On the Route

This morning on the route I heard three great pieces of music on npr. Renee Fleming singing an aria from Bellini's Norma. How beautiful the phrasing, dynamics, coluratura. It was Ms Fleming at her very best. Then the Saint-Saens 5th Piano Concerto. There had been a long silent pause after the Bellini, or I might have turned the radio off to savor that wonderful aria. I'm glad I didn't. The concerto is marvelous. What a workout for the pianist. Then after the news, the Brahms First Symphony, Leonard Berstein and the New York Philharmonic. What ecstasy gushing forth, one melody after another. It may be nicknamed Beethoven's Tenth, as Beethoven wrote 9, but Brahms is so fantastic even with his nod to Beethoven's 9th so obvious in the last movement, but not before he ends with such ecstasy and power of his own! If Beethoven crashed the gates of heaven, Brahms answered.

In the sky: Orion is back! He's rising in the early morning hours in the southeast sky. Between him and Cassiopeia, in the northeast but higher now, is Perseus the Medusa killer, and now Auriga, the Chariot Driver. Here's a chart to see what I mean.

Enchanting Learning has some great info about the Consellations here.



The daylight hours waning, it's dark when I get top the beaver pond now. I did, however, see a fox this morning.

Stealthy messenger of the gods,
Cunning and wise, reliable friend,
Guide my steps through this maze of deception
And see this problem to its end.

me in the EE