Comments for The Dust of Hue

Comment on Journey to Finland: It Begins With A Painting by Erik

Erik — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:39:41 +0000

I have found that the world of Sibelius is a small one, relatively speaking, but like the master’s symphonies, what is lacking in quantity is amply made up with quality.

It’s a pleasure and honor to know you, Leon, even though it’s (for now) electronically. Your writings on Sibelius are TRULY among the best I have read and I wish you the greatest of times when you finally make it to Finland.

Now I have to go look at that painting on my wall and ruminate over what it has started!

Comment on Journey to Finland: It Begins With A Painting by Lorena

Lorena — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:11:40 +0000

A lovely article with a “happy ending”. I can see the ends of the circle meeting, and I am so pleased to be a tiny part of its curve. Thank you. And I thank Sibelius, for the great friends he makes of those who love him.

Comment on Drawings by 6th Grade Children after listening to Sibelius by Lorena

Lorena — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:23:45 +0000

I’ve always had a particular love for children’s art. To “see” Sibelius through the eyes of children, fresh and honest, is captivating.

Comment on Dust of Hue by Lorena

Lorena — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:32:38 +0000

Thank you, Leon! You always manage to say what I “feel” about Sibelius’ music.

Comment on Echoes of the Forest God by Leon

Leon — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 14:50:22 +0000

You are most welcome, Mark, it is an honour to contribute. And that’s an interesting idea, an invented Finnish name. Perhaps I should try one for myself. :)

Comment on Echoes of the Forest God by Mark Munger

Mark Munger — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 14:03:07 +0000

My Finnish moniker, “Marki Mungerin” is invented as is my Finnish heritage. I am a typical American mutt: at least eight nationalities (all European) merge within me. But my interest in all things Finnish continues and was sparked by Leon’s essay in NWF. It is indeed an amazing world how we are able to connect, across the globe, about a dead Finnish composer who wrote music that can speak to those of us, like me, who live in the forest. Thanks for the wonderful piece of writing, Leon.
Mark

Comment on At the Singapore Symphony, 24 Feb 2012 by Lorena

Lorena — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:43:13 +0000

Nice, Leon! I continue to enjoy or be disappointed by more Sibelius concerts with you than on my own. So few are available here :( Thank you for taking us to the concert. Sorry I missed dinner!

Comment on Sibelius at Hawk Lake, a poem by Tom Henighan by Lorena

Lorena — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:28:15 +0000

What IS this wonder of Sibelius that it inspires such beauty of word and spirit in those who love him! To speak of him thus, to honor him with such sensitivity, is the mark of a person who is has connected profoundly with the spirit of Sibelius himself, and my world of heroes grows larger! Thank you both. I personally believe that it is not our common connection with nature that draws us to Sibelius as much as our common need to connect with what is beyond Earth and time. You relate to this, Leon, when you say ” …in the inexorable flow of his music, time often feels timeless. Time indeed “flows unhurried to its own desolation.”

Time is “here.” Where time flows to its desolation, we are left with an eternal re-birthing. Sibelius’ music can bring me into deep, mysterious wooded worlds and it can make me soar to the heavens, but what I love most about Sibelius is that He seems to have finally broken those “shackled powers” and touched the eternal, and when he does, silence can be our only reaction. It is a sacred moment for which no words exist. What we feel is enough – and it is everything.

Comment on Sibelius at Hawk Lake, a poem by Tom Henighan by Leon

Leon — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:01:45 +0000

Tom, thank you! No, thank you for once again showing me we are not alone on this Earth. When I began writing about Sibelius, when I wrote about Tapiola, I sometimes wondered if anyone was listening. Over the years, it has been proven that, almost strangely, despite the vast distances (cultural and physical), Sibelius’ music has an astonishing capacity to connect us all at a very fundamental, almost primeval way – this must be our common connection with nature. And every note the master wrote, every letter we write, you and I, is part of this living, breathing connection. Thank you for your wonderful poem – it must be shared with all kindred of Sibelius.

Comment on Sibelius at Hawk Lake, a poem by Tom Henighan by Tom Henighan

Tom Henighan — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:18:36 +0000

Leon, this is wonderful! Thank you. You deserve a lot of credit for any virtues my poem has because I was inspired by your eloquent and totally relevant essay on Tapiola, which I printed from your old website, and which I turn to often, especially on winter days in Ottawa, when I long for the woods and the lake where we hang out, up in the Gatineau in Quebec. Your essay on Tapiola is a gem and belongs up there with the most inspiring evocations of the Sibelius world.You’ll be happy to know that someone at a well-known Ottawa bar has invented a drink called the “Sibelius.” If you were around I’d be inviting you to have one with me, or rather two, since I can’t any longer take the enormous amount of hard liquor they manage to get into that drink!Sibelius probably would have loved it! Thanks again.