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Nimrod, rabbit holes, and the King of the Saxons

Score study for a big work like The Apostles often leads me down research rabbit holes, and I end up in unexpected places. My workstation, as you see from the photo, includes the full score, the vocal score, Jaeger’s analysis, ‘Letters to Nimrod’ ed. Percy M. Young, the Holy Bible, and coffee. Google, YouTube and iTunes are also frequently consulted. My goal today was to study Elgar’s system of leitmotifs, which he uses to unify The Apostles but those serendipitous bunny tunnels lead from one discovery to the next, and I learned a bunch of cool stuff instead. Our performance… Read More »Nimrod, rabbit holes, and the King of the Saxons

Cloister Gloucester cathedral

Packing

I got the Wanderlust early on when my parents planned a three-month trip to Europe with four children aged 7-14 in tow. My late husband and I made travel a priority in our lives, and we often found interesting ways to fashion extended trips around organ recitals, visits with friends, choir tours, or musical exchanges. All of this was marvelous of course, but one thing in preparing for a long trip drove me around the bend. Whereas I would be fussing about and organizing my suitcase several weeks before the trip, Bruce would calmly leave his packing until the night… Read More »Packing

All the boots of tramping warriors

This July, I met up with seasoned travelling companions Chris and Rosemary in Amsterdam. We have conspired on several international adventures in France, Italy, and the far west coast of North America, but this summer we had a quest to learn all we could about the events of 1914. We spent a few days decompressing in Ghent: a cyclists’ heaven. Cars, pedestrians and bikes all share the road with decorum and respect. There are bike racks in front of every public building, and cycling along the canals is a peaceful way to explore. We gaped at the treasured Ghent Altarpiece,… Read More »All the boots of tramping warriors

Bali wall painting

Great navigational errors: Episode two

My second great navigational error was in Bali, Indonesia. Again (as in episode one) I was in the back seat. Bruce Hill and his brother were up front; Chris driving UK-style on the right hand side of the car. We had enjoyed a thrilling late night Gamelan concert in sultry Ubud, with a 30-piece Balinese orchestra, dancers and singers. We picked our way back through the town following some sort of “map.” Heading up into the countryside, the road soon began to get very thin, then disintegrated altogether into a brittle stone cattle path that was certainly not intended for… Read More »Great navigational errors: Episode two

blessing the door 2013

Adieu 2013

2013 was a step up from annus horribilis 2012. My annual New Year’s Eve party usually involves Haggis and pagan rituals: a dark stranger, coins, whisky and coal. This year Fr Tay Moss blessed my house with the works, holy water and all. During the infamous Toronto ice storm I lost power for two days. Thank goodness for Bruce Hill’s stubbornness! He insisted on installing a gas stove when we moved here in 1998, not for heating mind you, but for efficient cooking. Boiling up cinnamon spiced water filled the house with Christmas fragrance throughout the dark and chilly episode,… Read More »Adieu 2013

No place like home

This summer in Britain offered up many profound delights: walking the ancient pilgrim road to Canterbury with my sister; hearing Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius performed magnificently in Gloucester cathedral; listening to Arvo Part in the dark at the tomb of Edward II; standing in the yard for Shakespeare at The Globe Theatre; standing in the gallery in the Royal Albert Hall for Wagner’s Die Walkure; meeting up with choir friends from Ottawa and Toronto; travelling to  Tewkesbury for the Jongen Mass; seeing Vermeer at the National Gallery; hiking the Malverns with Shawn and Dave; experiencing Billy Budd at Glyndebourne with… Read More »No place like home

The Pilgrims’ Way

After about a year of anticipation, my sister and I set out on our very own Canterbury pilgrimage. Our goal was to walk 40 miles from Rochester to Canterbury with the aid of our expert guide, Derek of Walk Awhile who custom builds walking tours through Kent. Each morning Derek packed us a lunch bag full of local bread, cheese and fruit, and gave us detailed instructions along with an ordinance survey map. Our compass got us out of a few tricky navigational errors, but on the whole we managed to find the trail. Each evening we arrived at our… Read More »The Pilgrims’ Way