Writer's Notebook - James Rafferty Blog

Cloudy Day on the Ridge

Last week I was in Asheville, North Carolina. One of the great things about this city is that you're never very far away from the fabulous Blue Ridge Parkway. In this region of two large rivers, the French Broad and the Swannanoa, the parkway forms another ribbon that connects different parts of the city. Last Tuesday, the rains broke into scattered clouds and we had some time on our hands, so we took a ride. We began just off of Rt 191. The road quickly elevated upwards and we could feel our ears popping as we roamed from 2000 feet on up to higher points. Very soon, we were far above the valleys below and could look across to other mountains across from us.

We continued our drive, which included a series of short twisty tunnels. The leaves had all been shed from the trees, but this late fall season offered a wide variety of shadows and chiaroscuro images. We'd been at a remarkable church called Jubilee on Sunday and had purchased a CD which featured music from their jazzy house band and a variety of guests. The parkway brings you into close contact with nature, so the ethereal music from the CD offered a tasty aural backdrop to the scenes which spun out before us. Just imagine what it's like as the air grows thin and your car is climbing the switchbacks, going up and up and up.

We approached Mount Pisgah, and as we did, the clouds which we'd seen above from lower points were now at the same level we'd climbed to. It's a weird feeling to walk inside a cloud. My youngest son took his new Ipod Touch out and began to take videos of the pluming fog. So, that was the peak of our journey.

Later in the day, we picked up a friend from the airport and couldn't resist heading back up into the mountains, but once again we encountered fog right near Mt. Pisgah. We re-traced our steps and soon arrived back where we'd started. Before leaving the area, we made one more stop along the French Broad River. The area here was very quiet and you'd have to work hard not to relax while watching the river flow by.

That's a glimpse of the life outdoors near Asheville.  The city offers a myriad of culture, cuisine and the arts, but the wonders of nature are never far away and stand ready to spark your imagination.  

Visiting Red Square - Winds of Change

Last Saturday, I woke up in a Moscow hotel and ate a tasty breakfast. After a busy work week, I'd finally have a chance to tour the downtown. I checked out, then was joined by a Russian friend. We walked across the street the metro and took the red line downtown.

When we emerged, we were near the Bolshoi Theater, where we'd spent an enjoyable evening on the prior Thursday. I blogged about that experience here.

Next, we looked up the street and my friend pointed out the location of the former KGB. It's the building in the middle of this shot (tan and brown).

This picture also shows the contrast between different architectures in the downtown -- older, classic styles co-exist with Soviet era buildings and in some parts of town, notably the business district, it's all new, dominated by tall glassy towers.

We skipped getting a closer view of the KGB and walked a few blocks toward Red Square. The weather was cool, just above freezing, but there was moisture in the air which helped the cold penetrate. On a day like this, staying in motion was a good strategy for staying warm.
Very soon, we reached one of the entrances to Red Square.

My friend remarked that this entrance had formerly been totally open to the square beyond, but it had deliberately been closed off to prevent the old style military parades which had shown off elaborate and large weapons. Next, we walked inside. Looking up, a flag was waving atop a building in the Kremlin; it meant the President was working on this day.

Red Square offers a juxtaposition of many different images, of different historical eras all sharing this one space. The red brick wall we see in so many shots is the Kremlin wall, which surrounds the seat of today's Russian government, but formerly was the place where the Soviet era leaders presided. Here I am standing in Red Square and you can see the Kremlin behind me.

Looking further in another direction, the towers of St. Basil's Cathedral offer a richness of color and intricate design which was even more elaborate than I'd anticipated. This is perhaps the most prominent image one associates with Red Square, but the prior pictures I'd seen did not do justice to the beauty of this building.

All of the pictures you've seen here were taken in the course of about one hour. By now, the November weather had chilled us, so we walked across the square into a modern looking building which is actually a very high end shopping center. So this is what we see in today's Red Square - a place where multiple eras of architecture co-exist and we can also see the layers of political ideology, religion and capitalism mixing in a strange brew which is all part of today's Russia.

In the weeks before this trip, a band I play with has been exploring a beautiful song called Wind of Change, which was originally written and performed by the German band Scorpions. It's set in Moscow and is a song about the many changes that took place twenty years ago. As I walked through Red Square and then on to see other parts of downtown Moscow, this song ran through my head and added another layer of meaning to what I saw.

These are scenes I will never forget. If you ever have a chance to tour Red Square, please go. You'll see so much in a short period of time, but the images will linger and work their way into your soul.

Bopping at the Bolshoi

This past Thursday I had a spectacular experience: a visit to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow to attend the premiere of the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila. We had a tough time getting to the theatre, but it was worth the trouble. Our adventure began when a colleague told us he'd been able to purchase tickets for a performance at the Bolshoi. This was particularly special, since the theatre has undergone a $16 billion renovation during the past several years and is only now re-opening.

After our business meetings had concluded for the day, we drove on city streets in the direction of our hotel. We never made it. The traffic was so bad, we eventually had to ditch the car on a side street, walk to the nearest metro and then travel several stops on the subway. When we emerged from the station, it was just a short walk to the theater. Here is what it looks like from the outside during the daylight:

We found our seats and the anticipation was high among the audience. The theatre itself was mesmerizing. Here is a view from the fourth balcony where we were sitting:

Yes, it was simply a sight to ravish our eyes. And all that trim on the sides that looks like it's lined with gold? Yes, that's right, more gold than I'd ever seen in one place, even outdoing the royal palace of Versailles in France. Let's take a closer look at the seating arrangements.

Now you know where at least some of the $16 Billion was spent. And after walking up several flights of stairs, we had more than one reason to have our breath taken away.

Looking up, there was more to see, a brilliant chandelier, which had also restored to magnificence.

A few minutes later, a few announcements were made, which included a request not to take photos. And I did try to comply -- with some help from weak camera batteries -- for most of the remainder of the program. With all of this visual eye candy, you might have thought that the progam itself would be an anticlimax. But when the lights dimmed, the audience quieted and the overture began. Music from the fifty piece stage orchestra easily filled the hall and the sounds blended like a well woven fabric.

This was the first time I'd attended an opera, so I really wasn't quite sure what to expect. But when the curtain rose, a large cast of singers was dressed in period costume, attending a wedding feast. So began the story. The theatre featured several high tech elements which helped those of us who didn't speak Russian. Far up above the stage, the words of the songs were displayed in both Russian and English. So as the soloists began to hit their high notes, we could follow along with the story line.

In the first act, we were introduced to Ruslan and Lyudmilla, but also found that their dreams of wedded bliss would be interrupted. By the end of the first act, they'd been banished to different parts of their country. For the rest of the performance, the two young lovers would have to overcome all kinds of obstacles in order to find each other again. But first, the curtain rose and we had our first intermission.

By now, the three of us had not eaten since lunchtime, so we headed upstairs to the grande cafe, along with many other members of the audience. This was fun, since both the men and women were decked out, often in beautiful clothing. Many of the women wore formal black, often with matching high black boots or 3 inch heels, but others wore colorful scarves, furs and many other variations. All of the finery and lively conversation helped sustain the sense that we were truly taking part in a special event.

We joined the queue for refreshments and two of us opted for champagne when we reached the front of the line. The pour was Russian and a mite sweet, but the bubbles tingled as they should and the liquid went down easy.

We returned to our seats and relaxed, waiting for the second act. The nine time zone time change was starting to catch up with me, but I enjoyed the singing and the visuals of the stage sets were impressive. The tale itself was quite predictable, but there were many outstanding musical moments. In particular, Albina Shagimuratova, who sang the part of Lyudmila, had a wonderfully expressive soprano range and kept my attention whenever she sang with her melodic sense and graceful ascension up the scales.

The third act brought us to the anticipated denouement, where the Ruslan and Lyudmila were reunited and the cast gathered again to complete the wedding celebration. And here is where I was able to snap one more picture of the scene:

When the curtain fell, the audience responded with loud applause. The cast came out to take their bows and were eventually joined by the charismatic orchestra leader Vladimir Yourovsky. Finally, the last shout died down and the final curtain dropped. It was late, so we collected our coats and walked back to the subway. Red Square beckoned just a few blocks away, but that visit would need to wait for another day.