Today Peter Minkler and I drove to a suburb of Philadelphia to visit with Gene Rochberg, widow of the great composer George Rochberg, whose piece we are recording this summer. Mrs. Rochberg is an absolutely delightful woman – proudly 89 and a half years old, she still wears high heels and acts at least 15 years younger than she is. Never afraid to speak her mind, and possessing a hilarious sense of humor, we passed several hours with her having lunch and playing George’s viola sonata for her. She spoke at length of her husband and his work, her devotion to him completely obvious.
Gene enjoyed our reading of the sonata very much. She said to us “My impression of you two is that you play this piece with real strength.” And also added that our performance of it meant a great deal to her and that she would carry it with her. She told many stories of famous performers and composers – Samuel Barber (whom she called “Sam”), “Oh, that Ormandy!” And “that violinist who always seems to be playing the Mendelssohn!” (Perlman) It was a treat to spend time with her and it was inspiring to hear her talk of so many people who left such a mark on the art world.
Here are some pictures from our visit.
And for anyone who’s wondering….. I intend to wear high heels and speak my mind when I’M 89 1/2! Stick around and find out!
What an experience! Thanks for telling about it.
I’m fascinated by the spouses of famous or important people. They are usually formidable human beings, themselves, and can be interesting mirror reflections of the personas.
Yes, it really felt like a slice of history, sitting there with her. We hope she will write something for us for the liner notes of the CD. She is, after all, a talented writer herself!
Mrs. Rochberg has, in fact, consented to contribute to the liner notes of our record. She sent a beautiful essay which we hope to include in its entirety.
It is with delight that I read your article about Gene Rochberg. My mother ,Ruth Goldberg ,was George Rochberg ‘s aunt. My mother was proud of George and his accomplishments. If you speak to Gene wish her the best.
My mother passed away 8 years ago but left her love of music to me and my family.
Delighted to hear from you Eleanor. I will certainly pass on your regards to Gene the next time I speak with her. Where do you live? Perhaps if you are anywhere near the Baltimore area you would be interested in coming to hear Peter Minkler and me performing George’s Viola Sonata here in town on January the 18th. We would be honored to have you in attendance. All the best, and thanks for writing!
I received a call from my cousin Eleanor Korfman directing me to you website and blog. How wonderful to know the Gene is well. My father, George Hoffman was George Rochberg’s uncle (George’s mother Anna was my father’s sister.My dad passed away 27 years ago. I came along a bit later in my father’s life, but remember the absolute joy my father felt when speaking of his nephew George and his musical accomplishments.We would often listen to his music (one requirement was to get “dressed up” and sit in the living room).My father in his own right had his small musical accomplishments singing with several choirs both religious and non-religious. Music was always treated with love in our family. If my memory serves me correct it was George’s daughter who danced ballet professionally for a time (?).
It is wonderful that George’s music lives on through talented musicians such as yourself Lura. It would be wonderful to visit Gene (with my cousin Eleanor), perhaps you could forward that request to her. I am sorry that I too will be away in January when you are performing, but certainly look forward to a future concert appearance. Thank you so much
Robin
Dear Robin,
How delightful to hear from you and from Eleanor. The internet is a wonderful thing when it can help people to connect to eachother in this way! I loved hearing your anecdote about getting dressed up in the living room to listen to George’s music. I would love to meet you someday and hope that eventually you might be able to attend a concert. Thanks so much for writing, and let’s stay in touch!
warmly,
Lura