Area. All roads lead to Allentown, you know? It's true.

The upcoming episode is about how piano maker Sebastien Erard gave Beethoven a new piano and inspired him to create revolutionary music. Hear it on the radio or listen to it here. This is a nice show! It's fun to hear Michael Tilson Thomas. He has a cute way of putting things. "You can think of the keyboard as kind of a word processor of sound." Ha, ha! When was the last time you heard the words "word processor"? But it kind of entered the language. Meanwhile Suzanne Vega is a great host. She does not get on your nerves. It is fun to listen to her talking about Beethoven's "Waldstein" Sonata. And you get to hear a lot of wonderful piano.

San Francisco Symphony broadcasts are heard on WNED, 94.5 FM on Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

In the blink of an eye...

In the sparkle of a sequin...

And before you could say "Stayin' Alive"....

The World's Largest Disco sold out!

"This includes both the VIP and General Admission events. We expect there will be some cancellations, so if you are interested in signing up for our waiting list please do so," the disco organizers announce in an email.

Oh, no! Perhaps it was the last two days' of relentless disco talk on PopStand that did it! We have been on kind of a disco kick.

The grim bulletin continues:

"As previously promised, there will be a small allotment of tickets (300) that will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, August 13th at 10:00am thru Ticketmaster.com.  These tickets will be sold at a cost of $65 but will include all regular Ticketmaster services charges. Star 102.5 will also be giving away tickets on the air over the next few months so be sure to listen in for your chance to win tickets."

The disco is Nov. 26 at the Buffalo Convention Center. Above is a Buffalo News file photo taken at last year's bash, of a Toronto guy dancing the night away.

Those of us unfortunate enough to be left out in the cold may get on the waiting list by clicking here -- or here for the VIP waiting list.

So... that's that.

We now return to our previous programming.

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

Buffalo is a disco town! Yesterday's post about Kevin O'Connell under the mirror ball at the old Club 747 prompted this passionate note from a Pop stand reader, brimming with additions and clarifications.

Please pardon the intrusion but I did not see your e-mail address at the end of your blog on the Buffalo News' website. That hilarious airplane "set" was the actual nightclub. And to those who think the World's Largest Disco has anything to do at all with what disco was really like, well, then they also must believe the Germans won WW II. The World's Largest Disco is a big party, but it is a Halloween beer blast and nothing more. Almost all discos had a dress code and people actually DRESSED UP to go out (no sneakers or jeans allowed). I have no idea why people "dress up" in crazy ragged clothing and rainbow Afro wigs and think, "this is disco."

Darn, and just when we were congratulating ourselves for having assembled our crazy ragged clothing and rainbow Afro wig months ahead of time for this year's World's Largest Disco! That is the World's Largest Disco pictured above, by the way, in a News file photo.

Guess it is back to the drawing board!

Meanwhile, for everyone else out there interested in disco history, Howard -- that is the guy I married -- got the great deejay Shane, Brother Shane talking about his memories of Club 747.

Shane, pictured recently against the backdrop of the Buffalo Statler...

... talks about how the airplane interiors were authentic down to the last detail -- the drop tray tables, the luggage compartments.

"The last thing we did was design and build the cockpit and the audio-visual system," he recalls. "It had to be extremely powerful to make the nightly takeoff seem incredibly real to passengers. This was my primary contribution."

Wow, they had a nightly takeoff? 

This story just gets better and better.

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

With the first tickets to the World's Largest Disco going on sale Saturday -- the disco takes over the Buffalo Convention Center on Nov. 26 -- the least we can do is get psyched by watching old footage of Kevin O'Connell in Disco Step by Step at the old Club 747.

Thanks to WBEN radio anchor Steve Cichon for bringing this video to our attention. Now we finally know why Steve sounds so preoccupied when announcing the news!

Can you believe Kevin O'Connell in this video? I was fascinated, too, just looking around at all the girls' dresses. They are so demure by today's standards! And that hilarious airplane set. Too funny. There is also that classic disco version of "Singin' in the Rain." Well, I could go on and on.

Alert, alert, great glimpses of 1970s mustaches, alert!

After watching Part 1 up above you may feel free to watch Part 2.

OK, now, back to work with our sparkly selves. But before you go ... tickets to the World's Largest Disco are $60 Saturday and Sunday, for people on the disco organizers' coveted mailing list, and you know who you are. For the rest of us tickets go on sale Aug. 13 and are $65. Info is all on the disco's glorious and glittering Web site.

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

Where in the world is JoAnn Falletta? We like to play this game from time to time, track the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra's music director, JoAnn Falletta, and see where she is and what she is up to.

As Joe Williams used to sing: "Baby, I want to know where you're going, what you're doing, and who are you doing it with." Well, not quite. But any excuse to quote Joe Williams.

While looking forward to JoAnn's next appearance with the BPO -- which happens 7 p.m. July 28, at Artpark -- one might well wonder where she is right now. She has been out of town for a while. And, it turns out, there is a good reason for that.

Because JoAnn Falletta, The Buffalo News has learned, is in ....

Here is a hint.

She is in Chile!!

Or at least she was just a few days ago.

Not only that but she is talking about us.

A South American publication features JoAnn talking about Buffalo. The headline reads: "Mi Barrio Favorito: Buffalo Centro, N.Y."

There is mention of "El Oliver's" and "El Cole's." JoAnn is talking about restaurants she loves!

Spot Coffee and Studio Hart also get a mention.

A picture captioned "Parque Japones de Delaware" gives a very flattering glimpse of Delaware Park.

And JoAnn says this about Kleinhans Music Hall: "Tiene una acstica espectacular
y es una de las salas de conciertos más famosas y aclamadas en todo Estados Unidos." I do not speak Spanish but, well, maybe I do. I think I understand what she is saying. She is saying it is one of the most famous and acclaimed concert halls in the entire United States and its acoustics are spectacular. Someone, correct me if I am wrong!

JoAnn has been in Chile conducting the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile in Santiago at the Teatro Universidad de Chile. Jacek Muzyk, the BPO's Principal Horn Player, was there too, soloing in Kenneth Fuchs' "Canticle to the Sun." That is a picture of Falletta and Fuchs at the top of this post.

The composer's Web site has a clip of them rehearsing it. And there is also a review.

Donde el mundo es JoAnn Falletta?

Ya sabes!*

-- Mary Kunz Goldman 

*That is "Where in the world is JoAnn Falletta? Now you know!" in Spanish, according to a translating page I found on the 'Net. Please pardon that I do not know how to do the upside-down question mark. Gracias!

In the department of Where Do You Begin To Ask Questions, the wildly popular Dutch violinist and bandleader Andre Rieu is touring with a waltz by Anthony Hopkins. There they are pictured together at left. The waltz is reportedly front and center on Rieu's new CD.

I did not know Anthony Hopkins was a composer! But he was -- and is, it seems. Rieu discusses him on his Web site. He writes: "We were all inspired by Sir Hopkins' beautiful music."

Having not heard Rieu's new CD -- and Rieu is not coming to Buffalo until Nov. 21  -- I looked high and low trying to get a sneak preview of this waltz. Darn, I could not.

But I did find this YouTube interview, which took place in April, in which Hopkins talks about how he used to compose a lot of music. He is a big Andre Rieu fan and had "this vision, this dream" that Rieu could perform some of his music. So he wrote and orchestrated a waltz. Rieu, he says, "embellished" it.

The interviewer asks how it sounds. "Fantastic!" Hopkins exclaims. "It's a beautiful arrangement, a beautiful sound," he adds, graciously giving all the credit to Rieu.

What a charmer! You cannot beat Hopkins as he talks modestly about how he plays the piano, "but I'm not a concert pianist." He says he plays the piano every day. He describes his waltz as "rather Viennese, central European. ... I wrote a lot of music, 40 years ago, 50 years ago."

Might he write more music in the future? 

Hopkins says, "I have several more waltzes I'm going to send him when I go back to Los Angeles this week."

"So we can expect a whole album of your music by Andre Rieu?" the interviewer kids.

"You never know. I hope so! It'd be lovely."

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

Still wondering what to do on Independence Day? Well, for starters you can declare your independence from the stove (or the grill, which can get pretty hot and sticky when you're the one doing the grilling).

Why not leave that grilling to somebody else? Like Gerhardt Yaskow, the owner of Gene McCarthy's Tavern, in the old First Ward? (Above is a picture of Gerhardt's sister, Suzette, tending bar).

This announcement just came in from Gerhardt and naturally we halted our work to study it:

On July 4th, we will be open only during the evening hours starting at 5:00.  I will be cooking free hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill again (like last year, and yes, all mirco-craft drafts will be only $2 during the evening), plus drink specials on domestic beers.  So if you want to grab a chair and watch the fireworks from an Old First Ward institution, then RSVP or just stop down and visit us throughout the night.  

Free hot dogs! Free hamburgers! Sounds good to us!

Gene McCarthy's Tavern is at 73 Hamburg St. The phone number is 855-8948.

-- Mary Kunz Goldman