vividreports: Music, Music, Music!

When we were in Maine last week, I spent one full day, Wednesday, August 16th, with Phil. Ellen was with me much of that time, but not all. We started out going with Phil to "Bach for Breakfast" at the Camden Public Library Amphitheatre. This was part of the Bay Chamber Screen Door Festival Series, and featured Bridget Kibbey on harp and James Austin Smith on Oboe. These two musicians played music by J.S. Bach which had been transcribed from other instruments. Specifically, they played Sonata in C Major, BWV 1033, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, Selections from French Suite in G Major, BWV 816, Sonata in E-Flat Major, BWV 1031. The Toccata and Fugue - for organ- was particularly demanding on the harp. We did not eat breakfast there but coffee and baked goods were available. The amphitheatre is a delightful spot, and they had ercted a large tent for this event - you can't play the harp in the rain!

Photos: Top: the amphitheatre as it looks when there is no tent; next: Bridget Kibbey playing the harp (from a video on her website): next: James Austin Smith playing oboe at the Fest; next: Bridget Kibbey playing at the Fest; next: Listeners under the tent; bottom: Phil taking a picture of the concert. **************** After the Bach for Breakfast concert, I went inside the Camden Public Library to use their rest fsacilities - a very nice library! I could have spent the rest of the day just exploring it! But we had to move on to the next concert. At 1:00p.m., there was a jazz concert in a nearby public park. But we needed to eat. So we walked toward the park and went by the Camden Deli. I sat outside and people-watched while Phil and Ellen went inside and got sandwiches and drinks. Then we walked on to the park - walking is good for me - and found a picnic table there. Perfect! The jazz band was a six-member group: two saxaphones, cello, guitar, bass and percussion, playing very gentle jazz, songs by, e.g., Herbie Hancock, and somewhat reminiscent of Dave Brubeck in their style. It was very enjoyable sitting there under the trees in the shade, enjoying the music. A woman we didn't know approached the table and asked if she could join us, and we said, "certainly." She proved to be interesting, though after eating my sandwich, I left the table and sat in a canvass folding chair that Phil had brought for me, because it was more comfortable - I miss having back support at a picnic table. But Ellen said she was someone she could imagine having as a friend. She obviously was very involved in Camden civic life.

View of Camden Harbor from the Public Library.

Camden Deli sidewalk sign.

The jazz combo in the park. ****************** After the jazz concert, Ellen went on to Jim and Mary's to be with them and Katie and Brendon, and I went with Phil back to Friendship. We had been invited to have supper with Phil's neighbors in Cushing, John and Karen. Karen had prepared lasagna, bread and salad, and we just had time to do a couple of errands, go back to the cottage to freshen up, go to John and Karen's for a quick supper, and then go on to a third concert at the Strand theater in Rockland, with Karen joining us, but not John (who seemed not to be feeling quite up to snuff). Ellen joined us there just before the concert began. This concert was sponsored by the Salt Bay Chamber Festival. It featured a Mohawk woman, Dawn Avery, composer, whose work Iethi'sotha Ahsonthehnêhka Karâhkwa, "Grandmother Moon," for string quartet, was being given a world premier. It was an unusual and powerful work. The composer gave a little talk about the work. Also on the program was Ottorino Respighi's Il tramonto, for mezzo-soprano and string quartet, and Dvorák's String Sextet in A-Major, Op. 48. The Strand Theater is not huge, and we had seats in about the fifth row, center, ao the sound was full, warm and intimate, and the music was well-played. Pretty close to Marlboro, I would say. Three concerts in one day, and very varied in their repertoire. So this was a full day for me, and I held up well. I enjoyed my day with Phil very much, and we had a chance for some good visits in the car. After this concert, I went back to Friendship with Ellen, where we spent the night at the cottage. ******************** Friday, Ellen and I went to Jim and Mary's and we spent time there with everyone. Ellen went to the Transportation Museum with Katie and Brendon, and I stayed at the house and worked on my sermon for Guilford, where I was preaching Sunday. We ate at Rustica, an Italian restaurant in Rockland, but something about the shrimp and polenta appetizer set my stomach on edge - maybe too much butter and garlic? - and I couldn't eat my eggplant parmigiana entré. We went back to Owl's Head and played cards- the game of Oh Hell! which is sort of like bridge except that your hand starts with ten cards, and then with each subsequent deal, has one less card, all the way to one card. You bid the number of tricks you think you can take, and if you make your bid, you get 10 extra points. It's fun, and I won the game! *********************** Ellen and I spent one last night at the Friendship cottage, had a final breakfast with Phil Friday morning, and came home - through heavy rain part of the way. We stopped at When Pigs Fly for bread andBob's Clam Hut for food. Saturday, I worked on the children's story ("Eddie's Big Rock") the the Guilford service, and fine-tuned my sermon. Saturday evening we went toanother concert - A "Music Under the Stars" concert sponsored by the Brattleboro Music Center and held outside at the Retreat Farm. It featured Keith Murphy, Becky Tracy and friends, all familiar, and wonderful music from Qurbec, New Brunswick and the folk tradition. It was a perfect night, cloudy, so no stars, but a lovely temperature and a large crowd, some of whom we knew.