Day 3

Although the most truly fascinating part of the day was a visit from Terry Teachout of About Last Night, I currently am thwacking my head against the wall in a desperate attempt to finish an overnight review of the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall, so my extolation of the virtues of this particular medium will have to wait until I've made a stab at a different one.

Print. Ugh.


I used to do these kinds of reviews, but somehow the catch of the whole thing escapes me. Perhaps exhaustion has dulled my senses, perhaps I've lost my touch, perhaps I was never really very good to begin with. All possible. But none the less, I have to produce a review and then show it not only to my peers but workshop it with professionals.

It's not that I intend to wow anyone, or anything, but my goal for this institute was to NOT embarrass myself, and I feel like a half-assed review would be the way to do that. I want to be criticized for my best work, not my worst, and I can't even begin to sort this one out.

It was a fine concert - Gil Shaham soloist, playing Mozart and Stravinsky concertos. They were flanked by Stravinsky's Dunbarton Oaks, and Mozart's Linz symphony. It's interesting works, but the little things all got to me - balance issues, staging issues, little things that took over so now I cannot see the big picture of the concert at all.

It's these instances when I doubt my interest in this profession - I'm exhausted, it's 1 am, and I really want to just sleep. But my brain keeps trying to write this damn thing, and I know it must be done.

Back to it, and hopefully the results soon.