Enchante Baby in August
The Enchante' String Quartet will be performing a free concert in Alameda tonight! We are playing at the Crosstown Coffeehouse at 7 pm. On the program will be the Villa Lobos Bachiannis Brasilieras, the Beethoven opus18 #4 String Quartet, and piece by our friend Durwynne. It's exciting. Although we play for weddings and parties and everything else you can imagine, we have not performed a recital in a long time.
We have been getting all the rehearsal time in that we can, although it is certainly not enough. The pieces are coming along but there are still alot of rough spots. The Beethoven is just very intense and it takes alot of concentration and brute strength to get through. The Bachiannis is lovely and flowing and a treat, I think. But Durwynne's piece has been a complete struggle and a joy combined. What a great thing to play a piece like this that was written by a peer.
We all love the Durwynne String Quartet, but it is very difficult. It is filled with energetic rhythmic shifting meter motifs that we sometimes get and sometimes don't. The other side to the music is this lovely Barber-like, VaughWilliamsesque twisty turny bittersweet melodic material. It's beautiful and we love putting it all together.
Our group has an awesome new violinist named Anthony Blea. Anthony is a very fine musician and he's a fun guy to work with. So far we have all worked together pretty well. No major fights, and everyone feels pretty good about the group.
Playing in a string quartet can at times be like being married to three people. You have to make important decisions together and you don't always agree. What pieces should we play? Where should we be performing? How much money should we ask for? How fast should this piece be? What should the bowing be? What should we wear? What should our business card look like?
These can all seem like life and death decisions at any given moment...
After tonight's performance at the coffehouse we will all go out for some dinner and then head on over to KPFA studios in Berkeley where we will be interviewed on Doug Edward's radio show "Ear Tyme". The show is so late it's difficult to stay up for. We will be cramming into a sound booth and performing a few pieces to promote our upcoming recital on August 31st at the Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland. To find out more information about this recital, you can check my website at www.marciebrown.com and click on the groups page.
And now, I have to go practice for tonight's performance!
We have been getting all the rehearsal time in that we can, although it is certainly not enough. The pieces are coming along but there are still alot of rough spots. The Beethoven is just very intense and it takes alot of concentration and brute strength to get through. The Bachiannis is lovely and flowing and a treat, I think. But Durwynne's piece has been a complete struggle and a joy combined. What a great thing to play a piece like this that was written by a peer.
We all love the Durwynne String Quartet, but it is very difficult. It is filled with energetic rhythmic shifting meter motifs that we sometimes get and sometimes don't. The other side to the music is this lovely Barber-like, VaughWilliamsesque twisty turny bittersweet melodic material. It's beautiful and we love putting it all together.
Our group has an awesome new violinist named Anthony Blea. Anthony is a very fine musician and he's a fun guy to work with. So far we have all worked together pretty well. No major fights, and everyone feels pretty good about the group.
Playing in a string quartet can at times be like being married to three people. You have to make important decisions together and you don't always agree. What pieces should we play? Where should we be performing? How much money should we ask for? How fast should this piece be? What should the bowing be? What should we wear? What should our business card look like?
These can all seem like life and death decisions at any given moment...
After tonight's performance at the coffehouse we will all go out for some dinner and then head on over to KPFA studios in Berkeley where we will be interviewed on Doug Edward's radio show "Ear Tyme". The show is so late it's difficult to stay up for. We will be cramming into a sound booth and performing a few pieces to promote our upcoming recital on August 31st at the Pro Arts Gallery in Oakland. To find out more information about this recital, you can check my website at www.marciebrown.com and click on the groups page.
And now, I have to go practice for tonight's performance!
posted by Marcie Brown | 7:43 AM
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