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OMG! Last night was a perfect evening. Mary Lou and Gary attended, for our first time, MUSE/IQUE at the Huntington Library in San Marino, (adjacent to Pasadena).
Firstly, the Huntington Library is simply a wonderful place, art galleries and these simply amazingly breath taking themed botanical gardens which seemingly stretched out beyond the horizon. It was an outdoor venue set on a huge lawn with the ornate greenhouse behind us. The temps were in the mid to low 70's, a wispy Pacific breeze, kept us refreshed but not enough to be disturbing. Best of all the event was small, no more than a few hundred people. The parking was free, we could pack in a picnic or order one there. We all sat at tables of six and had nice chats with the other attendees. The music was wonderful, the dancers superb, the singer was operatic.
The worst for me was the setup did not lend itself to photography without Gary pushing into 'No Man's Land' occupied by the paid still photog and videographers. A younger Gary would have seen it as a challenge and pushed the limits, but an old tired Gary didn't see a point. So the XT2 w/ 50-140 stayed silent.
From the website:
"Mingling and dining 6pm / Performance 8pm
We’re having a party, The Huntington is our backyard, and our guest are a global “Who’s Who,” sharing the global sounds that have expanded our sonic horizons!
-New York-based Ballet Hispánico burns the floor with their trademark “CARMEN.maquia," a remixed and revitalized interpretation of Bizet’s “Carmen”—this time with a rare chance to witness the artistic interplay of dancer and musician as Alyssa Park joins on violin.
-It’s Gershwin x2, with show-stopping pianist HyeJin Kim playing the Concerto in F like it’s a personal love letter to Gershwin’s adopted home of New York City, and Alyssa Park playing the Heifetz arrangement of “It Ain’t Necessarily So” from Porgy and Bess.
-Colombian vocalist Catalina Cuervo breaks your heart wide open with the poignancy of Lin Manuel Miranda’s “Breathe,” and more.
-And in a patriotic flourish, trumpeter Rob Schaer plays a selection from the score of “Lincoln,” taking us back to the values of freedom and democracy this country was founded on.
Summer is the time to celebrate music and freedom on a global scale, and everyone's invited. It’s the American way!"
In a word, the evening was grand.
