Wayne Marshall's Bernstein

Maestro Wayne Marshall (pictured in the photo above with Opera Chic's Uncle Solly, aka Maestro Yuri Temirkanov) is not only a great pianist, an excellent organist, and a most elegant conductor, he also seems to have a special connection to Lenny's music.

Opera Chic's milanese friends are still raving about a Marshall concert at la Scala in 2001 -- when, among Gershwin gems, he conducted an apparently incandescent Candide ouverture.

Tomorrow night Maestro Marshall will lead the Accademia di Santa Cecilia orchestra, that most Bernsteinian institution, in Rome: the program will make Rosalind Russell's awesome ghost very happy, because it's Wonderful Town. In the cast, Kim Criswell, Catherine Torriani, Sebastien Lemoine, Vincente Ordonneau, Leroy Villanuava Wreck, Zachary Halley and Renata Palminiello.