;-*vz Opening Night ÍMW 15,1986 Fi Ji . sK>f • ' K Vi L -tic fe»--- -¿>x<¿^Íl ,’ ri 1 Ï CONTENTS 6 HERE’S THE HALL by William Livingstone 17 THE PROGRAM 27 GALA GREETINGS by Allan Kozinn LOOKING 32 WHO WROTE BOLERO? by Robert Markow TO BUY AN 36 SEASONAL CELEBRATIONS APARTMENT, by Leslie Kandell call, M.J. RAYNES INCORPORATED. 38 DECEMBER You’ll benefit from the CALENDAR OF EVENTS services of over 300 real estate professionals, 43 VARIED STAGES including over 70 brokers, by James M. Saslow each equipped with a computer networked to our 48 CREATIVE SPIRIT: data bank of exclusive and ALEXANDER SCHNEIDER open listings. But it takes by Leslie Rubinstein more than a good broker to help you find the right 54 YOUR NEW CARNEGIE HALL apartment. We know. Last Cover photograph by Yoichi R. Okamoto: year, we bought over 10,000 Carnegie Hall auditorium, a celebration of lights of them. Photograph on page 51 by Joan Marcus And we are proud to be exclusive sales and Joseph P. Barbieri, President management agent for Charles F. Buccieri, Publisher some of the City’s most Teresa Barbieri, General Manager prestigious addresses. Our William J. Kofi, Jr., Production Manager commanding knowledge Barry Laine, Senior Editor and experience in the Tracey Jones, Art Editor residential marketplace can Maureen Harrigan, Production Assistant make finding the right Maureen Townsend, Program Editor apartment so much easier Patricia M. Hewlett, Account Manager for you. So give us a call STAGEBILL is published monthly at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln and... Center in New York, Kennedy Center and the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., and in Chicago. Other Stagebill editions are published in San Francisco, Dallas, Detroit, St. Louis and Philadelphia. The Carnegie Hall Stagebill is published by B&B PROFIT FROM Enterprises, Inc. Program Office, Studio 306, 881 Seventh Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10019, (212) 581-0169. Copyright 1986 OUR EXPERIENCE. B&B Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. Advertising Offices—New York: 144 East 44th Street, New York, N.Y. 10017, (212) 687-9275. Washington, D.C.: Program Office, -------- HH____ The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. 20566, (202) 833-2897. Chicago: 500 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611, _____ UbJ-------- (312) 565-0890,685-3911. The Carnegie Hall edition of Stagebill aynes ncorporated is available on monthly publication to subscribers for S12 per M.J. R I year (U.S.): $21 (outside U.S.). Back issues available. For details 488 Madison Avenue, New York, write: Stagebill, P.O. Box 5348, Grand Central Station, New York, N.Y. 10163 (Dept. S). New York 10022 (212) 303-5800 5 “It’s nice to know you’re making history. like watching the removal of bandages about the hall’s superb acoustics around following surgery on a beloved face. It was the world. a relief to see that just as skilled cosmetic In the late 1950s, however, it looked as surgeons work subtly to erase the ravages though the hall might be razed to make of time, those in charge of the renovation way for a 44-story red skyscraper. In 1960 of Carnegie Hall have sought gently to it was saved from demolition as the result restore its original beauty. The changes of efforts by a group of musicians and that have been made were to provide concerned citizens led by violinist Isaac improved amenities for patrons and for Stern. performing artists while preserving the Today Stern is its President, and in hall’s famous acoustics. speaking of the importance of Carnegie Lawrence Goldman, Vice President of Hall he said recently, “It is not just a the Carnegie Hall Society and Director of building with an acoustically perfect hall. Real Estate Planning and Development, It is the national symbol of the best that said, “While getting the rest of the hall America can be.” Although he has a full ready for the twenty-first century, we are schedule of performances, Stern is tireless taking the main auditorium back to the in his support of this institution, and he has nineteenth century.” Radiant in its re­ been active in the renovation of the stored condition, Carnegie Hall is clearly a building. Last October he donned a hard building with a past. hat and led a pep rally for the ironworkers, When it was completed in 1891, the painters, and other laborers who were Russian composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikov­ preparing the hall for its official reopening sky was invited to come to New York to on December 15. conduct some of his music at the opening As construction work neared comple­ concert on May 5. By engaging one of the tion, I toured the hall to see how it was world’s greatest living musicians the first progressing. Chatting with a couple of managers of the hall set a standard of young hard-hatted employees of the quality that has been maintained through­ Tishman Construction Corporation of out the history of this internationally New York, I learned that like most people renowned musical landmark. who get a chance to walk across the stage at Tchaikovsky was touched by the Carnegie Hall, they had felt obliged to sing warmth, generosity, and hospitality of a few notes from those hallowed boards New Yorkers, and, like European visitors just to be able to say they had sung there. to the city even today, he was impressed by Like everybody in New York, these its tall buildings. The Hotel Normandie, workers knew the old story about the where he stayed, was at the corner of tourist who asks directions, “How do you Broadway and 38th Street, just a block get to Carnegie Hall?” The man in the south of the original yellow-brick Metro­ street answers, “Practice!” Some of the politan Opera House, and some of the workers obviously had a sense of humor nearby buildings were as much as nine about the deadline. On the door to the stories high. small Carnegie Recital Hall one of them It surprised Tchaikovsky to discover had written the words “North Bellevue,” that his music was better known in New and below that someone else had written York than in Europe. Almost a century has “54 days till total madness.” When I asked passed since then, and Carnegie Hall one of the workers whether it felt any remains a goal for the finest concert artists. different to be working on a national These performers have spread the word historic monument instead of a modern 8 building, he thought for a minute and said, “It’s nice to know you’re making history.” One senses very much that history is being made by bringing the building into the present. From the outside you notice immediately that the coffee shop at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 57th Street has been reclaimed, and the corner’s arched entryways and exterior have been restored to the original 1891 design. The lobby has been rebuilt at street level, increasing its available space, and for the first time elevators on either side of the lobby will service the parquet, first tier, second tier, and dress circle levels. Relo­ cated interior stairways at the east and west ends of the lobby will divide the traffic flow into the main auditorium which should reduce crowding at performance time. One of the most dramatic improvements is the relocation of the box office to a position opposite the entrance doors. Box office facilities have been enlarged, and instead of the two windows we had before, Remember Carnegie's formerly crowded lobby? there are now five. Many similar changes have been made backstage to improve will take place there this season. General amenities for performers, and when the Manager Judith Arron has announced a new building adjacent to the east side of dazzling 1986-87 lineup worthy of Carne­ Carnegie Hall is completed, its lower levels gie Hall’s history and tradition. It includes will contain additional backstage facilities international orchestras, American or­ and space for patrons. chestras, keyboard virtuosos and other Upstairs the intimate recital hall has instrumental soloists, chamber ensembles, needed both architectural renovation and great singers. (such as the removal of a useless plywood In the auditorium the stage shell has proscenium) and acoustical improvement. been restored to its original condition by This smaller hall did not have the excellent repairing holes made in it during the sonic characteristics of the main audito­ filming of a 1946 movie. According to rium, and efforts have been made to Isaac Stern, as a result of this step, increase its reverberation time and other­ Carnegie’s “glorious, burnished, warm wise fine tune its acoustics. On November sound will be a little more burnished and a 5 it was renamed Weill Recital Hall at little warmer than in recent years.” Carnegie Hall in honor of Joan and The interior somehow has an indefina­ Sanford I. Weill in recognition of their bly warmer look. Commenting on its support of Carnegie Hall and its goals. appearance, Managing Director Norton With James D. Wolfensohn, Mr. Weill is Belknap said, “I like the warmth. It Co-Chairman of the Campaign for Carne­ suggests the warmth of the music.” gie Hall. The Weills’ recent contribution is When I asked Lawrence Goldman if this among the largest made to the hall since it look was achieved by the addition of more was built. cream to the paint, he said, “No, the color The most intense interest focusses, of is the same. It looks warmer because we course, on the main auditorium and what have handled the gold details much more 11 delicately.