Not every cyclist on Nicollet Mall is a kamikaze messenger. Look, there’s Minnesota Orchestra principal flutist Adam Kuenzel, zipping between buses, flute strapped to his back! Kuenzel bikes to work in fair weather and foul, and even waved off the official tour bus during the orchestra’s 2003 centennial tour of Minnesota, choosing instead to follow on his bike. With his movie-star gaze and technical virtuosity, Kuenzel has become a popular figure with audiences here and on the road. For those fools who dismiss the flute as the instrument of choice for preteen girls, just listen to challenging works like the Nielsen Flute Concerto, which Kuenzel blows apart like a wily March wind moving through an ice-coated pine. And then look at how this flutist spends his free time: cross-country skiing, kayaking, living life with true muscle. It takes a lot of lung power to play a wind instrument, even the lithe and silvery flute. So really, all that biking is just part of his practice routine. With his penchant for adventure, we thought Kuenzel would do pretty well stranded on a desert island.
1. My flute so I can practice, in case someday I’m rescued and I want my job back. If I give up hope, I could use it as a tent pole.
2. My recordings of Cecilia Bartoli. I’m sure I could rig up a primitive CD player from material found on the island, a la the professor on Gilligan’s Island. Listening to her would give me the illusion of having female companionship.
3. My book of Robert Service poems. This is poetry for men, about men, clinging to life in the Yukon. I’d be reminded that I’m not in such a bad situation after all.
4. I’d like to continue to receive the Atlantic Monthly, to stay abreast of world events and give me something fresh to read while I sway among the palms in my hammock.
5. Last of all, I’d have a voice-activated tape recorder small enough to hang from a string around my neck. I’d end up talking to myself a lot, and would want to review occasionally to see if I’d had any brilliant thoughts.
During this month’s Twin Cities Mozart Marathon, Kuenzel helps the Minnesota Orchestra recreate a Vienna Akademie concert from 1783. 612-371-5656; www.minnesotaorchestra.org
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