Many thanks to Naomi for contributing this lovely description of her own Music Festival.

Music festivals are events for which one normally has to plan way ahead and travel a considerable distance to get to them.  But I had my own, private music festival earlier this month, which required only short forays out of my home and not much planning.

On the Friday at the Conservatorium of Music I attended the gala evening of the ‘Out of the Shadows’ event – a project aimed at discovering and performing the rarely heard music of composers who perished or survived the Holocaust.  The Con’s Verbugghen Hall was full to capacity and there was a buzz of excitement and awe but the event did not live up to expectation.  The music was good; indeed some probably deserves more exposure than it has received, but the organizers failed to seize on the opportunity to celebrate the occasion.  Scant program notes, no presence of relatives, no stories, no sense of a memorial.  We came, the musicians performed, we listened, we clapped, we went home.  Pity as the concept behind the event is so worthwhile. 

Then I spent almost the entire day on Sunday at Cremorne Orpheum for the New York Met’s production of Strauss’ ‘Der Rosencavalier’.  It was Renee Fleming’s and Elina Garanca’s farewell performance to their iconic roles in this opera and it was sheer magic.  Everything that opera should be – the design, the lighting, the costumes and above all the voices and the acting – perfection.  Even the story is engaging! 

And finally on the Monday at the City Recital Hall I heard Pieter Wiseplwey play the six Bach Cello Suites – an amazing experience.  I love that music but I have never heard the six performed together and wondered how I would last the distance.  But in fact after more than three hours, I was sorry Bach had not written ten cello concertos.  I was awed by the cellist’s stamina and his ability to have all that music in his head; no scores. 

And we find it too difficult to memorize a few bars when Carlos asks us to!