WMIG

Robert and I couldn't attend last night's gala ball because we had concert tickets that we were loathe to give up. We left the wedding reception around 4 and had extra time in Boston. So we walked indoors for a while before dinner and then outdoors after dinner. For the meal itself, we treated ourselves to dinner at Legal Seafoods, which was delicious as always.

The concert is one of a series called What Makes it Great. The presenter examines one piece of music, first decomposing it into its smallest parts and asking the orchestra to play little samples, then building up the pieces to show how the whole thing fits together. He demonstrates the "not great" way that someone could have composed it, then shows what the composer did to achieve true greatness. Then, after about an hour of lecture and demonstration, the orchestra plays the entire piece straight through. All this is followed by a question and answer period.

The piece last night was Bach's double concerto, which is an old chestnut with some marvelous twists and turns. The presenter compared the composition to what Vivaldi would have done, especially appropriate because Bach tried to recreate some of Vivaldi's work, adding his own genius, creating something completely new.

The whole thing was wonderful. Somewhere in there, the presenter talked about how Bach's children, and even the general public, felt that Bach was kind of old-fashioned and just not that interesting. And yet, his is the music that we now go back to over and over again. The lesson is that to soar, to achieve greatness, you must be true to yourself. How appropriate this message was after the incredible emotional wedding we'd attended just hours earlier.

As much as I missed going to the ball, it really was best for Robert not to go. And I am so happy that we ended up at the concert, too. Such a perfect day.