There Almost Always Are

There were lighter moments at last night's Messiah performance. I believe I should use bullets here.

• Maestro Franz welcomed us: "The few, the proud, the ones who were able to park."

• The maestro had to stop the performance and wait and finally wave in the group of five or six people who were twenty minutes late and, of course, had seats in front, about the third row. I have never seen that done before. I thought it shameful of them to be late, but the maestro was good-natured about it, and who knows what travel difficulties they may have had. I am glad I was not in that party.

• The program notes had some editorial problems. That's putting it nicely. Words and word endings--like a "the" and a final "s" and others I could only guess at--were left off here and there.
  

• But the best, which deserves its own bullet, was in the description of Handel's fervor as he wrote the score for The Messiah. He isolated himself for those 24 days, you know. Refused food, slept little, was intolerant of disruptions and was quite unpleasant with anyone who did interrupt. His behavior alarmed his concerned friends, who "thought he was loosing his mind."

I loosed my mind once. But it's all tightened up again. Thank goodness.