The Silver Swan by Elena Delbanco Read Free Book Online

sacred and, once married, one should remain true.”
    Alexander bellowed with laughter. Claude felt both hurt and puzzled. “Why do you laugh, M. Feldmann?”
    Stopping short, Alexander turned to look at him and, studying his face, backtracked. “Not because your mother is wrong, of course. Just because it’s so charmingly old-fashioned.”
    “What do
you
think?” Claude searched Alexander’s face.
    They continued walking. Clouds were gathering over the lake. “I think when one is young and full of energy and desire, one should enjoy it, enjoy the body and the pleasure, without sacrificing too much of one’s work time. One should gather experience and then go back to the music, take all that experience back to the music. Take everything in your life back to the music. But the music must be the center of your life.”
    “Then why marry at all?” Claude asked. “Why not just continue having experiences, as you call them?”
    “Because sooner or later you’ll want not to be alone. You’ll want someone to look after you.”
    “With music, you’re never alone, M. Feldmann. Surely you believe that.”
    “Ah, but music does not dine with you or listen to you or make a family, and those are also important parts of life.”
    “I think I won’t marry,” Claude said, thoughtfully. “I have my mother and father for all those things you mention, and I like the idea of keeping my freedom.”
    “You’ll feel that way till you meet the right woman, as your mother says, and want to keep her. Then you’ll marry. But first, enjoy all the pleasures of youth.”

    William Rossen lived in a new apartment complex in Chelsea, at the rear of the building. Facing west, his studio had additional soundproofing that permitted him to practice without disturbing the neighbors. He greeted Claude warmly at the door, telling him his wife and children were out for the afternoon, so they could rehearse in peace. Rossen, a much sought-after pianist, was a lanky man with a fringe of red hair and Vandyke beard. He had made his reputation as an accompanist and later embarked on a solo career. Ten years Claude’s senior, he was doing him a favor. In New York, the name Rossen would fill a good-size concert hall, and to lend Roselle his imprimatur was to guarantee attention to Claude’s debut.
    Because they had played together only twice before, in Germany, they knew they had a great deal to do to prepare the Brahms sonatas — particularly the second. The Sonata in E Minor, op. 38, was familiar to them both, and they would also play the Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, op. 78, as arranged for cello and piano. But the third piece, the second Sonata for Piano and Violoncello in F Major, op. 99, was a major musical challenge. They had discussed it the night before.
    In Rossen’s living room, Claude opened his cello case and removed the bow and resin. He took out the music andthen his Tecchler, feeling a twinge of disloyalty; the cello now seemed drab and pedestrian. It was as though his old companion — faithful and dependable — had been supplanted by something much more glamorous — a hausfrau replaced by a beautiful mistress. Claude told his host, in confidence, the news about the Silver Swan. Since he hoped to perform with it, it could not come as a surprise to Rossen when they walked onstage. The second movement in particular, Adagio affetuoso, offered him his best chance to show off the instrument’s power.
    His host, he could see, was impressed. “We always heard you were Feldmann’s prize student. This certainly does prove it.” The pianist studied him. “But why did it take you so long to play in America? I’ve often wondered.”
    “You know, my father never found it important to have a career here. He conducts only in Europe and seems to think it unnecessary to cross the Atlantic — perhaps because he was never
invited
to conduct in America and feels the insult deeply.” Claude arranged his chair and music stand as he