JAVS Fall 2005

was a personal favo ri te, drawing on themes of Ockeghern .

trip, and thought I would be able to splurge on exotic meals, interest ing souvenirs, and pounds of viola music. However, Iceland comes with a certain ~unounr of sticker shock. Because virtual ly evety thing must be imported, things cost four to five rimes what they would cost in the Uni ted States. So, after months of anxiety and planni ng for this performance culmi nated not in a lavish, multi-course celebratoty meal, bur rather snorki ng up a hot dog and Diet Coke. It was one of rwo meals I was able to affo rd our side our apartment! Soothed by grease and caffeine, I happily listened LO the afternoon recitals. T he first paid homage to France and Canada, fea tu ring per fo rmances by Man Dane, his wife Christina Jennings on flute, and harpist £ Iisabet Waage in the Debussy Sonata, as well as a stun ning performance by next year's Congress host, Jutta Puchhammer Sedi llot. Lawrence Wheeler guided several students through a master

cl ass, and we enjoyed a recital by Musica d'Amore, the husband and wife ream of Matej Sa rc and Svava Bernhardsdottir. The evening concert featured bril liant Scottish violist Garth Knox. Garth is a gentleman geni us, a vir tuoso who explores the outer limits of technical and musical bound aries. ln add ition to performi ng with unerring beauty and grace, Garth attended virtually every Congress function. He would turn up ar Kaffi Reykjavik every night to trade stori es, answer ques tions, and have a beer with the rest of us mere mortals. It's one th ing to be a brilli ant player, but being a bril - li ant person as wel l is a rare and wonderful thing. Garth performed on both viola

We all retired to Kaffi aftetwards. Ken Martinson - who had earl ier pur on a grand performance of Darius Milhaud's Four Visages with his pi anist ChrisLopher Taylor - had already stepped up to rhe bar to order an Icelandic cockta il made from unmentionable sheep parts mixed wiLh vodka. Someone else mentioned a beve rage known as "Black Death ," a type of Icelandic schnapps Dave had wa rned me about. This reminded me that l had been unsuccessful in findi ng our about Dave's secret Iceland ic past; 1 would redouble my efforts the next day. Hakan Olson and l lenrik Frendin del ighred us wirh Swedish fi ddle runes as we visited and celebrated rogether. A recital on day four celebrated the music of New Zealand. In chauing with Neil Shepherd, a New Zealander who came ro listen to concens and rake lots of photo graphs, llearned that ir ral

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