The classical music scene in NY tends to follow the school calendar.  So summers weren’t a fertile season.  Thank goodness for Lincoln Center.

This year I am overdosing on their chamber series (which has now concluded) and then the Mostly Mozart Festival.  I will attend every one of the offerings, so that’s a lot.

I stopped going to Alice Tully Hall after a horrific performance of Beethoven’s Archduke Trio by Wu Han, one of the directors of Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center.  After several years of hiatus, I returned last year.  And I have to say that she has done a terrific job of selecting music and musicians for the summer series.

On Wednesday, the grand finale was Dvorak’s Piano Quintet.  It had been a while since I had felt myself totally transported to ecstasy in music, but this did it.  What an energetic piece and what performance.  Having heard it many times but never live, this was a goose bump heart shaking experience.  The first movement left me breathless with its tempo and energy, the subplots, the sharing of lead by all the players, the interweaving of themes.  Then, the second movement is one of my recent favorite meditations going into 3 different and unexpected themes.  I can go deep under and then my mind starts dancing with the third theme, but then it all goes back to recap the beautiful opening theme to end it.  Third movement, another delicious dance.  Thankfully the fourth brings is home with some serenity.  Otherwise my heart would have exploded.

It had been a rough day but I just smiled, closed my eyes and let go.