Pop Stand

Where in the world is JoAnn Falletta?

 

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!

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

 

The earthquake according to Twitter

I felt the earthquake! Everyone is talking about it now. Apparently it was centered in Virginia, and it was a 5.8.

If you are on Twitter it is funny to see the quake filtered through the lens of your Twitter connections.

I am a music nerd and my friends tend to be other music nerds. One pianist in Ontario wrote: "I thought the notes on my Ravel score were moving around and then I realize it was a quake in Toronto." He must have been surprised to learn it was all the way down in Virginia!

A music fan in Virginia wrote that the whole opera house shook.

Then there are the laughs.

One political wag wrote: "What you felt just now was the country moving to the right." Seize the day! Good for him.

And a sportscaster in Chicago got in a good one, too. He wrote, all in capital letters: "WOLF BLITZER IS ON THE PHONE WITH THE EARTHQUAKE."

Ha, ha!

And now that my desk has stopped shaking, I guess I should get back to work.

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

 

What 'The Help' brings to the table

I haven't yet seen "The Help," the movie set in 1960s Mississippi, but I've heard it makes you hungry.

Hungry for justice, for equality, for mutual respect among all human beings? Probably.

But I was really just talking about food.

Don't laugh! I didn't give myself this idea. One food site got Viking Range On-Line Chef (there is a job that sounds like fun) to come up with recipes in tribute to "The Help," "to celebrate the opening of this empowering movie."

Another gave the recipe for Minnie's Chocolate Pie.

Even august Food and Wine weighed in with a list of recipes from "The Help" including Cucumber-Rye Tea Sandwiches, German Chocolate Cake and Tomato Aspic.

Is anyone actually going to make this tomato aspic? It seems to me that aspic is one retro food we will never see come back. Just the name!

Also, tea sandwiches. If anyone in Buffalo makes tea sandwiches as a result of this movie, I would love to hear about it.

See, this is the mark of a really good movie.

It gives you a lot to talk about!

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

 

Where in the world is JoAnn Falletta?

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 

 

Clatter, clatter, clash, splash!

Today in the Buzz column I got bold and told about how I broke a bottle of Pinot Grigio at Premier Liquor.

At first I was not sure if I should tell the story. After all, it made me look like a klutz.

But then I thought, why be bottled up? Plus, think of how at Jewish weddings they break a glass for good luck. Imagine the luck that will be mine for breaking a whole bottle!

That luck has already begun. Because just now I got an email from an address I did not recognize. The subject line read: "Your Trip to Premier Caught On Camera."

Oh, no! I was afraid to look.

Then I did... and I have been laughing and laughing.

That is the video up above and if you watch it you will see what I mean. There is a swear word in it and I am sorry about that. But the video cracked me up. Plus, it resonated with me, I will say that.

"Here I am enjoying my nice peaceful afternoon...."

I know the feeling!

-- Mary Kunz Goldman

 

The disco window slams shut

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

 

Mirror, mirror on the ball...

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

Rare footage from Club 747

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?

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!

 

 

The land of the free

 

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