Last night my youngest daughter and I went to a cello concert, where we listened to world class artist Amit Peled play. My girl plays cello, so this was a great opportunity for her to see a master at work. I could write about it for a long time, but here's the thing that stuck with me: He played the theme from Schindler's List.
He played it first on a tour of the Midwest, because a woman who organized the events asked him to, especially. He googled the music, thinking at the time that it was kitschy for a classical artist to play a movie theme (though he liked the movie). But as he went over the music he discovered he loved it, and when he played it on the cello last night, it was even more heartbreaking than it is on the violin.
I'm glad that somebody at his level is willing to recognize art wherever it happens. Artists--writers included--are sometimes snobbier than they need to be. We forget that Shakespeare wrote for the masses and opera composers wrote arias hoping that delivery boys would be able to pick them up and sing them in the streets. It was advertising in the days before radio.
I'll close with a YouTube video of Amit Peled playing Prayer by Ernest Bloch. It was his encore number last night. He had a different accompanist in the event I attended (Noreen Polera--the pianist never gets enough credit), but both performances are wonderful.
He played it first on a tour of the Midwest, because a woman who organized the events asked him to, especially. He googled the music, thinking at the time that it was kitschy for a classical artist to play a movie theme (though he liked the movie). But as he went over the music he discovered he loved it, and when he played it on the cello last night, it was even more heartbreaking than it is on the violin.
I'm glad that somebody at his level is willing to recognize art wherever it happens. Artists--writers included--are sometimes snobbier than they need to be. We forget that Shakespeare wrote for the masses and opera composers wrote arias hoping that delivery boys would be able to pick them up and sing them in the streets. It was advertising in the days before radio.
I'll close with a YouTube video of Amit Peled playing Prayer by Ernest Bloch. It was his encore number last night. He had a different accompanist in the event I attended (Noreen Polera--the pianist never gets enough credit), but both performances are wonderful.
I love the sound of cello music. Haunting and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWhere was this? I am sorry I missed out.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, all strings seem to be a direct line to my emotions, but the cello has an especially strong pull--probably because my daughter plays it.
ReplyDeleteTTL, it was in the new recital hall at USU, and part of the Wasserman Festival.
Wow! What a wonderful music, Jolynne! It was a pleasure to listen.
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing me to this wonderful artist