1990

Greetings!

Not knowing if I’ll finish my cards in time for the holidays, I’d better call this my “sporadic ‘annual’ summary letter.”

As I look back on this year’s events, art and opera seemto predominate. I made a couple of trips to Santa Barbara. The first included visits to two fine private collections ofCalifornia art (of my father’s “period”). One of the hosts keeps his paintings in an immaculate garage with his collection of vintage Mercedes cars. During the second trip, I heard the opera singer Marilyn Horne give a master class at the Music Academy. Most interesting--and they have some promising young singers there.

I made the first trip to Los Angeles mainly to visit a private collection of the 19th century American art (this and the Santa Barbara tour were both sponsored by a museum group I’m a member of). For this one we were instructed to leave everything in the cars--including purses-since the host’s rooms were small in relation to the crowd of visitors. Aghast at the idea of leaving my bag in the car in Los Angeles, Crime Capital of the World, I stuffed my money, identification and credit cards into my pockets. But as it turned out, nothing could have been safer than this neighborhood--every house bristling with private security firms’ “instant armed response” signs!”

The second L.A. trip was a wild dash down and back all in one day (ca. 200+ mi. Each way) to see the Annenberg Collection (Impressionist/Post Impressionist paintings).Fearing we might be late for our scheduled 1:00 museum ticket entrance, we couldn’t take time to make our way down onto the sand and ended up eating our picnic lunch in the car on a service road behind the beach houses of Mailu--garbage cans and all--lunching “in the backyard of the Stars,” as it were. I told my companions next time we should leave early enough so we could eat in their front yard (i.e. on the beach).

The major vacation event of the year was the SanFrancisco Opera presentation of Wagner’s Ring--in fact, four complete cycles (Der Ring des Nibelungen, 4 operas in each cycle, to those of you not familiar with this, though how could you not be after the Metropolitan’s televised production?) There were masses of peripheral Ring-related programs going on in S.F. for months--lectures, exhibits, concerts, films, etc. and even a Pocket Opera Co. production of the first opera Wagner ever composed as a very young man, “Das Liebesverbot.” (Before he had developed his own distinct style.) I saw this, and I also travelled up for a long weekend early in June before my own 4th cycle tickets, in order to attend the University of California Medical School’s 2-day symposium on medical aspects of Wagner’s Ring (!) Fantastic!

Then during my 11-day stay for the 4th cycle at the end of June, I helped in hostessing at some programs sponsored by the Wagner Society of which I’m a member. I was a ticketseller for a Syberberg-directed film about King Ludwig of Bavaria, and for a recital by young singers doing lieder by Wagner and other composers influenced by him. I was a ticket-taker at a lecture/symposium. And at our piece de résistance event, held at the ballet building, I acted as one of the hostesses for the opera singer guests at the big reception we sponsored in their honor. This involved meeting them at the entrance, escorting them to the room where the party was taking place, getting them drinks and making a bit of conversation and/or introductions, and then going back to fetch someone else. In this fashion I escorted one  Rhinemaiden (Wellgunde, one Valkyrie (Waltraute--and husband), one Alberich (the villain--in real life a continental charmer), one of the three Brunnhildes of the season (Gwyneth Jones), and the General Director of S.F. Opera, Lotfi Mansouri--a jolly, delightful chap. The party was a huge success, much enjoyed by members, singers, and public guests. (over 200 people).

In between this busy festival-like schedule I managed to do the round of art galleries, stores, etc. and see a few old friends in the Bay Area.

This fall I have only been up to the opera for one weekend, seeing “Fledermaus” and “Capriccio” (R. Strauss). The surprise guest cast member in the ball scene of Fledermaus was Bobby McFerrin of the cranberry-juice commercials on cable TC, who led both cast and audience in his own special brand of improvised mouth-music for a few minutes. Warm “vibes” and laughter all around.

On the domestic front, I have reported previously on the cat “Whiskers” who runs my household to suit his extravagant and heedless tastes. He is now all fluffed out for winter, presumably to predict cold weather. Questioned as to the possibility of rain to end the severe 5-year drought, hesays nothing, and assumes the traditional mysterious pokerfaced stare. The lawn has not grown for over a year and isone-third dead, not responding well to the poor quality and small quantity of water permitted under mandatoryrestrictions here. The so-called drought-resistant plants are not looking any too hot either. The drought has also resulted in another creature’s taking up residence: a small frog, Fred by name, whom I found sitting in the cat’s outdoor water dish. (This is sheltered from wind by a wooden crate.) Fearing for little Fred’s life, I put out another dish of water behind the box and admonished him to move, lest he end up just a passing hors d’oeuvre. He has agreed now to sit in his own dish, retreating to the woodpile by day.

Hurrah! I managed to squash all this onto one page after all.

Best wishes for a happy Christmas and New Year!