Under way!

From John Grimes, timpani

How often is it that one learns of a colleague being scheduled to fly out of the country from the same terminal, but on a different airline at the same time as one? It turned out Heinrich Christensen, sometime organist with Handel and Haydn these past two seasons (remember our Holiday Sings at Symphony Hall) and Music Director at King's Chapel who succeeded the late Dr. Daniel Pinkham was scheduled to fly on Icelandic Air to Denmark to play a series of organ recitals. So, we met at the airport and partook of a sumptuous salmon and potatoes dinner. I remarked on the noticeable lack of greens and wondered if this was supposed to be purposeful on the part of the dieticians ensuring there be a paucity of roughage intake prior to these transcontinental flights.

Heinrich remarked he had never seen someone eat as many potatoes in a single meal since he left Denmark ages ago. It was a hefty portion. I neglected to remember that i would be fed dinner and breakfast on the flight in a compressed succession of just over 5 hours, but heck.

I flew on British Air. The 777 was spacious and seats looked comfy until about mid-flight when suddenly i tried to get up to go to the restroom and felt as if I had been a sardine confined to a tin can and needed a fork to lift me out of my seat. Still, the service was gentle and the sound system quite good.

Which leads me back to the beginning of the flight. It was characterized by a somber start. I plugged in the headset and immediately heard something I did not recognize but which was totally engaging. It was the filler material passages in between the important tunes in Candide, so for a few moments there all i could remark upon were the clarity of the voices, English diction, etc. and wonder if it was one of the lesser known Gilbert & Sullivan operettas or a broadway show with which i was unfamiliar.

Well, i started thumbing through the book to find the station and the work. I thought it nice that the last passenger was also listening to classical music and was assured not all hope is lost for mankind. Still, as I perused the book I then heard the beginning of "We'll make our Garden Grow" and was very moved. When I finally looked at the entry, it was the "definitive" recording with Leonard Bernstein, himself, conducting June Anderson and Jerry Hadley! I thought, "my god, this man has just taken his own life."

As I listened to the whole work on its replay, I was greatly saddened to hear such a gorgeous tenor voice, beautiful diction and overall artistry. Bernstein had a way of discovering and giving a chance to young musicians. It was a great lesson to all of us, something we should strive to emulate in our lives.
Hadley had a wonderful career and was part of a very meaningful place in America's 20th century musical heritage. It is so sad, he saw his life at this recent juncture as having been other than that. One is left with many questions and cannot help but draw parallels to one's own life and career as a free-lance musician. This is not an easy life for many. It requires strength and soldiering on through tough times.

Arriving in London, of course it was a major schlep on the Piccadilly line from Heathrow to the hotel and I took at least one wrong train when O switched over to the District line, but then who doesn't. That afternoon, I left the hotel and attended the musical Billy Elliot at the Victoria Theater.

What an incredible show! One gets a glimpse of how Brits now view Margaret Thatcher. Most of us have seen the movie, but the musical is actually quite faithful and very creatively presented. Elton John outdoes himself with the music. The kids acting and dancing are terrific, especially the Billy I saw in this matinee production, a young lad of 14 from Manchester. If he is any indication of the talent today being sown in England, all hope is not lost in our culture. Go see it!