On March 17, 1987, New York Philharmonic principal ‘cellist Carter Brey performed as touring soloist with the Erie Philharmonic. At that time, I was a hired member of the EPO cello section. Rococo Variations and another work on tap, his selected candenza was one written by famed ‘Slava Rostropovich, who had been his principal teacher.

After its rehearsal, I approached him in the wings with what could only be termed the vacant, simple-minded slog of a bedazzled twenty-something, who had squandered all hope of scholarly insight by daydreaming during Cutler Silliman’s music history class.

“So…! What did you think of the cadenza?”, he tried, looking at me keenly, with expectation.

My response was incoherent.

(Twenty-seven years hence, that loop would replay in my head like the Voice of Chucky.) Hell bent on redeeming myself, I’d scuttled home and gotten to work. The result: this little morsel, which he would receive from me in snail mail. A copy, of course; I’d kept the original, just in case I’d wake up, say, twenty seven years later and realize it had all been a………..yeah. Time to learn the tune.

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© 1987 lettered collage by Ruth Ann Scanzillo, presented to Carter Brey that same year.

Originally published at littlebarefeetblog.com, with accompanying caption,  © November 20, 2014; Re-Posted on March 17, 2016

All rights strictly reserved, on the artwork and the blurb. Thanks. — Ruth Ann Scanzillo

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