Madama Butterfly

Crystal chandeliers in the lobby of the Met

Once every semester, the Italian Department makes a trip to the Metropolitan Opera House to see an opera by an Italian composer. Last night, we went to see Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini. I actually got standing room tickets in October 2007 for this production, which was new for the 2006-2007 season, but I enjoyed it so much more the second time. Seeing it from the back of the orchestra is actually not as good as seeing it from the back of the highest level (where we were last night), because the overhang cuts off the top of the stage when you see it from the standing room section on the lower level. In this particular production, the use of lighting and costuming, with very minimal sets, is extremely impressive, and I enjoyed it a lot more when I could see the entire stage.

One unique thing about the new production of Madama Butterfly at the Met is their use of Bunraku puppetry, a traditional form of Japanese puppetry executed only by highly trained professionals. Butterfly's son, for example, which used to be a non-speaking role played by a young child actor, has been replaced by a Bunraku puppet and three puppeteers, partially disguised by their all-black costumes.

Crystal chandeliers in the theater

This was definitely one of the most visually innovative operas I've seen. The combination of costumes, lighting, and set pieces that involved traditional Japanese elements - like a flock of paper birds on sticks held and controlled by members of the ensemble - blended together perfectly to transport the audience to Japan at the beginning of the 20th century. Everything was figurative, and very few elements were literal, but it was easy to suspend disbelief and be convinced by everything onstage. And of course, the music by Puccini never fails to make an impression.

Photo from metoperafamily.org

Finire a Tarallucci e Vino

In my class on Italian Folklore, we learned many proverbs and the stories behind them. My absolute favorite is "Finire a tarallucci e vino." Tarallucci are a type of Italian cookies, so the saying means "To finish with cookies and wine." It's used when two (or more) friends have been disputing, and when they make up it's said that they "finish with cookies and wine," and all is well again. And apparently "Tarallucci e Vino" is the name of a restaurant in the East Village!

Here are some pictures of tarallucci e vino I found online:

Buon Appetito!

Polenta Pizza

Photo from nytimes.com...although ours looked just as amazing.

Last Saturday we made Polenta Pizza, our version of a recent recipe from the New York Times. We changed the recipe around a little bit - instead of gorgonzola cheese, we used fat free ricotta cheese, and instead of pancetta (bacon), we used cherry tomatoes. It was delicious - give it a try!


Here's the recipe with our adjustments:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for pan

1/2 cup milk, preferably whole

Salt

1 cup coarse cornmeal

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (chopped)

1 pound spinach, washed, trimmed and dried

1 container of fat free ricotta cheese

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees; brush a layer of olive oil on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk with 2 1/2 cups water and a large pinch of salt. Bring just about to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and add cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking all the while to prevent lumps from forming. Turn heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, until thick, 10 or 15 minutes. If mixture becomes too thick, whisk in a bit more water; you want a consistency approaching thick oatmeal.

2. Stir 1 tablespoon oil into cooked cornmeal (polenta). Spoon it onto prepared pan, working quickly so polenta does not stiffen; spread it evenly to a thickness of about 1/2 inch all over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and put it in refrigerator until it is firm, an hour or more (you can refrigerate polenta overnight if you prefer).

3. Put polenta in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it begins to brown and crisp on edges. Meanwhile, put two tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and pancetta is nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to take onion and tomatoes out of pan; set aside. Add spinach to skillet and sauté until it releases its water and pan becomes dry; sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper.

4. Take polenta out of oven, spread ricotta cheese, then spread onion-tomato mixture and spinach evenly on top of cheese; drizzle with another tablespoon olive oil. Put pizza back in oven for two minutes, or until cheese begins to melt and vegetables are warmed through. Cut into slices and serve hot or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings.

500 Years of Women in Art

I saw first this clip about two years ago, so it's not exactly new, but I still think it's worth posting. It's a montage of female faces in Western art spanning roughly 500 years. The eyes of the figures can get a little creepy, but just don't think about it too much. It's a beautiful montage, especially put to a Bach cello piece.

Right Through The Very Heart of It

One of the most iconic movie images of the Empire State Building is from the movie Sleepless in Seattle, when the character of Annie (Meg Ryan) is eating Valentine's Day dinner with her fiancée at Windows on the World at the top of the World Trade Center, and sees a heart projected on the side of the Empire State Building. It's the turning point of the movie, because she sees it as a sign that she should not marry her fiancée, but carpe diem and instead go to Seattle to find Sam (Tom Hanks), whose story she only knows from a radio show.

While romantic, this kind of heart has never actually been projected or lit up on the side of the Empire State Building - although it fooled me. I was young when I first saw Sleepless in Seattle, and I remember being excited to see the heart on the building the next Valentine's Day !

This is more like what the Empire State Building looks like on February 14th.

Walk Along the Beach

A Saturday afternoon walk along the beach in Stony Brook, Long Island.

Alice's Tea Cup

Alice's Tea Cup is a tea restaurant with three locations in Manhattan. With whimsical decor and references to Alice in Wonderland with quotes and paintings on the walls, it's a great place for children and adults to enjoy lunch or afternoon tea. The tea list is pages long, with an unimaginable number of varieties. They're famous for their freshly-baked scones, which are served warm with jam and cream. Their china is fancy but eclectic - none of their teacups are ever matching in style or pattern. Today I went to "Chapter II" of Alice's Tea Cup, on 64th and Lexington Ave, with two friends for a birthday celebration.

Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit sitting down to tea - a picture on the wall near our table

Almost all of the tables were converted Singer sewing machine tables!

My cup of Indian Chai tea. See the little cat on top of the teapot? It's a "drip catcher" that fastens a little sponge underneath the spout to catch drips of tea when you pour, and also secures the lid of the pot when you tip it over.

The birthday girl's Pumpkin Scone and cup of Birthday Tea (a fruity, flowery blended black tea)

My banana blackberry scone, which I forgot to take a picture of until I'd eaten half, because it was so delicious!

New York Actualities

The first films ever recorded were filmed in New York City. Focusing on people and places, they were only a few minutes long, without plot, characters, or sound. They were simply glimpses into the city in real time. Beginning in 1896 and popular for the following decade, these "actualities" allow us a privileged, unscripted peek into life in New York City at the beginning of the 20th century. 

Filmmakers soon began exploring ideas of plot and characters. In an early actuality from 1901, called What Happened on 23rd Street, New York City, a street with normal people, not actors is filmed. It reveals itself to be a scripted piece at the end when a couple walks down the street, and the woman lingers above a sidewalk vent, which lifts her skirt, to the delight of her male companion and shock of passersby who weren't aware that this was a performance...an early Marilyn Monroe, perhaps?

These are two great actualities I found on youtube. The first one is called Lower Broadway, 1903 and shows a bustling street scene filled with trolleys, horses and buggies, and throngs of people. The second is the aforementioned 23rd Street.

I adore New York City history, and so I'm enthralled by these glimpses at an older New York. Many of the images are things I've seen in recreated movie sets, but to see real people on real city streets seems like a little gift from the past. 

Hudson River Views

Views along the Hudson River on February 1st and 2nd.

Partially frozen, choppy waters

Raphael to Renoir Drawings at the Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art recently opened an exhibit called Raphael to Renoir: Drawings from the Collection of Jean Bonna which I went to see this weekend. I don't usually find drawings particularly compelling, but this exhibit really intrigued me. In one of the Met's smaller special exhibitions galleries, the intimate three-room setting provided a welcoming environment that paralleled the intimacy that one finds when viewing drawings. Often preliminary sketches for larger, more ambitious paintings, drawings are more bare and raw, and allow you to see the artist's process in close detail. The 120 pieces in the exhibit ranged from the Renaissance to 1900, including artists such as Raphael, Parmigianino, Rembrandt, Watteau, Goya, Delacroix, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Seurat, among many others. The exhibit is on view through April 26th.

The exhibit also included pastels and other forms of color drawings. This pastel drawing, Renoir's Nude Bathers Playing with a Crab, was one of my favorites.