Onwards and Southwards

All of my duties to Westminster have officially concluded, and the myriad emotions are weaving vivid imaginings as I reward myself with an afternoon of extended score study. On the docket are some of the masterworks I was fortunate to experience with the Westminster Symphonic Choir - Mahler's 2nd Symphony (which we performed with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic in the spring of 2012), Brahms' Ein Deutches Requiem (with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra in the fall of 2011), and Alban Berg's Wozzeck (with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the London Philharmonic in the fall of 2012).  This menu will take me late into the evening, and I am pleased to have a purring feline and a glass of wine to accompany me.  I have been looking forward to these extended sessions, not only for increased musical knowledge but as opportunities to reflect upon my time at Westminster.  Two years was far too short a time to spend in such excellent company, but such is the nature of institutes of education.  I imagine my score study will be enhanced by a lens of tears as these remarkable masterpieces enfold me in their individual worlds of sound.  My time at Westminster increased my capacity to appreciate being still and listening with my entire being, and I know this will serve me well as I continue my studies at Florida State University. 


I am surrounded by boxes.  If there is a good word to be said for packing a life away in cardboard, it is that every item presents the opportunity to simplify.  Trim the fat, slough the excess - release old memories to make room for fresh compositions.  Non-negotiables items include music scores, my favorite fiction, and all six seasons of Northern Exposure.  Just about every other material possession has to make a case for itself, and though this high court employs a tired judge, the life I move to Florida will reflect the life I wish to build.  


But, not yet.  No more packing today.  Mahler, Brahms, and Berg are calling, and I heed.