I feel fortunate to end my time at the festival writing about Charles Wadsworth, founder of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the informal mid-day concerts at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy, and the Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Series. From its founding in 1977 until he stepped down in 2009, Wadsworth directed and hosted the series at the Dock Street Theatre.
Saturday he came back, making one of his three final public performances (the other two are Sunday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.) Coming out on stage, he tottered a bit and he fumbled around with his reading glasses. But his wit is still intact and after getting his glasses on he announced “84 IS 84.”
Then he sat at the piano and played Poulenc’s Trio for Piano, Oboe and Bassoon. And as he has so many times before, he played it well.
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