Do you know how far away Athens is from Boston? Consider that I was picked up at 2:00 pm for a 6:05 pm flight, then it was a 6 hour flight from Boston to Paris, where I had a 3-hour layover, including going through immigration, then it was another 3 hour flight to Athens. Add… Read More … because it’s there!
I spent the morning packing my suitcase before getting an Uber to the Church of the Advent. The apartment where I’ve been staying is not available tonight so I will be moving to a bed-and-breakfast next door to Edith Ho’s house for my last night in Boston. Edith will take the luggage back home while… Read More Trinity at the Advent
Last fall, it was when I learned that Doulce Mémoire was going to make an appearance at the 2019 Boston Early Festival that I made the decision to book my tickets. It was at a previous Festival that I heard this group for the first time and eagerly bought one of their CDs. What was… Read More Doulce Mémoire—what a spectacle!
I spent the morning looking for a post office and took these pictures of churches along the way. Yesterday was cold and rainy and today is a beautiful day in Boston! The courtyard at First Lutheran. Yesterday it was pouring buckets here. After spending about six hours yesterday attending three organ recitals at First Lutheran… Read More Another day at First Lutheran
Clifford Pugh of The Houstonian wrote an article titled, “Please Stop Giving Absolutely Everything a Standing Ovation” Call me old-fashioned, but I believe a standing ovation should be a precious thing saved only for that rare occasion where something is so extraordinary and superlative that you can’t help but want to salute it in… Read More Another BEMF concert, another standing ovation
The main events of the Boston Early Music Festival are held at Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory of Music, but the rest of the programs are held primarily in churches all over Boston. Each day, finding each church is a new challenge even though I can’t even count how many times I have… Read More BEMF Organ Mini-Festival
Today was the opening of the Boston Early Music Festival Exhibition, a gathering of music instrument makers, sheet music distributors, CD sales, etc. I call it Dangerous Territory because it is very tempting to pull out my credit card and buy something on a whim! And since my luggage space is limited and especially since… Read More Dangerous territory
“Touch the light through the voice.” That’s the objective of Vox Luminis—a Belgian early music vocal ensemble of 8 singers, to introduce people to early vocal music. They were joined last night by members of Quicksilver, an outstanding instrumental ensemble which toured Hawaii a few years ago. I described them as being cheered as “rock… Read More Vox Luminis
There is a so-called Au Family trait (but it’s endearing!): we are all directionally-challenged and have no sense of where we are! Just take a look at my health stats for yesterday: The first order of business was to find a T stop station, so I could purchase a Charlie Card for a 7-day pass.… Read More Directionally-challenged or otherwise confused
According to Christoph Wolff, eminent Bach scholar who gave the pre-concert lecture before tonight’s St. Matthew Passion performance, Bach composed this musical sermon of the Passion Gospel with the intent of “touching our hearts in ways words without music cannot”— he wanted to rouse our emotions. Even though I have personally performed this work on… Read More “… he wanted to touch our hearts”