And now, on Wednesday, Beethoven, again.

Our lives are being shaped by the Marlboro Music Festival!. This is our chance, and we are taking it generously because we know it will end next week. Today they are working on two Beethoven Trios - there are three concerts this coming weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and Beethoven is being played Friday and Saturday. The first one up today is early:Trio in C Minor, Opus 1, No. 3., 1794. The three musicians are Juho Pohjonen, piano; Oliver Neubauer, violin, and Minjoung Kim, cello.

Oliver, Juho and Minjoung playing the Beethoven Piano Trio, Op. 1. The program notes tell us: Beethoven’s great ambitions for his first published opus came to fruition with a set of piano trios that received high public approval, including the third of the set, this piano trio in C Minor. However, not everyone predicted that these trios would be successful. Haydn, whom Beethoven had been a pupil of in the years leading up to the publication of his trios, expressed to Beethoven his doubts about the inclusion of the C Minor trio. This likely well-intentioned comment was thought by Beethoven to be made out of jealousy, and thus he kept the trio. Whatever Haydn’s reasons, the comment was not unfounded; the explosive C Minor trio stands apart not only within the set Beethoven composed, but also against the compositions of Haydn and Mozart. However, the qualities that Haydn feared would drive audiences away appeared to do the opposite, as the C Minor trio became the most popular of the set. ******************************* I don't remember hearing Juho Pohjonen before. What can we learn about him? Juho Pohjonen is regarded as one of today’s most exciting and unique instrumentalists. The Finnish pianist performs widely in Europe, Asia, and North America, collaborating with symphony orchestras and playing in recital and chamber settings. An ardent exponent of Scandinavian music, Pohjonen’s growing discography offers a showcase of music by Finnish compatriots such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kaija Saariaho, and Jean Sibelius. This season Pohjonen performs Beethoven’s fifth piano concerto with Finnish Radio Symphony conducted by Giedrė Šlekytė. Elsewhere in Finland he collaborates with Erin Keefe for Mendelssohn’s concerto for violin, piano, and strings with Kymi Sinfonietta, under the direction of Osmo Vänskä, as well as the Macula Musica series in Helsinki. In Europe, his engagements include recitals and chamber music at Festspiele Sudtirol and Surrey Hills International Music Festival. In North America, he continues his long-standing relationship with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing at the Lincoln Center and other venues across the United States. He also performs in Minneapolis, San Francisco and Vancouver. Concurrently, he is working on two new albums set for release this season. Last season Pohjonen made his debut in Taiwan with the National Symphony Orchestra as well as joining the musicians of the orchestra for chamber music. He performed Finnish composer Sauli Zinovjev’s new piano concerto with the Lahti Sinfonia as part of a composer focus and joined the German Radio Philharmonic and Pietari Inkinen for Bartok’s first Piano Concerto. Chamber highlights included a concert at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, New York with Chamber Music Society and recitals in Helsinki amongst others. An advocate for contemporary repertoire, recent seasons have seen Pohjonen perform Daniel Bjarnason’s Concerto for Piano Processions with the Helsinki Philharmonic and the composer on the podium, having previously performed it with Tapiola Sinfonietta.

Juho Pohjonen, piano.******************* LATER. It is now a little after 2p.m. We had our little picnic lunch outside - granola bars with peanut butter and cheese and crackers. Now we are back inside the hall, listening to another Beethoven Piano Trio, this one Opus 70, No. 2. The program notes read: Beethoven’s E-flat Trio is one of the most lovable, as well as one of the most subtle, of all of his chamber works, with a mellow, intimate tone that recalls the contemporary A Major Cello Sonata, Op. 69. The first performance of the piece took place in Vienna at the home of Countess Marie Erdödy. The intimate setting of the work’s premiere and its dedication to the Countess herself may account for the gentle character of its four movements. Notable in its formal layout is the lack of a deeply emotional slow movement, the inner core of the work being comprised instead of two allegrettos. With its square symmetrical phrasing and decorative piano textures, the compositional style of this trio is distinctly ‘retro’, looking back to the period of Mozart and Haydn, with the formal procedures of Haydn, in particular, being an important point of reference. This is the 18th summer that the E-flat Trio has been heard at Marlboro. It was first performed here in 1954, by Rudolf Serkin, Felix Galimir, and Hermann Busch, and most recently in 2023 by Evren Ozel, Isabelle Durrenberger, and Peter Stumpf. Participants: Solomon Ge, piano; Leonard Fu, violin; Alice Neary, cello

Leonard, Solomon and Alice..****************** All three of these musicians have played earlier this summer. I liked the Opus 1, No.2 that we heard this morning, but this Trio has a special quality - the program notes use the word "gentle," and that is appropriate; one might also say "mellow," but one might also say "content." "Contentment" is not a quality we usually associate with the music of Beethoven. "Anguish" is more common. In this Trio there is no anguish, at least not yet. Well, as I listen, now and then, a bit of "longing" peeps through. Anyway, it is lovely to listen to.*************** I am remembering a time I went to a concert in the Brattleboro Music Center's Chamber Music Series. The artist was a pianist, performing a solo piano piece by Beethoven. I don't remember the name of the artist or the name of the piece of music, but it was heartbreaking. I could see Blanche Moyse clearly from where I was sitting, and she had covered her face with her hands and was silently weeping. As I recall, her father-in-law, Marcel Moyse, had recently died. THat is a more commmon experience of Beethoven's music.

...and finally, Schubert.

It is now after 4p.m., and we are hearing Schubert's Grenzen der Menschheit, D.716, composed for Piano and Baritone. Mitsuko is the pianist, and Evan Luca Gray is the bass-baritone.

Mitsuko and Evan performing Schubert.******************* The text is by Goethe, and goes as follows; Grenzen der Menschheit by Franz Schubert
German source: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Wenn der uralte, Heilige Vater Mit gelassener Hand Aus rollenden Wolken Segnende Blitze Über die Erde sä’t, Küss’ ich den letzten Saum seines Kleides, Kindliche Schauer Tief in der Brust. Denn mit Göttern Soll sich nicht messen Irgend ein Mensch. Hebt er sich aufwärts Und berührt Mit dem Scheitel die Sterne, Nirgends haften dann Die unsichern Sohlen, Und mit ihm spielen Wolken und Winde. Steht er mit festen, Markigen Knochen Auf der wohlgegründeten Dauernden Erde; Reicht er nicht auf, Nur mit der Eiche Oder der Rebe Sich zu vergleichen. Was unterscheidet Götter von Menschen? Dass viele Wellen Vor jenen wandeln, Ein ewiger Strom: Uns hebt die Welle, Verschlingt die Welle, Und wir versinken. Ein kleiner Ring Begränzt unser Leben, Und viele Geschlechter Reihen sich dauernd An ihres Daseins Unendliche Kette. TRANSLATION: Limitations of mankind
English translation © Richard Stokes When the ancient of days, The holy father With a serene hand From rolling clouds Scatters beneficent lightning Over the earth, I kiss the extreme Hem of his garment, Childlike awe Deep in my breast. For no man Should measure himself Against the gods. If he reaches up And touches The stars with his head, His uncertain feet Lose their hold, And clouds and winds Make sport of him. If he stands with firm, Sturdy limbs On the sold Enduring earth, He cannot even reach up To compare himself With the oak Or vine. What distinguishes Gods from men? Before the, Many waves roll onwards, An eternal river: We are tossed by the wave, Engulfed by the wave, And we founder. A little ring Bounds our life, And many generations Constantly succeed each other Like links in the endless chain Of existence.****************************** It is a somberly beautiful piece which I don't remember ever hearing before.

...and then Dvorak!

What a day! The beautiful Brahms Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115, and then, after a lovely picnic lunch out in the sunshine, the Dvorak Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81, B. 135, featuring Mitsuko Uchida, piano. A very familiar piece, much loved. Here is what the Program notes say about it: The year Dvořák composed his Piano Quintet in A Major, 1887, was a markedly reflective year for the composer, who had spent the preceding years touring around England and working intensively on commissions such as the 7th Symphony, Op. 70. Though Dvořák’s original ventures into the Quintet format a decade prior were not successful, this period allowed Dvořák an opportunity to revise one such attempt, leading to the finalization of his Op. 81 in 1887. Today, the Quintet stands on its own as one of the finest chamber music works of the late Romantic Period, showcasing Dvořák’s musical depth and ability to shift seamlessly between a multitude of moods, balancing playful passages, rich melodies, and somber ballads throughout. The beloved work is a particular favorite at Marlboro; this performance marks its nineteenth performance here since its Marlboro premiere in 1954. The musicians, in addition to Mitsuko, are Anna Göckel, violin; Clara Neubauer, violin; Cara Pogossian, viola and Alice Neary, cello. The only one I don't recognze is Anna Göckel. We just heard Alice in the Brahms, and we heard Clara and Cara the first week. (I could write a whole blog just on people's names!).

The Dvorak Piano Quintet musicians.

Anna Göckel, violin. Born in 1992, the French violinist Anna Göckel has already graced several of the world’s greatest stages, from Tokyo to the Mexico Opera, trough the Théâtre des Champs- Elysées in Paris, the Victoria Hall in Geneva, the Herkulessaal in Munich, the Montreal’s Musée des Beaux-Arts, the Salle Flagey in Bruxelles and the Festival de la Roque d’Anthéron. She has been nominated as newcomer of the year 2016 by the French-Grammy "Révélations Classiques de l’ADAMI". Her curiosity leads her to explore all eras repertoire, from baroque period on historical instruments to contemporary music. Anna appears as a soloist with the Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Paris, the Lemanic Modern Ensemble, the Ensemble Les Dissonances, the Saint-Étienne Opera, the Sorbonne Orchestra, the UAEH Symphony Orchestra, CEPROMusic, the Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, the Neue Westfalen Philharmonie, the Concerto Budapest, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munich Radio Orchestra. Passionate at a young age about the world of chamber music, she founded the Karénine Trio, and at 21 years of age she won with this ensemble the prestigious ARD International Music Competition in Munich. She shared with this trio five intensive years of musical exploration and concerts. She was invited to study and perform at the String Quartet Seiji Ozawa Academy, at the European Chamber Music Academy, and at the Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute. In 2019, she is invited by two hight priced of the chamber music circle, the Open Chamber Music session of the International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove (UK) and the Marlboro Music Festival (USA).

Two treats: Brahms and Galaxy Su.

It is Tuesday, and we are at Marlboro, looking at the program - ooh- the Brahms Clarinet Quintet with Yuhsin Galaxy Su on clarinet! We heard Galaxy Su last summer, and I raved about her in this blog. And this Brahms Quintet is a favorite. Here is what the notes say about it: When Brahms composed his Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, only a handful of works for the same instrumentation had been composed, perhaps the most well-known being Mozart’s (1789) and Carl Maria von Weber’s (1815). Brahms wrote the work for the renowned clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld, to whom Brahms was introduced by the likewise eminent German conductor Hans von Bülow, also a friend and supporter of Brahms’s work. Reportedly, Brahms had retired from composing before hearing Mühlfeld perform in March of 1891 but was so enamored of his playing that he composed the Quintet during his summer holiday that year. It was also during that summer that Brahms wrote his Clarinet Trio Op. 114, and later composed his two Clarinet Sonatas, Op. 120, all of which were written for Mühlfeld. The Clarinet Quintet was first given a private, then a public premiere by Mühlfeld in late 1891. The Quintet was immensely popular and was subsequently given performances both by the original ensemble and others across Europe. The popularity of Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet can be observed in its frequent presence on Marlboro programs; it was first performed here in 1955, and tonight’s performance marks its twenty-second appearance on a Marlboro program since. Galaxy Su plays the clarinet unlike anyone else I have heard. The clarinet is not an instrument for her, it is an integral part of her body. She is amazing. The other players in the Quintet are all strings: Yebin Yoo, violin; David Bernat, violin; Yuchen Lu, viola; and Alice Neary, cello.

The Brahms Clarinet Quintet at Marlboro today.

Yuhsin Galaxy Su clarinet.

Yebin Yoo, violin.

David Bernat, violin.

Yuchen Lu, viola.

Alice Neary, cello.*************************** Yesterday, we had a quiet day at home. I did something to a muscle in my hip, and I could not lift my left leg without extreme pain. So it was hard to go anywhere. I was able to get some things done on the phone - such as making an appointment with Physical Therapy. But the earliest date I could get was in September! Sunday was the Union Service in Dummerston, and the choir sang Elijah Rock under Mary's direction. ELlen and I had just sung it in River Singers, under Kathy Bullock, so we knew it well. The choir was augmented by other churches, so we sounded good. John came to church, and then to the house after church, so that was a good day. We always have an interesting visit. This time John was sharing memories of an earlier time at Brown and afterward. I forget just what led us into that, but it is always interesting to be taken back to an earlier time and its peculiar issues.

And now Beethoven.

Ellen and I just had picnic lunch out on a bench in the sun with Katie Tolles. It is still a low humidity day, so I could sit in the sun with a flannel shirt on and not suffer! Now we are back in the hall listening to the Beethoven String Quartet in F Major, Op. 18, No. 1. Musicians: Julian Rhee, violin; Abi Fayette, violin; Beth Guterman Chu, viola; Zlatomir Fung, cello. Mostly unknown to me. This is an early quartet, composed between 1798 and 1800. It is Opus 18, but it is the second quartet written by Beethoven (despite the No. 1 designation). It is dedicated to Bohemian aristocrat, Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz. It has four movements, and was heavily revised by Beethoven before he published it in 1801. The theme of the Finale is borrowed from Beethoven's earlier String Trio, Opus 9, No. 3. and the first movement echoes a theme used by Mozart in a violin Sonata. I gather that Beethoven was still working at mastering the String Quartet form.

Musicians playing Beethoven Quartet.

Abi Fayette, violin.

Julian Rhee, violin.

Beth Guterman Chu, viola.

Zlatomir Fung, cello.

About the music and the musicians.

Ravel Piano Trio: There is often a story behind a composition. Here is the one behind the Ravel Trio: Ravel had been planning to write a trio for at least six years before beginning work in earnest in March 1914. At the outset, Ravel remarked to his pupil Maurice Delage, "I’ve written my trio. Now all I need are the themes."[1] During the summer of 1914, Ravel did his compositional work in the French Basque commune of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Ravel was born across the bay in the Basque town of Ciboure; his mother was Basque, and he felt a deep identification with his Basque heritage. During the Trio's composition, Ravel was also working on a piano concerto based on Basque themes entitled Zazpiak Bat (Basque for "The Seven are One"). Although eventually abandoned, this project left its mark on the Trio, particularly in the opening movement, which Ravel later noted was "Basque in colouring." However, Ravel's first biographer and friend Roland-Manuel had a different account of the theme's origin: "Our great musicians have never been ashamed of admiring a pretty tune from a café concert. It is said that it was in watching ice-cream vendors dancing a fandango at Saint-Jean-de-Luz that Ravel picked up the first theme of his Trio in A, a theme which he believed to be Basque, but wasn't." While initial progress on the Trio was slow, the outbreak of World War I in August 1914 spurred on Ravel to finish the work so that he could enlist in the army. A few days after France’s entry into the war, Ravel wrote again to Maurice Delage: "Yes, I am working on the Trio with the sureness and lucidity of a madman." By September he had finished it, writing to Igor Stravinsky, "The idea that I should be leaving at once made me get through five months' work in five weeks! My Trio is finished." In October, he was accepted as a nurse's aide by the Army, and in March 1916 he became a volunteer truck driver for the 13th Artillery Regiment. Musicians:

The Marlboro musicians playing Ravel. *************** Ieva Jokubaviciute, piano. A much sought after chamber musician, Lithuanian Ieva’s collaborative endeavors have brought her to major stages around the world, such as: Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, London’s Wigmore Hall, and Washington DC’s Kennedy Center. She regularly appears at international music festivals including: Marlboro, Ravinia, Bard, Caramoor, Chesapeake Chamber Music, Kneisel Hall, Four Seasons, and Prussia Cove in England. Earning degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music and from Mannes College of Music, her principal teachers have been Seymour Lipkin and Richard Goode. In fall 2015 Ieva began her tenure as Assistant Professor, Piano at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA. She is currently on the faculty of Duke University. Her performances have led critics to describe her as possessing ‘razor-sharp intelligence and wit’ (Washington Post) and as ‘an artist of commanding technique, refined temperament and persuasive insight’ (New York Times). In 2006, she was honoured as a recipient of a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship.

Ieva Jokubaviciute, piano.********************* Oliver Neubauer, violin: Praised for his uniquely beautiful playing and mature artistry, 24-year-old violinist Oliver Neubauer is quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting young artists of his time. First prize winner of the 2023 Susan Wadsworth Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Oliver is a YCA Jacobs Fellow and is managed worldwide by Young Concert Artists. Highlights of the 2023-24 season include Oliver’s debut with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra playing the Korngold Concerto (as first prize winner of the 26th Hellam Competition), a concert and video-audio recording in Rome (as third prize winner of the ArsClassica International Competition), and a performance of the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante along with his father, Paul Neubauer, and an orchestra comprised of members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Oliver will also be making appearances at Jupiter Chamber Players (NY), Apex Concerts (Reno, NV), PMP Suncoast (FL), Mostly Music (NJ), Parlance Chamber Concerts (NJ), and will perform recitals at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium and the Juilliard School’s Paul Hall. During the summer of 2024, Oliver will attend the Marlboro Music Festival.

Oliver Neubauer, violin. ****************** Minjoung Kim, cello. A graduate of Musik-Akademie Basel and the Reina Sofía School of Music, Minjoung has won awards in major international competitions, including the International Paulo Cello Competition in Helsinki, the Benedetto Mazzacurati International Cello Competition in Turin, the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann in Berlin and the Prague Spring International Music Competition. She has appeared with international orchestras such as the Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra, Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Jyväskylä Sinfonia, Orchestre Musique des Lumières and the Gstaad Festival Orchestra. Previously a student of Ivan Monighetti and Sol Gabetta, Minjoung has been studying at Kronberg Academy with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt since October 2020.

Minjoung Kim, cello.

The Ravel Piano Trio.

Well, here we are again at the Marlboro Music Festival, our first time this week, which is the third week of the Festival. Two more weeks to go. We are about to hear the Piano Trio in A Minor, D. 947, by Maurice Ravel. The musicians are three we have not heard yet this summer: Ieva Jokubaviciute, piano; Oliver Neubauer, violin; and Minjoung Kim, cello. I don't remember them from previous years either. However, Oliver Neubauer is the brother of Clara Neubauer, whom we heard play the violin in the Shostakovich Quartet a couple of weeks ago (which I admired so much), in which case I have seen him in the audience and have heard him speak out, commenting on his sister's playing (not surprisingly, he liked it). This morning, I met with Jeff Lewis, Lee Moore, Roger Brown and Jack Bixby at the Dummerston Church, the retired minister's group, discussing "religion," a chapter in Joan Chittister's The Gift of Years. It was a good discussion, as always, although we said very little about how our involvement in religion has changed as we have gotten older. Obviously, it has changed, since we are a retired clergy group. Of the five of us, I may be the one most involved in the church in these latter years. Jack Bixby said he "almost envied me" my long-standing connection with the Guilford Church - 50 years! I am viewed as a "wise elder" there, which certainly is a satisfying role to be in, and does not seem to carry with it a lot of unwanted expectations. That is true at Dummerston as well. Jack himself doesn't really want to be thought of as a minister anymore. I think that is true of Jeff also, and somewhat of Lee, though he doesn't seem to mind being asked to preach and lead communion now and then at Guilford. I think Roger is still open to "being a minister." Joan C. speaks of religion becoming "ecstasy" in old age, and that led to a discussion of what ecstasy is, and have we experienced it? I don't think of myself as having experienced ecstasy very often, but as we talked, I realized that I have experienced ecstasy in the singing of Bach in the Blanche Moyse Chorale, and maybe, sometimes in the pulpit, or even in the preparation of a sermon, when the Spirit just seemed to flow through my fingers into the keyboard. But ecstasy means, literally, to "stand outside oneself," and I haven't had many "out of the body experiences." So I guess a lot depends on how one defines "ecstasy." After the clergy group, Ellen and I went to Putney, where I had an appointment with Beverly Sinclair, an R. N. who specializes in foot care for seniors. That probably doesn't quite qualify as "ecstasy," but the soaks, pedicures and massages do feel good. Then we came to Marlboro.

The musicians playing the Ravel Trio. I will have more to say about them and the Trio itself later.

We've been to the movies.

We've just returned from seeing a movie at the Amherst Cinema with Katie Tolles. The film was National Anthem. It disclosed what is for me a whole new world, but it was very well done. Here is somehing from the "net" -- So many things could have gone wrong in the film. But the humanistic approach in the performances, direction and story makes this film worthwhile as we see a young man learn to find his place in this world. Charlie Plummer as Dylan carries the film on his shoulders. He has screen presence even if his character has a subdued personality at first as we see he becomes a stronger, confident and even more empathetic man over the course of the film. Many will call this a LGBTQ+ movie but it is more than that. There is no coarseness, cockiness or irritating over-the-top histrionic behavior by any the actors. There is a respect among the characters as they relate to each other that will engross and help you understand them. Charlie's home life could have felt like a simplistic TV movie of the week. But director Luke Gilford and screenwriters Kevin Best, David Largman Murray as well as Gilford care about the characters too much to let that happen and they show why, for example, in Charlie's household that despite their problems as a family they are able to live in the same home with care and understanding. His mother played by Robyn Lively is not the stereotypical struggling mother. How she relates to Charlie and his younger brother and how she conducts herself is a revelation that pays off towards the end of the film. The biggest surprises and unexpected moments come when Charlie is hired to work on a ranch for a couple of weeks. He has been working odd jobs to help his family and save up for an RV. That RV is his dream and Plummer pulls us in to his character where we hope his wish for that RV comes true. The ranch job enables him save more money but the job becomes a life experience as he meets a cast of memorable characters. He is enchanted by Sky who lives on the ranch and is beautifully performed by Eve Lindley. She becomes a mentor to Charlie to help him be comfortable in his skin and proud of who he is. She is also a spark in his sexual awakening. Mason Alexander Park as one of the inhabitants of the ranch sparkles with a knowing conviction in pivotal moments to guide Charlie. Even Rene Rosado in a supporting role avoids the conventional expectation of a rancher whose character takes an unpredictable path. This film is one of the most original in its storytelling among recent films with one of the finest ensembles so far this year.

Charlie Plummer in the role of Dylan in "National Anthem."***************** "Queer Rodeo Culture" is unfamilar to me in several ways, but I could very much appreciate the humanity of the film. This week so far has been more comfortable "heat & humidity-Wise" which has been very welcome. We have not yet gotten to the Marlboro Music Festival, but plan to go tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow morning is my retired clergy gathering, discussing the chapter on "Religion," in Joan Chittister's The Gift of Years." Does the meaning and role of religion in our lives change when we get older? I would say "Yes and No." We'll see what others think. After noon I have an appointment for foot care, and after that - Marlboro. Otherwise, it has been a quiet week. I have been reading a book titled "Religion: An Anthropological View," by Anthony F. C. Wallace, a choice inspired by (1)the fact that Ellen uncovered it when she cleaned out my very crowded bedside stand, and (2) our discussion topic for tomorrow's clergy group is "Religion." It is a very enlightening discussion of just what religion is. I remember a professor of mine saying, "I can't define what religion is but I know it when I see it." I have a feeling that the same thing has been said about other things. Ah - and yesterday, a small group of us went to the home of Sylvia Morse in Guilford and sang for her in celebration of her 98th birthday! Yes - 98 years! She was born a month after my parents were married and eleven months before my brother was born. Almost 40 years ago, Sylvia was a member of a class I taught in Bible for the Vermont Academy of Spiritual Training, a school for lay persons in the Vermont Conference that I helped to start and then was a faculty person in for several years in the 1980's. THat was in Springfield, VT. Since then, Sylvia has moved to Guilford and is very much involved in the Guilford Community Church. It is wonderful to have long relationships like that.

Sylvia Morse and part of our group.

Marlboro Again!

We drove home from Lake Winnipesaukee yesterday (Friday). We came back a different way - we took Route 11 all the way from Ames Farm Inn to Bellows Falls, VT! That brought us back via Andover. NH, Lake Sunapee, Claremeont, NH, etc. Andover is where The Proctor School is located - where Ellen's father, Frederick Barnes Tolles, went to high school. It seemed like a short trip. I didn't time it, bit it seemed shorter than the trip over. It also avoids Concord, though Laconia is almost as built up and crowded. The weather is great - last night was cool, and great for sleeping. Rehearsal at Marlboro started at 11 a.m. with the Mendelssohn Piano Trio in D-Minor, Op. 49, with Jonathan Biss, piano; Yebin Yoo, violin; and Oliver Herbert, cello. Jonathan Biss is co-director of the Festival, and we have heard him often in the past. Oliver Herbert we heard last week in the Shostakovich. I don't remember having heard Yebin Yoo before. She is 23 years old and from South Korea. She won the New England Conservatory's 2023-2024 Violin Concerto competition, playing the Hindemith violin Concerto (1939). The Trio is a lovely piece, as Mendelssohn usually is, though not as dramatic as the Shostakovich Quartet, but then, what is? Nothing!

Musicians playing Mendelssohn Trio.

Yebin Yoo, violin. ************************* The second piece we heard was the Brahms String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 67. The program notes read: "Most people would be overjoyed to be deemed a successor of an influential figure in their life, but this was not the case for Brahms, who was declared Beethoven’s heir by Robert Schuman. Ever the perfectionist, being named Beethoven’s successor likely only increased the feelings of pressure and inadequacy that weighed on his mind. These feelings are attributed by scholars as the reason why the composer felt the need to destroy many of his works throughout his compositional career. Fortunately, despite the large shadow Beethoven cast over the genre of string quartets, three works made it through to publication. Of these, the Opus 67 is acknowledged as a strikingly innovative and passionate work, and demonstrates Brahms’ intentionality and creativity through explorations in cyclical composition that drive the variations of the final movement. The work is respected and beloved by many, even Brahms’s harshest critic, himself. He described the third movement as “the tenderest and most impassioned I have ever written.” The participants are Julian Rhee, violin; Itamar Zorman, violin; Cara Pogossian, viola; Taeguk Mun, cello. We heard Itamar Zorman last week, and I wrote about him then. I'm pretty sure we have heard Cara Pogossian and Julian Rhee previous years, but I'm not sure about Taeguk Mun.

The musicians in the Brahms String Quartet. *********************** Cara Pogossian: Armenian-American violist Cara Pogossian is currently a student at the New England Conservatory, where she is pursuing a Master of Music degree with Kim Kashkashian. She is a recent graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where she received her Bachelor of Music degree under the tutelage of Hsin-Yun Huang and Misha Amory. Cara served as Co-Principal Viola of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra during the 2019-20 season, which included a US tour in early 2020. Prior to her studies at Curtis, Cara attended the Colburn Music Academy, where she worked with Paul Coletti and Che-Yen (Brian) Chen. As an AGBU (Armenian General Benevolent Union) Scholarship recipient, she has performed at several high-profile concerts, including a joint recital with her brother, Edvard, at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. An avid chamber musician, Cara has attended numerous summer festivals, including the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Taos School of Music, Perlman Music Program, and Yellow Barn Young Artists Program. In 2022, Cara was the winner of the Borromeo String Quartet Guest Artist Award, and also toured with the Curtis Institute, performing Schubert’s Cello Quintet in various US cities with Ida Kavafian and Peter Wiley.

Cara Pogossian, viola. ****************** LATER. It is now after three in the afternoon, and we are hearing the delightful Schubert Octet in F-Major, D. 803.. The octet is composed of two violins, viola, clarinet, bassoon, horn, cello and bass viol. It is an hour long, and quite varied. We are fortunately getting to hear each movement uninterruptedly. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon! Before the Schubert we had an hour from 1p.m. to 2p.m. to eat a little picnic lunch outside. The weather today is ideal for that. Program notes: The unusual combination of instruments in Schubert’s octet (string quartet, double bass, clarinet, horn, and bassoon) add one extra violin to the Beethoven septet model said to have in part inspired the work. The octet can also credit Count Ferdinand von Troyer, an amateur clarinetist, for the work’s existence. Count Troyer commissioned the piece, and the clarinet part was written for, and later premiered by him. The work also suited Schubert’s compositional goals; he wrote in a letter at the time, “I have tried my hand at several instrumental works, for I wrote two quartets […] and an octet, and I want to write another quartet; in fact I intend to pave my way towards a grand symphony in this manner.” The motivations behind the Octet are certainly brought to life here in this epic 60-minute work. Sunday’s concert marks its 23rd Marlboro performance. Participants: Sang Yoon Kim, clarinet; Joshua Butcher, bassoon; Ryan Williamson, horn; Itamar Zorman, violin; Angela Sin Ying Chan, violin; Ao Peng, viola; Annie Jacobs-Perkins , cello; Tobias Vigneau, double bass.

The Schubert Octet.************************* About Annie Jacobs-Perkins: Cellist Annie Jacobs-Perkins (who I don't remember having heard before) is an interestng person! According to her website, "(she) wants to do more than make art; she wants to turn her life into a piece of art. Annie’s love of interdisciplinary work has led her to collaborate with painters, dancers, potters, cheesemongers, fashion designers, boxers, composers, poets, woodworkers, essayists, knitters, and farmers. She believes that it is the responsibility of an artist to protect beauty that already exists in the world, and as such, is a passionate participant in local, sustainable agriculture and boycotter of fast fashion. Music is one of the ways she digs her toes into the earth around her. Praised for anything from “hypnotic lyricism, causing listeners to forget where they were for a moment” (Alex Ross, The New Yorker) to "delightfully pluck[ing] and slapp[ing] her cello like a rockabilly upright bassist" (The Democrat and Chronicle), Annie is known for “eras[ing] all kinds of boundaries” (USC Thornton School of Music) with her music. Annie is the winner of the 2023 Pierre Fournier Award. As part of the award, she will present a recital in London’s Wigmore Hall, record her debut album on the Champs Hill label, and perform as soloist with the London Philharmonia in the coming seasons. After winning the 2022 Father Merlet Award from the Pro Musicis Foundation, Annie commissioned composers Stratis Minakakis and Daniel Temkin to write two works for cello and piano responding to the climate crisis. Working with living composers such as Timo Andres, Brett Dean, Konstantia Gourzi, Jessie Montgomery, Jeffrey Mumford, and Jörg Widmann has been some of the most rewarding work of her career. Annie is Artist-in-Residence at the EstOvest Festival Contemporary Cello Week in Turin, Italy and Artist-in-Residence of the Austin Chamber Music Center in Austin, Texas for the 2023-24 season, and was a 2021 Young-Artist-in-Residence at NPR’s Performance Today. Annie is 1st prize winner of the 2022 Chamber Orchestra of the Springs Emerging Soloist Competition, 2019 New England Conservatory Concerto Competition, and 2016 Hennings-Fischer Young Artist Competition. ​ ​ Annie is a member of Berlin-based Trio Brontë, 1st prize winner of the 2023 Ilmari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition in Finland, and a Britten Pears Young Artist for the '24-'25 season. She has performed in venues such as the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Het Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Jordan Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, and Carnegie Hall. Annie participates regularly in festivals such as Krzyzowa Music, Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Yellow Barn, Marlboro Music, La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, and Perlman Music Program, where she has collaborated with artists such as Anthony Marwood, Miriam Fried, Tabea Zimmermann, Viviane Hagner, the Mark Morris Dance Company, and members of the Verona and Kuss Quartets. Annie writes program notes for the Yellow Barn Festival every summer. She holds minors in English and German Studies from the University of Southern California, where she was a Trustee Scholar and recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Graduate Award. In 2020 Annie guest lectured at McGill University on the topic of writing engaging program notes. Annie currently is an Artist Diploma candidate at the Barenboim-Said Akademie where she studies with Frans Helmerson. She received masters degrees from the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin with Troels Svane and the New England Conservatory with Laurence Lesser, where she held the Laurence Lesser Presidential Scholarship. She received her Bachelor of Music from USC’s Thornton School of Music with Ralph Kirshbaum. Other influential teachers include Kathleen Murphy Kemp, Guy Fishman, David Geringas, Geoff Dyer, and Thomas Gustafson. Annie spends her free time foraging for indigenous edible plants, relearning the history of the United States from the perspective of BIPOC, feminist, and LGBTQ+ communities, pretending to be a dog with her dogs Georgie and Farley, and adoring her nephews Charlie (human), Robin (human), Arthur (dog), and Dusty (cat). Annie’s historical role models are the Ice Princess of the Ukok Peninsula, Hypsicratea, Veronica Franco, George Eliot, Jane Austen, and Ennio Bolognini."

Annie Jacobs-Perkins, cello. LATER STILL: It is now 4:20p.m., and we are hearing R. Schumann's String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 41, No. 1, with musicians Leonard Fu, violin; Angela Sin Ying Chan, violin; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; and Annie Jacobs Perkins, cello. Two of these just spent two hours+ playing the Schubert Octet. What stamina!

Schumann Quartet. Unfortunately, someone sat down in front of me seconds before I took the photo!*********** One of those with great stamina is Angela Sin Ying Chan. “Ms Angela Chan shows that she has a very special charisma, made of natural sensibility and high level control of sound. She achieves to bring all her skills into a global expression which expresses a variety of colors and a great diversity of characters. She knows how take good risks…With no hurry, she constantly brings fresh and personal ideas. The quality of sound is amazing, especially the high notes which have a special richness…Technically speaking, every aspect is perfectly under control, without any rigor. Poetry, elegance, charm, breathing phrases: every aspect of her interpretation shows that she is a great artist… She perfectly knows how to express the synthesis of western and eastern culture. -Emmanuel Hondré************* “Chan plays her violin lovingly, with graceful movements and a nice variety of vibrato…in fact, I noticed even her slowest, narrowest vibrato was noticeably beautiful.” -Laurie Niles, violinist.com ************ “Angela’s playing is very natural and very elegant. She never forces the sound but create big dynamic range and always has good articulation. Technical passages are treated musically, and she seems to manage to make them sound effortless” -Weigang LI, Shanghai Quartet************* Praised for her sensitivity and incredible tone, Chinese violinist Angela Sin Ying Chan has found success both as a soloist and a chamber musician. Top prize winner of the Singapore International Violin Competition, Louis Spohr, Shanghai Issac Stern, Harbin, Nomea,ArsClassica, and Michael Hill International Competitions, and founder of the AYA piano trio, she is fast emerging as one of the most unique and polished violinists of her generation. As a soloist, Angela has appeared with numerous orchestras including The Staatskapelle Weimar Orchestra of Germany, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, EOS Orchestra of Beijing, and the Hong Kong Symphonia. In 2016, Ms. Chan was selected as a soloist to a tour around the states with The Curtis Chamber Orchestra. She has also played in 9 concerts with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in their “2017 Europe Tour”. Ms. Chan has held many recitals in various cities such as Philadelphia, Hong Kong, Beijing, Xiamen, and Guizhou. As an active chamber musician, Angela has collaborated with world famous artists such as Nobuko Imai, Phillip Setzer, Hsinyun Huang, Peter Wiley, Gary Hoffman, Marcy Rosen etc. As the violinist of the AYA piano trio, the trio has won first prize of the WDAV Chamber Music Competition and Yellow Spring Chamber Competition. Angela’s festival appearances as a soloist and chamber musician include Heifetz Institute of Music as Artist-in-Residence, Verbier Festival Academy, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. In summer 2024, Ms. Chan will be attending the renowned Marlboro Music Festival. Born in Hong Kong, Angela started playing the violin at the age of 3 under her mother. She continued her violin studies with Michael James Ma, Vera WeiLing Tsu in Beijing, China, and Shmuel Ashkenasi, Pamela Frank, and Aaron Rosand at the Curtis Institute of Music. With full scholarship granted, she is currently studying with Donald Weilerstein at the New England Conservatory of Music. She is also scholarship recipient of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance fund and the Lin Yao Ji Foundation.

Angela Sin Ying Chan, violin.************************ Playing first violin with Angela Chan is Leonard Fu, a Chinese-German violinist. "(His) love for music began at an early age when his two older sisters were practicing the violin and the piano and he started imitating the melodies on the piano by ear. Despite being non-musicians themselves, his parents saw his potential and enabled his first piano lesson at age four and his first violin lesson at age seven. Since then, Fu has performed in several countries across continents, amongst them Germany, China, Russia, the United States, Italy, and Spain. He is an active soloist and chamber musician and has played concerts with major orchestras (Bremer Kammerphilharmonie, NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, Hamburger Sinfoniker, etc.), working with distinguished conductors such as Alexander Shelley, Andrew Manze, Elias Grandy, Marc Niemann, and Dietger Holm. His chamber partners amongst others include Janine Jansen, Amihai Grosz, Jens-Peter Maintz, Laurence Lesser, Kim Kashkashian, Jörg Widmann, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, Thomas Riebl, Manuel Fischer-Dieskau, Nimrod Guez, Gregor Horsch, Peijun Xu, and Lucy Chapman. In his young career he has already been laureate of major competitions, such as the Joseph Joachim, Andrea Postacchini, Rodolfo Lipizer, TONALi, Ton & Erklärung, and most recently the Schadt International String Competition in March 2022, at which he received the First Prize. Fu has special interest in the performance of old music and dedicates time to the study of Historical Performance Practice.. He has worked with important figures such as Guy Fishman of the Handel & Haydn Society, Bernhard Forck of the Academy of Ancient Music Berlin, Gerhart Darmstadt, leading pedagogue of the HIP movement in Germany, and Audrey Axinn, esteemed fortepianist and Mozart expert. Furthermore, he is an advocate for contemporary music and has received acknowledgment for performances of A. Schnittke’s Violin Sonata, L. Berio’s Sequenza VIII for Violin solo, W. Lutoslawski’s Partita for Violin and Piano, and M. Davidovsky’s String Quartet No. 4 as well as his own compositions. He closely collaborates with the upcoming generation of American classical composers such as Lingbo Ma, Robert Bui, Lila Wildy Quillin, and Daroo Lee. Together with his colleague and friend Yiliang Jiang, he was dedicated a violin duo (“Calligraphy”, 2020) by Lila Wildy Quillin, which premiered in Jordan Hall in November 2020. Fu has studied under Lara Lev and Tanja Becker-Bender and is currently enrolled at the Juilliard School of Music as an Artist Diploma student of Donald Weilerstein and Catherine Cho to whom he serves as a teaching assistant. Other musical influences have been Vivian Weilerstein, Ran Blake, Ian Swensen, Krzysztof Wegrzyn, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Hankus Netsky, Roger Tapping, Peter Salaff, and Efstratios Minakakis. Outside of classical music, Fu has recently begun to explore writing and playing jazz music. Other interests include political activism, philosophy, languages, and baking. Graduating as the valedictorian from a science-oriented high school, he is a scholar of the prestigious Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes which promotes and supports Germany’s best students across all disciplines and subjects. He holds further scholarships from the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben and the New England Conservatory of Music.

Leonard Fu, violin.

At Ames Farm Inn

Ellen and I are at the Ames farm Inn on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. We are at a gathering of Ellen family, which includes Paul, Jenny Mac, Julie, Jerry, Tamar, Katie, Brendan, and friends, Susan and Christian Petrach. Jim Tolles is sick so he and Mary were not able to come. It is a lovely spot, and we will be here for a couple of days. yesterday, we had a potluck picnic just outside our cabin. After supper we came in and played a game of Salad Bowl. it is a little difficult for me to navigate an unfamiliar space, but I am making out OK. John and Cynthia may come over today and take me home with them or I may stay through tomorrow and come home with Ellèn. We'll see.

At supper last evening.

Summing up the week.

This was sort of a chaotic week, with the abrupt medical issue on Tuesday, and persistant hot & humid weather providing the main sources of the chaos. It was meant to be fairly calm, with trips to Marlboro providing the pleasure of music and relief from the heat. I ended up spending hours waiting in two emergency rooms - Urgent Care and BMH. Wednesday I stayed home, with John keeping me company, and both of us wilting in the humidity. Thursday was retired clergy in the morning and GCC Church Council in the evening and a quick trip to Marlboro in between, with a hot dog and ice cream at Chelsea Diner providing supper. Friday we intended to go to a late afternoon rehearsal at Marlboro, but we got part way there and the fuel light went on - Ellen had forgotten to fill the tank earlier (heat fogs the brain). There is no gas station on the back road to Marlboro, so we had to turn around and come back to the Irving station on Route 30, which made us too late to get to Marlboro for the rehearsal, so we came home. Today wasn't really chaotic, but it was very full. Oh, and in the midst of everything, I ordered a rolling walker from the Brattleboro Senior Center, and Ellen picked that up on Wednesday, I think - it is a free loan for as long as I need it. Nice! I used it twice at Marlboro this week - Thursday and Saturday. It works pretty well, though I have to be careful going downhill; I don't want it to run away with me. It does have brakes. We are not 100% sure about going to church tomorrow - we might stay home, rest, and watch church on YouTube. Next week is the Tolles/Baker Family Reunion at Ames Farm Inn on Lake Winnepesaukee in New Hampshire, Wednesday-Friday. My involvement in that is being negotiated, and John and Cynthia have offered to help out in any way they can. Thank you John & Cynthia! *************** As I mentioned earlier, we heard the full Shostakovich Quartet today and the performers were Clara Neubauer, violin; Itamar Zorman, violin; Ao Peng, viola; and Oliver Herbert, cello. Clara Neubauer is a graduate of Juilliard and the recipient of many prizes and awards. She is praised for her "seductive artistry" and "rare grace." She was indeed magnificent today, as were all four members of the quartet.

Clara Neubauer, first violin in the Shostakovich.

Clara Neubauer, Itamar Zorman, Ao Peng and Oliver Herbert performing the Shostakovich today.

Itamar Zorman, 2nd violin in the Shostakovich. Born in Tel-Aviv in 1985 to a family of musicians, Itamar Zorman began his violin studies at the age of six with Saly Bockel at the Israeli Conservatory of Music in Tel-Aviv. He graduated in 2003 and continued his studies with Professor David Chen and Nava Milo. He received his Bachelor of Music from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance as a student of Hagai Shaham, and his Master of Music from The Juilliard School in 2009, where he studied with Robert Mann and Sylvia Rosenberg. He then went on to receive an Artist Diploma from Manhattan School of Music in 2010 and an Artist Diploma from Julliard in 2012 under the tutelage of Sylvia Rosenberg, and he is an alumnus of the Kronberg Academy where he studied with Christian Tetzlaff and Mauricio Fuks. He is also the recipient of scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and has taken part in numerous master classes around the world, working with Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Shlomo Mintz, Ida Haendel, and Ivry Gitlis. Mr. Zorman is currently on faculty at the Eastman School of Music. He plays on a 1734 Guarneri del Gesù, from the collection of Yehuda Zisapel. More on Ao Peng and Oliver Herbert later.

Back at Marlboro

Well, I had my gathering with retired clergy this morning, and that went well. I feel good, and so we decided to come to Marlboro for the 2p.m. rehearsal of the Shostakovch String Quartet No. 8 in C-Minor, Op. 110. Performers are Clara Neubauer, violin; Itamar Zorman, violin; Ao Peng, viola; Oliver Herbert, cello. More on them later. This quartet is a very personal statement by Shostakovich. When four musicians came to his home to play it for him hoping to get his criticisms for a public performance, all he could do was bury his head in his hands and weep. I love Shostakovich, and I am looking forward to hearing this piece. Later. The group did not play the Shostakovich through. I heard only parts of two movements, but what I heard was beautiful, somber and heart-wrenching. After the Shostakovich, Lucy Fitz-Gibbon and Solomon Ge performed Anton Webern's Drei Lieder, Op. 25. The lyrics are drawn from the poetry of Hildegaard Jone (1891-1963). I heard this last Monday, but did not have the opportunity to write about it here. I was fortunate to find a Master's Thesis (1) on this piece online, and that not only provided a text and translation, but also some provocative thoughts about the piece. Here for now is the text and translation: SONG ONE: Wie bin ich froh! Noch einmal wird mir alles grün und leuchtet so! Noch über blühn die Blumen mir die Welt! Noch einmal bin ich ganz ins Werden hingestellt und bin auf Erden. How happy I am! Once more everything to me becomes green and lights up so! Yet to me the flower flowers over the world! Once more I am totally placed into becoming and I am on Earth. SONG TWO: Des Herzens Purpurvogel fliegt durch Nacht. Der Augen Falter, die im Hellen gaukeln, sind ihm voraus, wenn sie ins Tage schaukeln. Und doch ist er’s, der sie ans Ziel gebracht. Sie ruhen oft, die bald sich neu erheben zu neuem Flug. Doch rastet endlich er am Ast des Todes, müd und flügel schwer, dann müssen sie zum letzen Blick verbeben. The magenta bird of the heart flies through night. The eyes of butterflies play tricks in the light, ahead of him where they sway in the day. Yet it is he, who brought them to their aim. Often they rest soon rise again to new flight. But finally he rests on the perch of death, heavy winged and tired, then they must with one last glance expire. SONG THREE Sterne, Ihr silbernen Bienen der Nacht um die Blume der Liebe! Wahrlich der Honig aus ihr hängt schimmernd an Euch. Lasset ihn tropfen ins Herz, in die goldene Wabe, füllet sie an bis zum Rand. Ach schon tropfet sie über, selig und bis ans Ende mit ewiger Süße durchtränkt. Stars, you silver bees of the night ‘round the flower of love! Lo, the honey from it hangs shimmering on you. Let it drip into the heart, into the golden honeycomb, and fill’eth it to the brim. Alas, already it drips over, blessed and to the end imbued with everlasting sweetness. Waebern writes twelve-tone music; he was a student of Schoenberg. It must be maddeningly difficult to sing, but Lucy Fitz=Gibbon performs it with aplomb. It is short, and interestingly, when it is performed this coming weekend, on Saturday, it will be performed twice: just before and just after the intermission. That will give the audience a chance to assimilate it a bit more fully.

Solomon Ge and Lucy Fitz-Gibbon.*************** (1)Paul Taylor Morgeson, DECONSTRUCTING WEBERN’S OP. 25, DREI LIEDER: A MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENT (University of North Texas, 2013).************** Following the Webern, there was a rehearsal of the beautiful and well-known Mozart, Seranade in E-flat Major,K. 375. This is written for a wind octet: two oboes, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons. It is very familiar, and I love hearing it again. One of the bassoonists is someone I sort of know: Rose Vrbsky, daughter of Judith Serkin, granddaughter of Rudolph Serkin. Rose's grandmother, Irene Serkin, attended the Guilford Church regularly during Shirley's pastorate, and became a close friend of Shirley's. Rose's aunt, Margie, is a regular attender to this day. We don't see Rose in church, but she has performed in orchestras which the Blanche Moyse Chorale sang with when I was a member. Rose has been playing the bassoon for many years!

The Mozart Octet.******************** SATURDAY AFTERNOON. We came back to Marlboro today to hear the entire Shostakovich String Quartet, and wow! what an amazing piece of music - heartwrenchingly beautiful and also daring and revolutionary. The musicians are extraordinary, as usual. I put away my computer and just gave myself over to the music. I'll try to research it a bit later today. Right now, they are warming up for the Mozart Seranade, such a different piece, but delightful in its own way.

The quartet playing Shostakovich.******************************* Earlier today we went to the Dummerston Church to sing in a choir for the funeral of Oscar P., a man in his eighties who died a week or two ago. We sang Abide With Me. and we sounded good, I think. Oscar came to church regularly, but started coming just a couple of years ago. I did not get a chance to know him.

An unexpected change in plan.

Tuesday, we went to Marlboro for the 2p.m. rehearsal, intending to stay through to 6p.m. We were going to hear the Mozart Seranade in E-flat Major, K. 375, and the Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 in C-Minor, Op. 111. All this was changed by a medical emergency. It was highly personal, so I won't discuss it at length, but just say that I was bleeding where I shouldn't be. We left to go first to Urgent Care in Brattleboro, and then the ER at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. I had tests and a CT-Scan - all without a 100% definitive diagnosis, but some hunches. All that took 5 hours or so. Now, a day later, I am home and the bleeding seems to have stopped. Ellen met Katie at Marlboro at 2p.m. today, John is here with me. Brendon actually came by for a while too. I talked with my PCP, Dr. van Dyck, on the phone this morning - she is out of town, but answers her cell phone. I feel okay, and will have a follow-up appointment soon. So I guess I'll be okay, and may never know for sure just what happened and why. Tomorrow I have a meeting with my Retired Clergy Group at the Dummerston Church, and I'll probably go to that. We are still discussing Joan Chittester's The Gift of Years , specifically the chapter on "Newness." Meanwhile, it is very hot and humid. John and I have a fan blowing on us at the moment. It helps a bit. It was pretty warm last night and I did not sleep well. I hope to get back to Marlboro. Maybe tomorrow. I wonder if crises like this will become more frequent with time?

We are at Marlboro Music Festival

Ahhh - the open rehearsals of the MMF start today, and here we are! Listening to the Brahms Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op. 60. Musicians: Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano; Randall Goosby, violin; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; Ben Solomonow, cello.

Randall, Ignat, Ben, Hsin-Yun.

Top to bottom: Randall, Ignat, Hsin-Yun, Ben.

Lunch at Dot’s.

Friday, we hàd lunch at Dot's restaurant in Wilmington, with Mary Andersen-Nissem, her daughter, Erica's husband, Tom, and their two children, Julien and Claire. Erica had to stay in Capetown, SA, where they live. She was needed at work. I go back over 50 years with this family. I performed the wedding of Mary and her late husband, John, back in 1974; and then about 30 years later, I performed the wedding of Erica and Tom. I doubt that I will be around to serve in that capacity for Julian or Claire. We talked a blue streak at the table while we ate.

Top: Tom and Mary at Dot's. Middle: Claire at Dot's. Bottom: The whole group after lunch. **********

we had a really nice time together. Just as we were leaving, it started to rain. We stopped at the newly reopened Chelsea diner for ice cream. Yay! Saturday was hot and humid, we stayed home and stayed quiet. Sunday it was better lower humidity, so we went to church and read scriptures.

Reading scriptures at church. After church, there was a birthday party for Katharine Breunig, and Ellen made the cake. It was gluten-free and dairy- free, and posed a lot of problems, which kept Ellen up late Saturday night.

Top: Patrice Murray and Ellen, serving cake. Bottom: The cake was popular. It was almost completely eaten up. Sunday afternoon and evening, we took it easy at home; today we will go to the music festival at Marlboro.