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YORK, (March 8, 2006) – This spring New Yorkers will
be in a Monaco state-of- mind, as the Principality kicks off its fourth
annual Monaco Takes New York – an exciting series of glamorous
events celebrating a much-anticipated cultural exchange between the
two high-profile destinations.
Highlights include Monégasque Culinary Week
with Mediterranean-inspired menus at top New York restaurants; a spirited
search for the city’s best chef-created Barbagiuan (the tasty
Monégasque amuse-bouche that is a favorite of HSH Prince Albert
II); participation in a NYC exhibition of “treasures”,
consisting of jewelry and collectibles owned by HSH Prince Rainier
III and HSH Princess Grace and the 10th annual Making Music
in Monaco classical music series on 96.3FM WQXR.
“New Yorkers will find themselves in a magical mindset this
spring, as Monaco’s heritage inspires some rich and wonderful
offerings and experiences," said Maguy Maccario-Doyle, Director,
North America, Monaco Government Tourist Office. “Now in its
fourth year, Monaco Takes New York keeps getting bigger and better.
Our decade-long radio program will be music to New York's ears, and
our gastronomic delights will tempt discriminating New Yorkers during
Culinary Week," she said. Multi-faceted celebrations shine the
spotlight on heritage, cuisine and culture in this year’s events.
A dedicated web site offers up-to-the-minute details at www.MonacoTakesNewYork.com.
During this year’s Culinary Week aspect of Monaco Takes New
York (from April 24 through 28 inclusive), some of New York City’s
most stylish Midtown restaurants (Alto, Arabelle, BLT Steak, The Four
Seasons, Frederick’s Madison, Le Bernardin, L’Impero,
Morrell Wine Bar & Café, Payard Bistro, Peacock Alley and
Riingo) will offer special prix fixe Mediterranean- and Monégasque-inspired
lunch menus highlighting the singular flavors of the Principality.
All but two of these restaurants (Le Bernardin and Morrell Wine Bar
& Café) will include their chef’s interpretation
of the Barbagiuan, which patrons can rank on an entry form that doubles
as a sweepstakes entry for a deluxe trip to Monaco flying Delta Air
Lines and staying at the new, luxurious Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel &
Resort.
Complementing the culinary focus will be several cultural components,
including a National Jewelry Institute-curated exhibit of fascinating
personal possessions with a special Monaco link and the popular Making
Music in Monaco radio series.
New York’s Forbes Galleries will host the Treasures of the Titans:
1950 to Present - a collection of jewelry and collectibles from the
notable and influential of this period including exquisite items that
once belonged to Monaco’s Prince Rainier and Princess Grace.
On special loan from Their son, Prince Albert, and on display for
the first time in the USA, pieces include Prince Rainier's gold desk
set (penholder, letter opener and paperweight) featuring ruby and
diamond monograms and engraved with His birth date. Also featured
are Princess Grace's diamond tiara, which She wore to official functions
such as the 1962 wedding of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, a pair of
Van Cleef & Arpels diamond earrings, a Mikimoto pearl necklace
and a diamond and ruby Scorpio (Her birth sign) pendant. This exhibition
is free and open-to-the-public from March 24 through July 22. (www.ForbesGalleries.com).
Celebrating its 10th birthday in 2006, Making Music in Monaco on New
York’s classical music radio station, 96.3-FM WQXR, features
musicians with ties, present or past, to the Principality and will
begin March 12, continuing through May 13.
A special three-hour Grand Finale will acknowledge the 150th Anniversary
of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra and 20th Anniversary of
Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, as well as the recent reopening of the
Salle Garnier (home of the Monte-Carlo Opera) with specially selected
musical tributes. Among the musical highlights are:
- From the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic: studio recordings conducted by
Louis Fremaux, Paul Paray, Igor Markevich, Lovro von Matacic, Lawrence
Foster and James DePreist and live concert performances conducted
by Marek Janowski;
- From Les Ballets
de Monte-Carlo: extracts from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty and Prokofiev's
Romeo and Juliet;
- From the Opera
de Monte-Carlo: extracts of live performances including Ruggero Raimondi
in Massenet's Don Quixote and Cecilia Bartoli in Rossini's Il barbiere
di Siviglia.
This
finale - to be broadcast on May 13 - will also feature interviews
with the acclaimed Artistic and Music Director Marek Janowski; Artistic
Director Walter Coomans; Concertmaster Liza Kerob and former Principal
Cello Lane Anderson; Jean-Christophe Maillot, Director/Choreographer
of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo; John Mordler, Director of the Opera
de Monte-Carlo; Alain-Charles Perrault, architect of the newly refurbished
Salle Garnier, and soprano, Inva Mula. WQXR listeners can win a dream
trip to Monaco by tuning in and answering questions (www.VisitMonaco.com).
A special
Making Music in Monaco CD profiles this summer’s exciting, ground-breaking
retrospective, New York, New York in Monaco. Highlights include film
music by Bernard Hermann for Orson Welles' Citizen Kane and Martin
Scorsese's Taxi Driver, ballet music by Aaron Copland for Agnes de
Mille's Rodeo, music by Leonard Bernstein for his Broadway operetta
Candide, minimalist music by Steve Reich and, to represent architecture
and innovation at the Lincoln Center, Samuel Barber’s Essay
No. 3 for Orchestra.
Monaco Takes New York is an ideal complement to this upcoming New
York, New York exhibition - at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco - which celebrates
50 years of art, architecture, film, music and video. From July 14
(through September 10, 2006), it highlights the pivotal period of
post-war contemporary art, when New York dominated the international
scene and focuses on the artistic endeavors of many of the Big Apple’s
finest creative talents including Jackson Pollock, Roy Lichtenstein,
John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Philip Johnson, Diane Arbus, Woody Allen,
Sol LeWitt, Cindy Sherman and Jeff Koons. Seminal works of painting,
sculpture, architecture, video, performance, photography, cinema and
music will illustrate the dynamism of the American arts scene. Curators
are Lisa Dennison and Germano Celant. One interesting musical aspect
of the New York, New York exhibit: Monaco will play host to its first-ever
Broadway musical as Grease takes to the stage for a one-week run,
from July 25 through 30, 2006.
Travelers can bid on value-priced Monaco vacation packages at www.MonacoAuction.com
featuring two special New York New York Exhibition packages (three
nights at the Fairmont Monte Carlo plus tickets for two to the Exhibition
and to Grease plus complimentary helicopter transfer from Nice and
much more) at 45% discount on the retail price.
For more information on the Principality of Monaco, please contact
the Monaco Government Tourist Office (MTGO) at 565 Fifth Avenue, New
York, NY 10017; telephone (800) 753-9696 or (212) 286-3330; or e-mail
info@VisitMonaco.com
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