Marco: Ciao, Pat!

Claudia Combs (violinist who played in Tafelmusik 1989-92): Ciao!!

Tindaro: Ciao a tutti, e grazie a Marco e Luigi "the stroller pusher" Lupo (the husband of one of our visiting Italian violinists, Rossella Croce, and father of their georgeous 4 month-old baby, Sveva).

P: Why such thanks Marco and Luigi?

T: Because, they saved my life last night!

C: How?

T: While you guys in the strings section were breaking strings in the humidity, I had the stickiest key ever.

M: No problem for team W & W (Wax and Wolf). Luigi is an amazing traverso player and a wizard with historical instruments.

P: Man, was super hot on stage playing Mozart's Don Joelanza, I mean Don Giovanni last night!

M; Yeah, hot in more ways than one. It was a new level of communicating between Tafelmusik and Kent Nagano.

P: At the party afterward, the mayor of Rieti said that we had reached historic heights of expression, thanks to the combination of Maestro Kent Nagano and Tafelmusik. And none of it would be possible without the hard work of Bruno Cagli, the man who has been behind the renovation of the hall, and the organization of the Reate Festival.

T: The speeches were important last night, yes, but they were a spectacular introduction to an amazing party at the hotel and villa where Maestro Nagano hosted the entire festival team.

M: There were at least 200 people there!

T: It seemed like there were 200 tables full of amazing food, Did you see the prosciutto arranged around the beautiful little logs?

C: How about the sun-dried tomatoes and boconcini?

M: And the frying station with onion rings and potatoes?

P: I was sort of busy with the smoked salmon and carpaccio...

C: The little peppers stuffed with tuna...

T: ...I fancied the ravioli with sausage and pesto...

M: ...and the grilled Cornish game hens...

T: ...and the salmon baked in pastry crust...

M: ...how about the super-thin slices of salted swordfish...

C: ...and the gnocchi?

M: Too bad at 3:00 am we had to leave the gelato stand...

P: I didn't even know it was there until I got on the bus and lots of people had little cups of it!!

M: You shouldn't complain! While we're writing this, we're being treated to delicious aperitivi made by Gianluca, the guy at the Art Café, bar closest to the hall, who is offering us more tasty things!

T: ...did you try the melon and prosciutto?

C: ...or about the salatini...

(Our next blog might not have this much to do with food...)