The Prodigy: 2014 Edition - The Ghost Stories of Noel Hynd - Number 4 by Hynd Noel

Author:Hynd, Noel [Hynd, Noel]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Red Cat Tales, Los Angeles
Published: 2014-03-07T05:00:00+00:00

Twenty

On Monday morning, shortly after Mrs. Jamison arrived, Brian Greenstone phoned.

Rolf took the call in his upstairs office. Greenstone had spoken to half a dozen out-of-town promoters about doing a mostly Beethoven concert within the next six weeks.

“I’ve narrowed it down to Boston, Washington, and Philadelphia, Rolf,” Greenstone summed up. “The dates would be in either late May or early June.”

The date in Washington was a Monday at the Kennedy Center. Monday was generally not a good evening for a recital, though Rolf Geiger with a Beethoven program would have easily sold out the Center any night of the week. After listening to the particulars, Geiger vetoed Washington. The notion of playing in the capital, Geiger felt, would put too much pressure on the date. It would seem “too official.” Greenstone agreed.

“So, where does that leave us?” Geiger asked.

“It leaves you in the cauldrons of your colonial insurrection. Boston or Philadelphia,” Greenstone said. “These are the better bets, anyway. Got a calendar in front of you?”

Geiger did. The date in Boston was the last Wednesday in May before Memorial Day. A good date. The location was Lowell Hall at Harvard. One thousand seats. Not too big, not too small. Definitely possible but not perfect.

But Boston critics were not terribly friendly, treating some visiting musicians the way the local sportswriters treated the New York Yankees.

“The Academy of Music in Philadelphia has a potential cancellation for Thursday, June 11,” Greenstone continued.

“I like Philadelphia,” Geiger said. “Does that mean the orchestra’s available, too?”

“Indeed, it does. And it’s a great orchestra, as you know.”

“Can we set it up?”

“I’ll make the calls this afternoon,” Greenstone said. “Or maybe tomorrow morning. The Academy is very anxious, so I don’t want them to think we are too anxious.”

“Perfect,” Rolf said. “Perfect.”

“Oh, and there’s something else, too,” Greenstone added. “Despite what we discussed previously, I’m looking at the possibility of starting your world tour in London.”

Geiger was surprised.

“Rather than in New York?”

“Precisely. I can get Wembley Stadium for September first. This is huge. I definitely want to start you off with very strong press notices for playing unadulterated great classical music in a mega-arena. If you’ve been watching, the British press hasn’t hit you as hard as your own American one has.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” he confessed. “I stopped reading all of them.”

“So, go there, play magnificently with traditional works, conquer London, and it gives the English press the chance to say, ‘See there! Rolf is wonderful and we here in the U.K. knew it all along!’ If we come off good press in London, we’re halfway home in New York also.”

“So what do we do with New York? End here?”

“Maybe. Or maybe we end in Cairo. The Emperor at the Valley of the Kings, as you suggested. Or Tokyo. I love Tokyo. I could retire on what we might make in Japan alone.”

Greenstone laughed.

“Anyway,” the agent continued, “This is all ‘TBA’. To Be Arranged. So we need to talk more about the back end of the trip, Rolf.

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