cartoon music and even some brass!

There I was at TUMC again, but this was one of the original five for me.

As I'd said then, I like to have a bit of classical with my SMF.

(smile!)

I knew Philip Dukes would certainly deliver on that score, and he'd have some fine friends along to keep things lively, as became parlor music.

This first concert was called a "Schubertiade", as it featured multiple pieces from that 19th century composer and no one else.

Dukes even had a pre-concert talk with a representative from Georgia Public Radio about the music for today, as well as a goodly bit on his personal instrument, a viola d'amore.

Then, we were off!!!

 

He was joined on stage by Sebastian Knauer (piano), Joseph Conyers (bass), Keith Robinson (cello), and Benny Kim (violin)

The five were exactly what was needed for the "Trout" Quintet, written by a 22-year-old composer in 1819 whilst on holiday with friends.

The fourth movement was actually based on a song that Schubert had written, "Die Forelle", which literally means "The Trout".

No wonder, then, that it was so lively and captured so well the fleet movements of such a fish!

Definitely the work of a young man, full of vim and vigor!

How incredible that he died just a decade later.

As for this collection of five movements, I kept flashing on music from the "Bugs Bunny Cartoon Hour" just the day before - a nice inside joke!!!

Then we broke for intermission and a rearrangement, and addition, of chairs on the stage.

Schubert's one and only Octet required that number of players, with a nice contingent of horns!

Robin Ashwell swapped in for Dukes on viola, with Eric Kim manning the cello this time.

Adam Barnett-Hart and Brendan Speltz took the violin parts; the bass man, Conyers, was the only carryover from the first half of the concert.

Then there's Michael Collins on clarinet, Jonathan Davies on bassoon, and young Tim Jones positioned between them on his solo horn, which looked for all the world like a classy bong.

So, there's the eight players for the six parts of the hour-long Octet!

(smile!)

Yeah, it sounds like there's a joke in there somewhere, doesn't it?

Please feel free to make your own!

(smile!)

What role had I in all this?

Well, I can say this much: it precluded my dancing to any of the music.

I was positioned right up front, stage-side, to monitor the door that led to the bathrooms.

As this venue was a very old church, its heavy doors tended to make quite the racket.

That meant I was the last to move before the music started and the first to move when it stopped, to open that door to let folks through (counting as they went to make sure none were stranded in the loo), and to make sure it was closed when the last listener ambled back in to the synagogue.

Whew!

Still, I'm glad Daniela gave me that post.

What a view I had of the orchestra!

(smile!)