He came, he saw, he honkered. - Julius Goose
On 31 May 2012 01:17, Patrick McManus <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Reminds me of my mother as a kid she played at school assemblies esp '
> Jesu,Joy of Man's Desiring' but she enjoyed varying the speed so kids
> sometimes had to rush and at others creep in -and got severely reprimanded
> Cheers P reminiscing mode
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Poetryetc: poetry and poetics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Max Richards
> Sent: 30 May 2012 00:42
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: snap: julius katchen
>
> Julius Katchen
>
> is playing Brahms
> on the car radio -
>
> long after his death
> 're-issued', we're told.
>
> The name brings back the only
> outing Dad ever took me on.
>
> In the early 'fifties -
> New Zealand was so far,
>
> music-lovers so few -
> top musicians seldom
>
> risked the slog to Auckland.
> Our cinema tycoon
>
> took a chance, fitted out
> his biggest theatre
>
> with a Steinway -
> on came Katchen.
>
> He didn't look to me
> like a top pianist -
>
> for that he'd have to look like Dad.
> From the circle, front row,
>
> we saw perfectly
> his hands' strength and grace,
>
> eclipsing his stocky
> neck and torso. What did he play?
>
> Sixty years on I don't recall -
> some Beethoven, Brahms,
>
> Schubert, I think.
> Who now will contradict me?
>
> What is fact is this:
> after our applause,
>
> Katchen returns for encores.
> What would you like? he asks,
>
> in a warm American voice.
> Dad calls out first, firm,
>
> competitive - Jesu,
> Joy of Man's Desiring.
>
> I seem to hear it now,
> the virtuoso playing for us.
>
> Dad's eyes have watered,
> his fingers move on his knees.
>
> Back home, he seldom
> played again, Bach nor Brahms.=
>
--
Andrew
http://hispirits.blogspot.com/
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