Feast of Music @ 5

While most of you might see February 14th as a day to give boxed chocolates and roses to your loved ones, I have a whole other reason to celebrate this particular date on the calendar. Namely: it was five years ago today that I penned my very first post for Feast of Music, reviewing the Minnesota Orchestra at Carnegie Hall (back when I used to sit up in the balcony seats.) Thinking back over those 1,600+ posts, it's been quite a ride, with more pure moments of joy and inspiration than any one person should reasonably expect in a lifetime. Out of necessity as much as wanting to spread the wealth, I'm excited to have found several new partners – Gabriel, Angela, Caleb, Jordi, Jordan, Don, David, Melissa, three Brians, two Michaels, and a Sky – in this hopelessly futile enterprise to capture the ridiculously rich and diverse live music scene in NYC (and occasionally other places.) 

Looking back, I kinda dig what I wrote in that first post five years ago:

"I'm starting Feast of Music with a healthy sense of self-doubt, knowing there is already significant coverage of the New York music scene, both in traditional and non-traditional media. But, after  much deliberation, I've come to the conclusion that, while some folks cover some of the things I've seen (and heard) some of the time, no one has managed to capture it all. For myself, then, I wanted to create a scrapbook, something to look back on someday and marvel at the miraculous music scene that existed in the early years of the 21st Century in New York City. I hope it's something others will enjoy as well."

Appropriately enough, I'm on my way back to Carnegie tonight to see Charles Dutoit lead the Philadelphia Orchestra in Frank Martin's Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments, the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (with James Ehnes), and, for a kicker: Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. Hope your night out is just as sweet.