I attended Natachia Yung-Chiang Li's cello recital this afternoon. This week had been intense and I felt like I had been writing papers all week. To attend this recital on a roasting Friday afternoon in a cool auditorium was refreshing to the body and spirit.
There were a couple of things I really enjoyed which had nothing to do with the music. The first was that we began with a prayer. What better way to prepare to enjoy beautiful music than to invite the Spirit to be there. The second was the cartoon and Sudoku puzzle on the back of the program. I think it showed the musician's personality and appreciation for the audience to include that. While waiting for the performance to begin, and during the breaks, the audience had another type of entertainment.
The performance itself was wonderful. You know when you attend a performance of some kind and you are kind of anxious for the performers, maybe they make a small mistake or two, or seem kind of nervous, and you really feel for them? This was not like that at all. Last week at the ballet performance, I felt that for the performers there. It makes it a little harder to enjoy the performance, when you are worried for them. This was very professional and so enjoyable. Natachia and her accompanist were very accomplished musicians. I was able to totally relax and just enjoy the music. There is something about classical music, and music without words in general that allows you to completely interpret the music in your own personal way. Natachia's music invoked a multitude of emotions. Some pieces felt like a carefree summer afternoon at the park. One piece felt like climbing a mountain, with some difficult passages and ultimately the reward of the beauty of the view. One piece was quite varied with different sounds, different tempos, and different cords. This piece made me think of my daughter with two small children, and how hectic and sometimes chaotic life can be, but ultimately it is marvelously beautiful.
I came away totally refreshed from a week of writing.
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This is a wonderful analysis. I love your interpretations of the songs. Especially the one about climbing a mountain. I can imagine what that might have sounded like.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to go to this recital, but I was busy with ward and friends. I love the cello. When I first learned what a cello really is and the sound it can make, I fell in love with it. It sounds like you really liked it and I should have gone! Oh, well too late! :D
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you enjoyed your experience at the recital. I was going to go, but had car problems and I'm kind of disappointed. I really enjoyed the way you talked about the performance.
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting reading different blogs about the same recital. That one piece, that starts harsh and ends 'rewarding' us with beauty (great imagery) was in someone else's blog. I think that's the great part of classical music; it is really what you bring to the performance that allows the music to expound upon it.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the cello, so I was very sad that I had to miss this recital. There really is something about that type of music that makes you relax and think more clearly. It is so refreshing.
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