On Saturday, December 9th, ACR members-only filled the ‘library’ room at Le Grand Balcon for a delicious “before concert” luncheon. Member and orchestra conductor Cindy Egolf gave the group an interesting talk about “listening” during lunch. I took it to heart because she questioned whether an instrument is valuable if it remains locked in a vault? Like a Stradivarius violin? Doesn’t an instrument’s value come from the beauty of the sound? If no one hears it, is it valuable? One hand clapping? I thought of my Steinway piano, made by Steinway in 1946, sitting in my living room. Is it valuable?
Member and orchestra conductor Cindy Egolf gave the group an interesting talk about “listening” during lunch. I took it to heart because she questioned whether an instrument is valuable if it remains locked in a vault? Like a Stradivarius violin? Doesn’t an instrument’s value come from the beauty of the sound? If no one hears it, is it valuable? One hand clapping? I thought of my Steinway piano, made by Steinway in 1946, sitting in my living room. Is it valuable?
After lunch, we all went next door to the 4:00 PM matinee of the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra, playing George Gershwin’s Cuban Overture, Concerto in F, Rhapsody in Blue, and An American in Paris, at l’Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur. The conductor, György G. Ráth, is relatively new. He has been with the Nice Philharmonic since September 2017. He was excellent. And, I cannot say enough about the pianist, József Balog. His touch was magic for me. The combination of the atmosphere with the beautiful music was healing, inside and out. As his brother Ira wrote, “Who could ask for anything more”
On my way home, I used what was left of the battery in my phone to shoot some closing, fun shots of Nice at Night. Enjoy!
Best, Jay
