Great Gig! Fun Weekend!

We played Friday night, the gig was fun. It was a party hosted by one of our members, and we had food, conversation, music, and lots of fun.

We played
--a tango...can't remember what it was
--"Meditation" from Thais, a violin solo with a bunch of us pretending to be the harp accompaniment
--Vivaldi "Summer"
--a Mozart bassoon and cello duet (I got to be the bassoon!)
--Dvorak's "American" quartet

We played really well. Our unison parts in the Vivaldi rocked. I nailed my solo bits in the Dvorak!!! It was very exciting. I like this group because no matter what happens we manage to stay together. There were times when we all saved each other, like the time our first violinst sotto voce told me what measure number we were in when it was clear to him that I was a little lost.

A group of Chinese exchange students came to the party. They literally had just arrived - a friend of our host's son called and asked if he could bring them over. They looked like they enjoyed the music, and took pictures with all of us before they left.

I was very tired on Saturday but was hosting our Saturday group (not the same people who played the night before) but the funny thing was that one of our violists (who attended to listen but not play) said that she had spent time with the Chinese exchange students, who asked if the party was a typical American gathering. Don't we wish that every party had a group playing chamber music!

we had a quintet on Saturday and a lot of fun playing. We started and ended with string trios from Hadyn (people come and go in this group). We played a Bruckner quintet (2 violins, 2 violas, cello) which I had never heard before. It had some really lovely bits and the slow movement was fantastic. Then our violists doubled up and we read the Sibelius "voces intimae" quartet, which I wasn't familiar with but again, just amazing harmonies throughout.

Our Sunday group took the day off after the Friday gig, so I had time to practice! I have a lot to practice; my teacher said that next week he wants to record me playing Bach Arioso and Rachmanioff Vocalise - we haven't recorded me playing that in about a year and I'm playing so much better than a year ago - it will be really cool to hear the difference!