"You're Going Where?

Yes, that's right. I'm going to Mt. St. Helens. Why does everyone keep thinking I've lost my mind? How many opportunities do you get in life to actually witness a mountain explode in a great volcanic eruption? I figure this chance may not come around again in my lifetime, so I'm leaving tomorrow for the great northwest to see if I can catch a glimpse of one of the great cataclysms of nature. I don't know what to expect but it would be really cool to see the thing erupt and have James Mason and Pat Boone come shooting out (and that extremely obscure movie reference is strictly for any film buffs out there).

I'm driving, so if the mountain can just hold on a couple of more days, I should be there in time. That is if I can ever get all this gear packed, which, believe me, is no easy task. Used to be when I went on a trip I'd pack some clothes, a camera, and a book of crossword puzzles and I'd be all set. But now it seems when I travel I need to be connected so I bring my computer. I also need my ebooks so I bring my pda. I also get tired of listening to the same old radio stations so I bring my cd's (believe it or not there used to be a time when all the radio stations around the country didn't sound alike). I might want to watch a movie so I have to copy a few DVD's to my hard drive. I also like to workout when I'm on the road so I usually bring my MP3 player with me, although this time I'm going to leave it at home. Of course I need my digital camera so I have to pack that along too. And finally, I need all the various cables and chargers and assorted doohickeys to make it all work. Geez, how did travel ever get so complicated?

Well, that's neither here nor there. It's the digital age and some of us can't survive the day without all of our equipment.

A Big Hand for the Little Lady

Speaking of CD's I picked up the new Hilary Hahn CD for my trip. Yeah, I know there are some people out there who aren't impressed, who don't think she's fiery enough for their tastes, and no doubt there are some very talented violinists recording these days who are much more popular, but I'll gladly trade some of the flamboyance and dramatics of the current stars for the confidence and straightforwardness of her approach. I guess it's her honesty that I like so much, or, for lack of a better term, a certain anti-overthetopedness that seems to come directly from her own truth about the music she performs, without the artifice or dramatics of some I've heard. Whatever you call it the recordings are compelling, especially the 2 Bach CD's she done, and all of her music has a place in my library.

The new CD is the Elgar Violin Concerto and Vaughn Williams' The Lark Ascending. I haven't heard the Elgar Concerto very much so I don't have a real opinion about it yet, but the Lark has been recorded many times by many different violinsts and is one of the most popular and beautiful pieces ever written for the instrument. Hahn's interpretation is, as you would expect, somewhat understated (which is as it should be) and posseses all the calm and beauty for which The Lark is known. I don't know if this is my favorite recording yet, but over time it could be.

And if you ever get a chance go to Hilaryhahn.com to read her journal. In addition to being a very talented musician she also happens to be a very good writer, and her postings make this poor blog seem pretty amateurish indeed.