If you’re still debating how to spend your evening tonight ringing in 2008, may we suggest skipping the crowds in Times Square and toasting the new year in style with four of the world’s greatest guitarists? There are a handful of tickets left for tonight’s special concert with the Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. Below, a video excerpt from their well-received DVD, LAGQ Live!.
The year was 1943 and as mayor for the past 10 years, Fiorello LaGuardia had led New York’s recovery during the Great Depression and served as President Roosevelt’s director of civilian defense during the run-up to the United States joining the Second World War. Leonard Bernstein made his New York Philharmonic debut, Katherine Dunham starred in Tropical Revue at the Martin Beck Theatre, Duke Ellington played Carnegie Hall for the first time and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! opened on Broadway.
Also on Broadway that year was the above billboard for the 92nd Street YMHA at the corner of W. 78th Street. Featuring an image of the Abraham Lincoln sculpture at the Lincoln Memorial, it was in honor of the war effort, as was the adjoining Red Cross billboard for the War Fund. Monument buffs know the statue of a seated Lincoln was done by Daniel Chester French. It was carved by the Piccirilli Brothers of New York City in a studio in the Bronx from 28 blocks of white Georgia marble. The photos below are then and now of the same corner.
1943
Today
Who was at the Y in 1943? Concert recitalists included Jascha Heifetz, Rudolf Serkin and Gregor Piatigorsky. Dance performers included Martha Graham, Anna Sokolow, Merce Cunningham and Doris Humphrey. Read more history on the 92nd Street Y Timeline.
60 Minutes veteran Mike Wallace was interviewed by Stephen Shepard, former BusinessWeek editor-in-chief and current dean of CUNY's journalism school, at the 92nd Street Y in February 2006 as part of the Media Stars series. In the following 55-minute audio presentation of the program, Wallace reflects on his long career and offers commentary on highlights, including the playback of archival interviews with Eleanor Roosevelt, Nancy Reagan and others.
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Related: This Saturday, the SIRIUS STARS satellite radio channel will feature Dan Rather's recent talk with political strategist James Carville. Rather returns to the Y in April to go inside the Bush White House with former press chief Scott McClellan. And don't miss the popular, long-running "In The News" series with CBS News senior political correspondent Jeff Greenfield this spring.
Robert Alter read from his new translation of the Psalms (quite a stunning one, too), as did Marilynne Robinson, who was there as a theologian and writer. There were a few musical settings of his translations as well as two of the Psalms in Hebrew. Between readings, Alter and Robinson commented on them, both as translations, as poetry, and as prayer. Alter sought to recapture the sound and alliteration of the Hebrew Psalms in a greater way than previous English translations such as the KJV have. To me, it sounded a lot like a combination of the raw, personal voice of Peterson’s paraphrase, The Message, but not as a paraphrase, and with a stronger emphasis on poetry. As he pointed out, this book is, in literary terms, an anthology of ancient Hebrew poetry.
Marilynne Robinson is phenomenally articulate - she speaks as she writes - and their observations on the nature of the Psalms both as sacred texts and as ancient poetry were valuable - particularly as Robinson commented on the difference between the polytheistic view of the individual and God’s/the gods’ interest in the individual and that of the Hebrews. (For instance, in most ancient religions, many natural phenomena such as wind, fire, and flood was attributed to disputes between the gods - but in the Psalms, it’s clear that this is something God himself produces, and while it’s fearsome, it’s celebrated.)
The video above is an announcement in Russian on YouTube to promote Russian-born trumpeter Valery Ponomarev and his 16-piece V.P. Jazz Big Band for an evening dedicated to the legacy of Art Blakey at the Y on Dec 30. It speaks, quite literally, as a testament to the authentic crowd that assembles for our Russian Sundays programs. Rusty on your rolling Russkiy yazyk? There are no language barriers to enjoying this video from 1980 of Valery Ponomarev with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in Antibes, France. Classic stuff.
Whether you are trying to shed some extra winter weight or get in shape for a hiking trip to the Rockies, interval training can be an effective method to help you reach your fitness goals. It is a great way to raise energy output, which increases the number of calories expended during an exercise session. Depending on your fitness level and your physician’s recommendations, there are several ways to interval train.
One way is to increase your pace on the treadmill for up to 30 seconds, then follow up with a recovery period at a less intense pace. Repeat this cycle of increases and decreases throughout your cardio session. This will gradually increase your fitness level as your body gets used to greater demands. Another method involves alternating your cardio exercises with your strength training exercises. You will exhaust both your aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (without oxygen) energy systems in shorter, more manageable bursts. Doing this may also reduce the boredom of long, monotonous exercise sessions.
A workout might include 10 minutes on the treadmill followed by dumbbell rows and squats then another cardio interval on the rowing machine. Not only will you gain lean body mass and build endurance, you may even save some time by combining the two different types of exercise. Using cardio as a recovery for your weight exercises decreases the amount of time you need to spend on your workout, making your trips to the gym more manageable. Don’t forget that you still have to make time for an adequate warm-up and cool-down and that everyone’s exercise routines vary based on individual health and goals.
Interval training is an effective way to increase endurance and control weight, while making workouts more challenging and interesting. To experience a customized, supervised interval training workout, speak to any of our certified trainers about a private session.
May Center Fitness Open House Party is Tuesday, January 8. It’s a free event open to everyone that features classes, fitness assessments, games and prizes including jetBlue tickets. Lots of new winter/spring classes and programs are available for both May Center members and non-members.
Video: Basya Schechter & Friends performing “Ih un Du (I and Thou)” based on a poem by Abraham Joshua Heschel at Mima’amakim’s “Reverb of Babylon” show in September 2006. Read more about the Y’s 100th Anniversary events for Abraham Joshua Heschel.
Basya Schechter, founder of the popular Sephardi folk-rock band Pharaoh’s Daughter, and veteran musician Matt Turk kick off our Shabbat Salon series on January 11 with a special Desert Soul Music concert. These get-togethers unite speakers, performers and audience to celebrate and explore culture, music, philosophy, current events, books and more with a Jewish twist. Wine and noshes are included, natch. Also featured in the series:
Bernard-Henri Lévy is one of France’s leading philosophers and one of the most esteemed and best-selling writers in Europe. Lévy’s thirty books, which include cultural commentary, novels and journalism, have continued to stir up such excitement that The Guardian recently noted he is “accorded the kind of adulation in France that most countries reserve for their rock stars.” And, indeed, Lévy looks like something of a rock star with his signature dark suits and unbuttoned down-to-there white shirts. Lévy answered my questions about his logo with typical existential flair:
How long have you had your logo of a white unbuttoned shirt with a dark suit and no tie?
Always. Since Always.
How did it start?
Always, I say. Therefore no beginning. By definition, no beginning.
How has it evolved over time?
It has not evolved. I believe that time stands still.
What statement does your look make about you and your work?
This logo is the simplest it can be. Don’t you think? I don’t understand why it poses a problem. I do not even comprehend why it is being commented on. And I do not see what it says, at a profound level, about me.
Has anyone ever made a negative comment to you about your signature look?
All the time.
Read more. Lévy will leave the sartorial aside to discuss more serious matters at the Y on March 5 when he addresses the controversy over the Armenian genocide, international laws governing Holocaust denial and the state of global anti-Semitism.
Video: David Broza has been called “a post-modern Leonard Cohen” and the “Stevie Ray Vaughan of folk rock.”
“In My Heart” is a musical collaboration between multi-platinum Israeli superstar David Broza and the popular Palestinian singer Said Murad. Their song is a melancholy but hopeful message about the land they both love and share. The international hit is the theme song for The Shape of The Future documentary series produced by Search for Common Ground. Broza recently gained wider American exposure with the PBS special David Broza at Masada: The Sunrise Concert featuring Jackson Browne and Shawn Colvin. He performs tonight at the Y.
Cheese and Wine Experts: Steven Jenkins and Josh Wesson
Looking for some cheese with that wine? Here’s what a commenter on the widely read Chowhound message boards has to say about cheese tastings in New York:
I’ve taken a cheese tasting course at Artisanal and I’ve taken 2 courses through the 92nd Street Y. I must say that I thought the cheese & wine courses at the Y (both were by Steve Jenkins, of Fairway, and Josh Wesson, of Best Cellars) were better by far. The information about the cheeses, cheesemaking, wine, wine tasting, serving, etc. were much more comprehensive. The Y’s classes were longer and a little more freewheeling and there was more of everything: cheese selections, accompaniments and wine. The last one I did they even had one of the farmers (what do you call the cheese maker?) come in and talk about their cheeses and serve samplings. DH and I had a lovely conversation with the farmer and his wife (Jody & Louise from Dancing Ewe farms of Saratoga Springs). It was terrific. And most of all it was fun—the class emphasized the enjoyment of it all. Artisanal’s class was good and interesting, just not nearly as much as the one at the Y.
Last Sunday night, indie folk star Ani DiFranco engaged in a lively talk at the 92nd Street Y with music journalist Anthony DeCurtis. In addition to discussing her life, groundbreaking career and world outlook, she performed several readings from her new book of poetry and paintings, Verses. In the video excerpt above, she displays her signature depth by meticulously probing the soul of a nation with the 9/11 poem, "Self Evident."
92Y Podcast: Nobel Laureates James D. Watson and Eric Kandel
Two Nobel Laureates shared the stage when James D. Watson discussed the genome, his education and much more with Eric Kandel on October 2, 2007 at the 92nd Street Y. Watson changed the course of history with his discovery of DNA, "the secret of life." He is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, and, with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. Eric Kandel, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2000, is a professor at Columbia University.
In the following 6-minute excerpt, Watson talks about his initial interest in genetics as a university student. The full conversation will be broadcast on the weekly From New York’s 92nd Street Y program this Saturday at 7, 8 and 9AM ET on the SIRIUS STARS Channel. Not a subscriber? Not a problem. Go to www.sirius.com/freetrial for a 3 day free trial.
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Can I say again how I wish I had this book 5 years ago? For example, in the How to Choose a School section, there are notes about elements you may want to watch for when visiting the schools in person.
There’s a chapter called “What is Preschool?” and it isn’t a fluff piece—it actually tells you in depth what to expect from a typical day at a typical daycare. And they don’t stop at age 3, the advice and tips will take you through preparing for Kindergarten and beyond.
Written by the Directors of the 92nd Street Y Nursery School in New York City, Nancy Schulman and Ellen Birnbaum, these two women clearly have not only a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips, but the organizational skills to present it clearly and without condescension.
Meanwhile, Wonderplay, Too: Games, Crafts, & Creative Activities for 3- to 6-Year-Olds, by the Y’s own Fretta Reitzes and Beth Teitelman, has been busy garnering 5-star Amazon customer reviews (not to mention celebrity endorsements). Steven A. Shaw writes:
The Parenting Center at the 92nd Street Y in New York City has long been at the forefront of child development. Our son has attended several of the classes offered by the Parenting Center, and they have been outstanding. This book brings the accumulated wisdom of that organization to bear on the question of what kinds of fun activities to pursue with kids. “Wonderplay, Too” picks up where “Wonderplay” leaves off, with hundreds of great ideas for games to play with 3- to 6-year-olds. It’s full of so many great ideas, any one of which can save your sanity on a rainy day. Highly recommended.
You can purchase Wonderplay, Toodirect from the 92nd Street Y for only $9.50 (27% off the cover price!). Both books make great gifts.
Tom of the married couple blog ”
“Interval Training: An Effective Way to Shape Up for Spring” by Eleanor Day of the 
Can I say again how I wish I had this book 5 years ago? For example, in the How to Choose a School section, there are notes about elements you may want to watch for when visiting the schools in person.
The Parenting Center at the 92nd Street Y in New York City has long been at the forefront of child development. Our son has attended several of the classes offered by the Parenting Center, and they have been outstanding. This book brings the accumulated wisdom of that organization to bear on the question of what kinds of fun activities to pursue with kids. “Wonderplay, Too” picks up where “Wonderplay” leaves off, with hundreds of great ideas for games to play with 3- to 6-year-olds. It’s full of so many great ideas, any one of which can save your sanity on a rainy day. Highly recommended.
