I Saw Morton Feldman’s “For Philip Guston” Twice in One Month

I had just finished making plans to attend the Rainy Days Festival in Luxembourg at the end of November. Within the festival’s theme of “Extremes,” I was especially looking forward to a performance of Morton Feldman’s epic “For Philip Guston” by Sophie Deshayes (flutes), Pascal Meyer (piano and celeste) and Galdric Subirana (percussion). Then I received a message from my Riot Ensemble colleague, pianist Adam Swayne: Would I like to come to a performance he was giving in Brighton at the start of November with flutist Helen Whitaker and percussionist Adam Bushell? Of course I would. The piece they were playing? “For Philip Guston.”