# Pilgrimage



## Euler (Dec 3, 2017)

In 1700, a boy of fourteen walked 320 km from Ohrdruf to Lüneburg, drawn to the vast library of music at St. Michaelis school. Five years later he famously outdid himself, hiking 380 km from Arnstadt to Lübeck in the autumn chill to visit an aging Buxtehude.

The young J.S. Bach's adventures make me wonder: what's the furthest you've travelled to hear or perform music? Or to visit a music-related historical site? More broadly, what's the biggest sacrifice you've made for your passion? (e.g. selling a kidney to fund that Complete Vivaldi Concerti edition...)


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

In 1974, on a meander across the country, I stopped by Spillville in NE Iowa, near nowhere anyone would be going, to visit the little Czech-established farming community where Dvorak summered during the rwo years he headed a conservatory in NYC.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

I am obsessed with the music of Franz Schmidt and have traveled far and wide, calling in "sick", and spending too much money to hear his music performed live. Just to hear the Fourth Symphony I've gone to Detoit, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, St. Louis, Atlanta, New York, and Cincinnati. I've gone to Cleveland for Das Buch mit Sieben Siegeln; New York for Notre Dame. For the Second Symphony Carnegie Hall and most outrageous, London. Can't really explain the rationale and it's more than bragging rights since no one I know understands the passion or cares. I've traveled for Mahler, too, but not anywhere as extensively. Just Schmidt. Even on my first trip to Vienna, after checking into the Hotel I took the tram to the Zentral Friedhof so I could find his gravesite. 

At my age, there's little cause for me to travel so widely for music. There are two things I would go for: a performance of the Gliere 3rd (but only if a major orchestra does it) and Korngold's Die Tote Stadt.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Tired of my local orchestra and guest conductors making routine performances of old war horses, I drove 4 hours to Detroit to hear Neeme Jarvi conduct the DSO for Martinu's 4th. I won't forget that performance. It had tons of swagger (you can feel it by watching Jarvi move) It is better than his recorded version on BIS with the Bamberg Orchestra. After that I never felt the need to go to another concert. I can't say it is that great of a sacrifice compared to some.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I haven't traveled anywhere for music since the 1970s, when i went from Boston and New Jersey to New York a few times for the Met. Nowadays I'd rather stay home and listen while doing other things.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Did a lot traveling to New York for music and opera houses in Europe.
But the most profound memory is this; the simple grave of The Voice off the century; Joan Sutherland.


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2018)

I plan on going to Darmstadt some day. I live in Melbourne, but at the moment I’m in Germany seeing a lot of Opera, and also a concert of Lachenmann’s music.


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