I’m waiting for the recital to begin … one I definitely wanted to attend! Mingjia plays principal oboe in San Francisco opera and he’s a great musician … and he’s nice, too! I’ve not met Robert Walters, but I’m familiar with his fine playing and I’m pretty sure he’s one fine instructor.
They began with a duet not printed in the program. It is one I’ve played, but sure can’t remember what it is. Wonderful!
Mingjia is now playing the Britten Metamorphosis. I just love his sound. What a fine, fine musician.
~time lapse~
And really, did someone have a phone alarm set for 4:30 and did it go off during Niobe? Grumble.
~time lapse~
Next up an oboe and English horn duet by Alec Wilder. What a nice little work. If I did recitals these days I think it would be a fun one to do.
~time lapse~
Movements weren’t listed for the Wilder duet so no one applauded at the end. No one wants to be the one who applauds at the wrong time. Too funny.
Now it’s a Wilder work for English horn and piano, with Robert Walters on English horn. Again a work I don’t know. I like it!
~time lapse~
Mr. Walters just had the pianist lower the lid. I’m glad, as it was just a bit too heavy. (That should have been done at the morning recitals as well.) This Wilder is lovely.
Come to think about it, I wonder if this is on the Frank Sinatra conducts Alec Wilder (yes … really!) CD I have. Mitch Miller is the oboe/English horn player on that recording. Again … really! I think that was with strings, though. Now I’m going to have to pull that out.
~huge time lapse~
I had to wait to write about the final work, Britten’s Temporal Variations. Mingia played it, and it was simply amazing. It was done with projected visuals on a screen behind, and while it was amazing, it was also chilling. Terribly chilling. As it should be. (When one sees images of Hitler and all one shouldn’t feel comfortable.)
At the end the audience was silent.
Again, as it should be.
What a concert.
