A couple of weeks ago I received an email message from the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra with the enticing title: Offer of work with the Hawaii Symphony

Alas, it was an invitation to play the organ part of the Albinoni “Adagio” at their concert at The Hawai’i Theatre. Most unfortunately, I would have to turn it down, because although I would be in town for the October 31 concert, I would be away for the rehearsals. I was so sorry to miss this, since that was my husband’s and my “song.” Be sure to go back and read “Playing ‘Our Song‘, especially the part in which I tell you that only the theme is Albinoni, the rest of the piece may be a hoax:

The “Adagio” is commonly attributed to the 18th-century Venetian master, Tomaso Albinoni, but was actually composed by 20th-century musicologist and Albinoni biographer, Remo Giazotto. Supposedly Giazotto based the “Adagio” on the discovery of a manuscript fragment of Albinoni, but others believe it was a complete musical hoax. According to Wikipedia, “there is no doubt about Giazotto’s authorship of the remainder of the work.” 

You see, I am leaving town for the very first time this year. Up to now I’ve been grounded because of the pandemic, resulting in the postponement of three European tours until next year.

But because this year will mark a Milestone Birthday, and because Hawai’i has a new policy regarding the possibility of foregoing quarantine if you have a negative COVID test, I decided I’d like to spend my birthday with the family in Southern California. And therefore, this past weekend, I will have done, or will get done before Wednesday:

1) Getting a pre-travel COVID test. I’ll get another test before I return.

2) Getting a flu shot

3) Buying compression stockings

4) Renewing my drivers license. (You wouldn’t believe how difficult this was, especially when the appointment I had made online was cancelled as the city shutdown all the city hall locations in September and I had to try numerous times to get an appointment before December. Because my license expires next Saturday, I was starting to panic! Of all my lucky stars, I got an appointment the day before my departure… whew!)

5) Getting my monthly eye injection tomorrow, even though technically I should wait a week afterwards to travel.

6) Finished up the quarterly newsletter for my condo and posted to the Internet.

7) Updated the Early Music Hawaii website to announce the broadcast of our concert beginning Friday, October 23rd.

I was happy to learn that my former student, Steven Severin, was asked to play the Albinoni, and this morning we had a brief lesson on how to register this on a theatre organ. Well, after all, it is not a baroque piece, but really a 20th century one.

I actually played this piece myself on this very organ and when I asked Karl Bachman to confirm the date, I was astounded to learn that it’s been twenty years since the national celebration of the pipe organ, called “Pipes Spectacular.” We celebrated locally by holding three events in downtown Honolulu, all within walking distance:

1. An organ concert on the Aeolian-Skinner organ at St. Andrew’s Cathedral
2. A program at the Hawaii Theatre, using the Robert Morton theatre organ. Unfortunately the program cannot be located, but I do remember playing the Albinoni with violinist Darel Stark. There was also a performance of the local version of “The Three Tenors.”
3. We moved the Beckerath continuo organ from the Lutheran Church of Honolulu to the lobby of First Hawaiian Bank with its marvelous acoustics because of all that marble tile. We remember organist Gloria Faltstrom playing a cute Haydn musical clock piece accompanied by a kind of whistle which sounds like bird chirps played by Karl Bachman.