Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Music of a Summer Night

The music of a summer day varies, Bach, Scarlatti (Spencer's favorite), Dylan, Robbie Robertson and the Band, Jessie Cook, the happy sparkling confections of a whole stack of Putumayo recordings.

Summer nights hold other melodious magics, and sometimes, they make me wake up smiling - in the midst of the heated summer rains this week, an old dream has returned. I am playing the Dvorak cello concerto on my Strad at Carnegie Hall. Because of the heat, I am in cutoffs and a sleeveless "T", and I am performing barefoot.

The dream gave me back a lovely long forgotten memory - Simon Rattle performing in the old tithe barn at Charleston Manor many years ago. On that steamy summer night he was wearing tie and tails, but he wore no shoes. The music was (I think) the overture and incidental music from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Felix Mendelssohn.

My dream performance this week was flawless, and the ovation afterward lasted for some time.

3 comments:

Endment said...

And may the cheers and cries for encore echo on and on

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful dream!

Kentishmaid said...

I live just a thirty minute drive from Charleston Manor, why have I never heard of it? Have never known such a music festival exists? I may have missed this years, but have marked my diary to visit next year. I love your dream, the cello is such an evocative instrument, the stuff of dreams!