1985-03 (March)

March 16th, 1985

Slept till 9; latest yet. Stravinsky symphonies 5 and 6. Wrote a blurb for U. Miss. Press publication of Walker’s twenty-seven “Conversations”; sent it to [Seetha Sriuivaen], to “use all or any part of it” to produce book. Rode down to post office to mail it and some bills I paid; came back and started packing for New York, playing the Piano Quintet, Piano Trio and Quartets, plus Quartet 3. Will reserve next week (after New York) with quartet and symphony 10, his two greatest works, followed by the late quartets and concertos.

March 17th, 1985

Leaving day; finished packing had breakfast soon after Mary arrived at 7. Left home in Mercedes at 8:10’ airport by 8:25; packed car while Gwyn checked bags. Takeoff (Delta) on schedule, 8:50, and landed at LaGuardia ten minutes early, 11:45 E.S.T. Algonquin by 12:30; Room 309, as before. Lunch in Rose Room- corned beef hash for Gwyn, Finnan Haddie for me (neither much good) plus wine and coffee. Afterwards we walked over to Madison and up to 69th street- window shopping all the way; cab back on fifth, Rested in Room.

Dinner in hotel, ran back to room for final episode, “The XXXXX in the Crowy. “ Asleep by midnight.

20th Century

March 18th, 1985

New York. Woke at 6:30; down in lobby for breakfast at 7:15, but had to wait till 7:30 for Rose Room to open. Read NYTIMES while I ate. Back up to room; woke Gwyn and got ready for walk up Madison to 20th Century office on 70th.

Productive meeting reviewing first draft of Peter Braterup’s committee report. Gourmet lunch. Back to hotel by 3:30; called Mid South Travel in Memphis. Airline (Delta and Air France) reservations confirmed, but not Port Royal. They said they’d get right on it; I hope so.

Good 8 o’clock dinner at La Petite Marunite (49th at first); hot clams and veal for me, snails and duck jambouttes for Gwynn, plus a $40 gervy-chambertine; mocha cake dessert for Gwyn, coffee for me. Back to Algonquin by 10:30. TV till midnight.

March 19th, 1985

New York. Rose Room breakfast; cab ride to 20th century for final meeting. We broke up after lunch and said our goodbyes- at any rate went will have press conference in late May where the report and background papers are published.

Took a Cab to Paterson Music House on West 50th, but couldn’t settle on any score I wanted enough to pay the inflated price. Back to the Algonquin by 3:30.

Dinner AT le Bistro, 50TH and third, one of my favorite NY restaurants. Asparagus and XXXXXXX for me, mussels and lamb chops for Gwyn; a bottle of Pommard. Uptown about Gwyn’s drinking- continued in a still xxxx at the hotel; Gwyn will pack for departure. Bed by Midnight. A bad time.

Mon. Petite Marmite $155.30 Tues. Le Bistro

March 20th, 1985

Slept till 9, after restless night; breakfast in Rose Room, then coffee again with Gwyn in room. Called Rosen about meeting with Loomis at noon, then walked up to 50th street and his Random office. I took him the Two Gates ledger with its background notes; left it for him to read over the weekend. Lunch at Le bistro, preceded by the usual three drinks; had a brief talk with Gloria Jones, who is some what upset over advance copy of McShane’s biography of Jim. Then Bob and I talked business- the Two Gates contract and the drawn out delay. It turned out all he wanted was a revised date; so I set mid-1889, and he declared himself satisfied. So am I, and so was Rosen when I called and told him what came of the meeting.

Stopped by Tripler’s on walk back to hotel; got a Brookside linen shirt. Algonquin by 3 o’clock; read and rested till Gwyn returned from lunch with Liz Rohatyn. Dinner in Rose Room. Asleep by midnight.