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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.=