OK, where's my bumper sticker?
You know, the one that says....
I survived a night with Bonia Shur.
Hee.
For those of you who may not be familiar with the man, here's some info:
http://boniashur.com//index.html
http://www.huc.edu/faculty/faculty/shur.shtml
And now in real life, he looks close to the pro headshot - only a tiny bit more stooped and greying. He reminds me of what Beethoven might've looked if he'd made it to 85.
Here's 2 shots I managed to get of him with my cell (sorry they're small, but they should give some idea):
Like I say, hope *I* look as good as he does when I make 85. =X>)=
The current rabbi (who had been a student of his at the HUC) had invited him to come out as one of the many "Scholar-in-Residence" people that come through the shul on a regular basis. Since the temps had been really cold and nasty in Cincinnati, Bonia was happy to get away and come out, and also to visit with one of his former students whom he holds in high regard. So here he was, for our first Friday of the month service.
I'd met him years before, when he was still associated with Temple De Hirsch here in Seattle (he was their music director for awhile), and the former bass soloist at the shul where I'm now at worked with him a lot in those days. During Bonia's talk, he mentioned something amusing which I did NOT know - he said in 1960 or '61, he had his first "real job" as the music director of a synagogue in Santa Ana, California.
::: goggles ::: 0_o
That was just up the road from me in those days! Hunh. It IS a very small world.
He was (in spite of being somewhat tired - he yawned openly during the first half-hour of the service, and looked for all the world like any nother grumpy old Jewish man) still very sharp, very humorous, and still VERY insistent on how his music should be performed. He "rehearsed" us before the service began on the 3 main pieces we 'demonstrated'/performed during his talk, plus one of his pieces we were doing as a regular part of the service - and he was pickypickypickyPICKY. But not really in a nasty way, more because 1) HE wrote it, 2) HE knew how it was "supposed" to go, and 3) he obviously feels VERY strongly about music in general; he explained that his goal as a composer has been to not only marry words and music, but to make sure that the music helps highlight and make clear the text. Would that many other composers today (whether sacred or secular!) took such pains!!!
He also mentioned (which I really hadn't known) that he helped compose much of the music (with Johnny Mandel) for the classic cold-war era comedy The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! Werrrrrry eeeeenteresteenk!
All in all, a very fascinating evening.
=:>)=