Souvenirs De Florence Poem by gershon hepner

SOUVENIRS DE FLORENCE

The passion of his adolescence
he never quite outgrows,
for it is an essential essence
that help metamorphose
his music when mature. Each measure
thrills novices who hear
his later music with a pleasure
both palpable and sheer,
though never ceasing to reflect
the inner tensions he
could sublimate to great effect,
of inhibitions free.

And there are some late works he wrote,
like Souvenirs de Florence,
on which I never cease to dote,
though passion flows in torrents
when wondering how a man who pleases
most adolescents could
write music that tears hearts to pieces
and open ears of wood,
to raise the level of discussion
when his works are performed,
He proves you don’t need to be Russian
to be by him transformed

Anthony Tommasini writes in 'Tchaikovsky Made Fresh? Yes, Despite Psychobabble' (The New York Times, August 25,1997) about Leon Botstein's summer festival in Annandale-on-Hudson, that the performances helped the audience hear 'The Nutcracker' freshly and realize 'what inventive, exotic, structurally succinct music this is'. It was alleged that the music is repetitious, and Henry Zajakowski alleged that the rhythmic repetitions are due to his homosexual distress, describing the phenomenon as 'suppressive compulsive disease'.

The original of this poem, written on 8/25/98, is:

The passion of an adolescent
maturer taste outgrows
his music, yet it's always pleasant
the way emotion grows
in every movement, as each measure
thrills novices who hear
the notes he wrote to give them pleasure
that's palpable and sheer,
though repetitions may reflect
the inner tensions he
would sublimate to great effect,
exposed thus musically.

But there are also works he wrote,
like Souvenirs de Florence,
where less familiar ears may float
not blasé with abhorrence,
and realize the man who pleases
most adolescents could
write music that tears hearts to pieces
and open ears of wood,
to help men with his tunes to traipse
no more by passion numbed,
and travel live with concert tapes
to depths he also plumbed.


1/7/10