Good Evening Ladies & Gentlemen,
I am writing from the fair city of Berlin, in the Zehlendorf section of the city. From what my AirBNB host Werner has told me, the neighborhood I am staying in was part of the American Zone after World War II. This may explain some of the names of the streets such as Clayallee, and Uncle-Toms-Allee, both of which are intriguing. I had a chance to visit the Günter Raphael Archive, which is a music nerd's dream come true. Complete with an antique piano that belonged GR's grandfather, Albert Becker (composer/pianist/organist) which was played upon by none other than Franz Liszt, this house has all of Raphael's manuscripts, along collections of antique scores, early publications (including a complete set of J. S. Bach's Works dating from the 1890s.) There were also letters on the wall composed by Edvard Grieg and Max Reger (to Becker), and Jean Sibelius (to Raphael). I plan to spend much more time there tomorrow, and promise to get at the very least a few photos of everything. The afternoon took an interesting turn when I was invited by Fredrik Pachla to join him and a few friends for a sampling of wine and exotic cheeses, which also turned into an impromptu performance of part of Raphael's Sonata. This also gave me a chance to test my conversational skills in German, a skill that always needs a little more practicing. (Well, perhaps a lot more...)
Looking back over the weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed the duo performance of Anthony Green and Kho Lanny, a Dutch pianist living in the Hague. Together they performed works by Saint-Saens, Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Milhaud. Yesterday (Sunday) was my chance to perform in Anthony Green and Itamar Ronen's home, playing works for solo viola by Anthony Green, Gilad Hochman (who I plan to have coffee with on Wednesday), and Günter Raphael. (Plus Bach!) The performance was intimate, for a small but appreciative crowd of Anthony and Itamar's friends and neighbors, and received an appreciative compliment by the sweet and inquisitive Juiliana.
I have enjoyed observing the contrasts in the culture, language, architecture, and pace in Oslo, Leiden (and the Hague) and Berlin, over the last few days. It will become even more interesting as I explore various parts of Berlin over the next few days.
Time for an early night, and perhaps catching up on yesterday's episode of Madmen!
I am writing from the fair city of Berlin, in the Zehlendorf section of the city. From what my AirBNB host Werner has told me, the neighborhood I am staying in was part of the American Zone after World War II. This may explain some of the names of the streets such as Clayallee, and Uncle-Toms-Allee, both of which are intriguing. I had a chance to visit the Günter Raphael Archive, which is a music nerd's dream come true. Complete with an antique piano that belonged GR's grandfather, Albert Becker (composer/pianist/organist) which was played upon by none other than Franz Liszt, this house has all of Raphael's manuscripts, along collections of antique scores, early publications (including a complete set of J. S. Bach's Works dating from the 1890s.) There were also letters on the wall composed by Edvard Grieg and Max Reger (to Becker), and Jean Sibelius (to Raphael). I plan to spend much more time there tomorrow, and promise to get at the very least a few photos of everything. The afternoon took an interesting turn when I was invited by Fredrik Pachla to join him and a few friends for a sampling of wine and exotic cheeses, which also turned into an impromptu performance of part of Raphael's Sonata. This also gave me a chance to test my conversational skills in German, a skill that always needs a little more practicing. (Well, perhaps a lot more...)
Looking back over the weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed the duo performance of Anthony Green and Kho Lanny, a Dutch pianist living in the Hague. Together they performed works by Saint-Saens, Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Milhaud. Yesterday (Sunday) was my chance to perform in Anthony Green and Itamar Ronen's home, playing works for solo viola by Anthony Green, Gilad Hochman (who I plan to have coffee with on Wednesday), and Günter Raphael. (Plus Bach!) The performance was intimate, for a small but appreciative crowd of Anthony and Itamar's friends and neighbors, and received an appreciative compliment by the sweet and inquisitive Juiliana.
I have enjoyed observing the contrasts in the culture, language, architecture, and pace in Oslo, Leiden (and the Hague) and Berlin, over the last few days. It will become even more interesting as I explore various parts of Berlin over the next few days.
Time for an early night, and perhaps catching up on yesterday's episode of Madmen!
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