Piano phenom

Whiff of a trip

I recently went to a recital by Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, a British pianist in her early twenties. To say her playing is both authoritative and sublime doesn’t begin to capture her talents.

The concert was held at Dumbarton Methodist Church in Georgetown as part of its annual chamber music series.

Jeneba Kanneh-Mason plays with maturity, intelligence, and lyricism. To listen to her was to leave the world outside and be graced by a truly gifted artist. Her left hand, to my ear, sounded like a finely tuned narrator, explicating the music.

The program was varied: Bach, Beethoven, William Grant Still, Debussy, Florence Price, and Chopin. In case you are not yet familiar, William Grant Still (1895-1978) and Florence Price (1887-1953) are American composers of major stature who are finally getting their day in the concert hall. They are both African American.

I knew that Kenneh-Mason had been a childhood phenom in Britain, but it wasn’t until after the concert that I understood that she comes from an insanely talented family of seven children, all of them accomplished musicians, four of whom already have big careers.

Check them out in this 60 Minutes clip.

Republic of Cruelty

I am a devotee of Roxane Gay, novelist, essayist, and outstanding literary citizen. In a recent issue of her newsletter, “The Audacity,” Gay linked to an article by Erica Chenowith that you may find of interest. It helps explain the numbers around effective resistance and details percentages (such as “3.5%”) that have been tossed around lately.

The bottom line: the more people who resist, the much higher percentage chance there is of regime change.

Other news

I am about to embark on a Big Trip. I hope to find you while I’m on the road, but I am not sure at what intervals. Please bear with me!

To give you a hint about future posts—I’ve just finished two excellent books by Australian writers, both available in the US. The first is called THE BODY IN THE CLOUDS by Ashley Hay. It’s a broad sweep of a novel that takes place in three time periods—colonial exploration, the building of Sydney’s Harbour Bridge, and the present. It’s written with empathy and imagination.

The second is a novel that was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, STONE YARD DEVOTIONAL, by Charlotte Wood. It’s a contemporary woman’s journey from her marriage and from her job as an alarmed environmental campaigner to life in a convent. She doesn’t become a nun—she’s not religious—but she is poetic, introspective, and keenly observant.

And finally, thank you to the wonderful Terry O’Hara Lavoie and Vicki Kirkbride for inviting me to their salon to speak about the journey that became DUET FOR ONE. We talked about THREE MUSES as well. It was a joy to be among such smart, engaged, reading women.

Please take care.

Love,

Martha

P.S. ICYMI, here’s my most recent newsletter/Substack, “A valentine.”