I awoke this morning from a distressing dream, of a recurrent type. I am to play an important concert for a large gathering, perhaps for a religious group like the SDA or Mormon Church. I only have to play one work, one that I have played frequently, perhaps Bolcom’s “Graceful Ghost” Rag. Crowds begin to gather in this large hall. I am treated with great courtesy, but the crowd is quite dense, looks like it will be several thousand. I suddenly realize that I do not have my score, and cannot perform from memory. It is too late to go home. I think, well, the music director must have a score, and I can use that. I ask someone, is there a music director? But they are busy, and just gesture towards a locked door. Then I realize that I do not have my glasses either, and won’t be able to see to play.

I think this is a dream about the perils of celebrity, an issue that bubbles through my subconscious.