Musings

The poem is all of three minutes long – perfect for a listen over a cup of coffee (or a scotch).

And thus concludes our journey. We're already strategizing about another...

While meandering on a bicycle, looking for a café, you can wind up

The rain has stopped and it was glorious today. I wish I could say the same about my legs.

We waited to depart at 10 am since it was still pissing rain; we didn’t arrive until 8 at night. You do the math.

After donning every single item of clothing we'd brought, we headed out. What else could we do? 

Looking out your window today, perhaps sipping a steaming mug of hot chocolate, some of you may have noticed that it rained.

The exquisite subtlety with which this driver demonstrated nuanced inflections of the F-bomb was deeply moving.

Travelling by bike is so real. How empowering it feels to step from my front door and ride up to Newburyport. The act of motion is exhilarating.

Tomorrow starts the Big Ride™. Between you and me, I’ll take rain over cook-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk heat. I hope to be on the road by 7:00 am. 

Not unlike preparing for a concert, this 571 mile ride has provided a kind of focused structure over the past six months, imposing its own kind of discipline.

Think of it like an arch – the keystone is the vital piece at the center, but remove any one stone and the entire structure comes crashing down.

Maybe not everything worthwhile has to involve struggle - per ardua ad astra? Pshaw!

A few weeks ago when it looked like the world was going up in flames, a beam of light came to me...

I've done some pretty crazy stuff for NCMF but this might be the wackiest.

We were one of the last commands to go when President de Gaulle requested the evacuation of American troops.

An ancient cathedral emerging from the waves accompanied by the ghostly sound of church bells, chant, even an organ.

At the heart of the preludes is one of Debussy’s most popular and enduring works, “The Girl with the Flaxen Hair.”

To enter the world of Carnaval is to enter the complex world of Robert Schumann’s psyche.

We were discussing Evren’s upcoming recital and he wound up pairing each piece with an appropriate libation.

Listening to this program is to be an intrepid explorer of feelings in music.

I asked Michael if he knew someone local I could talk to about starting my one in town. That’s how I wound up on the phone with Jane. 

The winter holidays – Christmas decorations, holiday parties, takeout Chinese food, and a baroque world premiere in Newburyport.

The best ones are from oil country Pennsylvania where they still fry them in beef tallow.

No, this does not mean the musicians will be dressed in 18th century costumes.