Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
OCTOBER 9, 2024 – “’Tis a wonder why ‘B’ is the biggest surname initial among composers in the pantheon of Western classical music . . . as in Bach, Buxtehude, Beethoven, (Mendelssohn)-Bartholdy, Berlioz, Bruch, Brahms, Beach, Borodin, Bartok, Barber, Bernstein and . . . [brass heralds . . .] Bruckner. I mentioned Bruckner in my …
SEPTEMBER 22, 2024 – I remember well the record jacket: it featured the head, shoulders and left hand of a smiling gentleman performing the violin. A row of stage lights burned brightly above him. In big gold capital letters above the image on the jacket was the man’s last name, “FRANCESCATTI.” In much smaller letters …
AUGUST 19, 2024 – My main objective in taking the boat for a spin was to see if I could get the darned thing off the lift. I’d already experienced difficulty in this regard before our trip to Portugal two weeks ago, and the lake level has dropped another inch or two since. In the …
MARCH 28, 2024 – Trust me. I’m only half as crazy as I appear to be. But I must confess, I thoroughly enjoy the level of insanity that I’ve been able to maintain throughout most of my life—thus far. Despite my strivings to go all the way over the edge, I’ve long accepted that life …
MARCH 26, 2024 – On the recommendation of two friends, this evening Beth and I watched The Last Repair Shop, which won the 2024 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film. It’s a beautiful little film featuring the musical instrument repair shop run for the benefit of student musicians of the Los Angeles public schools. …
MARCH 25, 2024 – All of us have days of gray, colored that way by one thing or another in our lives; sometimes by a whole palette of troubles that cloud out light and warmth. Today was such a day for me and many others who in these parts battled seasonal sickness compounded by ugly …
MARCH 22, 2024 – Today I watched and listened to the recording of a live performance by the Borodin Quartet, one of the oldest string quartets in the world. The 90-minute concert I listened to featured Borodin—surprise, surprise—along with Tchaikovsky (Andante cantabile from quartet no. 1, opus 11), and Schubert’s The Death and the Maiden. …
MARCH 20, 2024 – I’m sick. And tired. Tired of being sick; sick of being tired. On the positive side, all test results on Monday, at least were negative: in my misery then I checked into the “Urgency Room,” where the staff took swabs for the possible suspects—flu, strep, RSV, Covid-19—and x-rays to rule out …
DECEMBER 28, 2023 – In watching Maestro (Netflix) I was struck by the central question it raises about the “first internationally acclaimed American-born, American-trained conductor,” the irrepressible Leonard Bernstein: How in the world would you begin to make a film about such a larger-than-life conductor, composer, performer, entertainer, teacher, mentor, world ambassador, humanitarian, political activist, …
DECEMBER 14, 2023 – (Cont.) While listening to the Bartok on the drive to the Red Cabin, I reacted as I always have when listening to a “war horse” of the violin repertoire[1]: “Hmmm, now that passage [or movement, even] I could play . . . with a little practice” and . . . “Uh …
DECEMBER 13, 2023 – Today marks my 38th consecutive day of practicing my violin. I know this statistic is as interesting as my record of days-in-a-row of dental flossing (14,697), but for me work on the violin has special significance. First, it follows months of zero practice. Second, it’s produced results. Third, it’s driven by …
MAY 1, 2023 – Inside a local hall on Sunday afternoon I heard violinist Steven Copes perform “the Brahms” with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. I’d heard him play it (with the SPCO) a number of years ago in a different Twin Cities venue. On both occasions his rendition of this staple “war horse” of …
APRIL 1, 2023 – My grandpa Nilsson, a violinist, launched my three sisters on their own careers as violinists. He and they were in perfect synch: he was a serious teacher, and they were serious students. In my case, he practically stood on his head trying first to get me to practice, and when that …
MARCH 8, 2023 – (Cont.) Brother Abraham’s letter is entitled, “My Favorite Things,” which is as innocuous as his first sentence is predictable: “Life in a monastery is designed to give the monks and guests constant reminders of the centrality of God.” Brother Abraham then mentions the seven daily corporate prayer sessions in the Abbey …
FEBRUARY 17, 2023 – Last night I experienced an unusual dream segment. It was connected to a long, diverse chain of dreams; a seemingly endless train like the one that ambles past a crossing on my way to downtown St. Paul whenever I’m running late. With several acquaintances, I was standing in a hallway somewhere. …
JANUARY 30, 2023 – The other day I attended to some light “work-work” against the backdrop of a recording by Itzhak Perlman performing Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D. I hadn’t heard the piece in a while, and it evoked many memories; nothing specific, just remembrances of how great music has edified my …
DECEMBER 28, 2022 – (Cont.) I think of people as candles, each bearing a flame. Most people illuminate their immediate surroundings, then fade and disappear; some people light up the world before their flames flicker, then die. A few burn most powerfully after the wax and wick are long gone. Mozart is an example of …
DECEMBER 27, 2022 – Going back years, our neighbors and we been quite familiar with rabbit holes. In our case, the openings are at various locations around the base of our back porch. The rabbits are ubiquitous—down the holes and throughout the backyard and gardens. Inexplicably, the twitching-nosed, standing-eared, bug-eyed creatures stay clear of the …
DECEMBER 9, 2022 – By way of background, I don’t mean to cast aspersions on the nation’s high school orchestras. Readers “in the know” already know that that statement relates to “standards.” Readers not “in the know” will have to bear with me for a bit of explanation. Whereas “bands” comprise winds, brass, and percussion …
DECEMBER 8, 2022 – I’m not a religious person, but I like Christmas for all its traditions, religious and secular. My personal Christmas music traditions are: 1. Playing by ear on the piano, four or five traditional carols; and 2. While working on my laptop, listening to various YouTube versions of Handel’s Messiah. I know …
DECEMBER 2, 2022 – It was inevitable: becoming my parents. Though we boomers like to deny it, “becoming our parents” isn’t an isolated phenomenon. If you think otherwise, search YouTube for “Progressive commercials on becoming your parents.” Before you know it, you’ll watch and laugh so hard at half a dozen of the ads, you’ll …
NOVEMBER 20, 2022 – Last night I repeated a Red Cabin routine (when the weather’s clear): I went outside to check the stars. After stepping down from our side porch onto a fresh blanket of snow . . . I gasped. In eerie silence the silhouetted woods touched a celestial vault filled with stars of …
NOVEMBER 5, 2022 – Blogger’s note: Given the subject matter of this (lengthy) post, I found it difficult to split it into installments. I think you’ll understand why, assuming you read the post in its entirety. I hadn’t touched my fiddle in a week, and before that, not in a month; maybe that’s why …
SEPTEMBER 26, 2022 – You’re living a life you never imagined when you look forward to your appointment with the oncologist. Such an appointment was a highlight of my day. My meeting was the good doctor’s last of his day and lasted nearly 90 minutes. I hadn’t seen him since last July—before “boot camp” (my …
JULY 24, 2022 – I’ve noticed that many people can’t bear silence for very long. Whether they’re driving, walking through the park, or sweeping out the garage, they’ve got to have sound or music filling their inner ears. It’s as if music, a phone conversation, a favorite podcast, or some other aural stimulus is the …