New York and music

Venues & Orchestras

History

The “Met” is a genuine national institution.
The concert hall opened its doors on Broadway on 22 October 1883 with Gounod’s Faust, but financial success did not materialise. Leopold Damrosch was appointed Artistic Director to put on a German season. In 1891, the French and Italian repertoires came in, as did the first international stars: Lilli Lehmann or the legendary Caruso. Indeed the Met has always cultivated its reputation of excellence by inviting the world’s top performers on stage: Mahler, Toscanini, Gigli, Thill, Pons, Pinza... An entire American school of singing also emerged (Rosa Ponselle, Lawrence Tibbett, Geraldine Farrar…)
In 1955, for the first time, a black singer, Marian Anderson, performed a leading role. The greatest figures of post-war opera (Callas, Tebaldi, Schwarzkopf, Victoria de Los Angeles, Sutherland, Leontyne Price, Nilsson, Corelli, Gobbi, Bergonzi…) each contributed a stone to building the legend.
In 1966, the Met moved to the Lincoln Center where there was seating for 3800. James Levine, artistic director from 1976 onwards, has maintained its excellence in casting top names and in productions, although they are sometimes considered too conservative.

New York City Opera

Founded in 1944, the New York City Opera often presents its repertoire in an innovative style performed essentially by American artistes. Beverly Sills, Samuel Ramey, Carol Vaness and David Daniels all made their debuts here.

Carnegie Hall
The young conductor Walter Damrosch met the steel magnate Andrew Carnegie on a trip and put to him the idea of building a prestigious international concert hall for New York.
Inaugurated by Tchaikovsky in 1891, Carnegie Hall went on to host the greatest conductors (Mahler, Toscanini, Bernstein, …), pianists (Paderewski, Rachmaninov, Rubinstein, Horowitz…) and international celebrities (Fritz Kreisler, Caruso, Pavarotti, Jascha Heifetz…).
In 1960, following financial difficulties, Isaac Stern managed to save the building from demolition by getting together a group of donors.
With its three auditoria (after the reopening of the Recital Hall or Zankel Hall in September 2003), Carnegie Hall, which possesses what are considered among the best acoustics in the world, has established itself as a venue in which international careers are made.

Lincoln Center
Built in 1959, this magnificent complex includes, among others, the Avery Fisher Hall, the Alice Tully Hall, the Metropolitan Opera House, the New York State Opera House and the Juilliard School.

New York Philharmonic Orchestra
The orchestra, founded in 1842, is the oldest in America. Over the century it benefited from influences as rich as those of Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini and 3 resident conductors Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez and Zubin Mehta.
On 5 July 1986, the orchestra assembled the biggest audience ever for a classical music concert (800,000 people) in Central Park.
Under the musical direction of Lorin Maazel who succeeded Kurt Masur, the orchestra will leave Avery Fisher Hall with its mediocre acoustics in 2006 and return to Carnegie Hall (which it abandoned in 1962).

The English explorer Henry Hudson took possession of the site in the name of the Dutch East India Company. A colony was established in 1625 and took the name New Amsterdam. The following year, the island was bought from the Manhatte Indians by Peter Minuit. The English took over the town in 1664, and renamed it New York in honour of the Duke of York, brother of King Charles II. In 1765, conflicts arose between the colony and the British Empire. New York continued to prosper however and became one of the main trading centres on the East coast. On 4 July 1776, the Independence of Britain’s American colonies was declared but the British kept control of the city until the end of the war.

In 1783, George Washington entered the city in triumph. New York continued to grow. In 1820, the influx of Irish immigrants on a massive scale contributed to the demographic explosion of the city, which reached 200,000 inhabitants in 1830. When the war of Secession broke out, New York, which supplied a significant contingent of volunteers to defend the Union, became the birthplace of movements for the emancipation of slaves.

In the course of the 19th century, successive waves of immigrants (Irish, German, English and Scandinavians, then Jews from central Europe, Slavs, southern Italians and Greeks) led to a very rapid increase in the population.

At the end of the 19th century, businessmen created empires in industry and finance. This was the city’s golden age, the time of the first skyscrapers and of the development of the underclass. In 1900, the metropolis had 3 million inhabitants and in 1907 very nearly 1,250,000 immigrants disembarked. The city planner Robert Moses then transformed the appearance of the city, between 1939 and 1964.

In the 1960s and 70s, the heavily indebted city was on the verge of bankruptcy. The situation improved in the 1980s, and in 1989 David Dinkins became its first black mayor.

The city’s most recent memorable event remains 11 September 2001.

Architecture

Some Highlights

Gardens & in the surrounding area

Dutch colonial style (1620-1700)
A restored example of this, Dyckman House, can be seen on the corner of Broadway and 204th St.

Georgian style (1720-1790)
Georgian houses and churches from the British period still stand, such as Saint Paul’s Chapel in the City Hall district on Broadway.

Federal style (1780-1830)
In Greenwich Village, on Charlton St. and in the northern part of Vandam St.

Greek Revival style (1820-1850)
On Washington Square North, Lafayette St. and W 20th St. Saint Peter’s Church, built in 1838, was the first Catholic church in this style.

Gothic Revival style (1840-1880)
Saint Patrick’s Cathedral or the Church of the Holy Communion are examples of this style.

Italianate style (1840-1880)
Many New York brownstones and cast-iron buildings of Lower Manhattan show signs of this influence.

Second Empire style (1860-1880)
American architects took their inspiration from the grand projects undertaken by Haussmann in Paris. Their generally symmetrical façades are decorated with balustrades and ornamentation.

Romanesque Revival style (1860 -1900)
An extension of the Gothic Revival style, this pared down and unadorned style is illustrated by the constructions of Bostonian architect H. H. Richardson.

Queen Anne Revival style (1880 et 1905)
Wits its exuberant asymmetrical façades, it is associated with the Victorian period.

Chicago school (1885 -1905)
Elisha Grave Otis, who installed the first lift in the E.V. Haughwout Building in 1857, provided the real impetus for the construction of tall buildings. Iron was used for the first time in 1859. The Bayard-Condict-Building, the first skyscraper, was built in 1894 by Louis Sullivan, a graduate of the Chicago school, who adopted the theory according to which form should reflect function. Perfectly squared façades were fitted with glass panels and lined with bricks or fired clay.

Beaux Arts style or Neo-Classicism (1890-1920)
American architects were greatly influenced by the École des Beaux Arts in Paris and the Chicago Columbian Exhibition of 1893. They adopted the monumental forms of the Romanesque Revival style and an aesthetic imbued with the Classicism of antiquity. The buildings have arched windows, balustrades on every floor, monumental staircases, columns and sometimes statues.

Eclecticism (1900-1925)
Numerous styles lived side by side during the first quarter of the 20th century, according to the inspiration of particular architects.
The city encouraged them to adopt classical architectural concepts by regulating the height of façades and the volumes in relation to the width of the streets to ensure a minimum of light was retained.

Art Deco style (1929-1940)
The façades of towers and buildings, built in steps above a certain height, were covered with Expressionist decorative elements and highly stylised sculptures.
The most beautiful buildings in New York date from the 1920/1929 period (Chrysler Building, Empire State Building), a record decade in terms of skyscraper construction. The Rockefeller Center, built in the early 1930s, is the finest Art Deco complex in the world.

Cathedral of St John the Divine www.stjohndivine.org
The biggest Gothic Revival cathedral in the world. The first stone was laid in 1892 and the building is still only two thirds completed.

Chrysler Building www.chryslerbuilding.org
Skyscraper built in Manhattan in 1930.

Empire State Building www.esbnyc.com
National historic symbol of the United States (over 400 metres tall) built in 1931. After the 1929 Wall Street crash, with offices difficult to rent, the building was saved from bankruptcy by being turned into a tourist attraction. An extraordinary view over the city.

Ellis Island www.ellisisland.org
The entry point for immigrants from 1892 to 1954.

Grant's Tomb
The two large sarcophagi of the Civil War General and President of the United States were designed to resemble the tomb of Napoleon in Les Invalides in Paris.

New York Public Library www.nypl.org
Famous library open since 1911. Exhibitions and festivals are regularly held here.

New York Stock Exchange www.nyse.com
The most famous stock exchange in the world.

Rockefeller Center www.rockefellercenter.com
A complex located on 5th Avenue, famous for its skating rink and its gilded bronze statue of Prometheus.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Seat of the archbishop built between 1858 and 1888.

Statue of Liberty www.nps.gov/stli
Made in Paris by the sculptor Bartholdi with the collaboration of Gustave Eiffel for the metal framework, the colossal Statue of Liberty lighting up the world was a gift from France for the centenary of the Independence of the United States. Unveiled in 1886, it has welcomed millions of immigrants as they came to populate the United States.

Ground zero groundzero.nyc.ny.us
This place has drawn many visitors since the events of 2001. A footbridge enables you to see how big the World Trade Center was.

PARKS AND GARDENS

Apart from the enormous Central Park, wooded areas are to be found in the Bronx, Brooklyn or Queens.

Central Park www.centralpark.org
This park, whose construction began in 1857, was the first landscaped garden in the USA. It is also the biggest recreation area in New York.

New York Botanical Garden www.nybg.org
One of the biggest and oldest botanical gardens in the United States.

United Nations www.un.org
Works of art donated to the United Nations by different countries stand in these gardens.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden www.bbg.org
Worth seeing: 12,000 different species of plants, a magnificent Japanese garden, a scented garden in which the plants are identified in Braille.

Battery Park www.batteryparkcity.org
A battery of cannons once protected New York from English attacks. This is where the ferries depart for the Statue of Liberty and Staten Island.

Washington Square Park
This is where 5th Avenue starts from. Recognisable from its late 19th century marble triumphal arch in honour of George Washington, this is one of Manhattan’s most famous and lively parks. Many artists come here to share their improvisations with anyone who wishes to join in.

OUTSIDE NEW YORK

In the area around New York there are beaches and mountains, forests, small villages and lots of historic sites, including :

Long Island, one of the biggest islands close to the continent with beaches of fine sand and the tourist complexes in the famous Hamptons.

Hudson River Valley (north of New York)
Rivers with boats, tall cliffs and superb residences.

The Catskills
One of the areas most frequented by tourists, an absolute paradise for those who like outdoor activities such as fishing or skiing.

Saratoga Springs
A spa resort very famous for its horse races. In summer, the New York City Opera and Ballet and the Philadelphia Philharmonic stage performances here.

Finger Lakes region
In the centre of New York State, it has theme parks and eleven lakes formed during the glacial period which are in the shape of fingers. This region famous for its ice creams is also renowned for its wines.

Niagara Falls
The chief attraction of New York State. You can visit them on foot, by boat or by helicopter. The Niagara river comes down to Lake Ontario from Lake Erie.

Food & Drink

Traditional customs

Festivals

New York, a cosmopolitan city, is a point of convergence for food from all over the world. Different neighbourhoods have their own specialities (Chinese in Chinatown, Italian in Little Italy…). Fashions come and go but French restaurants remain the most highly regarded.

Dishes
Sirloin Steak
Tenderloin steak
Coleslaw (shredded cabbage, carrots, mayonnaise)
Hamburger (hamburger and fries with a lettuce leaf is on practically every menu)
Waldorf salad : diced apples, walnuts and green salad

Brunch
Brunch is one of the great weekly rituals in New York.

Desserts
Frozen yogurt
Carrot cakes
Cheese cakes
Apple, pecan and pumpkin pies
pancakes with maple syrup

Drinks
In the New York State the legal age for drinking is 21.
Bourbon : American whisky.
Cocktails : Americans drink a great deal of these

31 December-1 January: festivities in Times Square, midnight marathon in Central Park, fireworks in South Street Seaport and dancing in the main vestibule of Grand Central Station.
February: Martin Luther King Jr. Day marks the start of all the events devoted to Afro-American history and culture.
17 March: Saint Patrick's Day Parade – For over 200 years, the city’s Irish community has celebrated its patron saint with a procession along Fifth Avenue.
Mid-May: International Food Fair – food specialities from all over the world on Ninth Avenue.
June:
- JVC Jazz Festival with the top names in jazz.
- Met in the Parks.
4 July: Independence Day – spectacular fireworks over the East River.
July-August: Outdoor Concerts - The New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera perform in the parks in the evenings.
August:
- Harlem Week (a celebration in the city’s main black neighbourhood).
- Greenwich Village Festival (a series of jazz concerts in the neighbourhood’s clubs).
September:
- US Open Tennis Tournament (third international tournament of the grand slam).
- Caribbean Day (on Labor Day) the big Brooklyn parade at which over a million people gather.
October:
- Halloween Parade: a procession from Sixth Avenue to the heart of St Christopher.
- New York Marathon.
November: Thanksgiving Day Parade (parade of floats on Broadway).
December: Rockfeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting: concerts and song recitals.

Annual Classical Music Festivals

June - MET IN THE PARKS
Free operas are performed by the Metropolitan Opera every year in Central Park

July - WASHINGTON SQUARE MUSIC FESTIVAL
This festival begins every year on the second Tuesday in July. It includes free classical music and jazz concerts in Washington Square Park.

July - NY GRAND OPERA FESTIVAL
Free operas are performed by the NY Grand Opera every year as part of the Central Park Summer Festival.

July-August - NY PHILHARMONIC CONCERTS IN THE PARKS
Every year, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra performs various pieces of music free in New York’s parks, notably Central Park

July-August - MOSTLY MOZART FESTIVAL
During this annual festival under the artistic direction of Louis Langrée, musicians perform mostly works by Mozart, but also by Handel, Beethoven, Schubert and others, at the Lincoln Center.

Things to Do

Hotels

Restaurants  

Museum of modern Art (moma) www.moma.org
A superb museum of modern and contemporary art currently undergoing refurbishment work (until 2005). MOMA has opened a new venue in Queens.

Brooklyn Museum of art www.brooklynart.org
This houses the biggest collection of Egyptian art after Cairo Museum and the British Museum.

Museum of the american Indian www.nmai.si.edu/
Exceptional collections on the history of the American Indians.

Museum of the City of New York www.mcny.org
The development of the city of New York and its inhabitants from its origins to the present day, through its architecture, its painting, its harbour, its transport systems, its fire trucks, its entertainment. Here you can also see the reconstruction of the private apartments of the Rockefellers.

Whitney Museum of American Art www.whitney.org
20th century American art. This museum stands out for its temporary, often avant-garde exhibitions (which do not fail to arouse great controversy).

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum www.guggenheim.org/new_york_index.html
Solomon Guggenheim founded his museum to exhibit the collection of abstract art that he had accumulated since 1920. In 1976, Justin K. Thannhauser bequeathed his collection, comprising masterpieces by Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, Manet, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec and Van Gogh. The museum also houses a Kandinsky collection, works by Brancusi, Calder, Chagall, Delaunay, Klee, Miró, and others…

Ellis Island Museum (et Statue de la Liberté) www.ellisisland.org
The extraordinary history of the American Melting Pot: this is where millions of immigrants from all over the world have disembarked. The many stages of this difficult journey are exhibited here (testimonies, archives, moving reconstructions).

American Museum of Natural History www.amnh.org
One of the most important museums of natural history.

Madame Tussaud's NY Wax Museum www.nidhin.com/madametussauds.html
Like its counterpart in London or the Musée Grévin in Paris, it exhibits waxwork figures of celebrities from the world of politics, show-biz, film, etc.

Waldorf Astoria
www.hilton.com/hotels/NYCWAHH
The Waldorf Astoria is on Park Avenue in the heart of New York. Built in 1929, the hotel was completely renovated in 1999. A legendary hotel in which the British royal family holds gala dinners.

The Pierre
www.fourseasons.com/pierre/
A genuine New York monument, entirely refurbished, on 5th Avenue, The Pierre is one of New York’s leading hotels.

The Mark
www.themarkhotel.com
A luxurious hotel, highly regarded by art lovers, close to the Metropolitan Museum, on Madison Avenue in the centre of Manhattan.

Essex House
www.essexhouse.com
Acknowledged by professionals as one of the best hotels, it is in an ideal location opposite Central Park and not far from the Met.

The Plaza
www.fairmont.com/theplaza/
This hotel adjacent to Central Park offers a bird’s eye view over New York. Since it opened its doors in 1907, the Plaza has attracted visitors from all over the world. The Plaza has been used as a set for many films and has been the residence of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, writer F.Scott Fitzgerald and numerous kings, presidents, ambassadors, stars, etc.

New York Palace
www.newyorkpalace.com
Built in 1882, right in the heart of Manhattan, this hotel has been transformed to offer all the luxury required for an unforgettable stay.

Fraunces Tavern Restaurant
54 Pearl Street
www.frauncestavern.com
New York’s oldest restaurant (George Washington’s usual restaurant)

Copelands
547 145th Street
www.copelands-ny.com
Cuisine from the Southern States

Daniel
60 East 65th Street
www.relaischateaux.com/site/fr/rc_daniel.html
Daniel, New York’s most fashionable gourmet destination, enchants you with a warm and welcoming bar & lounge and elegant Venetian Renaissance dining room

Le Bernardin
155 West 51st Street
www.relaischateaux.com/site/fr/rc_bernardin.html
Chef Eric Ripert and Maguy Le Coze preside over Le Bernardin, innovation and luxury in dining located in Midtown Manhattan

Michaels Place
24 55th Street
Californian cuisine

Koyote Kates
307 47th Street
Atmosphere of the American West

Web Sites

Official New York site
www.nyc.gov
New York City's Official Tourism Website
www.nycvisit.com

General, tourist and cultural information
www.ny.com
www.villagevoice.com
newyorkny.areaguides.net
newyork.citysearch.com
www.iloveny.state.ny.us/main.asp

Practical guide
www.voilanewyork.com

Photos
www.cnewyork.net
www.multimania.com/centralpark

City-Discovery.com : Choose and book the most popular tours and attractions !

world-airport-transfer.com : Easy and convenient way to move from the airport to your hotel.