April 2005, at the end of a benefit concert for Paul Newman’s “Hole in the Wall” camps. Onstage, besides Mr. Newman and some of his campers, were Tony Bennett, Paul McCartney (with whom we had performed two songs), Robin Williams and Julia Roberts. We heard subsequently that a great deal of money had been raised, and were grateful for the opportunity to participate in that effort. It was a privilege to know Paul Newman, who set a noble example through his talent, grace, humor and a passionate desire to leave the world a better place.
January 2005: with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward at Paul’s 80th birthday celebration in Westport CT, where we had the honor of performing about an hour’s worth of music that Phil and Paul had selected.
March 2000: After a performance of “The Noise of Time” during its initial NY run, with three of the marvelous actors from “Complicité” and two special guests: Isaac Stern and — though he wasn’t there in the flesh — Dmitri Shostakovich, whose spirit permeated the whole of this remarkable theater piece, which included our interpretation of his Fifteenth Quartet.
This photo was taken at a July 4th party in Aspen, probably in 1995 (judging from the ages of the ESQ kids).
Roberta and I were once again with Slava, this time in May 1993, when the ESQ performed with him at the Evian Festival.
This photo was taken during the sessions in December 1990, when we recorded the Schubert Quintet with Mstislav Rostropovich. We had a great time that week! My wife Roberta and David’s wife Wu Han are shown in the foreground with the irrepressible Slava.
March 1990: James Levine (partly obscured on the left side of the photo), Leonard Bernstein and the ESQ were feted by Deutsche Grammophon at the Trattoria dell’Arte near Carnegie Hall for the Grammy Awards we had all won that year. Bernstein had just led the Vienna Philharmonic in Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony. Just before this photo was taken, I reminded the Maestro that 20 years earlier, I had been his concertmaster for a performance of the same symphony with the student orchestra at Tanglewood.
If Phil is not in this photo, maybe it’s because he was taking the picture. This is in Woodside, CA around the mid-80s, with some dear friends (two of whom are no longer with us).
