Mozart, Andrew and Itzhak Perlman

Itzhak Perlman, arguably the best violinist in the world, came to Seattle this evening to play with and conduct the Seattle Symphony. The tickets were pricey, but even on our austerity plan I didn’t want to pass up this opportunity for Andrew to see one of the best musicians of our age. I asked Rosie if she wanted to take Andrew and go but she had a Stake meeting she could not miss. So Andrew and I made the trip into Seattle and had an evening we will never forget.

Is this the next Itzhak Perlman?

Perlman had polio at the age of four, but recovered enough of his legs so that he can walk with the aid of crutches. It was moving to watch the concertmaster come out with her violin and Perlman’s because he cannot carry it while walking with his hand crutches. Then he entered the hall slowly, using his crutches. His left leg which did not appear to bend much, would swing in a sweeping motion with each step. Hearing him play his multimillion dollar Stradivarius was a lifetime thrill. One could feel emotion in every note he played.

The program was part of the Mostly Mozart series and was a celebration of his birth which was January 27, 1756. Perlman played with the symphony in three numbers that featured the violin – Mozart’s Adagio for Violin and Orchestra in E major; Beethoven’s Romance No. 2 in F major for Violin and Orchestra; and Mozart’s Rondo for Violin and Orchestra in C major. While he was playing he also served as conductor. Then he conducted as the orchestra played two of my favorite symphonies – Mozart’s No. 27, and Mendelssohn’s No. 4 “Italian”.

I have long had a great love for Mozart and virtually everything he composed. When Julie was in grade school she wrote a book titled, The Life and Death of Mozart. In her preface of the book she wrote, "Dedicated to my Dad, who loves Mozart's music and me."

She was right on the mark about my loves but the order should have been reversed. Every Mozart piece seems perfect to me. The best explanation of Mozart’s genius I have heard is in the movie Amadeus, when Salieri explains it. He says, "On the page it looked nothing! The beginning simple... almost comic! Just a pulse... bassoons, basset horns... like a rusty squeezebox. And then, suddenly high above it, an oboe... A single note, hanging there, unwavering... Until a clarinet took it over, sweetened it into a phrase of such delight. This was no composition by a performing monkey. This was a music I had never heard! Filled with such longing, such unfulfillable longing. It seemed to me that I was hearing the voice of god!"

Mozart’s work is indeed celestial. So this program that emphasized his pieces was perfect for me. The world has never known a more gifted musician than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He wrote Symphony No. 27 when he was only 17 years old. As we were walking out of the concert, I said to Andrew, “Just think how much more Mozart could have written if he had lived another few decades. What a tragedy that he died at 35.”

The piece played just before the intermission was Mozart’s Symphony No. 27. In between each movement the audience gave a hearty round of applause, but it made Perlman uncomfortable. Right after the intermission, just before he was about to conduct the Mendelssohn’s Italian symphony, Perlman turned to the audience and said, “At the intermission I got an urgent phone calls from two important people – Mozart and Mendelssohn. They wanted to talk about whether it was appropriate for an audience to applaud between movements of a symphony. So I put them on a conference call and we discussed it. Mozart didn’t seem to care and said it was all right if the audience gave some applause. But Mendelssohn felt strongly that applause interrupted the flow of the music and so I think we should respect his strong feelings…” What a tactful, and humorous way to instruct the audience on proper behavior. He is a master teacher.

The audience was perfectly quiet in between the movements after that. I love Mendelssohn’s Italian symphony. Each time I hear it I think of the part in one of my favorite movies, Breaking Away, when the Italian cycling team comes to Bloomington, Indiana and Dave catches them in the race. The music playing in that segment is the Italian symphony.

Here are two attendees that were moved by the master and his concert

The performance was at Benaroya Hall in Seattle – a wonderful concert hall that is about 12 years old and seats 2,500. Every seat was filled for this concert.

It was one of the best and most memorable evenings I have had in a long time and I think Andrew would agree. I hope hearing a great master like Perlman, will inspire him to new heights with his violin.

Almost Two

Joyce and I are making some bread right now on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Joyce's friend Raina just gave her a whole bunch of new clothes - some of which she is sporting here. Anytime we get clothes from Raina, all clothing items become "Raina shoes" "Raina dress etc." You'll notice Pink Pig is still in the picture. Pink pig sometimes gets dressed too now. Pig is also the way Joyce processes the world. You can bet anything Joyce is experiencing these days she's consulting Pink Pig about. Food, going to the bathroom, dancing, enjoying some music - anything. If I ask Joyce, "Do you want to go to the library?" she immediately turns to pink pig and asks, "Pig want go library? C'mon" Turns out Pink Pig is a great way to make sense of the world.

Joyce is as interested in my graduate reading as she is in her own library picks. Favorites these days are Blueberries for Sal, anything Curious George and a strange little mouse or rat (?) named Maisy. Joyce loves to read any Sandra Boyton book about Pookie; Pookie is a pink pig too and Joyce has the books memorized.

We read a lot of books lately about camping and tents and so we decided to set up a tent in our living room. It stayed there for almost a week and we had a good time. Even when our hair was charged with static and stood up around our head like a halo we still enjoyed.

Joyce welcomes any and all visitors for her birthday celebration tomorrow. We will be having New Orleans style red beans and rice and king cake and Joyce and I drove down to the Amish yesterday to get her present. She fell asleep so she doesn't know yet that she is getting a broom that is just her size for her birthday. We really go all out on presents around here.

Biking and Hiking in a Rain Forest

Rosie by the gorgeous waterfall we discovered on our hike
Rosie resting in the rain forest wonderland. It seems to be right out of The Lord of the Rings
One of our favorite hikes in Mount Rainier National Park is from Ipsut campground to the Carbon Glacier, which is the lowest glacier in the continental United States. The hike is three miles each way, beginning in a temperate rain forest that looks like a place out of The Lord of the Rings. It takes you over a large suspension bridge that sways as you cross and then up to the base of the glacier with a few great views of Mount Rainier along the way -- if it is a clear day.

In November 2006, Mount Rainier National Park was hit with a record storm that dumped 18 inches of rain in a 36 hour period. When all that rain came down the mountains it created devastating floods throughout the park. One of the casualties was the road to Ipsut campground which is the trailhead for the hike to Carbon Glacier. In a number of places the Carbon River, which runs parallel to the road overflowed its banks and destroyed the road. The same thing, but to a lesser extent has happened a number of times over the last century. But this time the National Park Service said they would not fix the road for cars – it cost too much and undoubtedly another big storm will come and it will be destroyed again.

That means if you want to hike to the Carbon Glacier you first have to hike five miles (each way) along the old road to get to the trailhead, making the round trip hike some 16 miles – a long day’s journey – and one we have not tackled. This summer I rode my road bike from our house to the Carbon River Ranger Station – about fifty miles round trip. When I got there I realized that if I brought a mountain bike up there I could ride to Ipsut and then hike the 3 miles (one way) to the glacier. I rode home and asked Rosie if she wanted to do it with me. She readily agreed it sounded like a great idea.

Rosie ready to go at the Carbon River Ranger Station Trailhead.

Yesterday, we finally made the trip. We loaded our mountain bikes on the bike rack and drove to Carbon River Ranger Station. It was a fairly nice day with no rain, a little cold and with gray and cloudy skies. The first mile of our expected five mile ride was beautiful but uneventful. Both Rosie and I wondered why they didn’t allow cars past the gate. But about a mile in we came to a place where it was clear that the whole roadway had been washed away. The park service had created a narrow trail for hikers that we rode through with no problems. Over the next three miles there were a few more places where the road had been washed out and a couple of places with big trees that had blown down. These forced us to get off our bikes and lift them over the giant trees. When we got just past four miles on the trail we came to a series of blowdowns that were giant. It was a major ordeal getting over them on foot and impossible to lift our bikes over them.

The road follows the Carbon River and much of it is in great shape like the part pictured below

Note the width of the riverbed and the mountains in the background

Rosie looks back after negotiating minor blowdowns
Carrying my bike through a series of blowdowns
So we parked the bikes and went exploring. It became clear that our only hope of hiking to the glacier and suspension bridge was along the river bed. Not long after we started that venture it became obvious we would have to ford the stream to reach our destination and Rosie’s boots were not water proof so we decided against that option. We stopped and had a memorable lunch on the river bed and then went back to the car retracing our route. The ride back was much easier as it was all downhill.

Scouting for a way to get our bikes through the blowdowns

Rosie negotiates a log on the riverbed.

Rosie loved the color palette found in the river bed

Hiking along the riverbed

When we got back to the Ranger Station we took the very nice but short (.3 mile) nature trail. Along the loop we saw another trail that headed up a steep mountain and decided to follow it. It ended up being a steep but great hike – 2,300 feet of elevation gain and about five miles in total. Half way up the trail we came across a gorgeous waterfall.

Rosie looks at the giant mutant mushrooms growing on the trees

Note the size of this log Rosie walks through on the trail

Rosie on the trail. Note the ubiquitous moss in the rain forestAt the gorgeous waterfallI am deeply grateful for a wife that enjoys outdoor adventure and is in good enough shape to easily handle a day of biking and hiking. As you can see from these pictures it was a wonderful place to spend a Friday. We wish you all could have joined us.

KODA

Here are some pictures from a story Meredith sent me a while ago. They bring a giant smile to my face every time I look them. The subject is a miniature horse named Koda who was also born a dwarf. Enjoy!

More Johnsons | Christmas 2009