An all Sibelius program by Toscanini last night, in honor of the composer’s birthday (which is today).
Symphony # 2 — Pohjola’s Daughter — The Swan of Tuonela — Return of Lemminkäinen — Finlandia.
Altho he played all of these superbly, the Swan of Tuonela affected me the most – (and he put new life into “Finlandia”
The life of Schubert is one that appeals to me more than any other that my inexperience knows. He is the true genius & artist and the knowledge of his sacrifice thrills the heart.
...all have conspired to make a complete void of this year’s autumn—I see in my mind’s eye the various delights of the pageant of autumn, as things remembered from a beautiful dream; and there is a feeling of intense frustration and loss...
I wandered between the Baptist + Presbyterian Church wanting to hear the bells ring – I ran back to one to late – the other I arrived at in time to hear the last ponderous beats –
To the country S. E. of Arcade painting. Another beautiful unreal day—warmer and the sun shining clear and warm from a cloudless sky. No wind...
"Now (midnight) the roofs are all covered with frost, tall white smoke goes up from one chimney into the vast moonlit sky; even shadows are silvery – the silence is profound –"
Dinner at Mart + Hank’s. We “baby-sat” so they could go to the second communion service. – a delicious ham dinner.
"Bizarre dreams" followed by "Working on another drawing – 'Backyards in Spring' -"
On the way to church—the sky was all overcast with dense layer clouds except in the Southeast an opening which revealed a mass of pale yellow pebble like clouds lit up by the sun, and lower down in the South a few sunlit detached clouds, just above a dense blow ridge of low hills.
Off we started for Bentley’s Woods, which is the nearest one to our homes. On the way we picked dry milkweed stalks and used them as spears, bombarding each other like a couple of savages.