The Seven Last Words of Christ

On Good Friday my church performed The Seven Last Words of Christ by Théodore Dubois. It was a joy to perform with so many great musicians, including soloists Susan Hagler, Bill Johnson, and Jose Sacin. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. (It starts around the fourteen minute mark, so scroll ahead.)

Eclatante

On Thursday night we wandered over to the Lyceum for a concert by Eclatante, a flute and harp duo. The group features flutist Sharon Woster Pabon and harpist Melissa Tardiff Dvorak. This is the first time I've heard my teacher play a concert, so I was excited to attend. Also, it's fun to watch the harpist's feet while she plays - they remind me of the undertow beneath graceful ocean waves.

I enjoyed hearing the Bach piece live, but I think I most enjoyed the Rossini piece, which was variations on a familiar melody, though I can't recall the name of the melody. In between the pieces, we learned a little something about each one. I was interested to learn that the accompaniment part in the Bach Sonata in C Major may have been written by Bach's son, C. P. E. Bach. To support the theory that the piece may have been originally written for solo flute, this is the only one of Bach's sonatas where the flute plays continuously throughout the piece. Also, we learned that Piazzolla's Histoire du Tango chronicles the development of the tango.

Concert Program

• Deux Preludes Romantiques: Tres lent, Allegro moderato by Marcel Tournier
• Sonata in C Major: Andante and Presto, Allegro, Adagio, Minuet I and II by J. S. Bach
• Andante con Variazioni for Flute and Harp by Gioachino Rossini
• Serenade No. 10 for Flute and Harp: Larghetto, Allegro comodo, Andante grazioso, Andante cantabile, Allegretto, Scherzando, Adagietto, Vivo by Vincent Persichetti
• Cafe 1930 from Histoire du tango by Astor Piazzolla
• Sonata in A Major for Flute and Harp: Allegro, Andantino grazioso, Minuet I and II by Friedrich Wilhelm Rust
• Le Carnaval de Venise Variations, Op. 14 by Paul A. Genin (1832 - 1903); Trans by Barbara Todd and Nathalie Teevin-Lebens

Trelumina Trio at Strathmore

Last week we had a great evening out and went to hear the Trelumina Trio at Strathmore. My flute teacher, Sharon Woster Pabon, had told me about the performance since she knows the flutist, Alicia Kosack, from graduate school. The other members of the group include a bassoonist, Kimberly Buchar Kelley, and pianist, Rebecca Wilt. I had been looking forward to this performance since Sharon speaks so highly of Alicia's playing, and the concert was scheduled on one of our few free evenings!

When we arrived at the Mansion, we thought there may not be any seats left since they asked us if we were on the guest list. When we said we weren't, they told us that they were having a special evening where they invited members of the surrounding community to come hear a performance and that we would not have to pay for tickets. That was a great surprise after thinking we may not be able to hear the performance at all.

We wandered around the Mansion to see the displayed artwork and then went in to hear the trio. Looking at the program, we were nervous that the pieces may be a little too unusual for our taste, since some had names such as Doppler Effect. Despite our initial hesitations, we enjoyed the whole program, and in particular Eric Ewazen's Pastorale, one movement of his Ballade, Pastorale, and Dance. The piece was originally written for flute, french horn, and piano, but the group transcribed the piece for their instrumentation. We also learned that Doppler Effect was inspired by an experience the composer had while sitting at a street cafe in Italy and hearing the hustle and bustle of the city. It was fun to hear little tidbits of the history of the group, pieces, or composers and to sit so close to the performers as they played.

This is the first professional chamber group we've heard, and luckily it was a good first experience. Next Thursday we plan to go to Eclatante's performance at the Lyceum, the first I'll have been to for my teacher. I heard a couple measures of one piece as I walked up the stairs to my lesson, so I'm excited to hear the full thing next week.

Concert Program

• Trio in F Major: Larghetto, Allegro by Gaetano Donizetti
• Doppler Effect by Adrienne Albert
• Mariko Suite: Pearls, In the Rain, Winter Doves, A Fisherman by Catherine McMichael
• Oblivion, Primavera Portena by Astor Piazzolla
• Pastorale, Dance by Eric Ewazen