An hour out of time

With Katia to see a performance of Arvo Pärt's choral work Kanon Pokajanen, a gorgeous multi-harmonic modern setting of an Orthodox text (that link has the text in English, but the work is sung in Church Slavonic, the liturgical language of the Orthodox church).

Performed by the California Bach Society in the rotunda of St. Gregory's, the work sounded wonderful. The soloists were especially good in that intimate setting. After my long day travelling -- I got up at 2:15 a.m. California time to fly back from Chicago -- I struggled a little against sleep during the first half of the work, but then woke up and fully enjoyed the rest of it. I felt like I could hear every harmony from the inside out.

What a treat it was to see that, and to have dinner with Katia afterward. We hadn't talked in some time.