I want to share with you a bit about a wonderful, crazy, Type A+ polyglot composer/pianist who was featured in the Lake Como Festival as well. His name, is Martin Munch. Here he is in typical unassuming fashion:
Martin Munch
Can you see the wry grin lurking below his moustache? The raised eyebrow, just hinting that maybe there is something you don't know, and he does? The 5th finger curled towards his mouth, as if he is just about to become "Dr. Evil" from the famous shagadelic movie series Austin Powers?
Alter ego?
Yes Martin is all of this and more. But however much fun I poke with him, he is unquestionably a rockstar talent of a composer, whose music is ecstatic, joyful, and virtuosic. I urge you to seek out some of his music and experience it. Well, you can start with a Google search for Martin Munch. However, you won't find much there! The problem we Americans face is, we are so two - dimensional when it comes to the alphabet. With think there is only one 'u'. In reality there are a plethora of 'u's out there, and because the web wasn't originally designed to handle that, poor artists like Martin must spell their names phonetically. For some fun bedtime reading about this, check out info on Internationalized Domain Names . I point you to Wiki instead of to Vint Cerf's IETF and other work on this, because Vint hasn't returned my calls in a while. Anyway, I will save you some trouble, start looking here for Martin Munch What's that you say, you don't read Deutsch? A problem for you perhaps, but not for Martin. He speaks Italian, English, Arabic, Greek, Spanish, Russian, French, and oh yes, Deutsch. (Martin did I leave any out?!) Basically, wherever there is the possibility to find great art or beautiful women, Martin can converse.
Villa Vigoni
I attended his thrilling recital (here is the program) at the heart-stoppingly beautful Villa Vigoni, a center for Italian-German excellence of cooperation in Europe. This picture isn't much, and the real view is facing the other way, from the terrace, where we all drank sparkling water waiting for Martin to begin, and for the sun to set over the hillsides. Sigh.
Martin performed music inspired by Scriabin from his youth, that just blew me away. He intermingled his own works with Chopin as channeled through his sensibility. Listen here to what he does:
Even I, who believe heart and soul that the performer should do what they feel, was amazed by what Martin feels! And it felt somehow quite true. I mean, what was Chopin thinking when he put "strict tempo" on that first waltz anyway? How can you play in strict time with a broken heart after the first three notes?
I hope this has intrigued you enough to go and find Martin's original music and join in his ecstasy for a few minutes.
Today, I have to talk about Elda Sacchi. In addition to being very kind and sensitive about my lack of Italian, and being full of energy to take me on walks around Como or the lakes, she is "la dea della cucina." Providing meals at lunch (colazione) and dinner (cena) that were so simple yet so delicious, I found it impossible to stop after one modest serving. Why she prepared enough for two extra people each time, I can never know, but in hindsight, cannot complain about either.
Elda showing off a zucchini grown in her garden,
where the herbs, lettuce and many
vegetables come from each day
I urged Elda to create a cookbook of her recipes, using the help of Sabrina D'Alessandro, a graphic artist and friend who is currently writing a most fascinating book about words that have fallen out of usage.
Also by "la forze del destino" the Sacchis do not use milk products, so my being lactose intolerant was uneventfully accomodated! Wonderful savory sugo (something like this one http://www.italianmade.com/recipes/recipe252.cfm ), over farro colla soia instead of latte. Strangely, there is a movie called Soy faro which has nothing to do with a creamy grain pudding, but instead is about, well a lighthouse, sort of.
Without Elda, I would have been often late, and always hungry wherever I went. But the most important thing about her is that you should never tell her what you like most, because you will surely get it! I am hopelessly addicted to Ameretti di Saronno, and a big fan of the sweet liqueur Amaretto di Saronno too.
Elda created a homemade gelato made from Amaretto with added crushed amaretti. OMG! Unfortunately she wouldn't come home with me, so I have to wait until I visit again to kiss her feet and hope she will make more.
The Sacchi Family were my hosts as compositore-ospite di Lago Como Festival. They are a wonderful, generous, fascinating, talented set of individuals. I want to relate to you first about the great father of the family for a few minutes. Giorgio shared with me some of his deep interests and knowledge of art history, including American painters unknown to me. His deep knowledge springs from 30+ years teaching art history. His "taxi service" driving me from concert to concert came replete with detailed narratives of the ancient churches, villas, towns, roads and geography as we passed through Como, Cadenabbia, Menaggio, Lecco, and other hamlets on the way to my concerts in Varenna, Gravedonna and Cadenabbia.
Giorgio at Villa Carlotta July 2010
His interest in plants has led to a lifelong pursuit of a botanist's knowledge, especially focused on succulents, cactus and palms. His knowledge, all self-taught, is vast. I enjoyed an afternoon with him at Villa Carlotta. Giorgio could easily be the curator for the museum as well as the enormous gardens there. He has written for journals and hobbyist magazines and produced gorgeous art books about palms and Batik.
Bombshell Jane Mansfield, typical variety of the Bobshellus species favored by Giorgio
He also has an abiding love for some of the early American female bombshell stars of the WW II era, neo-classic architecture, and of course harp music (his daughter Floraleda, is one of the world's greatest harpists.)
I will be composing a suite of pieces about cactuses using Giorgio's own characterization of the plants, and his hand drawn artwork of them, as inspiration.
