I received a call to play Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto on short notice, and in reviewing it yesterday, I had heard a new piece. Adele Marcus once said, in your middle age years, one hears the inner lines--well, I have always heard the inner lines--(does that suggest that at age 43 I have been in middle age years since I was 20??)--because I enjoy composing choral music, so the mixed vocal parts are normal to me. However, it wasn't just hearing the inner lines--it was this newfound ability to allow the inner lines to not only complement the main themes, but to breathe within themselves--allowing the inner lines in some cases to force the main vocal themes to bend according to the beauty of the inner line. Some people call that attention to detail, but it seemed more than that. And perhaps more dangerous than that--since it can result in a chopped up performance of too many themes that it can lose cohesiveness. No--that didn't happen--since it is has always been held together firmly by the main lines. (Does this make sense??) And boy, is it a tad slower too--not boring, just a hair slower to make sure each note has the clarity it deserves. (I never really played it too fast--I would have been murdered by my teacher 20 years ago!) I've had consistent success with the concerto--but I suppose as a musician ages, there's a certain indefinable confidence that you sense you can do what you want with the music and still be as true as ever to the composer's intention. I marvel still--how did these composers put such works together??