Diversions

Notes from the Berkshires, Day 27

Lenox Coffee, 7.10 a.m.

I’ve discovered the secret to the weather forecasting here: every day is partly cloudy with a 50% chance of thunderstorms. Reminds me a bit of Colorado in that sense, that the weather can turn on a dime in a very short period of time.

After a longish day yesterday which ended with a very frustrating tuning of a very sharp upright at Miss Hall’s School, the team gathered at Chez Carver for a glass of wine, snacks, and conversation ranging from pianos to philosophy. A welcome diversion, and three of us proceeded from there directly to the Emerson Quartet performance in Ozawa Hall. The group has been together for more than 30 years, and it is amazing to watch them work as a unit. The program wasn’t terribly intricate or high in degree of technical difficulty, but even so, the ensemble the four members are capable of is remarkable in its own right. Entrances, dynamic shadings, balance, articulation, all without flaw. And the sound in the auditorium is superb. To look at the inside, the first thought that comes to mind in terms of overall shape is “airplane hangar”, but the design is such that even an intimate ensemble such as a string quartet fills the place with sound. The rear wall opens to the lawn outside, which I believe sacrifices a small portion of the reflected sound, but at the same time lends a sense of openness to the vibe of the place; no mistake, I’m sure.

Walking back to the car on the other side of the grounds was beautiful in itself. The weather had cleared, except for some storm clouds over the mountains in the north, the moon was at about one-quarter over the horizon, and there was a shroud of wispy fog around everything. I called V as I was walking to share it with here, albeit at-a-distance.

This morning I’ll work in the soloist’s room at Ozawa, and on one of the B’s in the Carriage House before bagging it around noon. Tonight is the live broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion from the Shed, featuring Steve Martin, Arlo Guthrie, and (oddly enough) Martin Sheen, who were all hanging about last evening doing a dress rehearsal. If the weather holds, I’ll probably go and sit on the lawn, but otherwise I’ll relax at home. A run is in the plans for the afternoon, and getting away from the grounds overall may be the most sane option, but I’ll see how I feel.

V arrives for a visit in less that a week – yippee!