The Quiet Legend

This weekend, I had a twice-in-a-lifetime experience – my second time attending a concert given by the Grand Dame of Broadway – Barbara Cook. Now considered the Dowager Empress of the Stage, Ms. Cook is a modest 75 years old. Her once lyric coloratura soprano has lowered and deepened and is now replaced by a silky, warm sound. (By the way, her high notes are still damned good!) Her slim, glamorous figure has blossomed into the full figure of womanhood. No flash and dash and gimmicks – just the quiet artistry and graceful presence that captured a concert hall of 2500 people so that there was not a breath heard when she sang. Her voice simply found the natural flow of air around her and went for a ride. Yes, she was definitely bewitching! Oh, yes – she did indeed perform, especially when singing jazz. But her shining moment was the ballad she sang as an encore – without the microphone. Her beautiful voice and her soul reached all the way back and up to the top-most tier. This was a lesson in performance.

Ms. Cook shared the stage with the young and quite gorgeous Audra MacDonald, whose credits not only include Broadway, but appearances on TV’s West Wing. Ms. MacDonald is blessed with youth, beauty, and a HUGE voice and lots of personality. She graciously shared with the audience that being on stage was akin to getting a lesson in what it’s all about. Her style is the exact opposite of Ms. Cook, yet when they sang duets, their blend was one voice. Extraordinary experience.

It simply boiled down to one person willing to share her vast knowledge and experience and the other person checking any ego at the door (I don’t think Audra has an ego) and allowing herself to be guided by the muse.

There are simply no words to describe this experience. On one side, THE Barbara Cook, full-figured, 75 years old, and looking and sounding stunning. On the other side, THE Audra MacDonald, trim, 30-something, and sounding stunning. There was no competition – just two artists who were there to entertain and share themselves with 2500 close friends. They turned a huge concert hall into an intimate salon.

Experiences such as this do not come along very often, and I am grateful that I was able to be a part of it.

So, this is my blog on Ostara, the time to celebrate balance, the time when day and night are equal, when what we have learned and nurtured this winter now starts to blossom. Barbara and Audra – two opposites in perfect balance.