Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Hwy 111, Palm Springs

On July 24, my friend Dr. Maja Trochimczyk attended and wrote about the gala concert of the 13th Festival of International Laureates at Disney Hall in Los Angeles,
Chopin in Transcription at Disney Hall, performed by the IPalpiti Orchestra, conducted by Eduard Schmieder.

Maja's stunning review, part of many performances commemorating the bicentennial of the birth of the great and enduring Fryderyk Chopin - one of my life's inspirations as a poet and musician - occurring during the year 2010. In addition, Maja, a Chopin scholar and well-established music historian, compiled an amazing anthology of poetry, Chopin with Cherries: A Tribute in Verse (Moonrise Press, 2010.) I am extremely honored to have one of my poems included in this collection, which came out this past winter.

In her review, which can be read in full at http://chopinwithcherries.blogspot.com/2010/08/chopin-in-transcription-at-disney-hall.html Maja generously includes discussion and the body of a poem I wrote last summer, Concerto No. 1, in E minor on Highway 111, Palm Springs.

Excerpt, below, from Maja's review::

In any case, hearing Chopin's concerto in an elegant and nuanced strings-only version and Schumann's concerto luxuriating with the aural delights of romanticism at its best, reminded me of Ruth Nolan's masterly poem Concerto No. 1, in E minor on Highway 111, Palm Springs. Nolan heard the Chopin concerto on the car stereo while driving through the desert and an abundance of youthful memories ensued:

"Caressed, by the windy desert mid-night,
tickling your hair as you lean
your head against the open window
tantalizes your imagination, you are 12 again
and your hands, together, devour the major
and minor keys until you are one
with the dark void, foot pressing down,
long chords that will linger into dawn"

The final image of Nolan's poem (published in the anthology Chopin with Cherries) remains with the readers, resonating in their memories:

"Styled by elegance of motion, staccato, fortissimo
cresting on the car stereo as you leapfrog
between the lines on the highway
between the spaces of darkness and sound,
blown across the sand dunes into magnificence"

Chopin's music - heard, played, experienced - echoes in the memory with an untold magnificence, withstanding the test of time.
(end of review)

a sample of movement four from the Concerto - so much energy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nwcn_o866Q&feature=related

I first heard this as a very young college student in my UC-Santa Barbara friend's dorm room....on a record. He was from the hills of Corona del Mar (the O.C.) and a rock star guitarist studying classical guitar and he laughed every time he put this record on. I was from the desert. Thanks, PR!

The next reading from Chopin with Cherries: A Tribute in Verse will be held at Beyond Baroque in Venice, CA on Sunday, September 12, at 2 pm. The event is open to the public and will feature readings from anthology contributors. A $7 fee is charged, and contributes to helping keep the historic and prolific literary arts center open in these difficult economic times. For more information on this event, and/or to order copies of the anthology, contact Maja Trochimczyk at maja.trochimczyk@gmail.com, or visit Beyond Baroque at http://www.beyondbaroque.org/