Played tonight a recital on the island of Rota---30-minute flight from Saipan and part of the Northern Marianas. Went very successfully--lots of people there--standing ovations----and sold a bunch of CDs. I was told it was all word-of-mouth I was told this was the first time a concert of this type was held on Rota. The piano was a so-so old Samick upright and the venue was an interesting semi-amphitheatre with a roof and open sides---called the Round House. A local glee club opened the concert with a short work and then the second half with two numbers. Played in the first half the Mendelssohn Rondo Capriccioso, Beethoven Appassionata Sonata, two Chopin waltzes, and two Liszt pieces Entry of the Guests, from Wagners TANNHAUSER and the Grand Galop Chromatique In the second half were three Debussy pieces (Clair de lune, Masques, and Valse Romantique), my Grieg Concerto transcription, and the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No.2. Very nice people here. Had a nice cool coconut-water drink (out of a coconut) at the break. Was dressed very informally today (open-necked shirt---no jacket). Have been invited back and will then be back here next year. I drove around Rota earlier today and will do some more tomorrow. It is a compact island, very green, tons of palm trees, and great views of the coastline. There are a good many coconut crabs here (land crabs with a very poweful claw--they are the largest crabs in the world)---they forage at night and can cllimb trees to get at the coconuts. A very seldom-visited island! I will be flying back to Saipan tomorrow at 5 P.M.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 13:53:11 +0000
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