Just a quick post on some of the music performances I've been able to see here.
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1) A long time ago, Brendan had a friend of his come to Cambridge for a couple days. This friend, Dan Masterson, is spending his summer, just touring around Europe and singing different gigs, trying to promote a CD that he just came out with. Anyways, while Dan was in Cambridge, he gave a group of us a private concert. It was really good. He sang a bunch of songs from his CD (mostly piano-pop), as well as did a couple covers (i.e. Bruno Mars). It was fun--just a close group of friends, listening to some good music. Here's a link to what he sings, if you were interested. I really enjoyed it.
http://danmasterson.bandcamp.com/album/the-father-time-ep
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2) A couple weeks ago, Rob and I were walking to Kings Library to do some studying. Graduation was going on. Therefore, there were lots of people (although only fellows&their guests) walking on the grass, lots of people strutting around in fancy clothing, and lots of celebrating going down. We got to Kings just in time to watch the fireworks show that was going on. After the show, we went to the library, only to find that it was restricted to only fellows that night (there was a special exhibition going on). We were walking back towards the gate, when we ran into Manana, who told us that there would be an organ concert going on in the Kings Chapel. We walked to the chapel. Only fancily-dressed people were going in, so we asked the lady at the door if we were allowed to enter. She paused for a moment, then nodded.
We could go in, if we weren't too conspicuous.
We walked in. The chapel just took my breath away. It was very dimly lit, lots of candles. There were maybe a max of 30 people in the entire chapel at a time. Men in tuxes would escort their lady friends in cocktail dresses down the aisles, looking back at the incredible sculpture work, fan vaulted ceiling, architectural features, while listening to the beautiful, throbbing organ. There were lights positioned in a certain way so that the shadow of an angel was cast perfectly in front of the choir screen. The music was surreal. We sat down. All I could do was close my eyes and listen. I've never heard anything like it. The organ was so powerful that it managed to fill and reverberate around the entire chapel. After the organ stopped and everybody left, we walked all the way up to the east end, where there was a beautiful painting of the Savior. It was so silent, with the candles still flickering in the darkness, that all I could hear was our footsteps as we approached. Somehow, words just didn't seem to fit. So we just walked and looked and absorbed, until we were told that we needed to leave because the chapel was closing.
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3) I never got to hear Evensong in Kings Chapel. The Kings Chapel choir left on tour the week after we got there. However, I did get to see Evensong in Great Saint Mary's, which is a charming parish church in Cambridge. I had seen signs on the wrought iron fences surrounding all the churches advertising this particular even song--the Rhooden Boys Choir from the Netherlands would be singing. As we walked into the chapel, we got handed a little book, so that we could follow along. It was lovely. I was sitting in the second row from the front. The Boys Choir was incredible--the little boys just blew my mind, not to mention, they were adorable. There was some reading, some singing, some standing, some kneeling, some sitting, some praying, some reading, some pondering, all worshiping. So cool. Loved it. My favorite part? The fantastic wink that one of the little boys threw me at the very end as they all solemnly filed down the aisle. What a kid.
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4) Vivaldi has been haunting Katelyn and I since Rome, where we bought tickets to see a Vivaldi concert...and ended up not being able to go because our train left earlier than we thought. That was the second time we had double-booked something. Since then, we've seen Vivaldi advertised everywhere. When I first saw the posters in Cambridge, I just knew I had to go. And then one day, Caroline reminded me during dinner that Vivaldi was going down that very night. We persuaded Sean to come with us--and all three of us walked to Kings Chapel. We bought our tickets--we got the cheapest tickets, so we would be sitting in the choir seats, behind the performers. We would only be able to see their backs.
It ended up being a wonderful decision.
Being right behind the performers meant that we could hear everything great. We were also practically alone (maybe 30 other people in our half of the chapel), so there was less distraction. We could see the profiles of the violinists as they swayed and lived in their music.
I can't explain how beautiful Kings Chapel is. It just is. It's breath-taking in the day time. But somehow, it's magical at night. It was magical when we listened to the organ concert, and it was magical as we listened to Vivaldi. We listened to some of his concertos, as well as The Four Seasons. And we watched as the stained glass windows became ablaze with the setting sun, and then grew darker and darker, until only the tracery and sculpture on the walls could be seen by the dim light in the chapel.
The Four Seasons has always enthralled me, at least since I could really appreciate classical music. Somehow, it manages to capture the essence of being in each of those seasons. We could see the profiles of the violinists, swaying and moving, and almost living in their music. As an observer, one would be hard-pressed to not do the same.
Here's how the classical notes website put it:
"...first greets Spring with a profusion of birds, the breath of gentle breezes, a murmuring stream, swaying plants, a goatherd lulled to sleep and shepherds holding a celebratory bagpipe dance. Summer brings torrid heat, buzzing insects and a violent storm; Fall a harvest celebration and a hunt; and Winter chattering teeth, stamping feet, slipping on ice, shelter by an inside fire and, for a zesty conclusion, a howling windstorm. Not only are the individual verses printed in the score alongside the music they are intended to depict but Vivaldi adds further phrases ("the barking dog," "the tears of the peasant boy," "the drunkard") to clarify specific allusions. His music depicts some rather literally (accurate imitations of specific bird calls and pizzicato raindrops) and others metaphorically (dissonance to underline a winter chill, rapid scales to portray swirling winds.) While all this may sound like a dry schematic for a sound effects track, it all fits musically and centuries later is still enthralling to hear and enjoy. While the Four Seasons may have originated as a routine assignment for his girls to play once, Vivaldi clearly poured his heart and soul into this work."
http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics/vivaldi.html (accessed 8/9/2011).
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I've only listened to a fraction of the musical opportunities that are here in Cambridge. It's kind of sad, but I'm still glad I got to hear what I did. Ahhh. Just thinking about it. Makes me smile.
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