It was thrilling to be able to return to South America with the New York Philharmonic only a few weeks later. I was definitely psyched! The tour started in Caracas, Venezuela- at that time an oil rich economy. We continued to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo where I got to see some of my former students again.` Also, by then, I could actually chat with them in their own language. I hung out with the best bass player in the group- Sergio de Oliveira e Silva. He was a “wiz” with virtuoso bass repertoire but spoke absolutely no English. Next stop was charming Montevideo, Uruguay where this picture was taken (below right). The name of the intersection made me feel right at home (LOL)
Photo by Ben Simon Then on to Buenos Aires where we played concerts in the historic Teatro Colon. This was the era of the “Falklands War” when Argentina fought with Great Britain to hold on to a territory they call Malvinas . There was terrible hyper inflation for the Argentines and the American dollar was suddenly much stronger than it had ever been. (I am kind of ashamed that I took advantage of this.) I had steak dinners with wine for two dollars and bought a $1200 ebony Moeck Rottenburgh alto recorder for just $25 at Ricordi’s.
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