Sing me a cimbalom

It wasn't your everyday orchestra moment at the Palo Alto Philharmonic on Saturday: In the middle of a concert, somebody brings out a cimbalom.

But, hey. If you're playing the folk-rich "Hary Janos" by Kodaly, you've got to have a concert hammered dulcimer from Central/Eastern Europe. The cimbalom is a particular star in the "Intermezzo" movement of the opera. "Intermezzo" leaps like a peasant dancing girl (landing, of course, on the first syllable like the Hungarian language does), and the cimbalom adds a rippling depth. At times I could picture a girl's tiny feet tripping across the strings, as though she had jumped up to dance on the instrument itself.

The concert was definitely an international experience, Hungarian-themed with works by Bartok and Dohnanyi, and people chatting in Hungarian. (For an even more international flavor, watch this YouTube video of a Japanese orchestra playing the "Intermezzo.")

Cimbalom player Roman Titcu kindly let us climb up on stage after the concert to look at the gleaming instrument. I'm now in favor of having someone walk in with a cimbalom on many occasions. Long city council meetings, maybe. Or while you're stuck in line at the bank. Imagine.



Pictured: Top: Cimbalom player Roman Titcu with his instrument on stage at the Cubberley Community Center Theatre, last Saturday after performing. Above: A close-up look at the cimbalom. Photos by Rebecca Wallace.

Office Style

I love style and style makers. The designers that influence the style of First Lady Michele Obama have interior style of their own. I love to see offices of creative people....what inspires them and how they work. The shots below of fashion designer Jason Wu and J. Crew Creative Director Jenna Lyons are Mrs. Obama's top style choices. Take a peak with me of the inside of their work spaces. See what inspires them.

Jason in his New York office.... he gets great light in there.

Mrs. O, You're so Vogue... she loves the sweater set look. I'm also loving that comfy velvet couch.

The office of J. Crew creative director Jenna Lyons.
Mrs. O and the girls have a special relationship with this retailer.

Things that inspire Jenna Lyons.

Variety shows

Kudos to producers at our Media Center, who picked up six Western Access Video Excellence (WAVE) Awards last weekend. A good reminder of the zings of variety you can find on local TV.

Watch the award-winning shows here -- if you're like me, you might end up transfixed by a Mongolian contortionist in a shimmery costume (and apparently no skeleton). Then get pulled into a cool contemporary dance piece called "The Grape Dance" that incorporates a huge green rubber band and was inspired by the struggles of Mexican immigrants helping to build the wine industry.

The contortionist was part of a show called "The Theatre Factory," which brings in local theater groups to perform -- I'd love to see more of that. The WAVE-honored program, produced by Patricia Neme and Patty Page, focused on Velocity Circus, a multimedia/circus entertainment company in San Francisco.

Other winners include The Stephanie Herman Show (she of the Grape Dance), in which the former principal ballerina dances and talks about the creative process behind her works. More dance is to be had in the Studio Sesson on the African-dance troupe Fua Dia Congo, all whirling colors, drums and singing. (Full disclosure: My friend Karen Adams produced this program, with Muisi-Kongo Malonga and Dan Beaulieu.)

Also in the arts, a Jook Joint show (a VJ-style blues program) focusing on Etta James took home an award. It was produced by E.C. Scott and Gregg Mitchell.

Andrea Throndson from Abilities United produced a more serious piece on living with developmental or physical challenges. But the most serious program by far was a poignant PSA by Edoardo De Armas on preventing suicides at the train tracks.

Photo from the Velocity Circus website.

Color is still King

Since my last post on color I've searched for more inspiring color combinations and I've found them. These designers style and use of color inspires me. I love the way designer
Mary McDonald uses orange with blue and green. I also like the subtle use of color by designer Lindsey Harper in her small New York bedroom. Strong color and not so common color combinations are outside the box. Innovative designers are pushing color in design in a greater way. After all who would have thought of painting walls chocolate ? Just a few years ago it was unheard of. Now chocolate is used freely adding drama and sophistication to any space.

Paint manufacturers introduce new colors yearly and many homeowners are willing to take the plunge to update their spaces. I believe....if you're not sure how to use charcoal gray and cherry red in the same room of course....call a designer that specializes in....Color.

Magenta and Lime

Pumpkin and Lime

Persimmon and Blue

Green and Rust

Suzani and Brown

Red and Blue

Blues and Soft Red

New M-A theater: It sure beats J Building

Which is worse: sweltering in a stifling theater, or having a key moment in a play ruined because an old air-conditioning system came roaring on at the wrong moment and drowned out the dialogue?

If you build a $32 million theater, one would hope you could avoid both problems. While giving a press tour of Menlo-Atherton High School's glossy new performing-arts center yesterday, principal Matthew Zito was particularly proud of the A/C. He said it's been designed to run no louder than 17 decibels. On behalf of actors everywhere, thank you.

The new theater is quite a sight. While Zito said he thinks it blends well with M-A's low-slung '50s architecture, I am happy to disagree. The new building is swoopy and dramatic and glassy in the front, like a spaceship set down in cornfields. It sure beats the old J Building cafetorium it replaced. I like the way it stands out; you can't miss it, certainly not from Middlefield Road, and it puts M-A on the map in an entirely new way for my, shall we say, vintage-looking alma mater.

The 492-seat house is richly red in theme, with a 40-by-50-foot stage and a fly space that extends up 70 feet into the sky. The control booth is huge, in hopes that it will serve as an educational space for M-A students learning about stagecraft. The green room is actually green.



Out front is a courtyard, where Zito envisions a jazz quartet or Polynesian dancers might perform. Drama students are already using it for rehearsal. Meanwhile, jazz teacher extraordinaire Frank Moura finally has a nice new music room elsewhere in the center, with plenty of input into the acoustics. And I am envious of the big dressing rooms with their flashy lights bordering the mirrors.

The school will use the performance space most of the time, with the city of Menlo Park claiming 55 days of usage a year, mostly in the summer, Zito said. The Music@Menlo-ites are surely eager to use the space; its artistic directors will hold a special concert on Oct. 11 (already sold out) to herald its opening.

And I'm looking forward to seeing a full event schedule. Theater manager Cara Arcuni said a new website with calendar will launch soon.

Pictured: Top: Glossy windows at the front of the new performing-arts center. Above: A view from a catwalk looking down on the stage. Photos by Rebecca Wallace.

Why Color Is King

Every designer knows the quickest and most exciting way to add drama to a room is with color. Most of us are afraid to use it and when we do it's often ineffective. Homeowners should work with a color consultant to assist in coming up with a coordinated color pallet that takes color from room to room. Color evokes lots of emotion. I love cool colors in common living areas with a contemporary style. One of the places I turn for color inspiration is nature. You can't go wrong when pulling a color pallet together pulling colors from nature. I learned this tip from a friend years ago when putting our first apartment together.

When using textiles for drapes and rugs look for dominate colors in the fabrics for accessories and wall color. This is a simple way to start when attempting to coordinate a space.
I always think color should be used dramatically...after all, we don't live in a black and white world.

Lilac and yellow are beautiful contrast in this aster.

I love the way this girl's room mimics the colors in the above aster.

See how this floral patch relates to the space below

Shades of green are soft and calm and work wonderfully in a bedroom.

Soft shades of green create a peaceful here.

Back to my city by the beigli

Ah, it's the best when the arts and food harmonize. Palo Alto Philharmonic cellist Ann Jona found out I had lived in Budapest, her hometown, and invited me to a Hungarian picnic this past weekend.

It was a terrific spread at Flood Park, put on by a Hungarian church in Redwood City. I was extremely happy to plunk down my donation and get a huge plate of stuffed cabbage, potatoes and cucumber salad, along with dios beigli. (We were too full for the langos.)

I could translate dios beigli for you as "walnut roll," but that wouldn't do it justice. This is a firm, robust pastry that isn't too sweet, isn't too dry, and just plain knows its own business. Above is the makos, or poppyseed, variety as well. I made a makos beigli for my family last Thanksgiving (very traditional) and it looked just like that, only with cracks and a crooked shape.

Koszonom szepen to Ann, and overall I must say that the Palo Alto Philharmonic has excellent taste. It's planning to kick off the 2009-2010 season with a Hungarian-themed program on Oct. 24. Fellow Magyar-philes should be pleased to see a program replete with Bartok, Kodaly and Dohnanyi. Hungarian cello soloist Csaba Onczay is even flying in to perform.

Pictured: Dios and makos beigli in a photo by Hu Totya, from Wikipedia