Have you ever wondered about what it’s like to live in the heart of New York City? I can only speak from my perspective about my favorite things, but I’ll be adding in the discoveries shared by my out of town students. I invite other New Yorkers from our community to add their favorites so that our guests from out of town who come here either for seminars, for Group or for Practitioner Skills development, can get some ideas about what they can do after class is over each day.
New York City loves to dress up its streets, houses and store windows for the end of the year holidays.
This year, instead of simply presenting store windows as I did last year, I have added daytime and night time views of houses on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, two streets decorated with night lights, and of course the store windows.
My very favorite set of windows this year is the last set of pictures from the Lord and Taylor department store. This year Tiffany’s (as in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s) has gorgeous windows with the theme of carousels. This is also a favorite of mine.
By now you all have a pretty good idea of how much I love good music.
I want you all to know that I do not write about every performance that I attend. I actually do spare you information about the so-so evenings when the best part of the event is my getting home to relax.
I think that I have been really lucky for the past few months because there have been so many performances that leave me thrilled.
Weeks later I recall the performances, one at a time, and my heart just sings with excitement. I feel such a wave of gratitude that I live in this amazing city and I am able to fill every cell of my being with celestial music reproduced right here on earth.
Last week, on November 29th, I experienced the magic of Jeffrey Kahane as both conductor and pianist/ harpsichordist with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall.
The program was ideal for me- Bach’s Concerto in D minor for Oboe, Violin and Strings, (with soloists Cheryl Staples on violin and Liang Wang on oboe) Mozart’s Symphony No. 33, and Beethoven’s piano Concerto No. 1 in C major.
It was fascinating watching Kahane simultaneously conduct and play either the piano or the harpsichord. But what was evident in every subtle movement of his body that he used to coordinate the rest of the orchestra, was the integration of his body, mind, emotional and maybe even spiritual being.
One tiny nuance of movement would perfectly describe the quality he was trying to elicit from the performers. He looked like he was dancing and weaving a tapestry of texture and variation.
The level of mastery, excellence and wholeness catalyzed wonderful performances by all of the musicians . I could feel the quality of entrainment.
This level of musical conversation and entrainment amongst the performers reminds me of the listening that is essential in with all kinds of musicians, dancers, and all performers working together as a unit. This level of communication is what we all aspire to achieve and maintain in our life relationships.
I am reminded of the post I wrote after I went to see George Cables, Lewis Nash and Peter Washington at the Kitano Hotel in August 2011. https://merylchodoshweiss.com/2011/08/26/more-new-york-city-nightlife-more-jazz/If you can recall I linked that post to an eloquent post on psychotherapist Jeffery Levine’s blog where he discusses the kind of listening that the trio’s musical entrainment produced. I just re-read his article and it is relevant here as well.
Often I will experience wonderful conductors with the gifted New York Philharmonic, but it is not so often that the very best of that orchestra is something that I can tangibly feel.
Here are two U-Tube items so you can see and hear the artists themselves discussing just what I have finished writing about!
This one is great because it picks up on the theme of musical communications and conversation.
As I watched Kahane speaking about the Mozart symphony on this clip it underscores what I had experienced at the performance.
Finally here is the New York Times review of the concert which gives further information about Kahane.
Whether you live in New York City as I do, or are visiting from across the globe, come and explore our common interests in healing by having a personal healing session with me.
The practice includes Infinity Healing sessions, holistic psychotherapy, Reconnective Healing®, Resonance Repatterning®, Reiki and other energy transformation modalities.
If you need continuing education in Resonance Repatterning, come to a Practitioner Skills Development class or the NYC Practitioner Skills Development Group.
Achieve deeper understanding, improve or add to your practitioner skills and take your energy healing practice to the leading edge.
I offer my work and continuing education in service to others for a more conscious and peaceful world. Your participation is welcomed!
Meryl Chodosh-Weiss 