Fit and Fabulous at 57

Well, it happened.  I turned 57 years old last week.  Not quite sure how it happened, exactly.  I don’t feel like I’ve been on the planet fifty-seven years.  That number is dangerously close to 60, and I certainly don’t feel sixty! Nevertheless, the birthday occurred whether I wanted it to or not.  What’s a girl to do?  I decided to celebrate.

My favorite maestra, Marin Alsop, the very first woman to lead a major American orchestra, was giving a concert at the Joseph P. Meyerhoff symphony hall in downtown Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday night.   Gershwin, Bernstein and Ravel, oh, my. I couldn’t resist.  

To commemorate the occasion, I chose a formfitting dress by Jackie Jon New York in deep navy, with iridescent beads at the neckline and décolletage.  I paired the sleeveless sheath with perfectly matched earrings and a bracelet I found at Macy’s a week after buying the dress at JCPenney. I finished my look with black patent platform pumps by Call It Spring and selected an heirloom handbag of black corded satin that had belonged to my grandmother.

I enjoyed a glass of
champagne at the
symphony hall

It was with no small amount of pride that I slipped into such tailored attire for Saturday’s birthday merriment, a size “6”, I’ll have you know. I’ll admit it was a lot of work to reclaim my youthful figure three years ago (see Weight Loss). I diligently keep at it now, with exercise classes after work each night and a lot of walking during the lengthy commutes I make every week from my home in Baltimore County to Washington DC by car and subway train.

My piano teacher, Wanda Krasoff,
standing with Arthur Rubenstein in
front of  the Berkeley home where I
took my lessons every Saturday

The concert was riveting.  Several years of my youth in northern California were devoted to the study of classical piano under the brilliant tutelage of concert pianist Wanda Krasoff, who studied with Alexander Raab for 25 years, who was himself a student of Franz Liszt.  On Saturday night I was treated to the dazzling talent of pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, described as “one of the best pianists of our time” by the New York Sun.  A winner of numerous awards, Mr. Thibaudet recorded the sound track for the film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which was composed by Alexandre Desplat. Thibaudet’s performance of Leonard Bernstein’s The Age of Anxiety Saturday night was spellbinding.  He received a standing ovation. 

Tiramisu and Limoncello were
a great way to end my
birthday meal

For dinner after the concert, I was treated to a fine meal at one of Baltimore’s classic restaurants in the heart of the city’s “Little Italy” district.  Aldo’s Ristorante Italiano, voted Baltimore’s “best Italian restaurant”, has been called “an Italian masterpiece” by the New York Times.  The meal was superb, and an unexpected aperitif of creamy Limoncello from chef Aldo Vitale, along with a complimentary “birthday tiramisu” for dessert didn’t hurt, either.  It was a splendid way to mark the passing of my 57th year.
Cheers,
Lynell