Underground galleries (I)—From noir to color

This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Underground Galleries

New York’s subway system is a lifeline for the entire city. Yet over a century of overuse and abuse resulted in structural damages and mechanical malfunctions. As part of Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s effort to update the system, a few new stations had opened on the Q/Second Avenue Line. A portion of the allotted budget went into new art installations.

At the E 63rd Street station, mosaics and glasses installation, Elevated, designed by artist Jean Shin showcases life on the Upper East Side in decades past. People from all walks of life in noir style stood around the fainted remnants of IRT Second Avenue Elevated Line.[1] Life went on and things changed.

Further uptown at the E 72nd Street station, life-size figures in brilliant colors, entitled Perfect Strangers by Vik Muniz, reflect the melting-pot nature of this vibrant city. It IS the day-to-day lives of the riders of this new subway line.

Let’s travel through time with these beautiful artworks.


[1]Interborough Rapid Transit Company Second Avenue Line: Wiki

Er ist’s

Natural light is a rare commodity in the city, especially in winter months.  Finally, the sun peeked through my windows.  I took a walk up the hill to Fort Tryon Park.  The blue sky, the gentle breeze and the blooming spring bulbs all reminded me of the beautiful verses of Eduard Mörike:

Er ist’s

Frühling läßt sein blaues Band
Wieder flattern durch die Lüfte;
Süße, wohlbekannte Düfte
Streifen ahnungsvoll das Land.
Veilchen träumen schon,
Wollen balde kommen.
Horch,
von fern ein leiser Harfenton!
Frühling, ja du bist’s!
Dich hab’ ich vernommnen!

It is him!

Spring lets its blue ribbon
Fluttering in the air again;
Sweet, familiar scents
Touch the land tenderly full of presage.
Violets, already dreaming,
Wish to bloom soon.
Listen!
from afar the faint sound of a harp!
Spring, yes, it is you!
It’s you I’ve heard!

Originally part of Maler Nolten, a romantic novel, this poem is simple yet full of actions. The narrator sees the bright color, smells the sweet air, senses the flowers eagerness to come out and hears the heavenly sound of the harp. It has inspired numerous composers. The most well-known and frequently performed musical settings were by Robert Schumann and Hugo Wolf.[1]

Both composers let the piano carry out the fluttering blue ribbon: Schumann with a dotted descending scale, shaking gently by the repeating chords in the right hand; Wolf with weaving triplets which lasted throughout the main section of the song. Schumann’s melody has a folk-like character, while Wolf’s vocal line forms a longer and more sustained ribbon floating above the piano part. Interestingly, both composers chose to extend the celebratory acclamation with a long coda. Schumann repeated the final verses with quicker motion. Wolf simply let the piano run free with excitements.[2]

Er ist’s! I will let the music and photos tell the story.


[1] Schumann’s 1849 setting was included in his Liederalbum für die Jugend (Songbook for the Young), Op. 79. The collection also contains songs such as “Marienwürmchen” (“Ladybird”) and “Der Sandman” (“The sandman”). Wolf’s 1888 setting was the sixth piece in Gedichte von Eduard Mörike (Poems of Eduard Mörike).
[2] Er ist’s; Robert Schumann: Barbara Bonney, soprano; Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano;
Er ist’s; Hugo Wolf: Diana Damrau, soprano; Stephan Matthias Lademann, piano