Bronfman’s program brought together a variety of works and composers that one would not immediately think of grouping together.

Written in 1806, Beethoven’s Thirty-Two Variations on an Original Theme in C Minor is indeed a major but less performed work.  Based on a theme devised by the composer himself, the piece gave Bronfman the opportunity to display his incredible dexterity and endless energy.  The variations themselves provide a whirlwind tour through major and minor modes, quiet and stormy passages, virtuosic running scales, and jumping octaves.  In Bronfman’s interpretation, every note could be heard and had a distinct voice.

Jörg Widmann’s XI Humoresken (2007) were inspired by Schumann’s humoresques and explore “different forms of humor (or even its absence)” according to the composer.  Although Bronfman played the 11 variations impressively, and there were several enjoyable moments [I particularly enjoyed the eighth movement, Zerrinendes Bild (Streaming Image)], I would need to hear this piece again to even begin to make sense of it.

Schumann’s Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26 (1839-1842) shared the intensity of the Humoresken but was far more familiar.  Faschingsschwank, incidentally, is a neologism by the composer comprised of Fasching (Carnival) and Schwank (Jest).

After the intermission came the Tchaikovsky Sonata in G Major, Op. 37 (1878), which was apparently a kind of problem child during its gestation.

“[This piece] doesn’t come easily,” the composer wrote. “I work unsuccessfully, with little progress… I have to force myself. I’m having to squeeze out of myself weak and feeble ideas.  But I keep at it, and hope that imagination will suddenly strike.”

The first two movements were, despite the pianist’s best efforts, uninspiring although the last two were dazzling displays of virtuosity.

The audience was taken by Bronfman’s grace and intensity and he wowed them with three engaging encores, Chopin’s Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2, Liszt’s Étude No. 2 in E-flat Major from Grandes études de Paganini, and the Scherzo (Allegro marcato) from Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 14.

–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.

Despite the lack of traffic, I had played my arrival time close to the vest and arrived less than an hour prior to departure so I spent about half an hour in the lounge and proceeded to the gate.

BOARDING

Boarding was well underway when I got to the gate but American offers PriorityAAccess, which includes a priority boarding lane at the gate.  First- and business-class passengers (as well as full-fare passengers and top-level AAdvantage program members) can board at any time, bypassing what could be a long wait for those of us who prefer not to “pre board.”  Boarding was completed very quickly and we pushed back on schedule.  As I settled in, a flight attendant offered to hang up my coat and provided me with a choice of pre-departure drinks.

SEAT COMFORT

American recently outfitted its 767-200 aircraft, which it uses for almost all of its JFK to San Francisco and Los Angeles flights, with new Voyager first class seats.  The Voyager seats were originally installed in the company’s 767-300 fleet when those aircraft had three classes of service.  When the company converted that fleet to a two-class cabin, the Voyager seats, which had only been in use for at most two years, were put into storage.

The Voyager seats are true, international first-class seats although, in their domestic reincarnation, they recline to 150°, not 180°.  Theyare fully adjustable and have direct selection buttons for Massage, Bed, Takeoff/Landing, and Dining.  The bed position, as noted, is not quite flat but very comfortable and an unexpected pleasure for a domestic flight.  The pull-out tray table has an extension for personal video devices and, since I was travelling with an iPod touch, it was perfect for watching a movie and dining.

The seats were fully reupholstered before they were brought back into service with a cloth seating area and leather trim. They have a luxurious amount of padding, infinite adjustability (each seat has three motors, nothing is manual), and a built-in massage feature.

The standard American duvet cover is still a bit too warm and the pillow is still not fluffy enough but one makes do.

IN-FLIGHT INTERNET

American was the first airline to offer domestic in-flight Internet service and has outfitted the entire fleet of 767-200 aircraft with Aircell’s Gogo system.  It’s also found on many other American aircraft.   I’ve used the Gogo system multiple times since it was launched (it’s $12.95 for a transcontinental flight) and continue to find the speed quite satisfactory.  On this flight, I was able to achieve download speeds of up to 1.5 Mbps, which is faster than what I have found in some hotels lately where they don’t have to figure out how to get the Internet signal to 35,000 feet.  I was able to watch videos, browse Web sites, check my e-mail, and use various collaboration tools for work, including sharing and editing documents.

As we began our descent, the purser made an announcement advising that the Gogo network would shut down at 10,000 feet so passengers should save whatever they are doing so as to not lose any information, a nice touch and perhaps a necessity in the information age.

THE FLIGHT

We pushed back on time and there were only a few aircraft ahead of us on taxi so we were quickly underway.  At the start, there was much and rather severe turbulence due to significant headwinds. Our initial cruising altitude was 26,000 feet but that proved to be too choppy.  The pilot did apologize several times over the PA for the bumpy ride and did his best to find a cruising altitude that was comfortable.

The breakfast of fresh blueberry pancakes and maple syrup, served with sliced melon, was tasty and it was accompanied by a Gloria Sonoma Carneros Ferrer Brut. Warm biscuits and rolls was offered as well.  An hour before landing, mixed nuts were offered as a snack.  That was followed by freshly baked cookies.  Shortly before landing, we were offered chilled sparkling water with a citrus garnish.

ARRIVAL

We arrived a few minutes early and, since I only had carry-on luggage, I headed straight to the curb for my pick-up feeling relaxed and knowing I had kept up with e-mail and other matters throughout the day.

VERDICT

I had a very enjoyable – and more importantly – productive experience on this flight, which was in the course of a regular business day.  Having a comfortable work environment and in-flight Internet made it possible for me to relax before jumping into meetings in San Francisco.

My introduction to the 2010 Acura ZDX was a bit different – and more painful. The car’s plunging roofline, an increasingly popular yet still daring design, greatly inhibits entry via the rear doors.  The design of the door, which thanks to the stealth door handles that are just in front of the C pillars, creates an illusion of more space to enter than actually exists.  This in turn can easily result in a bump on the head, as I quickly found out.

The rear seat occupants get more than just a headache.  They get a glass panel in the roof that doesn’t open at all (the sunroof up front opens a mere ten inches, apparently due to the roof’s slope), and there’s not much room in the back either.  (In Acura’s defense, the car is marketed as a two-plus-three: the front is the “primary passenger zone” and the rear is intended for occasional and presumably diminutive passengers or gear.)

There is, however, plenty of room in the front. This is a good thing because much of that space is needed for the 64 buttons and dials that Acura places before the driver on the dashboard, center stack and console, and steering wheel.  As a result, it took me a while to find the heated seats button and using the awkwardly located cockpit controller, placed on the center stack instead of the center console, was occasionally maddening.

Button overload notwithstanding, the elegant cabin has a warm feel thanks to the premium natural leather and high-quality plastics used in the interior appointments.  Our vehicle came with the optional Advance package, which includes ventilated seats, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, Integrated Dynamics System (IDS) which allows the driver to change suspension settings from sport to comfort, and ELS premium audio.

The car’s iPod connectivity is particularly noteworthy as Acura has implemented a speech-to-text system that allows the driver to speak the name of a track, album, or artist while driving.  It worked well but it also spoke track names when the driver would select them manually.  Bluetooth telephone integration worked well although the system didn’t automatically load my mobile’s phone book each time I started the car; instead, it was a manual process.

The Advance package also includes multiple safety and driver assistance features including a blind-spot warning system (very useful given the limits on visibility thanks to the design), adaptive (radar) cruise control, Collision Mitigating Braking System (CMBS), a multi-view camera, and navigation with traffic and weather updates.

Conrad was right about the head turning, which is something ZDX drivers will have to get used to when parking and maneuvering in tight quarters, despite the included rear-view camera.  Visibility is so constrained in the rear thanks to the ultra-thick C pillars that Acura added a tinted glass panel at the bottom of the tailgate, a feature also found in the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Crosstour, and one that I don’t like in any of these vehicles because in my opinion it impedes rear visibility more than it helps (and is annoying to look at through the rear view mirror).  The rear windshield, incidentally, has no windshield wiper even though the slope of the glass would seem to make it mandatory.
The Acura is the latest representative of a class of cars that could best be described as truck-like coupe, a trend started by BMW with the X6 (reviewed in our November? 2008 issue).  Depending on the angle, especially from the side, the look is striking and coupe-like, with a blacked-out all-glass roof, hidden door handles, and muscular, strong fenders.

The Acura weighs 4,462 pounds, almost 540 pounds less than a comparably-equipped BMW X6, but the X6 has far more coupe-like road manners, thanks in part to its 50-50 weight distribution (the Acura’s is 58-42).  On the other hand, a similarly-equipped Acura will cost at least $10,000 less than the X6.

On the plus side, although it is not very engaging, the ZDX doesn’t demand terribly much from the driver either.  It was very well composed in all driving situations from city streets to windy roads but, regardless of the IDS setting (which alters suspension damping and steering effort) the amount of road feel transmitted to the steering wheel was almost zero.

The Acura came with 19” Michelin all-season tires which  reached their limits quickly when being driven hard.  The new six-speed automatic transmission shifts almost imperceptibly and is very well-matched to the 3.7-liter V-6 and the Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system that dynamically distributes torque to where it’s needed.

Acura’s parent Honda recently introduced the Honda Crosstour, a similarly-styled vehicle based on the Honda Accord (the ZDX is based on the Acura MDX) that is longer and taller (but not wider) than the ZDX.  Unlike the ZDX, however, the rear seat isn’t cramped and the doors are sufficient for easy entry and exit.  With a starting price of $29,670 for the Crosstour (the ZDX starts at $45, 495), penny-pinchers seeking to combine the flexibility of an SUV with the versatility of a sedan and the styling of a coupe should go to their Honda dealership.

THE DETAILS

–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.

Elegant and understated on the outside, thanks to the extensive use of light woods and stone, the Four Seasons is light and airy inside.  The lobby has walls of volcanic basalt and the hotel itself is filled with artwork created by artists of the Pacific Northwest.

WHERE IS IT?

The Four Seasons is across the street from the recently-expanded Seattle Art Museum, down the block from concerts at Benaroya Hall and the Pike Place Market, and within walking distance of the financial district.

THE ROOM

My room was large and airy and had incredible views of water and mountains which changed color and intensity as the day wore on.  The bed was, as has been the case at other Four Seasons hotels, firm and comfortable, one of the few hotel beds where I don’t awaken with a backache.

The contemporary room featured a 42” flat-screen television, a very comfortable chaise lounge, ample closet space, and a dry bar area near the entrance.  The marble bathroom featured a small television integrated into the mirror.

ROAD WARRIOR SUPPORT

The generously-sized desk was placed so as to provide optimal bay views.  A comfortable ergonomic desk chair completed the package. Lighting was excellent for work and the room itself was bathed in natural light during daytime hours.  Reasonably-priced Internet access ($11 for 24 hours) was lightning fast.

DINING

The Art Restaurant derives its name from the substantial art collection on display in public areas of the hotel as well as its proximity to the Seattle Art Museum.  The hotel’s collection focuses Pacific Northwest artists and internationally recognized abstractionists with works dating from the 1940s and 1950s.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the staff was eager to please.  My first morning I enquired if there was any carrot juice available, to which the reply was no but let me check in the kitchen.  Literally two minutes later, the waitress had fresh-pressed carrot juice (mixed with apple juice at my request) on the table; the chef simply made it from scratch.  The next morning, I was served carrot-apple juice without even having to request it.  I should add that the brioche-based French toast alone is worth a visit.

A review of the restaurant at dinner, which has a 12-meter wine wall and offers 160 wines by the glass, will be published separately.

WELL BEING

The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Seattle is an oasis of tranquility, with water, basalt rock, and glass tile used throughout the facility to represent the rugged Pacific Northwest. It offers a variety of relaxing and invigorating treatments; many use natural indigenous elements in the eight treatment rooms (one of which is a couples suite with a private soaking tub and views overlooking Puget Sound).  Guests receive special pricing on weekdays. I made an appointment for the 80-minute hot lava stone massage.  Lava stones are warmed in hot water, covered in essential oils, and rubbed on the body; the warmth induced relaxation and I felt the stresses of everyday life melt away during the treatment.

The hotel also has an excellent fitness center and a magnificent heated outdoor pool next to an open fireplace on the fourth floor terrace.

BOTTOM LINE

The concept of an oasis went far beyond the hotel’s spa.  The entire hotel seemed to have been designed to remove any stress that might linger after a business meeting.

The staff was super responsive and eager to assist.  My requests, which ranged from fixing a broken shower head (it was replaced within 10 minutes), finding a cardboard box to ship papers home (a bellman was at the door with a choice of three sizes within minutes), to getting a plug converter (at my door almost after I hung up the phone), were representative of the service I saw the hotel staff dispensing along with smiles and good cheer consistently throughout my stay.

I feel lucky that my business travels take me to Seattle as often as they do as finding a hotel with a staff that spoils its guests and attends to every need the way this one does is simply an opportunity that should not be passed over.

Four Seasons Hotel Seattle
99 Union Street
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. 98101
Telephone: +1 (206) 749-7000
www.fourseasons.com

–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.

WHERE IS IT?

Vila Bled is 55 km from Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital, and 360 km and a little over three hours from Munich, the closest major international gateway airport.

WHAT’S IT LIKE?

The hotel’s décor includes lots of local wood and classic mid-twentieth century furnishings.  Our room was a large suite overlooking the lake. Each room has a different layout.  The living room in the suite had comfortable bright blue plush over-stuffed furniture and a large wooden desk with matching chair.  The bedroom was done in upscale 1950s modern.

Service was competent but odd.  While there were no porters to help with luggage, if you wanted to explore Lake Bled by boat, they gave you a boat.  The front desk manager doubles as the concierge and was very helpful with dinner arrangements, swimming pool access, and similar issues.  Despite the lake-front mansion ambiance, the Vila Bled is not large (20 suites and 10 standard guest rooms) and the wait at the front desk was never more than a few minutes.  At first I was surprised by the lack of low-level staff at the hotel, but as I better understood the strong economy and crossroads nature of Slovenia, the reasons became clearer.

We received passes to the pool complex at the Golf Hotel, owned by the same group. The pool was incredibly modern and most patrons were Eastern Europeans on holiday. The Golf Hotel was 1 km from Vila Bled and would have been walkable, had we not been laden with swim gear and laptops.

There is a tourist tax of €1.01 per night (this is not a typo).

DINING

Vila Bled’s restaurant was a good choice for dinner accompanied by excellent service.  Although the menu was mostly typical Central European fare, there was a wider selection than one sometimes sees in smaller cities, including duckling, pheasant, and fresh fish from both the lakes and the Adriatic. There was also an assortment of game and other meat dishes.  A reasonably priced wine list with an interesting selection of local and imported wine is available.  The local specialty is kremsnita, a  cream cake which was decidedly not my favorite dessert.

ROAD WARRIOR SUPPORT

The wooden desk and chair were comfortable for working but at the time of our stay, there was no WiFi at the hotel (which is why laptops were taken along on trips to the Golf Hotel’s pool).  It is now available throughout the facility at no charge.

Vila Bled is an ideal spot for an international meeting or conference thanks to the secluded Belvedere Pavilion, based in part on a design by Jože Plecnik, which offers breathtaking views of the lake and island.

VERDICT

The Vila Bled was great, especially if you remember the 1950s, as it is a time capsule for that decade.  If you want to sleep where Marshall Tito once slept (and park your car where he parked his), this is the place.

Vila Bled
Cesta svobode 26, 4260 Bled
Telephone: + 386 4 575 37 10
www.vila-bled.com

Yale Braunstein is a contributing editor at Executive Road Warrior magazine.