I have made two additions to the wit page, subtitled with temerity ‘and wisdom’. They are the two just above “Go out, going forward” which thus far I have kept at the end, though I am becoming uncertain how to define ‘forward.’
One you may recognize from a recent journal entry, the other from the Blue Water Medal acceptance speech. I did not include the reference to having had countless such moments while sailing small boat across oceans because I have also known countless moments of joy on land, as well as despair on both, but that becomes too complicated. I also did not point out the obvious conclusion: Seek joy. You are going to have to figure out some of this yourself.
————
Bobby, who is about to become the owner of a Welsford Pathfinder, advised me that there is a DVD of a Berlin Philharmonic/Simon Rattle/Peter Sellars—I got that wrong in an earlier post spelling the last name as did the actor, though I did know they were not the same person—performance of Bach’s SAINT JOHN PASSION as well as the SAINT MATTHEW PASSION of which I have written in the past. I bought it from iTunes and watched and listened yesterday.
Bach is astounding.
Bach is astounding.
If you care about this kind of music, the films of these performances are worth viewing.
Carol and I are currently watching the fourth and final season of the Amazon series, Mozart in the Jungle.
For obscure reasons I googled ‘requiem’ and was surprised to come across the assertion that the greatest recording of Mozart’s REQUIEM comes from Siberia and is conducted by Teodor Currrentzis, of whom I am ashamed I had not heard.
Although I already had two recordings of Mozart’s REQUIEM, conducted by Abbado and by Gardiner, I found the Currentzis recording at iTunes and downloaded it. I am in no way qualified to judge if it is the best, and doubt there is a ‘best’, but it is certainly worth listening to.
Mozart in Siberia? Who knew? I most certainly did not.
Of requiems, my favorite is probably Faure’s. I have come to prefer his acceptance to Mozart’s anguish, though Mozart died young and so had reason to be anguished.
I checked and Faure died at age seventy-nine.
He completed his Requiem at age fifty-six.
————
I received an email from a friend who asked if the renovations on the Hilton Head condo have been completed. They haven’t even started. Permissions must be obtained from the condo association, the Plantation Owner’s Association—The Plantation is the gated community in which we live, and the City of Hilton Head. I may be forgetting others.
The renovations are going to be extensive. I will be surprised if they are completed by July 4. Maybe by Labor Day.
In any event I am at Hilton Head next week and will stay until after July 4. Carol will fly there over Memorial Day and July 4.
I expect to return to these upper flatlands—Evanston is 600’ above sea level—with her in July and then go back to Hilton Head around Labor Day and stay until I sail for Panama early next January. Carol will use vacation time to extend Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas to spend time at the sea level flatlands.
The temperature is right at freezing. Something is falling past our windows. I am not sure if it is rain, sleet or snow. Maybe all three.
I am counting the days.
The photo is of Morris Island in Far Northern Queensland, Australia.
I need warm.
I need warm.
