Back at Marlboro

Well, I had my gathering with retired clergy this morning, and that went well. I feel good, and so we decided to come to Marlboro for the 2p.m. rehearsal of the Shostakovch String Quartet No. 8 in C-Minor, Op. 110. Performers are Clara Neubauer, violin; Itamar Zorman, violin; Ao Peng, viola; Oliver Herbert, cello. More on them later. This quartet is a very personal statement by Shostakovich. When four musicians came to his home to play it for him hoping to get his criticisms for a public performance, all he could do was bury his head in his hands and weep. I love Shostakovich, and I am looking forward to hearing this piece. Later. The group did not play the Shostakovich through. I heard only parts of two movements, but what I heard was beautiful, somber and heart-wrenching. After the Shostakovich, Lucy Fitz-Gibbon and Solomon Ge performed Anton Webern's Drei Lieder, Op. 25. The lyrics are drawn from the poetry of Hildegaard Jone (1891-1963). I heard this last Monday, but did not have the opportunity to write about it here. I was fortunate to find a Master's Thesis (1) on this piece online, and that not only provided a text and translation, but also some provocative thoughts about the piece. Here for now is the text and translation: SONG ONE: Wie bin ich froh! Noch einmal wird mir alles grün und leuchtet so! Noch über blühn die Blumen mir die Welt! Noch einmal bin ich ganz ins Werden hingestellt und bin auf Erden. How happy I am! Once more everything to me becomes green and lights up so! Yet to me the flower flowers over the world! Once more I am totally placed into becoming and I am on Earth. SONG TWO: Des Herzens Purpurvogel fliegt durch Nacht. Der Augen Falter, die im Hellen gaukeln, sind ihm voraus, wenn sie ins Tage schaukeln. Und doch ist er’s, der sie ans Ziel gebracht. Sie ruhen oft, die bald sich neu erheben zu neuem Flug. Doch rastet endlich er am Ast des Todes, müd und flügel schwer, dann müssen sie zum letzen Blick verbeben. The magenta bird of the heart flies through night. The eyes of butterflies play tricks in the light, ahead of him where they sway in the day. Yet it is he, who brought them to their aim. Often they rest soon rise again to new flight. But finally he rests on the perch of death, heavy winged and tired, then they must with one last glance expire. SONG THREE Sterne, Ihr silbernen Bienen der Nacht um die Blume der Liebe! Wahrlich der Honig aus ihr hängt schimmernd an Euch. Lasset ihn tropfen ins Herz, in die goldene Wabe, füllet sie an bis zum Rand. Ach schon tropfet sie über, selig und bis ans Ende mit ewiger Süße durchtränkt. Stars, you silver bees of the night ‘round the flower of love! Lo, the honey from it hangs shimmering on you. Let it drip into the heart, into the golden honeycomb, and fill’eth it to the brim. Alas, already it drips over, blessed and to the end imbued with everlasting sweetness. Waebern writes twelve-tone music; he was a student of Schoenberg. It must be maddeningly difficult to sing, but Lucy Fitz=Gibbon performs it with aplomb. It is short, and interestingly, when it is performed this coming weekend, on Saturday, it will be performed twice: just before and just after the intermission. That will give the audience a chance to assimilate it a bit more fully.

Solomon Ge and Lucy Fitz-Gibbon.*************** (1)Paul Taylor Morgeson, DECONSTRUCTING WEBERN’S OP. 25, DREI LIEDER: A MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENT (University of North Texas, 2013).************** Following the Webern, there was a rehearsal of the beautiful and well-known Mozart, Seranade in E-flat Major,K. 375. This is written for a wind octet: two oboes, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons. It is very familiar, and I love hearing it again. One of the bassoonists is someone I sort of know: Rose Vrbsky, daughter of Judith Serkin, granddaughter of Rudolph Serkin. Rose's grandmother, Irene Serkin, attended the Guilford Church regularly during Shirley's pastorate, and became a close friend of Shirley's. Rose's aunt, Margie, is a regular attender to this day. We don't see Rose in church, but she has performed in orchestras which the Blanche Moyse Chorale sang with when I was a member. Rose has been playing the bassoon for many years!

The Mozart Octet.******************** SATURDAY AFTERNOON. We came back to Marlboro today to hear the entire Shostakovich String Quartet, and wow! what an amazing piece of music - heartwrenchingly beautiful and also daring and revolutionary. The musicians are extraordinary, as usual. I put away my computer and just gave myself over to the music. I'll try to research it a bit later today. Right now, they are warming up for the Mozart Seranade, such a different piece, but delightful in its own way.

The quartet playing Shostakovich.******************************* Earlier today we went to the Dummerston Church to sing in a choir for the funeral of Oscar P., a man in his eighties who died a week or two ago. We sang Abide With Me. and we sounded good, I think. Oscar came to church regularly, but started coming just a couple of years ago. I did not get a chance to know him.