I met you in in the summer of 1962 when I was a viola/piano student at RRMC, CO. I loved your playing, and your friendly personality, and I still have a group picture which you signed. A few years ago I came across one of your recordings (Intimate Works) and bought it. I am happy you have continued to play and become a well-known, outstanding musician.

I grew up in NM and CO (family members still in Boulder), and now live in Akron. OH. Akron’s Tuesday Musical Concert Series has featured high-quality musicians for over 100 years — it would be wonderful if you evwould ever wish to perform here, perhaps as their Margaret Baxstresser pianist. In recent years we have heard pianists Garrick Ohlsson, Olga Kern, Arnaldo Cohen, Jonathan Biss, Marc-Andre Hamelin; other soloists including Hilary Hahn, Midori, Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, and various groups. The audience is always very appreciative. The TMC group also provides free tickets to students, to encourage them to hear classical music. I read that you are giving fewer live performances now, however, after having dealt with with dystonia.

Count me as one of your (long-lost) fans!

Margy Koontz Siebert

Thank you for your smorgasbord of culture. I have enjoyed your programs on NPR, where my radio stays, and these gifts you have given us give us hope that there is still an essence of grace and elegance in our culture. It is so encouraging to know that there are those, like you, who are the modern patrons of art, music and critical thinking. I’d wish you could be cloned and sent into every school system in the nation as a group of new teachers! I suppose if NPR was streamed into classrooms it might come close to that. When I was a Fine Arts major lo, those many years ago at William and Mary, even the working classes appreciated the finer things of life, and aspired to be able to promote them and enjoy them. That was the 50′s, and I have grieved over the coarsing and dumbing-down that has taken place since then. Thank you again for pushing so mightily on the other end of the cultural see-saw.

Thank you again,

Mary Curro

Portsmouth, VA

http://www.thesaneasylum.com

I have since tried to open every day by playing a prelude and fugue from the WTC. It does throw a kind of sacred poise on the day that follows.

In the last few days, I’ve noticed the same quality when one listens to this conversation. Thank you Chris and Andrew for making that kind of poise, serenity and “benediction” even if a secular, “non-Yale”, and decidedly 21st Century one.

Mr. Rangell really brings this music to life oh so well both in word and playing/interpretation.

Vermeer, for me, meets some of the criteria that Mr. Rangell mentions; transcendent and quiet warmth, like Bach. Bach brings me back to earth and reminds me of the beauty of listening and observing life through hearing. Also, the observing of the listening. I feel I become more human listening to Bach, which is weird for how can this guy tap into this or touch this type of mystery? … as Vermeer does with looking and seeing for me. Bach pulls me gently to listen to what life offers and thus simply become. Amazing. Bach unclutters the clutter, enlarges possibilities instead of narrowing them.

One more: Thank you.