We are at the Marlboro Music Festival for the second day. We just heard a a fantastic performance of Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brazilieras, No. 5., scored for soprano and eight cellos. We only counted seven cellos, so someone may have been ill. The concert is this coming Sunday, so maybe she or he will still have a chance. The soprano was Caitlin Aloia, and she is fabulous. She is a recent graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, and wow, does she have an incredibly beautiful voice, with an effortless style. This is a demanding piece, and she was just amazing. Marcy Rosen, who has been at Marlboro for years, led the cellists. They were great too - and the balance was perfect.
Yesterday, we heard the Mozart Piano Quartet in G Minor, K. 478 with Shai Wosner, piano; Maria Ioudenitch, violin; Tanner Menees, viola; and Oliver Herbert, cello. It is a beautiful piece, and it was performed flawlessly and with passion. This is not surprising. Everything at the Marlboro Music Festival is done as well as one can imagine it being done. But we were particularly struck by the incredible sound of the Israeli pianist, Shai Wosner. He was beyond belief in the smoothness, the silkiness, the perfectly flowing sound. He is internationally renowned, so I guess this perfection is, again, no surprise. But still - to actually hear music played that well is an incredible gift.
Here are my photos of the two groups:
No comments:
Post a Comment