Everything is Illuminated

The Bryn Mawr College Library is currently holding an exhibit in its special collections on medieval manucripts. Entitled Intimate Devotions: The Book of Hours in Medieval Religious Practice, it focuses on the role of the prayer book in individual's lives during the middle ages, with some surprising results.

The exhibit displays a number of beautiful illuminated manuscripts, and illustrates the interactive and personal nature of the Book of Hours. Individuals inserted prayers of their choosing, wrote in the margins, and had the pages illuminated with relevant themes. Particularly interesting is the exhibit's focus on borders featuring non-traditional (read: un-Christian) figures. I was suprised to see monkey-like humans as well as mythical characters gracing the pages of a Christian prayer book.

The exhibit is informative and not overwhelming, and the manuscripts are beautiful. Viewings are free and open to the public through May30th. Visit the special collections website to learn more ( www.brynmawr.edu/library/exhibitions).

The Jazz Age

Rembrandt's is a lovely restaurant in the Fairmount neighborhood (23rd & Aspen St) worthy of attention for its food alone. Though the restaurant side is slightly outside of the culture vulture's price range, the margherita pizza and crepe appetizer on the tavern side are delicious. Now, however, there is another reason to step out to Rembrandt's - music. Every Thursday night there is live jazz in the tavern, beginning at 8:30. There's no cover, the setting is intimate, and the bands are excellent. This past Thursday the band formerly known as At Last performed such classics as "Love For Sale" and "I Get a Kick Out of You." You just can't go wrong with Cope Porter. Thursday the 29th the Heath Allen Trio will perform, and they're definitely worth checking out. The full music schedule can be found on the restaurant website (http://www.rembrandts.com/).

Also, a plug for an upcoming performance: Pink Martini is coming to the Kimmel Center on March 4th. The 12-piece ensemble is described as "somewhere between a 1930s Cuban dance orchestra, a classical chamber music ensemble, a Brazilian marching street band, and Japanese film noir." Now I don't know how you can actually combine all of those elements, but I'm certainly going to enjoy the attempt. Samples of their music are available at www.kimmelcenter.org/events/special/kcp/player/ with keyword Martini, and tickets can be purchased at the Kimmel Center website.

The Nose Knows

I usually prefer comedies to dramas when it comes to opera. The standard mass suicides at the end tend to leave me a little unsettled. But no comedy could compare to the tragedy of the Opera Company of Philadelphia's east coast premiere of Cyrano. Never have I been so moved by an opera. I sat riveted, and cried silently.

Cyrano is the quintessential French hero - full of wit and bravado, but sadly lacking in looks. His generously propotioned schnoz undermines his confidence in pursuing the woman he loves, his cousin Roxanne. Roxanne admires Cyrano's cleverness, but instead falls for the handsome but stupid Christian from afar. In effort to make Rozanne happy, Cyrano sacrifices his own desires by feeding Christian lines and writing letters to Roxanne for him. Cyrano wants Roxanne to have her ideal man - one with the physique of Christian and the intelligence of Cyrano. In an act of selfless love, he keeps up the charade for years.

Cyrano is a French opera, but the Philadelphia Opera Company (http://www.philadelphiaopera.org/) provides subtitles (purists beware!). Even without the translation, however, the company performs so expressively that the meaning transcends language. Marion Pop wonderfully captures the nuance's of Cyrano's outward confidence and inner insecurity.

I could not recommend Cyrano more highly. If you are going to see just one opera in your life, this should be it. Just make sure you bring tissues.