Bigger than Life: Opera and the Movies

Ann Thompson

Whenever I go to an opera, I leave my sense and reason at the door with my half guinea, and deliver myself up to my eyes and my ears. - Lord Chesterfield


Since Lord Chesterfield's time, the price of going to the opera has changed, but opera's power to transform us is stronger than ever. According to Ann Thompson, operatic themes spilled over into the movies more than a century ago, and since then, the two arts have become intimately intertwined. Thompson has been speaking about opera for 30 years and can often be found giving pre-curtain lectures before Houston Grand Opera performances. We visited recently with Ann Thompson to find out about her latest class, "Opera and the Movies."


WIH Reporter: Tell us about your upcoming class.
Thompson: To begin with, it will be very amusing as we will cover lots of movies you had forgotten about and lots of operas you have never heard of. We will listen to lovely music, follow wild stories, and discuss intriguing bits of trivia.


My class will change the way you think about opera.  Opera stands for so much more than just a grand night out, great singing, an emotional orgy, and sometimes a confounding experience. Opera is used as a symbol to denote education, passion, temptation, otherness, sensitivity, grandeur, and history, as well as offering a chance for us to experience low humor and the laying bare of human folly.


WIH Reporter: What is the relationship between opera and the movies?
Thompson: Long before the movies came along, literature used opera to illustrate the more intense moments in people's lives, to allow a glimpse into their interior lives, to provide the venue for a life-changing experience, and to offer a liberating ambience. This spilled over to the movies.

Farrar as Carmen

Many of the electronic firsts that we now take for granted were tested using opera. Thomas Edison hoped that his inventions would make it possible for people to enjoy opera in their living rooms. Early efforts in movie making looked to opera for subjects, acting styles, makeup. It was hoped, at the time, that well-known opera stars like Geraldine Farrar, would help popularize the new silent movies. Everyone at that time was familiar with stories and stars from the opera, even if they never actually attended performances.


WIH Reporter: Which modern movie embodies the strongest operatic elements?
Thompson: When it comes to embodying the spirit of opera, the Godfather springs to mind: the grand sweep of the story, the passions, the violence, the intensity, even the musical theme is reminiscent of the tenor's trumpet aria in Don Pasquale by Donizetti; the final episode in particular combines operatic tragedy with family tragedy.


WIH Reporter: What don't most people understand about opera?
Thompson: Opera was for most of its 411 years of existence a sensitive barometer of currents of thought and historical events and thus presents an unusual view of our past, be it social, political, philosophical. Much of the present flowering of interest in opera stems from this all inclusiveness bolstered by the new movie techniques: surtitles, acting skills, directing techniques, design styles. 

A Montreal Opera performance of Rigoletto

WIH Reporter: What makes opera still relevant to us in the modern world?
Thompson: Opera remains interesting because its themes are universal and basic. Everyone hates, loves, envies, entertains murderous thoughts, is subject to politically incorrect impulses. Through opera, we live these emotions vicariously as, on the opera stage, they are acted out to greatest effect, with huge sound, huge emotions, huge voices, bold colors, huge sets, huge everything. All we have to do is submit to the magic, the illusion and, for a while at least, live in top gear.


For more information about this class or to register, click here. 

The Art and Science of Conducting

Conductor Brett Mitchell

Conductors are "multitaskers" in motion, using baton movements, body language, and eye contact to guide and inspire sixty (or more) orchestral players at the same time. In addition, they know musical scores inside and out, interpret and carry out each composer's artistic vision, and expertly direct the audience's attention during each performance.


Brett Mitchell (above) knows all about multitasking. As a former Assistant Conductor of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Ph.D. graduate of the University of Texas, and current Music Director of Michigan's Saginaw Bay Symphony, Mitchell has a fascinating view from atop the podium and a passion for involving his audience. This maverick maestro is scheduled to speak at the Women's Institute of Houston's lecture luncheon series on January 20, 2012. We visited with him to get an advance preview.

WIH Reporter: How do most people regard conductors?

Mitchell: Most people think that the conductor's job is to "beat time."  While there is some truth to this view, it represents very little of what we do on the podium. The conductor's function is similar to the managerial equivalent of "macro-managing", making sure that there is a clear vision, but letting each team player take responsibility for executing their part of that vision. For the most part, a conductor's job (especially with a first-class orchestra like the Houston Symphony) is to help the orchestra shape phrases and to guide the listeners' attention. 

WIH Reporter:  It's interesting that you bring up the managerial perspective. There have been recent articles about CEOs, entrepreneurs, and other business professionals who are studying the management styles of top conductors. 

Mitchell: I really view my entire job as consensus-building. While I certainly come to a first rehearsal with very clear ideas in my mind of how I'd like to shape a particular piece (what tempos and dynamics I'd like to try, etc.), I rely on my colleagues in the orchestra to bring their vast experience to the table as well.  More often than not, they'll play a particular passage in rehearsal in a way that I hadn't thought of, and we'll run with that.  Additionally, if the oboist plays a particular phrase one way, the cellos will listen to that and play their next phrase in response to that. We all work together by listening to each other, both through the notes the orchestra plays and through the words we exchange, to ultimately arrive at the interpretation that the audience hears at the performance.  That interpretation is not one man's (or woman's) vision; it is a collective vision informed by the countless years of experience shared by everyone onstage.

Mitchell's baton leads the Houston Symphony Orchestra

WIH Reporter:
What are the most challenging pieces to conduct and why?

Mitchell: Operas are always a challenge to conduct, because not only are you working with a full orchestra, but there are singers (and sometimes a chorus) up onstage.  These singers all have to have memorized their music and words (most of the time in a foreign language in which they're often not fluent). They are wearing costumes and dealing with lighting, blocking (where to stand and move), and moving scenery.  All these things can make for plenty of potential distractions for the singers onstage, and so much of the conductor's attention throughout a 3, 4, or even 5-hour opera has to be devoted to those onstage.  There can be offstage musicians (mimicking the sound of some far-off military band, for example), and conducting them has to be achieved via either an assistant conductor who is watching on a video monitor offstage, or the musicians themselves watching on a big screen.  Needless to say, it is by far the most involved and complex kind of conducting there is!

Mitchell, up close and personal with the Houston Symphony 

WIH Reporter: What do people need to know about conducting and conductors? 

Mitchell: Conducting is not a dictatorial or autocratic role; it is much more about being an arbiter of taste (e.g., deciding how softly a particular passage should be played) than being a micro-manager (e.g., deciding how every aspect of a particular passage should be executed).  The best conductors are those who let the musicians express themselves personally and most fully, while encouraging them to play better together than they ever thought they could.

WIH Reporter: What were the strongest influences in your life?

Mitchell: Leonard Bernstein, my primary conducting teacher Kevin Noe, and my parents. Also, something few people know about me is that my first musical love was Barry Manilow! 

WIH Reporter: What books would we find on your night table? 

Mitchell: Stephen Sondheim's "Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes," John Mitchison and John Lloyd's "The Book of General Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong," and the Collected Poems of W.H. Auden.  

Mitchell's night table reading

WIH Reporter: It sounds like the view from the seats is only a tiny fraction of the overall story. 

Mitchell: Conductors are not typically a breed most people interact with on a regular basis, so shedding some light on my line of work and how it relates to consensus-building in all walks of life is one of my great passions. 

Brett Mitchell is scheduled to speak on January 20th, 2012 at 11 a.m. The lecture luncheon program meets five times a season at the River Oaks Country Club, and brings nationally recognized commentators to discuss issues and topics of current interest in a variety of fields. Three lectures remain in the 2011-2012 season; each of the remaining individual lectures can be attended for a fee of $80 or a prorated membership for $210 for three. The fee includes the lecture (11 a.m.), luncheon (12:00 Noon), and valet parking. 

Click here to learn more about the lectures and/or to register.

It's All in the Details!

For many of us, the details in interior design and architecture can be confounding, but Susan Fruit plans to make it all understandable in her upcoming class, "It's All in the Details."  Using pictures, examples, and descriptions of architectural, furniture, and textile detailing, along with examples of faux finishes for walls, ceilings, floors, and furniture pieces, Fruit plans to offer us a bird's eye view into home design. What's more, there are even fun field trips planned to visit design resources!

WIH Reporter: Tell us about your class.

Fruit: I'm delighted to be teaching my new course on interior design and architecture for Spring. Detailing is a timely topic that affects every homeowner. It is so easy to become complacent with the overall look of our home when we see it every day that we often don't realize how tired and dated it has become. Details like changing out a dated chandelier or applying a fresh coat of paint to create a new color scheme can make all the difference. So often, a room's appeal is not so much in what is obvious but in what is not immediately apparent. We will look at all the details that can improve a home to make it beautiful and also add to its long-term value.

WIH Reporter: What excites you most about interior design and architecture?

Fruit: In this course we discuss the essence of style and good taste and how to uplift and update your home's details in the most cost-efficient manner. I am passionate about this subject because I believe everyone deserves to have a home that is tasteful, timeless, and personally satisfying. A well-designed, beautifully appointed home never goes out of style.

WIH Reporter: What were the strongest influences in your life?

Fruit: The strongest influences in my life were my mother and maternal grandmother. It is from them that I learned valuable life lessons, gained self-confidence, and established my moral compass. They encouraged and supported me in all of my endeavors and taught me to give unselfishly to others. This family closeness inspired my interest in genealogy, and I continue to actively work on tracing my family's roots.

It truly is all about the details! Here is a list of some of the details covered in Susan Fruit's upcoming class:

• Architectural detailing homes and in the landscaped environment
• Interior architectural elements that create distinctive design styles
• In-depth look at dressmaker detailing on upholstered pieces
• The world of textiles, trims, and passamenterie for custom draperies and more
• Wood carving detailing on casement pieces
• Stained and painted finishes on cabinetry
• Faux finishes for walls, ceilings, floors, and furniture pieces

Financial Know-How in Turbulent Times

  

In our changing economic and political environment, we are impacted on many fronts, including the Euro crisis, budget deficits, expiring tax laws, and more. We visited recently with Bill Frisco, Certified Financial Planner, about his latest class, "An Investor's Guide for These Turbulent Times."

WIH Reporter: Tell us about your upcoming class.

Frisco: We will address all of the most important and controversial global issues that can impact investments including the European debt crises, our struggling economy, stagnant job growth, and the political issues affecting our government. The issues we will discuss are not just interesting, but are also important for financial health.


WIH Reporter: What are the most pressing issues?

Frisco: individuals are more anxious today than ever about world events.The governments of developed countries have staggering amounts of debt, economies are stagnant, and unemployment levels are significantly above the long term averages. The "so-called" emerging countres now control over 80% of the world's reserves, have much lower debt burdens, and are growing significantly faster than the developed countries. It is obvious that today's world is truly a different world.

WIH Reporter: What steps can the investor take when confronted with this new paradigm?

Frisco: To survive, it is essential that investors understand the changing world dynamics and adjust their investment portfolios accordingly. My seminar will examine the Euro zone debt crisis, and the likelihood that it will tip the world into a global recession. It will also address the rise of the Chinese currency, and the unsustainable budget deficits and debt burdens in the United States.It is important to understand that in today's environment, every asset class has some risk, including cash, bonds, stocks, real estate, commodities, and precious metals.



The class will examine the risks inherent in each asset category and various investment strategies will be highlighted to help control the risk and volitility in an investment portfollio. For those investors concerned about their income, this session will review strategies to build income portfollios with enhanced yields. In addition, from a tax standpoint, 2012 is a critical year because many important tax laws will expire. The course will discuss the major tax law changes that will occur, and strategies to help reduce your tax risk.

WIH Reporter: Do we have to know a lot about finance to understand the issues in your class?

Frisco: Although the issues are complicated, my challenge is to simplify them so that anyone can appreciate their importance.  I’m a huge believer that if you cannot explain something that a sixth grader can grasp, you really do not know the material. I have a sixth grader so all the material will be tested on her prior to each class. As a result, I believe beginning investors will feel comfortable and learn a great deal of useful information.

WIH Reporter: In general, what is important for us to know about investing?

Frisco: I have been a pilot for many years and have flown many type of different planes from sea planes to gliders.  Flying is very similar to investing. In flying as in investing you will make mistakes.  The question is how quickly will you correct them.  My first flight instructor, who now flies jets for Delta airlines, told me “a mistake is not an error unless you fail to correct it.”  Down here on the ground, it is easy to procrastinate and put off decisions.  Up there, you are trained to correct things immediately before they become disasters.  It is always better to make a larger number of smaller corrections than to wait and make one big correction when sometimes it may be too late.

Subjects covered in Bill Frisco's class include:

• Investment planning in light of significant 2012 expiring tax laws
• Impact of the Euro crisis, global economies, budget deficits and government indebtedness on the world markets
• Income strategies to enhance income and control
• Understanding how to re-balance investment portfolios on a periodic basis to minimize volatility and risk
• How to determine which asset allocation strategy is consistent with risk tolerance
• Investment portfolio for retirement and pre-retirement including transition strategies

Wine Facts versus Fiction

Wine Facts versus Fiction

There are many myths floating around about wine. John Keating, and others, help us to sort out the facts from the fiction.

  

True or False:

1. Uncorking a bottle to sit for a time period of a few minutes to a few hours before drinking lets the wine "breathe" and improves the wine.

2. Sniffing the cork can tell us information about the wine.

3. Wine "legs" or "tears" indicate high quality in wine.

4. The first winery in the U.S. was in California.

5. Chianti wines come from Tuscany.

Answers:

1. FALSE - “In my 36 years of teaching wine,” says John Keating, “I have heard my share of nonsensical things about wine, particularly in its service. Any waiter who brings your bottle to the table early, for the purpose of letting it breathe lives in a fantasy world. How much air can get to a full bottle in a few minutes? Maybe it can breathe if everyone waits until tomorrow night's dinner! Far better, particularly with reds, pour the wine and get some air. As for all the required glass sizes and aerating gadgets, try them with a grain of salt. Try blind tasting every gimmick. Make sure expectations don't become reality. I 

have found two carafes and a little back and forth sloshing work quite well". 

2. FALSE – “Cork sniffing is meaningless,” adds John. “A corked wine might be detected, but sniffing the cork yields nothing else about the quality of the wine”.

3: FALSE - “Legs” are the viscous clear streams of fluid that run down the inside of a glass after the wine has been swirled. In general more pronounced legs do indicate a greater amount of alcohol in the wine, but experts agree that “legs” or “tears” indicate nothing about the quality of the wine. According to wine blogger Fredric Koeppel, "the contention between the surface tension of the wine and the interfacial tension that acts between the wine and the inner surface of the glass draws the liquid up the inside of the glass to the point where, exposed to air, the alcohol evaporates, the surface tension of the remaining water intensifies, and the water forms a drop that clings to the glass and slowly slides back down.”

4. FALSE: "The first commercially successful winery in the United States was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio in the mid-1830s by Nicholas Longworth, who made a sparkling wine from Catawba grapes.  From the 1830s through the 1850s, Longworth's still and sparkling Catawba were being distributed from California to Europe where it received numerous press accolades. In the 1850s, a journalist from The Illustrated London News noted that the still white Catawba compared favorably to wines of the Rhine and the sparkling Catawba "transcends the Champagnes of France".

"The wines were also well received at home in the United States where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published a poem dedicated to Nicholas Longworth titled Ode to Catawba Wine. So successful was he that he has been called the Father of American Grape Culture. The growing tide of German immigrants coming down the Ohio Valley to Cincinnati liked his wine. Longworth had found a lucrative market: the new German immigrants wanted an affordable, drinkable table wine to continue with the traditions of their homeland, and he enjoyed a virtual monopoly. Besides being a pioneer and leading horticultural expert in his section, he was recognized as an authority in national horticultural matters." 

"In the 1860s, vineyards in the Ohio River Valley were attacked by Black rot. This prompted several winemakers to move north to the Finger Lakes region of New York. During this time, the Missouri wine industry, centered around the German colony in Hermann, Missouri, took off and was soon second to California in wine production. In the late 19th century, the phylloxera epidemic in the West and Pierce's disease in the East ravaged the growing American wine industry". (Information comes from online sources and from Paul Lukas' book "American Vintage: The Rise of American Wine"). 

5. TRUE.

Adventures in Wine with John Keating

"The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars." Benjamin Franklin

John Keating, wine maven of 36 years, and professor of the popular class "A World of Wine", challenges us to break through our preconceived notions to become intrepid wine adventurers. He asks us - point-blank - if we have opened our minds to a Malbec or a Torrontes from Argentina or a Chenin Blanc from South Africa. How about a Carmenere from Chile, a dry Reisling or Alsace from South Africa, a dry Rose or Monastrell from Spain, a Syrah from Walla Walla, a Pinot Noir from New Zealand?



Late one Sunday afternoon, we drop in on his last class for the semester, where everyone is in the midst of a French wine-tasting extravaganza. A total of ten French wines are on-hand, complete with water pitchers for rinsing glasses and crackers for cleansing palates. Our handouts include regional maps, wine evaluation charts, and labels for identification. With humor, Keating provides encyclopedic information about each wine's history, vintage, supplier, price, and more. The air is filled with fellowship, geniality, and discovery. At the end of the class, we pull Keating aside for a talk.



WIH Reporter: What is the most important thing you want to get across about your wine classes?
Keating: The purpose of the classes is to demonstrate the wonderful diversity, quality, and value that is available in the world of wine today. Our recent class explored everything from overlooked high-quality southern Italian wines to red wines of Portugal and Spain to new perspectives on French wines.

WIH Reporter: Thanksgiving is almost upon us. What interesting wines would you advise us to serve for this holiday?


Keating: Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It features family, comfort, and a great feast. I always enjoy the aromas that permeate the home while the turkey and its fixings are being prepared. On this day, food is "king". The traditional meal has an abundance of flavors and tastes. For me, simple wines are best. Because it is a family gathering, I would also serve diverse wines.

WIH Reporter: Such as...?

Keating: A Beaujolais Villages or Pinot Noir from California for the red. A Chateau Ste. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc from Washington and a Rosé from Spain. I would stray from the simple theme with an older Spatlese or Auslese Riesling from the Mosel region of Germany. It goes great with my turkey favorite: the stuffing. 

WIH Reporter: How can we increase our wine IQ and augment our wine instincts?

Keating:  Perform a blind tasting of Texas wines against their West Coast grape counterparts. You will be surprised. Another idea is to go wine shopping and buy your color of choice but add three bottles from wine areas you never heard of before. Let the discovery begin! 

For more details on Keating's upcoming Spring class, check the Women's Institute website at www.wih.org.

The Lure of Venice

"There is something so different in Venice from any other place in the world, that you leave at once all accustomed habits and everyday sights to enter an enchanted garden.." Mary Shelley

We travel to Venice with Barry Greenlaw on November 6th, to experience the history and culture of this enchanting city that became one of the greatest economic and cultural powers in the history of the western world. In this Sunday lecture, we will immerse ourselves in the the history of this city born out of a marshy lagoon in the time of the Romans.

Did you know...

* Venice is slowly sinking, and has sunk by about 24 centimeters over the past century.
* Venice has no sewer system. Household waste flows into the canals and is washed out into the sea twice a day with the tides.
* Famous people associated with Venice include Titian, Tintoretto, Marco Polo and Vivaldi.

Here are some facts about famous denizens of Venice, followed by famous quotes about this "City of the Sea".

Titian (1477 - 1576 )

Titian was a prominent artist during the Renaissance and a renowned Venetian portraitist. His works have been treasured all around the world over the centuries. His first painting, ‘The Three Frescos in Padua’, allowed him to rise to become appointed as the official painter of Italy.

Tintoretto (1518-1594)

Tintoretto, a Venetian painter, typified the movement of Mannerism and was influenced by Michelangelo. He is known today for his bold use of color and the stunning manipulation of light and shadow. During his time, he was not well liked by contemporary artists, who accused him of social climbing, among other things. Yet he conceived of art as a social good, a healing and teaching vision for the people. His work still creates a feeling of enclosure and unreality, and his heralded manipulation of light leads inward, to a realm of spiritual meditation.

Marco Polo (1254 – 1324)
Marco Polo was born in Venice to a wealthy family of merchants. In 1271, he went with his father and uncle to China. He stayed for the next seventeen years, and became an emissary, sent on diplomatic missions throughout the empire to Burma, Indo-China, Tibet, and further. He was forced by Kubla Khan to be the governor of a nearby commercial city and he did this for three years. When he finally returned to his home in Venice, he had probably traveled farther than anybody before him.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741 )

A native of Venice, Vivaldi was a priest and a composer, known for his red hair. He is mainly known for his violin concertos, four of which he arranged together in the series ‘Four Seasons’ (1723), which is still frequently performed. His father was a professional violinist who toured Venice and who took his young son with him. In 1693, Vivaldi studied to become a priest and was ordained at 25. Because of his hair color, he was known as the "Red Priest". Soon after, he had to withdraw from active priesthood. He worked as a music teacher at a school for orphans and also composed his music.

Famous Quotes about Venice

"A splendour of miscellaneous spirits." ~ John Ruskin

"Wherever you go in life, you will feel somewhere over your shoulder a pink, castellated shimmering presence, the domes and riggings and crooked pinacles of the Serenissima." - Jan Morris

"It is held by some that this word VENETIA signifies VENI ETIAM, that is, come again, and again, for however oft you come, you will always see new things, and new beauties." ~ Sansovino

"If you read a lot, nothing is as great as you've imagined. Venice is - Venice is better." ~ Fran Lebowitz

"In the winter, Venice is like an abandoned theatre. The play is finished, but the echoes remain." ~ Arbit Blatas

"To build a city where it is impossible to build a city is madness in itself, but to build there one of the most elegant and grandest of cities is the madness of genius." ~ Alexander Herzen

"Venice once was dear,
The pleasant place of all festivity,
The revel of the earth, the masque of Italy."
~ George Gordon Noel Byron "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage"

"Until it seems the whole city
will be covered with gold pollen shaken
from the bell-towers, lilies plundered
with the weight of massive bees . . ."
~ Hilda Doolittle "Tribute to the Angels"

"It is the city of mirrors, the city of mirages, at once solid and liquid, at once air and stone."
~ Erica Jong

"White swan of cities slumbering in thy nest . . .
White phantom city, whose untrodden streets
Are rivers, and whose pavements are the shifting
Shadows of the palaces and strips of sky."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow "Venice"

"This was Venice, the flattering and suspect beauty-this city, half fairy tale and half tourist trap, in whose insalubrious air the arts once rankly and voluptuously blossomed, where composers have been inspired to lulling tones of somniferous eroticism."
~ Thomas Mann

"Underneath Day's azure eyes,
Ocean's nursling, Venice lies,
A peopled labyrinth of walls,
Amphitrite's destined halls,"
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley "Lines Written among the Euganean Hills"

"Streets flooded.
Please advise." ~ Robert Benchley, telegram from Venice to his editor

"Venice, the only place where you can get seasick by crossing the street." ~ Anonymous

"Venice would be a fine city if it were only drained." ~ Ulysses S. Grant

"Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go." ~ Truman Capote