The recital by pianist Joanna Macgregor on Sunday afternoon in the concert hall at Marlborough College, should have included music from "Die Fledermaus," (German for bat) for, during the interval a bat joined us in the auditorium, and much to our amusement, swooped happily over our heads. He/she timed his/her flight well, because, as Joanna reappeared for the second half, the bat flew into the curtains, and remained there to enjoy the "Three Intermezzi" by Brahms and Beethoven's "Waldstein" sonata in C major. I hope his little ears were well tuned in! It is so good to hear live music, and during the first half we'd listened to Bela Bartok's the "Out of Doors Suite," an atmospheric piece of music, using folk themes, and with great contrasts between the loud and soft passages. The music is not quite my "cup of tea" and I would not listen to it on a CD, but seeing and hearing the interpretation live, added an exciting edge to the work.
The recital was one of the College's series of autumn and winter concerts. I went with a friend who had managed to acquire two tickets from another friend who, unfortunately could attend. I must really open my mind to modern music, and not stay so faithful to my dearly beloved JS Bach and everything that has been composed before 1850! I once saw Benjamin Britten's opera "The Taming of the Screw," and was bowled over by it, but its not music I would listen to by choice. Perhaps I will tackle some Stockhausen this year!
The "Steinway" concert grand piano, played by Joanna Macgregor.
This photo was taken on my mobile phone and is somewhat fuzzy, because last week at coffee morning in the "Black Swan" I spilt my coffee all over the phone. I dried it out with tissues, but forgot to clean the camera lens, and I now have several photos that look as if they were taken on a foggy evening.
A bat appears somewhere in this photo, I'm not sure where, but he/she is somewhere to be seen! Stage lighting hangs from the ceiling, and the curtains are closed, so maybe the bat thought it was dusk, and ventured out for a display of aeriel acrobatics! No one screamed during the taking of this photograph.
No comments:
Post a Comment