A thousand and one nights at the Meyerhoff...

Baltimore's Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Baltimore really loves its symphony orchestra. I mean, really-really! It was such an enjoyable experience catching up with the Baltimore Symphony Saturday night. It was my first time attending a concert conducted by BSO Music Director Marin Alsop, as well as my first concert at Baltimore’s Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Wow, did this Baltimore-bred music lover actually type that? Where is his loyalty, one might ask. Not even a trip across the Beltway to hear the BSO at Strathmore Performing Arts Center? (Well, I can at least say that I played a fair number of BSO recordings in my past life as classical music broadcaster.)

All of that changes after Saturday’s engaging evening of music (and more).

But I must blushingly admit that the last time I had previously attended a BSO concert was at the old Lyric Theater. I wish I could even say that the last time at the Lyric was shortly before the Meyerhoff opened in 1982…but, alas, it wasn’t.

Nope, last time I actually attended a BSO program was sometime in the distant ‘60s. Someone had the radical idea of busing a bunch of us rowdy high school hoodlums to a BSO concert. And to make it “worse,” a concert that was being recorded for broadcast.

I referred not long ago to the hyper-developed trivia lobe that sits somewhere behind my eyes and between my ears, so here is a bit of trivia guaranteed to register at least with Baltimore radio listeners of a certain age … or audio buffs (also of a certain age).

We rowdy hoodlums (OK, I wasn’t one of them – I happened to like classical music) were soundly and deservedly bawled out before the concert by Baltimore broadcaster Gil Kriegel of station WITH for “our” (Not Me, I reiterate!) lack of decorum. 

When AM carried the fiddles and FM the celli (or was it the other way around?)

Another bit of musical, broadcast, and audio trivia, again for those “seasoned” enough to appreciate it – Once upon a time, and for a mercifully short period until FM Multiplex Stereo broadcasting arrived, there were experimental stereo broadcasts of the BSO by WITH, which at the time, had both AM and FM stations. The programming was different, but on Sunday afternoons, they came together to thrill music lovers with concerts by the BSO. I believe the conductor at the time might have been Massimo Freccia.

Stereo was new and novel enough at the time that the (often) rather obvious difference in sound quality between the two channels did not seem to dim the experience, and the Symphonie Fantastique did indeed sound pretty fantastic…as did the Tchaikowsky, Brahms, Mendelssohn, what have you.

A typical set-up might have been that the FM channel would blossom forth from, perhaps, a large mahogany “HiFi” console (in our case, it was a huge DuMont 19 inch TV that also incorporated an FM tuner of quite decent quality and a big coaxial speaker), and the poor-relation AM side squawked forth from a table radio (ours was a modest Emerson).

As this was something of an event for music lovers, one made sure that the AM table radio was carefully tuned to avoid any spurious “whistles.” Also, that any fluorescent lights or  vacuum cleaners were turned off to avoid any futzing with the fiddles or flutes.

Oh, my, I have just reminded myself of how Hannibal Lecter, another lover of fine music, rid the BSO of a faulty flautist who made the mistake of playing his flute miserably out of tune during the Mendelssohn Scherzo from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” that opens “Red Dragon.” Ah, but that was a “deliciously” appropriate (if purely cinematic) matter of maintaining high standards of orchestral playing, and I hasten to add the flutes Saturday night sounded just fine. So no off-tune livers being dined upon with fava beans and a nice chianti…or served as an amuse-bouche to music supporting dilettantes in Bolton Hill.

But back to those noble early AM-FM attempts at stereophonic symphony broadcasts…They didn’t necessarily have to sound as cheesily off-balanced as I described above. The true audio hobbyist (in which I had by then only attained “sprout” status) might instead have listened on a full-fledged audio system with identical speakers left and right, with the broadcast entering via perhaps a McIntosh AM-FM tuner (with two tuning knobs) which allowed simultaneous tuning of both an AM and an FM station, sending them as separate left and right channels to the amplifying stages of one’s system. In such cases, the AM channel could at least be subjectively closer in sound to the FM channel…given no thunderstorms, fluorescent lights, or errant Hoovers.

Pillow talk...and staying alive (with oriental color)...

Ah, but I did I not begin this errant ramble with references to the treats enjoyed by your scribe Saturday night at the Meyerhoff, as Maestra Marin Alsop conducted Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s colorful orchestral showpiece “Scheherazade” with  Concertmaster Jonathan Carney playing the featured violin parts by which the fair Scheherazade convinced the bloodthirsty Sultan it was better (and much more entertaining) to keep her around as the spinner of exotic tales.

It had been too long since I’d heard this favorite piece in a live performance. Also, some recent photography around the old B&O Mount Royal Station, close by the Meyerhoff, reminded me that it might be fun to rediscover the BSO, experience the Meyerhoff, and enjoy more of Baltimore’s dining and other attractions nearby. And, as a visit to the BSO web site revealed some upcoming concerts featuring "Scheherazade," all fell into place nicely.

While the exterior of the Meyerhoff might be an acquired taste, the inside is pleasantly modern and airy. Even before one enters the auditorium, it is clear the public spaces have been designed with an eye to user-friendliness. Spread out on each level are alcoves with seats and tables for enjoying a pre-concert drink or snack from the multiple bars and food service kiosks or just socializing. And most of these areas have nice outside views, including to one of my favorite sights, beloved from childhood, the clock tower of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s proud Mount Royal Station, now productively occupied by the art school of the Maryland Institute. 

South end of Mount Royal Station faces the Meyerhoff

The auditorium is visually pleasing as well, as one looks up at boxes and other tiered seating areas with graciously curved forms, which were, in fact,  part of the acoustic design. While my computer-selected seat was quite close to the stage and rather far to the left, I do look forward to experiencing the sound balances and views of the orchestra from other parts, and levels, of the concert hall on future visits.

Off the Cuff...

This particular performance of “Scheherazade” was one of the so-called “Off the Cuff” series programs, where Marin Alsop talks to the audience about the work and conducts snippets to illustrate, before conducting the full work.

It is so satisfying to watch people who genuinely love what they do, and who so engagingly share that passion with their public. The big surprise, for me as a first time attendee of one of these programs, was that – after the performance (which was, I should add, most enthusiastically received by the large Meyerhoff audience) – Ms. Alsop returned to the stage with Mr. Carney to conduct an informal question and answer session with the audience, most of whom, I noticed, stayed on to enjoy or participate. There is one overwhelmingly accurate description of how she presides – gracious. The questions were posed by youngsters, seniors, and all ranges in between. And both Ms. Alsop and Mr. Carney were patient, enthusiastic, and engaging. In the case of many of the participants, Ms. Alsop asked them questions in return.

I think the session may have lasted anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and never did I get the feeling that a questioner was rushed or given less than thoughtful replies from the stage. And when it came time to wrap up, it was done graciously.

Oh yes, there was another surprise. After the Q-and-A we were invited to adjourn to the lobby where tasty Afghan dishes were being provided at modest cost by one of midtown Baltimore’s finest restaurants, The Helmand. And, to wash it down, Stella Artois at four bucks a bottle. Oh, yes, and an ensemble providing music.

Can other orchestras learn from the BSO’s example of both gemütlich and user-friendly accessibility? Another “Oh, YES.”

A loyal fan was made that night at the Meyerhoff. Wish it had happened sooner.

Oh, one more thing to note…this one about…manners. How can I put this gently? I have attended concerts over many years at our alabaster cultural palace on the banks of the Potomac. Many a fine performance, whether by the National Symphony Orchestra or visiting world class orchestras. I have never learned to be less offended when, barely have the notes of the last piece faded away, one sees all too many “concertgoers” heading for the exits to be the first ones to depart the parking garage. Not all, but too damned many. I know the orchestra members are paid well, but to see this happening after they’ve played their you-know-whats off…I have to wonder how they feel seeing from the stage this consummate rudeness. And not just when the next day is a work day.

Did I see this at the Meyerhoff? No. Indeed, it looked as though most of the audience did in fact stay put for the Q-and-A.

If Saturday night is any kind of example, Baltimore really loves its symphony orchestra and it really-really shows.

I couldn’t resist a movie reference earlier.  Heah's anudduh. “I’ll be back.”

©2017 Steve Ember

December and Electric Trains...

1950s Print Ad for Lionel Trains

As Christmas approaches, model trains are never far from my thoughts. No surprise, of course, as my birthday also falls in December. For me (up until I had to choose between it and component HiFi!) the magic of my Lionel O Gauge layout was year-round. And, yes, I still miss it. But the magic transformer throttle would get really notched up on the Friday after Thanksgiving, for it always meant the trip downtown with my Mom, which always included three fondly-remembered stops, each of them rich in model railroad enchantment.

Well, actually four, but one was not so much tied to “electric trains” as it was to ladies in white gloves and, umm, Chicken a la King. To get the fourth one quickly out of the way, it was lunch in the Tea Room at Hochschild-Kohn’s, a venerable Baltimore department store, popularly known simply as Hochschild's (or "Hayshuls," in Balmerese, the local variant on the King's English).

You see, once lunch was dispensed with, Mom and I would be off to the department store next door, the equally venerable Hutzler Brothers, Hutzler’s for short -- Hutzler's and Hochschilds shared a block along Howard ("Harrid") Street in downtown Baltimore. That’s when the magic kicked in, for our destination there was Hutzler’s ToyTown, as announced by the uniformed elevator operator, as the doors slid open.

For my purposes and preferences, I never considered “ToyTown” an apt name, for my mission there was not a mere "toy" experience.  

Lionel's popular and iconic O -Gauge EMD Santa Fe F-3 diesel locomotive

For it was here that, every Christmas season, the Lionel-experts set up an elaborate O-Gauge layout with multiple trains negotiating steep grades (aided of course by Lionel’s much vaunted MagneTraction), disappearing into tunnels, blowing their whistles or horns for grade crossings, gliding into magnificent stations, or disgorging cattle into stock pens, or dumping logs into a sawmill’s conveyor.

Silhouetted passengers rode in style in the fluted silver streamlined “Lionel Lines” cars, pulled by growling Santa Fe F-3 diesels in sets of three…or iconic Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 electric locomotives. And, of course, imitation smoke puffing Hudson- or Berkshire-class steam locomotives would haul their “heavyweight” Pullman parlor cars between country towns and the big city. As I recall, it was all on auto-pilot, as speeds were carefully set to be as impressively fast as possible without risking model disasters. And the big Lionel ZW transformers powering the trains, as well as all the twinkling lights and crossing gates and other elements of enchantment, were safely out of the reach of young visitors who might take it upon themselves to cause quarter-inch-to-the-foot calamity.

Imagine that: Bringing the FAMILY together. What a radical concept...

This post-Thanksgiving pre-Birthday ritual visit was for the purpose of deciding which locomotive or passenger or freight car or accessory might  (well, hopefully) be presented following birthday dinner. And, damn, did I ever make it my mission to be a good boy at this particular time of year.

The trip downtown would also include a visit to Taubman Hardware’s flagship store on West Baltimore Street. Now, “hardware store” I could more willingly buy into than the more frivolous “ToyTown.” See, it was once a tradition for Lionel’s O and O-27 Gauge trains to be sold in hardware stores. Back when hardware stores were not Home Depots…

So, further scrutiny to Lionel’s offerings was applied there at Taubman’s, as Hutzler’s had the glamour layout but perhaps not everything that Taubman’s had on its utilitarian shelves.

And, finally, there was the visit to the lobby of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s office building at the corner of Baltimore and Charles to take in their elaborate display. This one was not Lionel, but the competing American Flyer S-Gauge trains, which actually ran on more authentic looking two-rail track (as opposed to Lionel’s middle power-rail) and were, as I recall, more toward scale in proportions. But, heck, back then, you were either a Lionel partisan or an American Flyer devotee. I do remember a very appealing American Flyer iteration of my favorite B&O train, the elegant Royal Blue. Of course, AF’s “Royal Blue” was pulled by Alco diesels instead of the sloped-nose EMDs of real-life, but such “poetic license” was OK as AF’s Alcos were quite attractive.

Screen Capture from Eisenbahn Romantik Ontraxs DVD

No matter the gauge…or whether one remembers them from earlier years as “electric trains” or “model trains” (the latter having the more “serious” connotation, as in devoted hobbyists who do everything in scale), this is the time of year to raise a hearty Glühwein (or libation of your own choosing) toast to electric trains, whether they simply chase their tails in a basic circle or oval under the Christmas tree…or recreate moments from a saner past, chuffing their way between German or French or Swiss villages, admired by tiny farmers with their cows, awaited by tiny – and properly dressed – travelers…admired by full sized adults and pint-sized kids….

If I may throw in a plug for a most enjoyable project I did a few years ago on a major European model train show, it was my honor to be the English language narrator for an “Eisenbahn Romantik” 2-DVD set on the Ontraxs show in Utrecht, Holland.

One of the reasons narrating this presentation was so much fun had to do with how well the script described the enchanting miniature worlds created by these dedicated modelers.

"A Diorama" - Screen Capture from Ontraxs DVD

I see the set is still available, so I thought I’d tell you about it, even though it’s going to be too late to order and view it with your loved ones by the Christmas tree (although, if you’re reading this in Europe, there just might just be that chance).

Here’s a link to an earlier blog story I did on the project. Embedded in it are two audio players with clips from a couple of favorite chapters (and that selection was, indeed, a hard choice!) as well as a link to the web site from which the DVD set can be ordered. Yank (and other non-European) readers may wish to lay it in for next Christmas.

©2016 Steve Ember

 

Carrying Coals to...Curtis Bay

...from a photographer's notebook

Coal Terminal, Curtis Bay

From coal mines in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania come long 100+ car CSX trains of hopper cars into the Port of Baltimore. There, at the huge Curtis Bay coal terminal, the coal is unloaded, sorted according to its industrial use, and loaded into ocean-going freighters heading to many destinations. A fascinating process to watch...and, of course, to photograph.

I was honored to have "Coal Terminal, Curtis Bay" selected by the National Gallery of Art's Eric Denker for inclusion in the Art on Paper show at the Maryland Federation of Art Circle Gallery in Annapolis.

The exhibit runs through April 19. The Artists Reception is this Sunday, March 31, from 3 to 5 PM.

The Gallery is located at 18 State Circle, just across from the State Capitol, and I hope you can stop by and say hello! I have it on good authority Annapolis is due for some genuinely Spring-like weather by then ;-)

A special thank you to Paul Nee and his wonderful staff at Capital Art and Framing in Fairfax for accommodating me at short notice to frame the photograph.

The photograph is available framed or as a matted print. The framed version is available for purchase (at the end of the exhibit) and can be reserved by visiting the MFA web site, where you may see all of the work in this multi-media show.

You may see other photographs of Curtis Bay, as well as other aspects of Baltimore by following this link to my Baltimore images on Foto-Community. While there, please feel free to peruse some other motifs at which I've aimed a camera, by navigating the folders in the left column.

©2014 Steve Ember

Belated Happy Easter (from Thumper, the Easter Bunny)

...from a photographer's notebook

  Detail from "Welcome to Thumper's Lounge and Nightclub"                                       ©2013 Steve Ember

Perhaps a bit different from images I typically share here, but I found this motif irresistible. It has to do with loving the distinctive neighborhood cultures of my old hometown of Baltimore. I enjoy getting back there whenever possible, for its rich variety of photographic possibilities, among other attractions.

It also has to do with the fact that I saw this place for the very first time on Easter Sunday and I’ve always thought “Thumper” was a great name for the Easter Bunny! 

After an exciting afternoon of shooting around the impressive CSX Coal Transloading facility at Curtis Bay in some great late afternoon winter-type sunshine, the unexpected sighting of Thumper’s immediately suggested a quick stop with the cameras before heading for a vantage point for photographing the Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Outer Harbor.

Thumper’s Lounge and Nightclub is on Curtis Avenue in the Brooklyn Park neighborhood of Curtis Bay, a mainly industrial/railroad/maritime section of Baltimore. Very much a working class community, with some obvious, often playful, manifestations of civic pride. Nuthin’ fancy here, Hon. Just daown-haome Bawlamer, wifout any-o-dem-dere frills. (By the way, outtataowners, yew’ve just had a llesson in Bawlamerese. More can be found here and here.)

Sure, Baltimore has its upscale jewels, like the Inner Harbor, but the “real” city can be found in its many blue collar neighborhoods, often close by the city’s industrial areas. Not sure the concierge staffs at those high rise hotels along the Inner Harbor waterfront would make a point of sending out-of-town guests over to Thumper’s in “Curtis on the Bay,” but nor am I exactly sure that the clientele at Thumper’s would feel any great loss at the absence of such a taxi-borne influx from downtown.

Just speculation of course, and should you get over this way, look me up, and maybe we can make a night of it at ol’ Thumper’s joint.

©2013 Steve Ember

I LOVE this Billboard!

    from a photographer's notebook...

Mr. Boh proposes to Miss Utz   ©2011 Steve Ember

Disclaimer: I have no commercial connection with Smyth Jewelers, but I could not stop smiling when I saw this billboard!  If you are from Baltimore, or have any knowledge of the city, I’ll bet it makes you smile as well.

I grew up in Baltimore, before moving to Washington to pursue my broadcasting career. 

Unlike some cities with large transient segments in their populations, Baltimore does not forget its roots and traditions.  It embraces them.

And this sign simply and at the same time, eloquently, “marries” two of those traditions: Natty-Boh (that’s National Bohemian Beer, for the uninitiated) and Utz Potato Chips.

For as long as I can remember - and that goes back to childhood - Mr. Boh, the one-eyed, mustachioed, hair-parted-down-the middle, trademark of National Bohemian, represented the beer in TV commercials (some of which were nothing short of brilliant in celebrating “The Land of Pleasant Living” - he made a damn fine troubadour -  see below!), print ads, and, most certainly, neon signs adorning the city’s neighborhood taverns and package goods stores.

Another fondly remembered trademark in Baltimore was the Utz Potato Chips Girl, with her wide eyes, the big bow in her hair, and her hand (where else?) in a bag of Utz potato chips.

Thus, what a stroke of genius to add the stick figure and diamond ring to Mr. Boh, as he proposes to “Miss Utz,” to represent Baltimore, tradition, and love in one simple, eloquent statement. Bravo, Smyth and your ad agency!

So, how did I come to see – and shoot – this smile-maker of a billboard?

Earlier this month, I produced a program on my old home town for the Voice of America’s English teaching service (known both as VOA Special English and VOA Learning English). It was a lovely experience, as well as wicked good fun, as I was also asked to do a lesson in “Bawlmerese,” a unique dialect spoken (to greater or lesser extent) by many Baltimoreans. 

But another wonderful part of this project was being asked to illustrate the program’s web pages with my photos of Baltimore, taken over several decades, as well as producing a slide show.  

The “sidebar” feature, “An Extended Lesson in Bawlmerese” was illustrated by my editor, who put up some of the photos I hadn’t used in the slide show.  I decided there needed to be some more “specific” photos illustrating some of the Baltimore places and institutions of which I spoke, so I planned another trip over there yesterday to shoot such images. 

Prominent on my shooting list were Baltimore’s row houses and marble steps.  But a recent Baltimore shoot to capture the Inner Harbor at twilight, seen at the top of the VOA story and here, combined with the excitement I felt in turning up, for that presentation, several slides I’d taken in my earliest years behind a camera, reawakened my interest in capturing more of the rich urban tapestry of my old stompin’ grounds.

A serendipitous juxtaposition ©Steve Ember

And, as I had great fun in mentioning Natty-Boh, both as a Baltimore tradition and in examples of the distinctive “O” sound heard in full-out Bawlmerese, I absolutely had to include a photo of the beer’s longtime print and TV “spokesman,” Mr. Boh.  And that meant including Brewer’s Hill (site of the erstwhile National Brewing Company – the beer is now brewed elsewhere, but remains a Balto tradition, alongside of steamed crabs!). Brewer’s Hill is located in East Baltimore’s Canton, and the plan was to hit that neighborhood sometime after dark, to shoot the Natty Boh Tower and – of course – the big red neon sign of…Mr. Boh, looking out over the city that loves him.

But that left a lot of shooting to be done in daylight.  And the perfect sunny afternoon conditions  made for some great photo opportunities.

After shooting in Druid Hill Park and then capturing some brightly colored row houses nearby, along with those marble steps, the next destination was the old Mount Royal Station to capture the tall clock tower mentioned in the “Extended Bawlmerese Lesson.”

©2011 Steve Ember

Mount Royal station was, in my early years, the uptown terminus for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s premiere passenger trains to New York, Washington, Chicago, and other destinations. It’s now a part of the Maryland Institute College of Art.  But passenger train service is alive and well over at the Pennsylvania Station, just across town, and that’s where we headed so I could photo illustrate my references to “llaocaomaotives” as an example of both the Bawlmerese guttural L and diphthonged O.

We parked on North Charles Street, just across from this impressive Beaux-Arts terminal, serving both Amtrak and the regional MARC Rail, as well as Baltimore's Light Rail system  No sooner had we gotten out of the car than we spotted the sign, just north of the station. The fence in the foreground is along the bridge that carries Charles Street over the tracks leading into Penn Station.

I’ll show you some more Baltimore scenes, or provide links to them, soon.  But for now, I just wanted to share this simple but eloquent statement of a cherished bit of Baltimore.

Ciao, Hons.

©2011 Steve Ember

And with sincere thanks to the guys at Atomic TV, I offer you...