Biking on a sunny afternoon

Along the George Washington Parkway Trail/Patricia Leslie

The Bike Ride

How do you like to ride on a bike,
Under a sky so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a girl can do!

Ride my bike and move over the trail
And I can see so wide,
River and trees and airplanes and all
As I go cycling by

Till I look down on the pavement dull
Down down down I fall
Up on the bike I go riding again
Oh, look! There's the National Mall

With apologies to Robert Louis Stevenson

A traffic jam along the George Washington Parkway/Mt.Vernon Trail in 2011/Patricia Leslie

From the George Washington Parkway Trail with the Washington Monument in the distance and is that the Jefferson Memorial?/Patricia Leslie

A rare sighting in Vienna along the W&OD Trail:  A member of the trail patrol/Patricia Leslie

Dogs are always welcome along the W&OD Trail/Patricia Leslie

Crossing Gallows Road along the W&OD Trail/Patricia Leslie

Be'la Dona rocks the Kennedy Center

Be'la Dona last week at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage/Patricia Leslie

One of the free 6 p.m. performances at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage last week was by Be’la Dona, D.C.'s own "homegrown" all-female band whose members can shake a tail feather, yes they can!

Dance and jive, yes!

Be'la Dona last week at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage/Patricia Leslie

I know I shed about 500 calories just watching them, and all I did was clap and throw my hands in the air.  I didn’t even stand up and get out on the dance floor like the white-haired white guy in the yellow shirt up front who thought he was part of the act, too.  But he produced a lot of laughs and applause with his show inside a show. 

An audience member who became part of the Be'la Dona show at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage/Patricia Leslie

Despite his participation, it did take a while for the singers and musicians to get the rest of the KenCen audience "going" in the spirit of things, but "going," it finally did.

It was the first Millennium production I've seen where the performers left the stage to go down into the audience and try to coax the crowd into a boogie. It was like rolling a wagon through a mountain of molasses, but then the people finally got into it

Said one of the leaders right at the beginning, "This is the Kennedy Center, after all, and we’ve got to be respectful” or something like that. 

The Be'la Dona guitarist was Genevieve Konecnik/Patricia Leslie

One of my favorite kinds of music, gospel, is one of Be’la Dona’s genres, but I didn’t hear any.

What I did hear was mostly loud percussion and vocals, and to my untrained ear, selections were repetitive.  One (maybe more) of the Be’la Dona members used to sing with Mr. Chuck Go-Go Brown, and it was his brand of music I was hoping to hear. (Mr. Go-Go may be 75, but he'll never be old, even when he gets to be 105! Hope he's feeling better.) 

Be'la Dona last week at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage/Patricia Leslie

During the production I did pick up a few words which may have been song titles since they were repeated about a millennia:  25 Days, Heartbreak Hotel (not the Elvis version), and Love Will Make You, Oh, So Happy…So Sad (Sing it sister! Not the Al Green version).

Members of Be’la Dona are Rhonda Coe, Wendy Rai Mackall, Genevieve Konecnik, Cherie Mitchell Agurs (maybe relative of John Agurs, manager?), Claudia Rodgers, Tempest Thomas, Shannon Brown, and Karis Hill.  If there's a happier band, I'd like to know who it is.   These ladies in their black and white apparel never ceased smiling broadly throughout their hour-long appearance.

Be'la Dona last week at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage/Patricia Leslie

It was surprising at 5:30 p.m. to find plenty of empty seats which I would have expected the hometown fans to have filled, but, by show's end, they had showed up, and it was SRO.

Reminder:  Before 6 p.m. you can get Happy Hour prices at the KenCen's hallway bars. Five bucks will get you beer, crunchy treats and live music.  Who can beat it? Gospel, not necessary. 

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra captures Shostakovich's genius

Marin Alsop leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Before the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra played Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, conductor Marin Alsop provided a brief history of the piece to a spellbound audience which filled the Strathmore Symphony Hall.

According to Ms. Alsop and program notes, Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) was in Leningrad, the city of his birth, on the evening of June 22, 1941, where he was shaken by the news that despite an agreement between the Soviet Union and Germany, Adolph Hitler's forces had attacked his homeland.  It didn't take long for German forces to overwhelm Russia and begin bombing Leningrad.

Hitler's goal was to take down Leningrad, "the once and future St. Petersburg."

The protection of Leningrad, October 1, 1941/David Trahtenberg, Wikimedia Commons

During the onslaught, an estimated one million Leningrad citizens died, but the Russian people refused to give up their city, and Shostakovich's talents and fortitude helped them persist.

The timing of his start on the symphony is actually in dispute, according to Wikipedia, but some claim Shostakovich began the composition in July, 1941, after the German attack.  Whenever the start, he dedicated his work to the city of Leningrad which he refused to abandon. By October, Shostakovich had written three movements. 

Dimitri Shostakovich in 1942, the year the Seventh Symphony premiered/Wikimedia Commons

Under orders from the government which wanted to protect one of its most talented, Shostakovich moved with his family from Leningrad to Moscow and then to Kuibyshev, both cities which premiered the symphony the following March, after he completed it in late December. The March productions were broadcast in the Soviet Union and abroad.

Meanwhile, English and American audiences eagerly wanted to hear it, and the score was transported on microfilm by car, ship, and plane through Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, and Brazil before reaching New York where orchestras competed to play the American premiere.  In a radio broadcast, Arturo Toscanini introduced it to the U.S. on July 19, 1942 with the NBC Symphony.  In the 1942-43 season, the BSO was one of 62 orchestras to play the work.  The entire composition calls for more than 100 musicians and lasts less than 90 minutes. 

Against a backdrop of quotes from Shostakovich and video of Leningrad and the initially downtrodden Russians, the BSO musicians enthusiastically played their most recent rendition.   The harsh sounds and clashes of war and its aftermath are the focus of the first movement, allegretto, lasting 28 minutes, however, the output and enjoyment of the music, despite its strident message, made it seem far shorter. 

Some have compared the movement to Ravel's Bolero to which Shostakovich replied, "That's how I hear war."

At the end and as expected, Strathmore attendees leaped immediately to their feet and gave the BS0 three encores.

Juxtaposed with Shostakovich's response to murder and political upheaval in his homeland during World War II, are the responses of another artist, Joan Miro, deeply affected by tragedies occurring at the same time in his native Spain.  On Sunday, a major exhibition of Miro's works, "The Ladder of Escape," opened at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the only venue in the U.S.

It is clear that the Strathmore audience adores its BSO and the confident Ms. Alsop, the first conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellow and the first woman to lead a major orchestra in the U.S.  This September she will celebrate her fifth anniversary with the BSO. 

Next up for the BSO at Strathmore is a program featuring works by another Russian composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and an Englishman, Sir Edward Elgar.  Conductor Alsop will lead, with guest artist Andre Watts on the piano for Rachmaninoff.

When:  8 p.m., Saturday May 12, 2012

Where:  Strathmore Symphony Hall adjacent to Metro Grosvenor-Strathmore station with free parking in the Metro garage

How much:  Call 301-581-5800 at Strathmore or the BSO ticket office at 410-783-8000 or 877-BSO-1444 to see if any tickets remain since it's sold out on the Web. Update: Today (May 7) two tickets at $88/each remained for the Strathmore performance, however, $25 tickets are available if you will go to Baltimore. 

For more information: 301-581-5200

patricialeighleslie@gmail.com

Washington Capitals defeat New York Rangers in playoff game #4

At the East Falls Church Metro stop, this couple said they were on their way to the Nats' game, but she was wearing her lucky Caps earrings which worked for both the Nats and the Caps/Patricia Leslie

On the Orange Line on the way into town for the game, this New York Rangers' fan drew warm attention/Patricia Leslie

The march of the Red Soldiers in front of the National Portrait Gallery/Patricia Leslie

To honor the Capitals and the Nationals, Capital Bikeshare dyed all its bicycles "Fury Red"/Patricia Leslie

Market research on the street turned up one playoff ticket "upstairs" for only $50 with three handsome dudes, however, the norm Saturday for street prices was $80.  Not bad for a playoff game, especially when fans pay upwards of $80 to sit at the ceiling during the regular season/Patricia Leslie

Opposites attract/Patricia Leslie

"Greenie" was a star on Saturday and scored his first playoff goal this season/Patricia Leslie

Honored troops at the game/Patricia Leslie

Major Ben Hatch, Bronze Star Medal Recipient, was honored for his military service in Iraq and other places/Patricia Leslie

Major Ben Hatch, Bronze Star Medal Recipient, was honored at the game/Patricia Leslie

'Goat' leads the cheers/Patricia Leslie

A faceoff/Patricia Leslie

Waiting/Patricia Leslie

Braden Holtby, a net star/Patricia Leslie

The team converges on goaltender, Braden Holtby, to celebrate the Caps' victory, 3-2, joyous another OT was not necessary/Patricia Leslie 

Nicklas Backstrom was one of the "players of the game"/Patricia Leslie

And Mike Green was another.  "Greenie," "Backie," and "Ovie" all scored./Patricia Leslie

And the shirts came tumbling down/Patricia Leslie

White House furnishings close Sunday at Renwick Gallery

Armchair, 1818, made by William King, Jr. (1771-1854), Georgetown, D.C., mahogany, gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Ford Sollers, Sr., 1986/White House Historical Association

Well, if you can’t get in the White House, why not at least see some of its furniture, china, a president's breakfast tray, place settings, and other items now on display at the Renwick Gallery?

This lovely museum (one of the Smithsonians), which whispers refinement and culture, is located just down the street from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, next door to Blair House, if you’ve ever stayed there.  (No?  Then you must not be a head of state, but you are invited to the Renwick which is at the corner of Penn and 17^th Avenue North, NW, at no charge.)

The curators call the White House belongings, "decorative arts," and there are 95 pieces in the exhibition created to honor the 50^th anniversary of the White House Historical Association.

For anyone in or around or remotely interested in Washington, D.C. which shall include but not be limited to historians, White House aficionados, curiosity seekers, political junkies,  presidential scholars, art historians, and who's left?  This exhibition is absolutely “must-see.”

What are "decorative arts"?  Glad you asked:   They are anything which decorates, enhances, or adds to the richness of a living environment (like my parakeet) such as silver, glassware, chairs, tables, crystal and a bedspread.

And there is one last museum public talk about it to be delivered at noon, Friday, May 4, at the Renwick by White House Historical Association Vice President John Riley. 

The show includes a few of the 464 pieces of a silver set made in 1809-1810 which, despite criticism from Congressional members, President Andrew Jackson purchased in 1833 for the White House.  To buy the set, the president used money raised from an auction of White House furniture.  (Congress and the president weren't getting along then either.)

Also included in the Renwick presentation:

A large soup tureen with eagle finials made in France in 1809-1817 which President James Monroe purchased in 1817 to commemorate the U.S. victory in the War of 1812,

A large (very large) wild turkey platter from the Rutherford B. Hayes administration,

Pieces of the Lincoln china selected by Mary Todd Lincoln who was instrumental in the design of the wine-colored borders,
 

Teddy Roosevelt's silver breakfast tray,

A place setting for a state dinner with four forks, three knives, a dessert spoon and glasses  for water, champagne, wine, and dessert wine. 

Grace Coolidge hoped to start a tradition among First Ladies by leaving a special legacy to the White House, but her successors ignored her idea. You may see Mrs. Coolidge's gift, a beautiful and elegant bed covering she crocheted between 1925 and 1927 for the Lincoln bedroom.

The only outlier in the show is a 1903 amateurish painting of the Blue Room by Washingtonian Charles Bittinger (1879-1970) which may be one of the primary reasons it is there:  He was local.  Please, go have a look and see what you think. Honestly, I cannot imagine this hanging anywhere in the White House except inside a closet.

The entire exhibition is well laid out with decorative plants and an atmosphere of the 1920s to put a visitor "in the  mood."  On the three occasions I visited, no one obscured visibility.

At the end of the show and before reaching the gift shop, visitors will enter a small room with benches where they may sit and see an informative and exceedingly worthwhile video, At Home in the White House which stars Laura Bush, Tricia Nixon Cox, Rosalynn Carter, Susan Ford Bales, and Linda Bird Johnson Robb.  Not to miss!

What:  Something of Splendor: Decorative Arts from the White House

When:  Now through Sunday, May 6, 2012, 10 a.m. - 5: 30 p.m.

Where:  Renwick Gallery, 1661 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

How much:  No charge

Metro stations:  Farragut North or Farragut West

For more information:  (202) 633-7970 or (202) 633-1000

patricialesliexam@gmail.com

Newsweek: Cancel my free subscription

The cover of the woman blindfolded is revolting.  The cover story about women enjoying sexual abuse is beyond the pale.  It is unbelievable.  I guess anything for a buck.

Have you tried canceling your subscription?  Try it.  It’s impossible on the Web.

Last week I tried.  Failure. 

Over the weekend when the upsetting cover surfaced in my stack, I tried again. 

Failure.  Impossible on the web. 

As if the misogynists and wife beaters need more tools.

You like whips and chain saws?  Newsrag's your meat.  You got snakes? 

In anger I sat down and composed a handwritten note to the Hollywood newsrag canceling my subscription.

But where to send my notice?

Try finding an address.  Not anywhere to be found in the rag.

Finally, after clicking and clicking on the Web, I found a telephone number for “customer service” (800-631-1040) where a woman canceled my subscription and said she did not have an address where I could mail my handwritten note.  At the subscription counter, no address for a rag.

She said she had heard the website had been having a lot of trouble lately, but a week?  “They” can’t repair a website in a week?  After hearing my challenge, she said she also could not find a way to cancel the subscription online.

She reminded me that my subscription had come at no charge (why else would anyone have it?  People pay for this thing?) with my WETA membership so I sent WETA an email and mailed my letter of complaint to which WETA responded with an address: 

555 W. 18th Street
New York, New York 10011

No wonder newsrag makes it almost impossible to cancel a free subscription.  How many subscribers would be left? 

Peter Marks! Live and on stage

Sophie Gilbert of the Washingtonian and Peter Marks of the Washington Post don't like being called 'idiots'/Patricia Leslie

Last week he was at the Helen Hayes Gallery at National Theatre with three other local theatre critics to talk about, what else? What they do for a living.

It was all part of the inaugural theatreWeek produced "to build awareness of Washington's vibrant theatre community."

Peter Marks of the Washington Post was surprisingly animated, talkative, and doubtful (at times) about his output and the future, coming close to saying he's going to retire after 20 years of writing about plays.

"I love doing what I'm doing," he said, "but I am conscious I am losing you." The market is shifting, and theatres are more sophisticated in marketing themselves via social media, he said. 

It's up to readers to decide which formats go, stay, and change, and those who cancel their subscriptions to the Post contribute to criticism's demise, Marks said.

 Other panel members were Robert Aubrey Davis of WETA, Sophie Gilbert of the Washingtonian, and Benjamin Freed from DCist.

From left, the critics' panel of Robert Aubrey Davis, Benjamin Freed, Sophie Gilbert, Peter Marks, and Linda Levy Grossman/Patricia Leslie

It seemed to be common knowledge at the event that theatre criticism is on the decline, and to those on the inside, at least, the industry has changed a lot, and not always for the good.

The critics seem genuinely surprised that their reviews can influence theatregoers.  Only a handful of the 40 or so in the mixed audience (composed of many actors) raised their hands when asked if reviews affect their attendance.

Marks said he tries to assign the Post's reviewers "to almost every professional production in the Washington area."   He is "constantly besieged" by publicists. All the Post's theatre critics, including Marks, have other feature assignments which is not "a good system" but "a result of diminishing resources."

A member of the audience asked about "adjectives" and Marks said they were a critic's "best friend and worst enemy...I live in terror" that he'll quote himself, and he uses  a software program to prevent repeats.  

Peter Marks lives in terror at times.  On the right is Linda Levy Grossman/Patricia Leslie

"Compelling" and "glorious" are only two often used words Marks says he tries to avoid, and he "retires" some words for four to six months.

Gilbert uses a thesaurus "a lot" and has found that she has repeated herself. Freed said "sometimes you coin a phrase you're really proud of."   Davis said: "When in doubt, strike it out."

Marks said a review does not make or break a show, but no one likes being called an idiot, which Gilbert said she's been called more than once.  Davis said he has had to make a formal apology to someone who complained to a higher-up about one of his reviews.  Panel consensus was they all try to be fair and balanced. 

Marks doesn't like being misunderstood by readers and "it bothers me not being able to break through….So few people understand what critics do." When he sees a play, he asks what it does to him or for him. Is it a waste of time?

He tries "not to talk down" to his audience like some critics, some of whom are "insecure."

Freed said some writers drop names, an annoying habit. Marks said "I love actors" (he acted in college), but he doesn't want to be "a cheerleader" and "my fear is looking like a 'patsy' and a 'softie.'" He tries to be honest: "I want to be nice" which becomes harder the larger a portfolio becomes.

In the past, reviews came out the day after a play was seen; now, "days and days" go by before one is released and there's more of "a delayed reaction."

Freed said when he writes, he "thinks with my heart at first, and then, I think with my head."

Davis grew up in Washington and has many years of theatre experience, not only as a critic but also as an actor having recently performed in Hairspray.  "Opening night is an artificial experience.  It's horrifying," he said.  The best theatre change he's witnessed over the years in the "chocolate city" has been the influx of African-Americans who are participating.

Answering a question from the audience, Gilbert said she spends between one and a half and two and half hours writing a review.

Freed said the hardest critiques to write are about those plays which leave him with mixed opinions.  The easiest are the ones "you hate or love." He loved Red and wrote that review in 30 to 45 minutes but "hated" Civilization at Woolly Mammoth which Gilbert didn’t like much either (faulty structure) but Marks did like.   (During the discussion that play was mentioned more than any other.)

Other plays cited during the presentation were Clybourne Park (generally loved), Art by Yasmina Reza (Davis:  not good), and Ah, Wilderness! (Gilbert: "It flowed so well.").

Marks said he "still sobs when Biff confronts Willie."

Linda Levy Grossman, president of theatreWashington, served as skilful moderator. 

Admonition to writers: Do not end a sentence with an adjective.