The Spanish Bow

Just finished The Spanish Bow,
by Andromeda Romano-Lax.

All of the over 550 pages in one sitting.
It was impossible to put down, so sleep had to take a back seat.

If you enjoy reading about music and musicians as a novel, this book is for you. Highly recommended!

According to the author (journalist, travel writer and amateur cellist) Feliu is loosely based on the life of Spanish Catalan Cellist Pablo Casals. Al Cerraz on Isaac Albeniz, composer pianist with several real life  a pleasure to read with continuous fascination.

Spanning a world from the late 1800's through Spanish Civil War to World War Two and forward, it is a sweeping novel, tinged with real passion.
Real historic personages appear as well:  Spanish queens, kings, European dictators, and more.
Painters like Monet, and Picasso with his famous Guernica  
Composers like Manuel De Falla.
Places in Spain, the birthplace of Delargo.
France, England, Germany, even the USA

All seen through the eyes of the protagonist, serious cellist Feliu Delargo, in sometimes company of pianist and viveur/ flaneur Al Cerraz. Love interest is provided by the Italian Jewish Violinist Aviva, on a quest to find her son, given up for adoption. Which leads her into Germany, and finally to her death during the Nazi Occupation of France.
CelloCello Bow

Throughout the novel and life of Feliu J. S. BACH plays a big role and so here is Pablo (Pau) Casals

A voice soared above..

when I attended Gabriel Preisser's Master recital last evening at St. Philips'.

This may not sit well with everyone , but I am not fond of that space.

IMO, the vastness of this church space distorts the voices - this was not the first recital I attended there,, so I know whereof I speak ;-).

But that aside, rich sounding Baritone Gabriel Preisser delivered what he promised during many a performance at U of H Moores Opera House (Now, that is a space with great acoustics).

His program included a selection of German Lieder (C.P.E. Bach 1714-1788), French composer's Henri Duparc (1848-1933) rareties

an example here with Russian Baritone D. Hvorostosky (not the songs Preisser presented-but it will give you a feel for the music),

an excerpt from "I Pagliacci" (Leoncavallo 1857-1919) with soprano Amanda Kingston as Nedda, accompanied fittingly on the piano throughout by Katherine Ciscon and my favorite, "The Pilgrimage", a cantata, by Carlisle Floyd (1926- ) which he delivered with expressive sound and empathy, vocally and visually. And so apropriate for the space (church). These songs by Floyd are also rarely performed, I believe only one or two singers have attempted them and/or recorded some of them.

The titles are (to proof my point): Man that is born of a woman; Save me, o Lord..; O Lord, Thou hast searched me..; Praise the Lord, o my soul..; and For I am persuaded..;.This is a younger Samuel Ramey singing the aria 'Oh Lord, I beseech thee' by Olin Blitch in Floyd's opera 'Susanna', rather similar music to parts of "The Pilgrimage".