It actually was a dark and stormy night - and the day hadn't been that great either. I was about 19 years old, attending the State Academy of Music in Oslo. I had a half-hour train ride to get home. If I missed the second to the last train, I would face a long wait and a short night. What do you do in Oslo when you miss your train? When the weather is nice, and during day-time, there are many happy and healthy diversions, I'm sure, but on the gloomiest of fall nights, wi

Many years ago, I was performing in a concert where a person of great authority was the featured soloist. The concert was not a success, and I was very surprised when the soloist later asked for my opinion on the performance. What could I possibly say that would not offend? At the age of eighteen I was an even worse liar than I am today. I mumbled and stalled - eventually coming up with the more or less true statement that I didn't really care so much for the piece that h

We are all the sum of past experiences. And with a little effort, we need not limit these to our own personal going-ons. Through the arts we can absorb all of humanity, and draw upon the insights of great geniuses in a direct, yet mysterious way. After spending several summers in the ancient town of Siena, Italy, I have found a special affinity for medieval history. It is not that I fashion myself a scholar in any way - rather I have a fascination with the seeds that were