Baited Breath

I know you're all expecting a recap of SICPP. But as my mom always says, if you can't say anything nice...
This is probably why I turned out to be a generally quiet person.
I have no derogatory comments whatsoever about the festival itself, and only the highest praise for its director Steve Drury and his wife Yukiko Tagaki, both of whom are my pianistic idols. Unfortunately it's difficult to know before sitting down to make music with someone what the result will be. In the past I've loved playing with people I detested and hated playing with people I loved. It's rather like dating. You shop around for a person with whom you work well; and when you finally find them, it's better if they don't suffer from halitosis.

I Think I'll Go to Boston...

Cosmic forces seem to be uniting in an attempt to prevent me from traveling. Barring any further catastrophes, I'll soon be on my way to the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance (SICPP, or "Sick Puppy"...an accurate description of myself today). I'll do my best to update my blog if I can locate a wireless connection. The week will be extremely busy but I'm looking forward to a luxury I've been craving intensely: uninterrupted practice hours free from the encroachments of reality. And of course, the original Filene's Basement.

Pastoral Interlude

I'm finally back in NY after a whirlwind tour of several states (I drove through 4 today). After heading upstate on Thursday, I continued my journey the following day with what was supposed to be an uneventful drive to New Hampshire. I had been warned about a detour due to construction in Woodstock, Vermont, so when I saw a detour sign shortly after Killington, I followed it. Unfortunately this was not the correct detour, which I soon realized as I sped on back roads through the thickly wooded countryside, not a signpost nor a Starbucks in sight. My cell phone was stubbornly unresponsive, so I resolved to stop at the next amenable-looking location to ask for directions. Desperately searching the horizon for evidence of civilization, a large barn-type structure came into view. As I slowed down, I read the sign on the side of the building: GUNS.

Pendulum Music

"I don't think it is the function of art to be pleasing. Art is not democratic. It is not for the people." - Richard Serra