If this had been a normal year, I would have been in Boston now, attending the biennial Boston Early Music Festival as I have done five or six times before. I would be fighting off jet lag and trying to keep my eyes open during the opening opera, “Le Carnaval de Venise,” although dazzled by… Read More Virtual BEMF
From time to time, I have mentioned the name of my Swiss friend, Vreni Griffith. I first noticed her unusual name when I used to stick name labels on our music mailings for the Lutheran Church of Honolulu—that was probably in the early 90s. I later found out “Vreni” was a shortened version of “Varena”… Read More ¡Muchísimas gracias!
This afternoon I am enjoying a virtual performance by the early music choral ensembles, Stile Antico, presented by the Boston Early Music Festival. Stile Antico is one of the world’s finest vocal ensembles, renowned for vibrant and expressive performances of music from the Renaissance. The concert was posted on the Boston Early Music Festival website… Read More All in the family
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
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
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”
This is my last week in Honolulu before embarking on my summer travel. I had one last gig this morning—substituting for Gloria Faltstrom, organist at Waiokeola Congregational Church, and home to the Heissler tracker organ. Waiokeola is also the parish church of a former student of mine, Andrew Moore, the grandson of Bud Klein, the… Read More Boston on the brain!