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The Spinoff
16-07-2025
- The Spinoff
Travel Diary: A winter weekend in Melbourne – the next best thing to European summer?
Rebecca Murphy recaps her first trip overseas with her husband, and first time out of the country since the Covid-19 lockdowns. No hot girl summer for me, no sipping Chablis in France with the warm sun on my back. Instead, it was a long weekend in Melbourne to get a change of scenery. Make no mistake, she was as cold as a wintry walk on Dunedin's St Clair beach. What a weekend though – art, pints, walks and kransky hotdogs with some peak thrifting on Chapel Street. Here's the recap. Where did you go and why? We flew from Auckland to Melbourne for four days. I've only been married for two and a half years, and my husband and I have basically just been in deep with kids for what feels like forever. He had a work trip coming up, and I decided to go along. It was our first vacay out of the country, which felt really overdue. How tricky was it to get there? Easy! Although leaving our dog Albert felt heavy on our hearts, especially because we left early in the morning. My sister did swoop in to his rescue however, to dogsit. Roughly how much did you spend getting there and back? About $750 for me. Which airline did you fly with? How was the flight? We flew Air New Zealand. The flights were good although I was too polite on the way over and failed to negotiate my arm rest. What was the highlight? Without a doubt the highlight was going to the National Gallery of Victoria to see the French Impressionists exhibition. This was high on our list of things to do while we were in Melbourne as some of our favourite artists were on display. The exhibition turned out to be a bit of an emotional journey for us both. I felt a bit overwhelmed at times. My late dad loved to drag us along to galleries as kids. He had a deep appreciation for art, particularly the Impressionist movement. I saw so many paintings we had talked about over the years, and one of our favourites by Claude Monet. I felt my dad standing beside me at times and that felt so special, he would have liked to have been there. My husband's late mother also loved to paint, particularly the sky. So, for him there was also much to enjoy and reflect on with love. We took so much in, there were quotes from all of the artists. It felt like an exclusive club. One quote I loved by Eugène Boudin: 'To bathe in the depths of the sky. To express the gentleness of clouds… to set the blue of the sky alight. I can feel all this within me, poised and awaiting expression. What joy and yet what torment.' All in all, a beautiful gallery. Melburnians are lucky to have such a glorious space to enjoy. Was there a lowlight? Not really, I was just happy to be away and enjoying a city that felt a bit new with my best friend. Maybe the lowlight was that it was bloody freezing. Did you spot any cool animals? No. Cool animals in Australia? Everything kills you. I am glad I saw none. I saw some beautiful big gum trees, however, and there were also a few plant shops around where we stayed. They had lots of buzzy cacti on display which was cool. Catch any sports? We went to the pub on our last night to eat a chicken parmi and watch AFL. I don't understand the rules though, so it was a bit average. That was about it. Also, chicken parmi is mental. It's a no from me. Where did you stay? We booked an Airbnb in Prahran. In my opinion, Prahran has all you need. One end has beautiful restaurants and boutique shops. The other end has the famed Chapel Street which has ultimate Karangahape Road vibes. It's full of character, colourful people, and the best vintage shopping. I took full advantage of this and came home with some fun new things from Vinnies. The famous Prahran market is also an absolute delight. It's bursting with delicious food, flowers, cheese, there's an oyster bar – it's got bloody everything. We shopped there most days and took lots back to our apartment to snack on with huge glasses of wine. So good, cannot recommend highly enough. I love to sit and watch at places like the market. There were just so many different cultures there, families working together, it was a really beautiful insight into the lives of others. Also, I was asked countless times where I was staying and had to repeat myself. In the end I just stopped trying to pronounce 'Prahran' and said I was staying on Chapel Street. Did you meet any interesting characters? Or bump into someone you already knew? I caught up with my beautiful cousin who has been living in Melbourne for what feels like far too long. Her husband owns a cafe in Balaclava called walltwo80, hands down the best coffee we had on our trip. I had three which made me anxious, but we walked it off in St Kilda. I thought this part of town used to be a vibe, but it felt a bit rank and touristy with that sort of really bad design that so many seaside towns in Australia have (i.e. The Goldy). Anyways, bloody great coffee. Did anyone lend a hand or help you out? I helped out the woman next to me on the flight over by not complaining that she took BOTH armrests! Did you spot any celebrities? My husband saw Tim from the last season of MAFS. Haha. What was the best meal or snack you had? I had a chilli cheese kransky hotdog from Prahran Market. It was out the gate. I made my husband go and eat one when he finished work. So tasty. What items did you pack that you really needed? Long coat and wooly jerseys. It was freezing. Did you miss anything while you were away? Albert, I really missed Albert. What travel/holiday reads would you recommend for this destination? I started The Secret History by Donna Tartt which is so good. I also watched We Were Dangerous on the way over and absolutely loved it, a New Zealand film that I had wanted to see for ages. How easy was it to get around? We trammed, trained and got the Sky Bus. Getting around was very easy and quite cheap. Which was great because I wanted to spend money on things like delicious kai and not Ubers. Did you bring back any lollies or snacks? I brought back an obligatory snack range for my beautiful Spinoff colleagues. It's a tradition/rule in our office that you bring back snacks from the country you traveled to. Someone brought a bloody range of local newspapers back from the UK recently. Straight to jail. Snacks are essential.
Korea Herald
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Legends convene: Esa-Pekka Salonen, Krystian Zimerman, New York Philharmonic return to Seoul
NY Phil in Seoul after 11 years and Zimerman at the Arts Center after 22 years After 11 years, the New York Philharmonic returns to Seoul. And after 22 years, pianist Krystian Zimerman finally steps back onto the stage of the Seoul Arts Center. These two long-awaited returns will be joined by Finnish conductor and composer Esa-Pekka Salonen, making for one of the most anticipated events in Korea's classical music calendar this year. From June 26 to 28, audiences will witness performances that span from Beethoven's transcendence to Berlioz's hallucinatory vision, as these musical giants gather for a rare collaboration. Founded in 1842 and shaped by towering figures like Mahler and Bernstein, the New York Philharmonic now enters a new era under incoming music director Gustavo Dudamel, set to take the helm in 2026. In the meantime, the ensemble is led on this tour by Finnish conductor-composer Salonen, renowned for his architectural precision and intellectual clarity. The orchestra is not only a familiar name among classical music fans, but also a symbol of cultural diplomacy, having made international headlines in 2008 with its historic performance in Pyongyang, North Korea. Adding to the rarity is the return of Zimerman, widely regarded as one of the greatest living pianists. Known for his perfectionism, Zimerman last performed at the Seoul Arts Center in 2003 in his Korea debut recital and since then has limited his Seoul appearances to Lotte Concert Hall. His reunion with the New York Philharmonic, nearly 30 years after their last collaboration in 1996, is all the more symbolic given Zimerman's 2009 protest against US military policy, after which he vowed not to perform in the US -- a pledge he has upheld. The June 27 program opens with Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, featuring Zimerman at the keyboard, followed by Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, 'Eroica.' The following evening shifts toward the French Impressionists and Romantics, as Salonen leads the orchestra through Ravel's "Mother Goose" suite, Debussy's 'La Mer' and Berlioz's 'Symphonie fantastique.' Art Center Incheon will host the same Beethoven program on June 26. Tickets range from 100,000 won ($72.55) to 530,000 won for June 27 and from 90,000 to 480,000 won for June 26 and 28.
Los Angeles Times
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Local gems shine at Casa Romantica's ‘Gems of California Impressionism' exhibition
Crystal Cove. Mission San Juan Capistrano. Irvine Park. These are just a few of Orange County's familiar treasures. They are also featured in Casa Romantica's latest art exhibition, 'Gems of California Impressionism.' 'You have the farmlands and the beautiful beaches represented, and about half the paintings [on display] are from this area,' said the exhibition's curator, James Irvine Swinden. Made up of masterworks from the James Irvine Swinden Family Collection and underwritten by the Traditional Fine Arts Organization, the exhibition at the Casa Art Gallery in San Clemente is full of recognizable landscapes and lauded names of the California Impressionism movement. California Impressionism was inspired by the French Impressionists who coined the phrase 'plein air,' the French term for 'in the open air,' for the practice of painting outdoors. California Impressionists took to the practice as well, painting the state's foothills, mountains and coastlines beginning in the late 19th century. 'This building was made at the same time many these works of art were made, so it is full of significance,' Swinden said to a crowd of art lovers attending a preview reception at Casa Romantica on March 20. Curated by Swinden, a direct descendant of the Irvine family, the selection of 24 works on view gives visitors an idea of what Southern California — and Orange County in particular — looked like in the early part of the 20th century. 'This is Mission San Juan Capistrano,' Swinden said, motioning to a work by Joseph Kleitsch titled 'San Juan Capistrano,' featuring trees shading the unmistakable adobe brick building. 'We know this was painted after 1920, because the wall is up.' Swinden points out another artwork, this one by Colin Campbell Cooper, of the historic Mission Revival style train station. It's titled 'Capistrano Train Station.' 'This painting was painted prior [to kleitsch's rendering of the mission], because this is the train station and there is no wall,' said Swinden. El Toro Road is significant to Swinden, since it separated the Irvine Ranch property from Mission Viejo; a work by Anna Hills depicting the thin, tall eucalyptus trees lining the road is among his favorites. He is fond of the palate knife work technique Hills used in the piece. 'She still had to play the game, because she wasn't using her first name,' said Swinden, referring to the days when female artists were often sidelined because of their gender. 'She was president of the Laguna Beach Art Assn. on two separate occasions, which never would have happened on the East Coast during that period of time.' Hills also went on to advocate strongly for the founding of the Laguna Beach Art Museum. Besides showcasing Orange County art, Swinden noted the exhibition is also a testimony to the taste of his mother. Joan Irvine Smith was a philanthropist, arts patron and heiress to the Irvine family fortune who began collecting California Impressionist art in the early 1990s. 'Most of the paintings resonate on some level, either because of their beauty, they have some historical significance or they talk about the duties we have as individuals to the environment,' said Swinden. 'That was important to my mother.' Smith hoped her collection would inspire stewardship of California's natural resources and she tapped her son to help set up a museum that could house the collection. In 1993, Swinden became president and chief champion of the Irvine Museum. 'Her view was to use the art not only for the beauty, but also to make people aware of their social responsibility to the air, land and water,' Swinden said. 'These paintings really spoke to her.' In 2016, Swinden transferred the museum's collection of California Impressionist paintings, then valued at approximately $17 million, to UC Irvine and he remains instrumental in championing regional California art. On April 17, Swinden will return to Casa Romantica for an art lecture at 7 p.m. Family Sunday on May 4 will be 'Plein Air Day' with plein air painting activities for the whole family. 'Gems of California Impressionism' is on view at Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, 415 Avenida Granada in San Clemente through June 15.
