As many of you know, the month of March brings in WestportREADS, an annual event whereby everyone in the community reads the same book. This year's choice is Mark Salzman's The Soloist, a novel about a former cello prodigy.
On Saturday, March 3rd, as you are dropping off your clothes at the dry cleaners, getting your nails done at the salon, or going to the gym, be sure to schedule a stop at either Barnes & Noble, Starbucks/Post Road, Starbucks/Parker Harding Plaza, Docs Café, Balducci’s, Trader Joe’s, or the Westport Library from 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. You will be treated with live cello music which will officially usher in WestportREADS. Volunteers will be giving out books, buttons, and brochures listing all the events and book discussions.
Music for the cello often elicits deep, emotional, passionate feelings both for the performer and audience. While you are reading the book, listen to some of the pieces mentioned in it. They include Johann Sebastian Bach's Unaccompanied Suites for Cello, Joseph Haydn's D Major Cello Concerto, and Camille Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto. To learn more about the history, the development, and the masters of this venerable instrument, feel free to read Elizabeth Cowling's The Cello, William Pleeth's Cello, or Carlos Prieto's Adventures of a Cello.