We finally got rain in Central Kentucky after a dry April and early May. Five inches! It may turn dry again. There is no telling. Feast or famine?
There was, for one weekend at least (May 22nd-24th), a feast of music and blooms not hindered by rain. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center came to nearby Shaker Village. Nine world-class musicians, led by Wu Han and her husband David Finckel returned to Meadowview Barn for the 19th year for a classical range of Duets to Octets. These cats are pros.
Wu Han made a point of telling the audience how much the musicians love coming to Shaker Village, surrounded by nearly 3000 acres in the rolling Bluegrass. Nowhere else in the world do they play in an old tobacco barn with a uniquely appreciative crowd.
(L-R): Benjamin Beilman, Sean Lee, Jonathan Swensen, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt and Paul Neubauer following Mozart’s Quintet in B-flat major for Two Violins, Two Violas and Cello, K. 174 (1773)
Birdsong and rain drumming on a metal roof
Zoltan Kodaly’s Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7 was inspired by Hungarian folk songs that “employed a scale of five pitches that includes two large gaps between notes in the sequence and no tight half steps…”
I have no idea what this means. I can barely tune a guitar, but the Saturday piece was emotionally intense, and Sean Lee (Violin) and Jonathan Swensen (Cello) were magnificent.
A sliver of blue sky came out behind the Meadowview Barn before the Sunday finale
Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-Flat major for Strings, Op. 20, took the cake, for the late Sunday afternoon finale. Three hundred music fans and friends stood up and cheered.
Meanwhile, back in Salvisa, twenty-five minutes away, the foliage of clary sage, with flowering Sputnik Allium, prickly pear cactus, Asclepias purpurea and bear’s breeches had been soaked but looked inspired.
Zoltan Kodaly’s Duo for Violin and Cello is Opus 7 (not Op. 17).
As for the “five pitch[ scale]” the composer used a pentatonic (whole tone) scale with five notes per octave (in contrast to heptatonic scales, which have seven notes per octave, such as the major scale and minor scale).
Linus, thanks for helping me out on the five pitch scale. A good cellist would know…I’ve made the Opus correction. Best wishes.
Sigh. Beautiful place, lovely program, extraordinary musicians all.Thanks, Allen, for posting such a wonderful event!
Sarah, I hope you’re still playing your baby grand.
I live in Northern Virginia, home of The Barns at Wolf Trap. Wu Han was the artistic director for two years, and with David Finckel, et al., created a series of extraordinary musical experiences. It makes me very happy to read how much they were appreciated by your audience.
Patti, they must like barns! Yes Wu Han is not only a gifted pianist, but also a great storyteller and entertainer. She and David Finckel are brilliant.
Musicians in a barn in the middle of the bluegrass, with rain. Sublime!
5 inches of rain! Delightful.