Wow

I'm still energized by last night's concert with the Cincinnati Symphony. John Adams is an astounding human being, conductor, and composer. We got to see all three of those facets of his personality this past week.

He was a delightful man - charming, easygoing, yet demanding in a gently tactful way. The difficulty of the music demanded complete attention from the singers, and he got it. The piece itself was inspiring, soothing and something I'm proud to have been a part of.

His conducting was clear and clean, unlike that of many of the other conductors we work with. His direction was straightforward, letting the music speak for itself.

When he blew kisses to the choruses at the end of the performance, it was more than ample reward. I can't wait for him to come back again with another piece. It's been too long since his last visit, when we performed Harmonium under his baton -- perhaps 10 years ago.

The final piece on the program, which I watched from the Gallery, was The Dharma at Big Sur. I could not sit still. Jocefiwicz' electric playing of her electric violin was electrifying, and the insistent rhythms of the second half had me rocking in my seat. I will order a recording today.