"THE OLD HOUND"
There was once a hound who had been faithful to his master all his life long, and served him well.
He had run down many a quarry in his time, but at last he grew old and lost his strength and speed.

One day, when they were hunting, a wild boar ran out of the forest and the master set his hound to the chase. The hound managed to catch the beast but his teeth were weak and he could not maintain his hold, so the boar escaped.

The master was furious and was about to punish the hound but the hound stopped him:
"I would serve you better than ever if it were in my power, but my body is too weak to obey my will. You should honor me for what I have been, rather than punish me for what I am!"

Play the fable as told by Bob Bennett
Live at Katzen Center, Washington DC

 
Robert S. Bennett is a prominent member of the defense bar and one of the most influential lawyers in America.  A former federal prosecutor, he successfully represented two Secretaries of Defense, Clark Clifford (Democrat) and Caspar Weinberger (Republican), and has served as Special Counsel to the United States Senate’s Select Committee on Ethics.  He was President Clinton’s personal attorney in the Paula Jones case, and represented Judith Miller in the CIA leak investigation. Bennett also sits on the Court of Arbitration for Sport. His book, “IN THE RING” - The Trials of a Washington Lawyer, is published by Crown Books.

It is “musically” rewarding to hear a great trial lawyer explore this synergy.  Bob Bennett has both the skill and persona to convey these fables so that they inspire.  His interest and exposure to music, together with his many years of legal advocacy, enlighten this performance.

Don Kimes divides his time between Italy, Chautauqua, NY and Washington, D.C.  His work has been presented in more than 30 solo and 100 group exhibitions throughout the United States, as well as in Mexico, Germany and Italy.  He was also a recipient of a Medici Medal at the 2001 Florence International Biennale of Contemporary Art and has received several international awards.    Prof. Kimes has been a member of AU Art Department faculty since 1988. He is also Artistic Director in the Visual Arts at the Chautauqua Institution.  He has been a visiting artist at the International School of Art in Umbria, the Universidad Juarez Autonoma in Mexico, Harvard, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Cleveland Institute of Art, Parsons, Maryland College of Art, Cooper Union, and many others.

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AESOP SUITE: It is believed that Aesop lived around 600 B.C.  Born a slave, on a Greek island, he was given his freedom for his wit and intellect, and served as an emissary to a local ruler.  An observant and wise person, he had great comprehension of psychology and understanding of human motivation.  In the end, his brilliance, fame, and irreverence for class structure, cost him his life.  He was accused of theft, by people who planted a sacred gold trophy in his baggage, and sentenced to death. 
 
Aesop’s fables are concise portraits of humanity and through symbolism, provide universal meaning.  The power of these tales lies in the fact that no value judgment is made by the narrator who, while depicting human, often thoughtless behavior, accepts it as fate or God’s will.  As in music, each listener responds to the way he identifies with the allegory.  Each fable delivers a moral concept or presents an ethical question.  There is a temptation on the part of modern editions to state the “moral” of each story.  However, in a well designed and masterfully delivered narration, the meaning becomes subliminal and part of the artistic ambiance. 
 
Musical elements lurk in gifted oratorical arguments.  Every speech has its tone, rhythm, tempo, crescendos and diminuendos - compositional elements leading the listener to its content and meaning. Some speeches are like concertos.  Some others are less musical and on occasion, are tone deaf.   An orator might not be aware of this phenomenon because his skill is subconscious and an intangible aspect of talent and instinct. In many areas of endeavor great performances of any kind reveal a certain innate musicianship – even sport, via the gestures and rhythms of a great quarterback; the flow and harmony in a basketball game; or pace and beat of “duet” of a championship tennis match possesses this quality.  
 
Assisted by Sharon Servilio and Sarah Vanell; Videographer and Imagist - M Drehd; Visual Effects Artists - Emerson Williams, Alex Parker; Technical Support - Matt Weiner; Stage manager - Jeremy King; Lighting - Chris Kelly; Facilities Manager - Jason T. Lurie; PR - Catherine Gannon; General assistance - Alice Stewart, Karolina Jeznach;

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