By Dave Michonski
At the Retired Men’s Association (RMA) meeting on Wednesday, April 12th, President Joe Mancinelli introduced a special guest, Dr. Jose Niell, who then gave the audience a delightful piano recital entitled: “Piano Classics from Around the World: Recital with Commentary.” Dr. Niell was born in Argentina, has been a Connecticut resident since 1967 and has been playing the piano since the age of eight. He has pursued his love for music by studying piano throughout his years as a practicing physician in Stamford, CT. He has a degree in Medicine from the University of Cordoba in Argentina and completed his U.S. Medical Fellowship Program at Yale University. He retired from medicine in 2010.
Dr. Niell presented a wide-ranging program with insightful commentary that started with a piece by Domenico Scarlatti, a Neapolitan composer from the early 18th century who became the harpsichord teacher for the Queen of Spain. His second piece was by Emanuel Chabrier, a Frenchman who composed during the second half of the 19th century, known as the Belle Epoch, and was an important influence on Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc. Next, Dr. Niell played two pieces by the Argentine composer Julian Aguirre who lived from 1868 to 1924 and who had a distinctive nationalist style giving voice to folk tunes, rhythms, and harmonies from his native Argentina. Aguirre’s pieces were followed by “Cordoba” by Isaac Albeniz, an allegory of the ancient city in southern Spain and its Islamic history. Dr. Niell then played “The Miller’s Dance” from a work by Maestro Manuel de Falla that was a reduction for the piano and that originated from his ballet music “The Three-Cornered Hat.” Some claim de Falla to be Spain’s greatest composer of the 20th century. Dr. Niell then played Valse in E minor by Chopin and then concluded with a piece by Franz Liszt called “Nicht Vienna,” which is a variation on a piece by Franz Schubert. Liszt would take other composers’ pieces and re-do and improve upon them and this was one of them.
Dr. Niell concluded his recital by graciously answering questions from the audience. To see the full recital, go to https://greenwichrma.org, cursor to “Speakers” and click on “Speaker Videos.”
The RMA’s next presentation will be given by Robert Wolterstorff, Ph.D., and focus on the new Bruce Museum that recently opened on April 2nd and has more than doubled the size of the museum from 30,000 square feet to 70,000 square feet. The centerpiece of the new Bruce is the Richter Wing, a three-story addition that is integrated with the current structure.
“Today, it’s about a new building, but it’s also about a bigger concept,” says Robert Wolterstorff, the executive director of the museum. “A new Bruce, a completely re-imagined, re-invented Bruce Museum.”
The Richter Wing provides community spaces and embeds the museum in Bruce Park nature and community as never before. The new main entrance faces Museum Drive, and the community spaces on the ground floor, entered from the park, are free to visitors. There also is onsite dining for the first time, an expanded lecture hall, a larger museum store, and a conference room. Science exhibition and education classrooms will be expanded to entirely occupy the old museum space.
Over a 27-year career in the arts and museum leadership, Dr. Wolterstorff has held curatorial and research positions, most recently at the Bennington Museum in Vermont, and earlier at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Clark Art Institute, the Williams College Museum of Art, and the college’s Chapin Rare Book Library. He served as a trustee for the New England Museum Association from 2006 to 2015. Dr. Wolterstorff earned a master of fine arts and a doctorate in art history from Princeton University. He has a master’s degree in art history from Williams College and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
This informative presentation will occur on Wednesday, April 26 at 11:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Greenwich as well as on webinar at: https://bit.ly/30lBj21.
RMA speaker presentations are presented as a community service at no cost to in-person or Zoom attendees, regardless of gender. The RMA does request that all eligible individuals consider becoming a member of our great organization, and thereby enjoy all the available fellowship, volunteer and community service opportunities that the RMA offers to its members. For further information, visit https://greenwichrma.org or contact Joe Mancinelli (mailto:jlmanc@optonline.net) or Peter Stern (mailto:members@greenwichrma.org).
Note: The views expressed in these RMA presentations are those of the speakers. They are not intended to represent the views of the RMA or its members.
