One of the great things about the Glimmerglass summer is that, in addition to our four operas, we play a large number of other concerts. Some of these are part of the Glimmerglass calendar, and some are chamber music concerts we organize on our own. I’ve had the pleasure of playing music with a variety of my colleagues in these weeks, “small” music as compared to “big” opera, with just a few people finding a groove together. There’s so much room for individual expression in a small group. We find common ground, we take chances – we play.
One of our concerts included this sublime piece, which I’d not heard in ages. What a joy to return to it. Take it Slow. See if you can hear the players breathing together. Notice when they are matching up every note, and when they focus on the big picture rather than the small. Above all, hear how an instrumentalist can sound like a singer, phrasing with supple incisiveness as though there were words in the phrase. Schumann was a master at this.
What do these melodies inspire in you? For me there’s something nostalgic about them, and the piece seems to be looking backward with love. It’s the right thing as we begin the last week of the Festival, so much good work done, so many goodbyes ahead.
Share the Slow. Let this week go by unhurried – yours, too.