I have just come home from an absolutely WONDERFUL Maiastra concert and just have to urge anyone who lives in or near Cobham Surrey to go to the free repeat concert on Sunday 7th Dec 25 (tomorrow) at 4pm at St Andrew's Church. I'll be there again! Schulhoff 'Five pieces for string quartet, Smetana string quartet no 2 and Beethoven 'the Harp' quartet - really exciting and impressive works.
After an intensive week long course, three brilliant music students (Yixuan Kassia Ren, violin, Jemimah Quick, viola and Gabriel Webb - cello) performed with the amazing course coach, Bartosz Woroch who led on 1st violin and they somehow just played 'as one' ... chords melting into the next chord - virtuosic passages played apparently effortlessly in every work (note to self: just practise those scales Helen!) - subtle changes of tempi / rubato all precisely together - the changes in dynamics perfectly executed - beautiful - and even the silences were perfect.
I loved every movement - but perhaps my favourite was the 2nd movement of the Beethoven - adagio ma non troppo. Being on the front row (a perk of being there very early!) I could see Bartosz almost wince at the beauty of those chords (and I admired his lovely jacket)! What a privilege to have been there - the audience was just buzzing at the end! Hope to see some of you there tomorrow!
