Thursday, January 04, 2007
Flowers, Flowers and More Flowers
Friday, December 8
Our poor scribe succumbed to the stomach ailment making its way around the ensemble, so please forgive the straightforward descriptions in order to keep the blog complete.
Dress rehearsal took up our morning at the beautiful concert hall at the Conservatory in preparation for the evening's performance. Jeff built a special program for this historic performance. Beginning with our hometown John Cage, pianist Ming Tsu set the mood with this very atmospheric work by everyone's misunderstood composer. Lou Harrison, our original California world music expert, was represented by his Songs in a Forest. To represent France's influence in Vietnam, Maurice Ravel's Three Mallarme Songs were beautifully sung by Elissa Johnston. Completing the first half of the concert was Chinary Ung's Oracle, providing insight into another work by our resident composer.
The second half of the concert began with a performance of a work by well-known Vietnamese composer, Phuc Linh, performed by Southwest's musicians. (At a reading earlier in the week, Mr. Linh's obvious enjoyment of having a work performed by Americans endeared him to all of us, and there are plans to take his music to Southwest's American audiences). And then, the soundtrack of the Vietnam War (or American War, as it is known here), Barber's Adagio, played in the string quartet version. It was the highlight of a very emotional evening, and some of our travelers admitted that there were many tears in the audience at the performance, both Vietnamese and American. The fitting finale, musical perfection, came with a gorgeous performance of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet.
Before the concert, Jeff spoke eloquently about the reasons behind the musical selections, and his joy at Southwest Chamber Music's performances in Vietnam. His remarks were translated by Hai Van, the Conservatory's beautiful and helpful International Relations staff person. Backstage, the musicians felt deeply the significance of the concert, and enjoyed seeing again the students who they had taught the previous day.
Flowers, and more flowers! After each work, flowers were given to each member of the ensemble. In the tiny Green Room backstage, they were piled everywhere, roses, carnations, lilies, daffodils, beautifully framed in tissue, each a small masterpiece. In the back of the lobby, the flowers were lined up on a bench around the concert hall, waiting to be brought onstage. None of the musicians could recall a concert with this many flowers, all gorgeous and very appreciated.
After the concert, the musicians and donors were treated to a lavish buffet on the lower level, prepared by the school's librarian. Presents from the Conservatory were distributed to everyone - scarves, purses, ties, books and CDs of the faculty. Many of the musicians felt it was an evening of a lifetime, worth a trip halfway around the globe.
Our poor scribe succumbed to the stomach ailment making its way around the ensemble, so please forgive the straightforward descriptions in order to keep the blog complete.
Dress rehearsal took up our morning at the beautiful concert hall at the Conservatory in preparation for the evening's performance. Jeff built a special program for this historic performance. Beginning with our hometown John Cage, pianist Ming Tsu set the mood with this very atmospheric work by everyone's misunderstood composer. Lou Harrison, our original California world music expert, was represented by his Songs in a Forest. To represent France's influence in Vietnam, Maurice Ravel's Three Mallarme Songs were beautifully sung by Elissa Johnston. Completing the first half of the concert was Chinary Ung's Oracle, providing insight into another work by our resident composer.
The second half of the concert began with a performance of a work by well-known Vietnamese composer, Phuc Linh, performed by Southwest's musicians. (At a reading earlier in the week, Mr. Linh's obvious enjoyment of having a work performed by Americans endeared him to all of us, and there are plans to take his music to Southwest's American audiences). And then, the soundtrack of the Vietnam War (or American War, as it is known here), Barber's Adagio, played in the string quartet version. It was the highlight of a very emotional evening, and some of our travelers admitted that there were many tears in the audience at the performance, both Vietnamese and American. The fitting finale, musical perfection, came with a gorgeous performance of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet.
Before the concert, Jeff spoke eloquently about the reasons behind the musical selections, and his joy at Southwest Chamber Music's performances in Vietnam. His remarks were translated by Hai Van, the Conservatory's beautiful and helpful International Relations staff person. Backstage, the musicians felt deeply the significance of the concert, and enjoyed seeing again the students who they had taught the previous day.
Flowers, and more flowers! After each work, flowers were given to each member of the ensemble. In the tiny Green Room backstage, they were piled everywhere, roses, carnations, lilies, daffodils, beautifully framed in tissue, each a small masterpiece. In the back of the lobby, the flowers were lined up on a bench around the concert hall, waiting to be brought onstage. None of the musicians could recall a concert with this many flowers, all gorgeous and very appreciated.After the concert, the musicians and donors were treated to a lavish buffet on the lower level, prepared by the school's librarian. Presents from the Conservatory were distributed to everyone - scarves, purses, ties, books and CDs of the faculty. Many of the musicians felt it was an evening of a lifetime, worth a trip halfway around the globe.
# posted by Southwest Chamber Music @ 2:39 PM 
