second concert: supplemental

[calimac]

I forgot to say about Philip Glass's Piano Concerto No. 3 that the long ending, with an oft-repeated phrase drifting to the far ends of the piano, reminded me of the passacaglia section in the Piano Quintet of Alfred Schnittke, not a composer I expected to be reminded of by Philip Glass.

In the lobby before the concert I heard two men talking about Scotland, especially the unexpectedly luminous quality of the light there. I considered chiming in to agree, but decided I had nothing in particular to add that would justify the interruption.

Then one of them was describing his trip to the Highlands. "We took a ferry to the Isle of Mull," he said, and I was thinking, OK, I know where that is. "Then we took another ferry to the Isle of Iona," and I thought, Yes, that's how you get there. And then he said, "That's where the Book of Kells comes from," and I had to bite my tongue to keep from correcting him. Then they abruptly switched to talking about Iona Brown: it was a classical concert, after all. But no Mendelssohn references, peculiarly enough.

Comments

[radiantfracture]

I've a friend who lives on Iona!

[cmcmck]

I have to admit that I've always found Schnittke very hard work.

Off to Orkney on Wednesday talking of Scottish islands.

[calimac]

Schnittke is an extremely variable composer. I was impressed with the eerie, Shostakovich-like Piano Quintet.

As someone whose one trip to Scotland took me no further north than St Andrews nor more west than Stirling, I envy all this island-hopping.

[cmcmck]

Stirling is himself's home town and St Andrews one of his almae matres so I know them well!