Karl-G

There is a very interesting article in the Washington Post Magazine today about same-sex behavior in animals, which seems to be extremely common.  More than 1,500 animal species have now been documented engaged in same-sex activity.  And it appears to be for a variety of reasons, including pure pleasure.
Here is a link to the article, https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/06/30/queer-animals-are-everywhere-science-is-finally-catching/
although I do not know if there is a firewall.

There is a very interesting article in the Washington Post Magazine today about same-sex behavior in animals, which seems to be extremely common.  More than 1,500 animal species have now been documented engaged in same-sex activity.  And it appears to be for a variety of reasons, including pure pleasure.
Here is a link to the article, https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/06/30/queer-animals-are-everywhere-science-is-finally-catching/
although I do not know if there is a firewall.

Every four years, the Cliburn Competition for pianists takes place in Fort Worth.  It is one of the most important piano competitions in the world.  It takes place over two weeks and ended last Saturday night with the announcement of the winners.  The first prize went to an 18 year old boy from South Korea, Yunchan Lim, who was quite exceptional.  Other competitors ranged in age up to their early 30s.
There were six rounds to the competition, ending with  six finalists playing two piano concertos each with the Fort Worth Symphony.  Originally there were 30 contestants.  All performances were live-streamed by Facebook, Youtube, Medici.tv, and several other sites.  They have left the performances of the finalists on-line for the present, so you can enjoy them again.
So, if you enjoy piano music, you should try listening to some of the programs of Yunchan Lim.  Whether it is in the preliminary round, where he performs a very exciting Chopin "Variations on 'La Ci darem la mano'" to his final performance of the Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto, which is extraordinary, all of the programs are very enjoyable.  It does not seem possible to play as fast as he does; you cannot see individual fingers, just a blur.
 

Every four years, the Cliburn Competition for pianists takes place in Fort Worth.  It is one of the most important piano competitions in the world.  It takes place over two weeks and ended last Saturday night with the announcement of the winners.  The first prize went to an 18 year old boy from South Korea, Yunchan Lim, who was quite exceptional.  Other competitors ranged in age up to their early 30s.
There were six rounds to the competition, ending with  six finalists playing two piano concertos each with the Fort Worth Symphony.  Originally there were 30 contestants.  All performances were live-streamed by Facebook, Youtube, Medici.tv, and several other sites.  They have left the performances of the finalists on-line for the present, so you can enjoy them again.
So, if you enjoy piano music, you should try listening to some of the programs of Yunchan Lim.  Whether it is in the preliminary round, where he performs a very exciting Chopin "Variations on 'La Ci darem la mano'" to his final performance of the Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto, which is extraordinary, all of the programs are very enjoyable.  It does not seem possible to play as fast as he does; you cannot see individual fingers, just a blur.
 

Hyatt Downtown / Gouverneur
The website today says they are accepting reservations for after July 1.  Rooms start at $319.  (I'm an old fogey and remember when the Gouverneur cost $88 for any room, included breakfast, and you got the 14th night free.  I also remember friendly Sebastien and Isabelle at the front desk.  I also remember sitting in the lobby in the morning near the elevators and watching fifteen dancers I knew from the clubs get out of the elevators and leave the hotel after overnights.  It was a very friendly, active place.  I met a couple of members from this board at breakfast, and we became friends and enjoyed the clubs together.  The gay waiter, whose name I do not recall, knew all the gay men and introduced those interested.  But time moves on. )

Hyatt Downtown / Gouverneur
The website today says they are accepting reservations for after July 1.  Rooms start at $319.  (I'm an old fogey and remember when the Gouverneur cost $88 for any room, included breakfast, and you got the 14th night free.  I also remember friendly Sebastien and Isabelle at the front desk.  I also remember sitting in the lobby in the morning near the elevators and watching fifteen dancers I knew from the clubs get out of the elevators and leave the hotel after overnights.  It was a very friendly, active place.  I met a couple of members from this board at breakfast, and we became friends and enjoyed the clubs together.  The gay waiter, whose name I do not recall, knew all the gay men and introduced those interested.  But time moves on. )

Hyatt Downtown / Gouverneur
The website today says they are accepting reservations for after July 1.  Rooms start at $319.  (I'm an old fogey and remember when the Gouverneur cost $88 for any room, included breakfast, and you got the 14th night free.  I also remember friendly Sebastien and Isabelle at the front desk.  I also remember sitting in the lobby in the morning near the elevators and watching fifteen dancers I knew from the clubs get out of the elevators and leave the hotel after overnights.  It was a very friendly, active place.  I met a couple of members from this board at breakfast, and we became friends and enjoyed the clubs together.  The gay waiter, whose name I do not recall, knew all the gay men and introduced those interested.  But time moves on. )

Hyatt Downtown / Gouverneur
The website today says they are accepting reservations for after July 1.  Rooms start at $319.  (I'm an old fogey and remember when the Gouverneur cost $88 for any room, included breakfast, and you got the 14th night free.  I also remember friendly Sebastien and Isabelle at the front desk.  I also remember sitting in the lobby in the morning near the elevators and watching fifteen dancers I knew from the clubs get out of the elevators and leave the hotel after overnights.  It was a very friendly, active place.  I met a couple of members from this board at breakfast, and we became friends and enjoyed the clubs together.  The gay waiter, whose name I do not recall, knew all the gay men and introduced those interested.  But time moves on. )

We still have no forum for Dance.
There is a very interesting article in the NYTimes by dancer Russell Janzen, of NYCB.  He writes beautifully.  He is a principal dancer and long time member.  He dances with all the principal women dancers.  He writes about a topic I have never considered: how he feels as a gay man partnering women in romantic hetero classical ballets.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/arts/dance/gender-roles-ballet-russell-janzen

There were two splendid concerts this week.  On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Orchestra performed the world premier of Mason Bates' new "Piano Concerto" with soloist Daniil Trifonov.   No one else could have performed it like Daniil.  It was a combination of the traditional and very contemporary.   It was excellent, and I am sure it will become a part of the standard repertoire.  The discussion with Mason and Daniil was very helpful.  The program concluded with Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazad."  The Philadelphia sound is marvelous.
Then today Sunday, the Berlin Philharmonic performed the annual Europaconzert in the Great Amber Concert Hall in Liepaja, Latvia.   The concert had been planned for Ukraine, but had to be moved.  The Liebaja concert hall is a new circular building with outstanding acoustics.  The soloist was Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca.  She sang a group of folk songs in almost a dozen languages, including Azerbeijani.  To make the message clear, she was dressed in a stunning floor length coat-dress, with dress of deep sea blue and coat of canary yellow satin, with very large gold earrings and necklace.  Her voice was superb.  The two opening pieces were dirges and elegies, and you could hear the war raging.  The composer of the first was in the audience.  They were extremely powerful.  The last piece was Sibelius' "Finlandia," which the audience appreciated very much.
Both concerts were on the internet and watched around the world.
 
 

There were two splendid concerts this week.  On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Orchestra performed the world premier of Mason Bates' new "Piano Concerto" with soloist Daniil Trifonov.   No one else could have performed it like Daniil.  It was a combination of the traditional and very contemporary.   It was excellent, and I am sure it will become a part of the standard repertoire.  The discussion with Mason and Daniil was very helpful.  The program concluded with Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazad."  The Philadelphia sound is marvelous.
Then today Sunday, the Berlin Philharmonic performed the annual Europaconzert in the Great Amber Concert Hall in Liepaja, Latvia.   The concert had been planned for Ukraine, but had to be moved.  The Liebaja concert hall is a new circular building with outstanding acoustics.  The soloist was Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca.  She sang a group of folk songs in almost a dozen languages, including Azerbeijani.  To make the message clear, she was dressed in a stunning floor length coat-dress, with dress of deep sea blue and coat of canary yellow satin, with very large gold earrings and necklace.  Her voice was superb.  The two opening pieces were dirges and elegies, and you could hear the war raging.  The composer of the first was in the audience.  They were extremely powerful.  The last piece was Sibelius' "Finlandia," which the audience appreciated very much.
Both concerts were on the internet and watched around the world.
 
 

There were two splendid concerts this week.  On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Orchestra performed the world premier of Mason Bates' new "Piano Concerto" with soloist Daniil Trifonov.   No one else could have performed it like Daniil.  It was a combination of the traditional and very contemporary.   It was excellent, and I am sure it will become a part of the standard repertoire.  The discussion with Mason and Daniil was very helpful.  The program concluded with Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazad."  The Philadelphia sound is marvelous.
Then today Sunday, the Berlin Philharmonic performed the annual Europaconzert in the Great Amber Concert Hall in Liepaja, Latvia.   The concert had been planned for Ukraine, but had to be moved.  The Liebaja concert hall is a new circular building with outstanding acoustics.  The soloist was Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca.  She sang a group of folk songs in almost a dozen languages, including Azerbeijani.  To make the message clear, she was dressed in a stunning floor length coat-dress, with dress of deep sea blue and coat of canary yellow satin, with very large gold earrings and necklace.  Her voice was superb.  The two opening pieces were dirges and elegies, and you could hear the war raging.  The composer of the first was in the audience.  They were extremely powerful.  The last piece was Sibelius' "Finlandia," which the audience appreciated very much.
Both concerts were on the internet and watched around the world.
 
 

Gay porn producer and pioneer William Higgins has died in Amsterdam at 77 of an apparent heart attack. He has been producing gay porn for 40 years. Most recently he has worked in Prague. Interesting life.

There are two recent rather long interviews with him, which are quite good.
 
 
https://avn.com/business/articles/gay/the-william-higgins-interview-part-1-805592.html
 
https://avn.com/business/articles/gay/the-william-higgins-interview-part-2-805644.html

There are two recent rather long interviews with him, which are quite good.
 
 
https://avn.com/business/articles/gay/the-william-higgins-interview-part-1-805592.html
 
https://avn.com/business/articles/gay/the-william-higgins-interview-part-2-805644.html

Jonas Kaufmann will give a recital this Saturday evening, Oct. 9, at Carnegie Hall.  Tickets are still available ranging from $41.50 - $175, but mostly in the top balcony.

Jonas Kaufmann will give a recital this Saturday evening, Oct. 9, at Carnegie Hall.  Tickets are still available ranging from $41.50 - $175, but mostly in the top balcony.

Carnegie Hall, the premier concert hall in the U.S., has been closed for 18 months.  It will re-open tomorrow night with a grand gala featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra, Yuja Wang, and Yannick Nezet-Seguin.  Tickets start at $1,000 apiece.  But amazingly, they will also stream the event live free for the rest of us. Just go to the Carnegie Hall page, and follow the simple instructions.  Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 7:00 p.m.  It will also be broadcast on WQXR, the classical radio station in NYC, available as a free app on any iphone.

As promised in my other post, here are some details of last week's trip.
The clubs
General vibe and behavior pretty much the same as 2 years ago. Masking is obligatory when standing – observed more in the breech, especially by dancers.  Clubs and restaurants are supposed to keep a log of customers' phone numbers for covid tracing; observed somewhat. Stock insisted, Campus had a notebook sitting out but no monitor, Taboo had nothing.  Saloon maintained such a log; La Piazzetta did not.
All the clubs had a dearth of dancers.  According to one bartender, Campus has only 12 dancers on its current roster (pre-covid, there were as many as 80).  He speculates that dancers were forced by covid to find other jobs and many discovered they could make more money by advertising on rentmen.  My experience is that the situation is similar at Stock and Taboo. 
BUT…it only takes 1 dancer to make the day, and I found someone at both Campus and Taboo.
I was not aware of new faces at any of the clubs.  I recall seeing (I was not in town Friday or Saturday):
Campus: Malik, Ricky, I-don't-know-how-to-count Carmelo, Brandon, Dylan.  Mario and Guy still tending bar.  Celebrated their 37th anniversary Thursday night with a big party that started after 9 pm.  Mixed (m/f) crowd; room very full.  Celebrity sighting: Reno Gold on Mado’s terrace in the afternoon and coming out of Campus during the party. Stock: Fabbio, Jay, Bryce.  On ladies’ night all the tables were filled and 90% of the customers were women.  Pretty sparse other nights. Taboo: Emilio, Antonio, a few young, cute, blond guys whose identities (dancers, friends of dancers, patrons?) was unclear (though one of them sat down next to me and started caressing my thigh).  
"Outside activities"
Hired 2 masseurs.  In one case I was seduced by a cute face with a big smile.  He talked a good game on the phone but gave a mediocre massage and was a motormouth to boot.  The second, Finn, is a well-known quantity in Montreal.  Excellent massage skills, excellent HE, but a bit detached and cool.
One escort – whom I liked a lot 2 years ago – was a no-show after 3 days of exchanging flirty messages.  Four hours after our appointed time he texted “really sorry, won’t be able to make it today.  How can I make it up to you?”
A second escort, recommended by a friend, had a great condo in the Village, a very thick dick, and loved topping.  No complaints.
Third escort was the jackpot.  Hired him twice. 
 
The Village
The street population appears to have shifted east, concentrated on Ste. Cathérine between Saint-Timothée and Berri.  Ste. Cathérine between Alexandre-DeSève and Dorion is mostly deserted except for a few bars and eateries.  The new Bourbon complex building is occupied, but its street level is unfinished inside. The block where the Tabernacle Church used to be is completely fenced off and everything within has been demolished.  There is no indication of what is being built and no construction equipment is on-site.
On balance, I would say that openings and closings on Ste. Cathérine balance each other out.  Second Cup, the Empanada restaurant, and Copper Branch have closed; Morelia (Mexican restaurant), a replacement for Steak Frites, Milla, and a second Starbucks have opened.  Most restaurants were closed on Monday evening (surely due to covid).  I found the street vibe pretty much the same as 2 summers ago.  The most popular places (e.g.  Renard, Le Date, L’Aigle Noir) had full terraces even during the week; other terraces seemed a bit empty.
Signs of gentrification are everywhere (not just that second Starbucks😀), especially when you venture off Ste. Cathérine.  Lots of new buildings, both condo and rental.  My "third escort" lives in a beautiful 2-bedroom condo in a 4-year old building on René-Levesque; across the street 3 new residential buildings are being constructed.
 

I guess I would start by going to their website.  Yes, you are eligible.
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/application-demande-eng.html

VIDEO OF DEDICATION OF PARC DE L'ESPOIR
 

VIDEO OF DEDICATION OF PARC DE L'ESPOIR
 

Sorry, problems with the new system.
The walking tour of The Village from Aug. 9 was very interesting, IMO.  I never realized there were some extensive roof gardens on top of the buildings along Ste Catherine.  Nice.  Without the pink balls, the street is much less festive or special; they really were a superb addition  for years in many ways.  The West End of the Village, near former Hotel des Gouverneurs, is really deserted.  That area has gone through many changes over the years, but does not look good now.  It has had several terraces in the recent past, but none seemed to survive this summer.
In general, tall new buildings along the street make it seem tighter and closer and less friendly.  They are all right up against the sidewalk.  The large planters this year do not seem to have worked; they look like they have a few tall weeds each, not the nice flowers of previous years.  The paving on Ste Catherine really needs redoing, especially for a street that is hailed as a pedestrian mall.
La Piazzetta has two terraces, which is new to me, although it may have had them recently.  The "Art Park" across from Mado and Stock seems to attract photographers, although it has never done much for me.  I don't know the restaurants well enough to tell which ones have survived and which have changed.   Some of the terraces looked extra large this year.  The terrace which belong to the Skye Complex, or whatever it is called, now seems to extend for half a block and be well occupied.  Although I may not have seen that clearly.
The cross street towards the East End which has been completely blocked, paved over with colored stones and planters and trees installed looks very interesting.  They were beginning work on that a couple of years ago when I was there.  I wonder if that is unique or whether a test of further pedestrian areas/small urban parks?
The Bourbon Complex is not a bad look building, although I do not know how high class it is.  From the sheet draped windows, it did not look very upper scale.  And to me it makes the street much narrower and less inviting.  No outdoor life there.  EXPOSE looks seedier and tackier than ever; it was was OK for what it was.  The biggest shocker for me was the almost entirely leveled block east of the Papineau station.  Anyone know what this is going to be?  That once was a thriving gas station and theater/revivalist church, and donut shop until late hours.  All gone.   The Village really must go up to Taboo, IMO. 
 
 

I don't know how these things work; I just use them.  I watch on the large monitor I have with my desktop pc and good speakers; it's like being in a theater.  My neighbor gets the internet on his i-phone and has some App he has downloaded which then shows everything on his large living room tv.  I don't know any details.  Among other things, I don't know what a tv streaming hub is.  But I'm sorry it does not work for you to watch medici.tv.  I just watched a concert with the Berlin Philharmonic and Janine Jansen.  Excellent.

(Not sure really which forum this fits in.)
As I was watching the walking video of Montreal from Aug. 9, I noticed a street partially blocked off and with  colored paving stones.  I noted it and asked if anyone knew what it was.  I just found the answer.
The Parc de l'Espoir is a space devoted to the memory of those who have died of AIDS.  There was a small memorial and seats on a corner lot here since 1995, and they were not much noticed.  There was a piano on the site for quite a while, and people would come and play on it.  The city redoes parks every 25 years, and it decided it was the time for this park.  So they have been working on it for two years, involving gay men of the area.  Over 250 people attended the dedication by the mayor of Montreal today.
The park is now more than twice the size of the original and has indeed grown out over the street.  A number of trees and planters with flowers have been placed where the street was, and the pavement is now a colorful pattern of tiles, I think based on the AIDS red ribbon.  There are a number of seats and a plaque and flags.  Names of some of those who have died of AIDS from the Village are inscribed on plaques.  A number of the men who created the original park and helped design the new  enlargement were present and commented on how they liked the new park.  From pictures, it is spacious, lots of trees, clean and airy, and lots of places to sit and talk with friends and remember.  You can watch the video on Youtube and see pictures of the park on its website.  It is adjacent to the wig shop.
Its address is 1294 Rue Panet, and that is about two blocks further NE on Ste Catherine, from the Beaudry Metro Station.