Phelps-Hatheway House

The house itself was not the reason for the visit. We went for a 2 hour concert of classical guitar. That did not turn out as expected. The garden was nicely manicured and it was a beautiful summer afternoon, but there were issues having a concert in that setting. We were 30 feet from the main road in Suffield which was close enough to interfere with the guitar playing. The very talented gentleman was also inside a large gazebo that had an all encompassing three foot fence at the base. He was positioned at a gate inside the gazebo making him invisible to most of the guests except those closest to the very center of the gazebo. What he played was also of a disappointment to me. He didn't play anything I recognized, like a Beethoven passage, Tchaikovsky or something I recognized. It was all very odd with no discernable melody or timing. It was scales that made no sense in a musical story, no phrasing that made an expression. We tried to listen for awhile then when intermission came it was our moment to leave. I enjoy music in life but it needs to say something, evoke a feeling, an expression, have heartfelt moments in it. I guess that music isn't my cup of tea.