“For flutist Eugenia Zukerman, Debussy’s ‘Syrinx’ has been a staple of her daily practice routine since she was 10 years old,” writes Joseph Dalton on September 5 in the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.). “One morning not that long ago, she was midway through ‘Syrinx’ and drew a total blank on what came next. Zukerman, 74, has Alzheimer’s. She was diagnosed about three years ago after her two daughters insisted that she get checked. At the time, Zukerman thought nothing of the memory slips. Maybe it was just time to slow down some after a stellar career performing … reporting on the classical arts for CBS Sunday Morning, and curating and producing major arts festivals…. The first night after hearing that dreaded news, she sat down and put pen to paper. Zukerman continued chronicling her mental lapses, the rounds of visits to doctors, and the slow, reluctant process of acceptance. The result is ‘Like Falling Through a Cloud: A Lyric Memoir,’ which will be released … on Nov. 5…. She still performs publicly…. If she does one day retire, it could be for other reasons, as she explains: ‘Violinists can keep going longer than wind players, because our musculature wears out sooner.’ ”
Posted September 17, 2019
