The Swan
The musical piece titled “The Swan” by composer Camille Saint Saens has always been one of my favorites, but yesterday, I watched a video of the cellist Yo-Yo Ma as he spoke about and played the composition. I was particularly moved when he talked about the aspect of music that exists beyond what is written on the instructions in front of you, that the creation of sound has far more to do with the artist, the cultivation of feeling, and the uniqueness of each performance that give the sheet music its three dimensionality. I think this idea applies beyond just the creation of art like, The Swan. You cannot simply move through life performing actions that move you from one moment to the next; rather, you have to imbue those actions with purpose and meaning and with an awareness of the spaces and world you inhabit. This is how I’ve always tried to approach my baking too. And I will continue to bake and work with love and purpose.
It has become the month of Thanksgiving so quickly. I wonder what we were all doing this time last year. I have a faint recollection of being stuck in my house and thus putting all my spare time into knitting. I will be offering two pies this month. In addition to last year’s pumpkin pie, I will be selling a pecan pie. The pumpkin pie will have a shortbread crust and a pumpkin filling with a light sweetness. The pecan pie will have a flaky crust and will be infused with a nice bourbon to give it a rich scent; it will be decadent but I am also hoping to keep it elegant and refined. I think eating either pie with ice cream or whipped cream will be the absolute best! I am going to be making the pies in limited quantities, so if you’d like one, please let me know as soon as possible since I do not know how quickly they will sell out. I’ll also be making granola, so let me know if you’d like to order that as well.I hope you can enjoy it with family and friends that you weren’t able to see last year.
サンサーンスの白鳥は私の好きな曲の一つですが、先日チェロリストのヨーヨーマがその曲について語りながら、音楽を演奏することは、演奏するという行為より、どのように聞き手に楽譜の記号だけでは読み取れない、表面化の演奏者の気持ちや想像の世界を伝え、共有できるかに音楽の楽しさや意味がある、というようなことを話していました。それは音楽の世界だけでなく日常のありとあらゆる生活において言えることで何をしていても、ただやっているだけでなくて、そこに意味や自分の主張を入れ、周囲に共感や影響を与えるようなことが生きていく中ですごく大事なのだと思います。私のベーキングも同じこと。さらに気持ちを入れてがんばっていくつもりです。
あっという間にサンクスギビングの月になりました。去年の今頃は何をしていたのでしょうね？私は外出できない代わりに一生懸命編み物に没頭していた記憶があります。今年のパイは２種類。去年のパンプキンパイに加えてピーカンパイを作ります。パンプキンパイはショートブレッドのクラストにしっとりした甘さ控えめのパンプキンフィリング、ピーカンパイはサクサクのパイ生地にお酒の香りをきかせた香ばしいナッツたっぷりの上品な一品です。アイスクリームや生クリームと一緒に食べたらきっと最高でしょう。去年は集まれなかった家族や友人と一緒にぜひ楽しい休暇をお過ごしください。