Theatre des Champs-Elysees
On Monday evening I went to another concert of music by Mendelsohn and Strauss by the Synfonieorchester des Westdeutschen Rundfunks (WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne) at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees. The orchestra is particularly known for its performances of 20th century and contemporary music. They played a concerto for two pianos and orchestra by Mendelsohn and Eine Alpensinfonie, opus 64, by Richard Strauss. The Lebeque sisters, Katia and Marielle, were the pianists.
I was as interested in seeing the theatre and testing the acoustics as I was in listening to the music. Designed by Henry Van de Velde in a mixed art deco and classic style, the theatre was built in 1913. The concerto for two pianos was joyous, and my seat in the balcony gave me an excellent vantage point from which to view one of the pianists. When I was seated, the usher told me she worked for tips. I gave her one euro. I'd never had to pay an usher before.
The Strauss piece required a significantly larger orchestra, which produced a sound that seemed almost too big for the space. It included kettle drums, several flutes, a large brass section, and a large woodwind section, including three oboes. The music started very slowly and quietly, but featured many crescendo passages. The piece includes several solo passages, especially oboe and flute (one of which was played with a few sour notes). It was the longest pieces of music I’ve ever heard. It was pretty exhausting for the listener. I can’t imagine how the musicians felt. All I could do was slump back in my chair when it was over.
Cimetiere Père Lachaise
I finally did it. I’ve been telling myself for years that if I ever get back to Paris I will go to Père Lachaise, and I did. Oscar Wilde’s was the grave I most wanted to see. On my way, a man appeared as if from nowhere like Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He looked like a brunette Prince Valiant on a bad hair day. He told me that Frederick Chopin’s grave was nearby and motioned me to follow him. Knowing it was going to cost me, I did since I didn’t have much time. Among others I saw the graves of Oscar Wilde, Frederick Chopin, Molière, Jean de LaFontaine, Edith Piaf, Simone Signoret and Yves Montand, Amedeo Modigliani, Marcel Marcau, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Sarah Bernhardt and Maria Callas.
There are some strange traditions in Père Lachaise. Victor Noir, a journalist, was shot and killed by Prince Bonaparte, the cousin of the Napoleon III. A bronze statue that depicts him as if he had just fallen in the street decorates his grave. The statue has a noticeable bulge in his trousers. A myth, which says that kissing the lips, rubbing the genital area and touching the toes (one if you want one child and two if you want twins) will bring fertility. This has made the statue one of the most popular memorials for women who visit the cemetery, and the bronze on those parts of the statue is noticeably oxidized. At Wilde’s grave women apply lipstick and kiss the stone. It’s covered in kisses.
At the end of the tour, I tipped my guide. I won’t tell you how much.
Montmartre
I ventured up Montmartre on another evening, maybe not the best time to go, but not bad. It was quite amazing to walk by the buildings were many of the impressionists lived and then to view their work when I went back to Musée d’Orsee on Thursday. Montmartre certainly has been taken over for and by tourists. When I told one of my colleagues what I’d done, his response was Montmartre is not real.
Credit Cards and Microchips
It’s strange to come from the U.S. and feel sometimes like you’re coming from a backward country. Not having a microchip in any of my credit cards has caused a few problems. I could not rent a Velib bicycle, for example, because renting one requires a credit card with a microchip. And I couldn’t add minutes to my French cell phone at the self-service machine, because the machine requires a credit card with a microchip.
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