Things continue to wind down, here at the Bennington Chamber Music Conference. It’s going to be really hard to leave tomorrow and return to the day-in/day-out. But, onwards we must go…
Today I took another little jaunt into the city of Bennington. I wrote about my first excursion in my Day 4 post, but today I got to experience just a tad bit more. In town, there’s the quite impressive Bennington Battle Monument. It’s over 300 feet tall, shaped very similarly to the Washington monument, and you can take an elevator up to the very near top. And at the top you can see some really very staggering views of the city, and if you’re looking eastward, you can actually see the hills of New York. My knees felt a bit weak as well while I was up top, due to a fear of heights. The actual space for viewing couldn’t have been more than 15 feet on each edge, and while visitors are quite enclosed in stone walls and a ceiling, foot wide windows in the walls that stretch from floor to at least 10 feet high, you can look down quite a ways. And if, like me, you have a fear of heights, things feel a little dicey, that high up.
I also got to explore the cemetery of the Old First Church. And it just so happens that Robert Frost is buried in this very cemetery. Always sureal, really, going to a famous person’s grave. I think the first famous person’s grave I ever visited was JFK’s, and there’s just something very strange about that, being so close to a famous person’s body. As it was the same with visiting Robert Frost’s grave. Very strange. I just can’t explain with better words how strange a feeling it is, doing this.
Still, very nice all the same. I haven’t set any of Robert Frost’s poems to music, but seeing his resting place inspired me to start to get to know his work a bit better.
Following all this, I got to have a nice chat with Donald Crocket. We looked at my Wind Quintet and my reed trio, Le triangle d’or. I’ve really treasured these moments, from working with the string quartet yesterday to my chat with Don today, to gain insight into another person’s insight into my music. I’ve got notes taken, and I can’t wait to get back home (even though earlier I said it’ll be hard to leave tomorrow), to review them all again, to make some little tweaks to everything to make the music work just a little bit better.
As the day came to a close, the wonderful Janet Johnson organized a reading of my aforementioned reed trio, so we got to enjoy a kind of mini reunion with Hilary Major on oboe and Abby Wells on bassoon. I conducted, as it’s a tricky piece, and Laura Schwendinger attended, too. Throughout the whole thing, I explained how looking at this music didn’t seem so much a reflection of me, but more a window into a me of the past. There were so many things that I simply just wouldn’t write today, like a ridiculous time signature like 2+3/5 when 2/4 followed by 3/4 would be so much clearer. There were also some quite difficult arpeggiations in all three parts that were quite awkward, even on page, let alone under the fingers of those playing them.
Abby was very kind, though, when I told her about the things I wouldn’t write now. She said, “You know what that’s called? Growth!”
Indeed it is!
S0 here we are, on the eve of my final day here at the Bennington Chamber Music Conference in the beautiful state of Vermont, and I shall miss this terribly.
Until the time comes to leave, though, I don’t need to worry and rather instead enjoy this moment now. So, I shall enjoy one last drink in Bingham to celebrate a glorious time!