What will I remember about this concert of the Kelemen Quartet's a few years from now?The fact that it was the first time I watched a lady in a sari play the cello ? Maybe not. The music was so beautiful that I forgot within a few moments that people are usually so conscious of the way they sit in a sari.The fact that right in the middle of a compelling Bartòk piece, the trumpet of a wedding procession outside confused us all? Somehow, I think I will remember that. Even though I don't want to.The fact that they were all so expressive that it felt as if they were dancing with their instruments? I hope so.Mozart, Bartòk, Schubert - each was magnificent. I had Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in my head all evening. Not because it was my favourite, but because it was the most familiar, and Bartòk was just so elusive. I can see their faces in my head - now so cross with the music they see, now … [Read more...]
The Oberon Trio
Wow...In class III, I learned a poem about five kittens in a basket. There was one line that said 'Each one when I pet it seems surely the best'. As The Oberon Trio played, each piece as they played it seemed surely the best.At the end of their Haydn, I could not decide which movement I enjoyed the most. I have no idea how long or short the piece was.At the end of their Brahms, I could not decide which of the instruments I enjoyed most. I wanted to keep listening to all of them.At the end of their Shostakovich, I did not want an encore because I was just so moved by the piece and its emotions. My eyes were filled; I could not say a word. P.S. 1: The violinist's eyes made me think of what Georgette Heyer always describes as 'fine grey eyes'.P.S. 2: Needless to say, The Oberon Trio made me contribute far more than I've ever put into a donation box before. … [Read more...]