The Death of Dickens
I killed Dickens. Last week. On a warm spring afternoon. I hit delete and he was gone from my life. You see, I read him once in high school. A Tale of Two Cities. I didn’t like it much then but it was required reading. In recent years, as I’ve added classics to my regular reading, I’ve often […]
Live Performance
Recently I’ve attended several musical performances: a 19-year-old pianist in the local Young Pianist Concert Series, an up-and-coming organist, a visiting Russian pianist, a faculty recital at a nearby university, and the combined men’s choruses of two local universities. Each performer or conductor discussed their music with the audience before they played or sang. The concerts were […]
Standards of Play
During the academic year I frequently attend recitals and concerts at the university. Many are given by students in fulfillment of their graduation requirements. Faculty and guest artists also perform throughout the year. This week I heard two pianists – both with impressive credentials. Nikita Fitenko, a native of Russia, played an entire program of Russian […]