My Battle With ARS (part II)
Today I had a relapse of ARS (Altered Reality Syndrome). This condition had been in remission for quite some time, but today I suffered a significant setback.
Upon arrival in Toronto — I am doing some master classes at the Glenn Gould School of Music — I hailed a cab and set off for my hotel. Once downtown, I caught glimpse of what turned out to be the Opera House.
“Is the symphony hall in this area?” I asked the cab driver.
“Excuse me?” replied the cabbie.
“The concert hall for the symphony, is it around here?” I replied, sure that I was just not speaking clearly enough. The cabbie glanced at me in the rearview mirror with a puzzled face.
“The concert hall for the Toronto Symphony, the orchestra hall, is it near here?” I asked again, hoping that the use of the word orchestra would somehow stir his memory. Sadly, though, he stared on with the same puzzled expression. Then I saw his eyes light up with recognition and he quickly turned to look at me directly, knowing that it is important to deliver good news while looking at someone directly and not through a mirror.
“Are you looking for City Hall?” he asked.
“No, no,” I said, looking out the window at the tall buildings rolling by, wondering how many people live in major metropolitan cities that have never even heard of a symphony, “Thanks anyway.”
It does have a way of making that opening solo in Mahler 5 seem a bit less important doesn’t it. Perhaps I should have asked about the Maple Leafs instead!
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November 2nd, 2007 at 3:40 am
Maybe you should have asked him to take you to the Granite Brewery or the Amsterdam Brewery. I’ve heard that Canadians like their beer as well as their hockey.