Here2
are some of the poems I've particularly
liked, including some new ones sent to me by friends
and colleagues;
recent additions at the end.
From Neruda's poem, Aquí vivimos
porque no es poco, no es así? haber
vivido
en una soledad y haber llegado a otra,
sentirse multitud y revivirse solo.
Music
Some favorite singers:
Bernarda Fink,
mezzo soprano.
I went to two concerts of Bernarda Fink, one in
Philly (review
here) and one at Alice Tully Hall (read the
review).
She was already my favorite mezzo-soprano, but the concerts
just made me even more of a fan. This is not
a big voice, and those expecting an intense operatic
experience could be confused by the experience.
Instead, it was warmth, beauty, and
intelligence throughout. And, music that is for the most
part not that well known.
The Schumann seems to be what people are
talking about, but
I found her performance of
the Argentine composer Gianneo
particularly idiomatic, and the Dallapiccola
an eye-opener. The performance in Philly was
in some ways more restrained (maybe she was saving herself
ready for the NYC concert), but the
audience in Philly was more enthusiastic. She responded
with three encores in Philly, and two in NYC.
Just such a beautiful singer.
Great Performances - Schubert: Trout Quintet, Arpeggione Sonata, Die Forelle (lied).
Barbara Bonney, Edgar Meyer, Emanuel Ax, Pamela Frank, Rebecca Young & Yo-Yo Ma.
The performance overall is great, but in particular Barbara Bonney (soprano) is
just beautiful. (It's inspired me to try to sing this!)
Gerard Souzay singing Faure (Melodies
Francaises Pour Bariton, Regis RRC 1236).
(You can hear him sing Au bord
de l'eau.)
Quartet for the End of Time, by Messaien, performed by
Tashi.
Ich habe genug, BWV 82. William Sharp, bass, with
American Bach Soloists.
Arvo Part:
Fur Alina, Spiegel im Spiegel,
Tabula Rasa, and
Fratres.
See this essay on
Arvo Part and his music.
Charles Wuorinen performing his transcription of the
Ave Christe of Josquin des Prez.
Schubert's Piano Quintet in A ("The Trout"), several
recordings (current favorite by the Chamber Music Society of
Lincoln Center, with Peter Serkin, Alexander Schneider,
Michael Tree, David Soyer, and Julius Levine, on Vanguard
Classics - amazing fourth movement).
The Incredible String Band. For whatever reason,
I've started thinking about them again.
The
Hedgehog's Song on youtube is one of the songs I remember.
Books
I finished a book by
Viktor Frankl,
called "Man's search for meaning",
recounting Frankl's experience in concentration camps.
Warmly recommended.
"Parallels and Paradoxes",
a book of conversations between the late
Edward Said
and
Daniel
Barenboim. They met by chance in a hotel, Said
recognized Barenboim, and they became "fast friends" (perhaps
truly "best friends").
Their conversations in the book cover many
topics --
much of it is about music, but also
about courage,
life, and politics. Amazing.
Equally wonderful is the tremendous friendship between the two of them.
Weekend edition
(December 28, 2002) did
an interview of the two men
about this book, which is
accessible
here.
Peter Lieberson,
Peter Lieberson about his
wife,
Lorraine Hunt (Lieberson) (click here for her obituary,
and
here
for The Soul Singer, another New Yorker article about her):
See also
this for more about Peter Lieberson.
Lorraine and I had nine wonderful years together. Sometimes
we would cry in each other's arms out of gratitude that we had
finally found one another.
We knew that time was precious and so we wasted very little
time on any squabbling. We were hardly ever apart.
We had a simple and intimate life together whether in the midst
of great cities or our secluded life in Santa Fe. When Lorraine became
very ill, we often just held hands without speaking. She was truly
prepared and when she passed away it was without any clinging.
I loved Lorraine completely and I have never felt so completely
loved.
And now, my love, my love, I remind myself again and again
that ``this love has not ended... it is like a long river,
only changing lands and changing lips."
Attributed by some to Kahil Gibran, and by others to Saint Bartholomew:
Many of us spend our whole lives running from feeling
with the mistaken belief that you cannot bear the pain. But
you have already borne the pain. What you have not done
is feel all you are beyond the pain.
The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything.
Balkissa Chaibou
The advice I have for you is to fight - study with all your might. I know studying isn't easy but you must force yourself because those studies are your only hope.