Review written by:  Norma Vaughan

Education and entertainment.  That was the mix our jovial  Guest Speaker Rondo Bernardo delivered to us at today's General Meeting.  He began with a short but profound discussion on the relationship between two of his favourite subjects, poetry and music.  He related the metre of poetry to the rhythm of music, and compared them both with natural phenomena such as the ebb and flow of tides or the pulse of the human body.

He described the multitude of factors that  influence our appreciation of literary or musical beauty. He suggested, for instance, that we might enjoy a deeper understanding if we considered what might have been the author or composer's state of mind when he wrote the piece,  how his vision was articulated in either verse or music, together with the artistry of how it was delivered.   "Poetry = Music with words" he said, and "Music = poetry with sounds". 

At the end of his formal talk, Rondo segued neatly into a poetry reading by introducing his friend Moira Wilkins.  Her first reading was a prize winning poem that Rondo had written himself, about the ache he felt when his daughter Raeleen disappeared out of his life. He named it 'Pining For his Beloved Daughter Raeleen'.  The second poem was  Siegfried Sassoon's 'The Hero', about the lies and futility of war, another subject about which Rondo has written with equal passion.

Then, with a touch of magic, he produced another friend, Evelyn Prior, (pictured) who, before we knew it, was giving us a beautiful rendition of the old song 'Smile' (while your heart is breaking).  Rondo stood quietly out of the way while Evelyn entranced us with the first verse, then he strolled softly towards her, deftly slipped a violin out of its case and began playing a duet with the singer. It was truly one of those most memorable moments, enough to bring a tear to a glass eye.  Our man had just demonstrated that emotion was the common thread between music and poetry.   I don't know how such a talented musician and poet ever had time to be a cardiologist.

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