December 18, 2004 at 4:51 PM

Two concerts in two days! This is my reward for working so hard this week.

Last night the Renyi Institute held a sort of Christmas/mathematical event which involved a lot of food and a concert by the Hungarian group "Musica Profana" which specializes in ancient music. Not only was I fascinated by seeing the Viola de Gamba and Viola de Amore live, but the two baroque violins were very intriging! I don't think I had ever heard the ancient-style gut strings live, but...goodness, it was like being transported back to the 17th and 18th centuries! They played a number of selections from their new CD and some Christmas songs. I think my favorite is the fantasia, it strikes me as being somewhere between a fugue and a Shakespearean sonnet.

This morning was a treat too. At the Liszt Ferenc Museum, Michael Hsu, a musician from Germany performed. Hsu is an exceptional performer on both the violin (which I was expecting to hear) and the piano (which I was not expecting to hear). The program (in Hungarian, sorry) is as follows:

Hindemith: Szólószonáta hegedûre, op. 31/2
Chopin: Polonéz-Fantázia, op. 61
Bloch: Baal Shem
Grieg: c-moll hegedû-zongora szonáta, op. 45/3

I'm afraid the Hindemith did not exactly enrapture me; but I think that's because I kept thinking it was Mozart and I became confused when it sounded like Bartok. I can be silly that way. I'm still not sure how I felt about the other two, but the Grieg was exquisite even thought the accompianist messed up once (in a way I'm very proud of myself when I catch a boo-boo in a performance; to me it means that my ear is training up).

Tonight at the Matyas Templom there will be a concert, but it probably isn't free and I don't expect it to be cheap. I also don't really like Szentmihaly as a violinist. The last time I saw him live, I found his stage presence...I don't know...he seemed to be harassing the orchestra members or dancing around like a jackbum at the times when he wasn't occupied with the solo in the Beethoven D-major Violin Concerto (and even when he was playing, I think my violin teacher did a better job of it when he played the Concerto's solo for his graduation from the Zeneakademia). Still, I don't think I have heard a violin played in a church before and anyhow, maybe I should give Szentmihaly a second chance at proving that he's a good performer. The concert is at 8:00pm. That gives me time to feed myself and practice a little before going. The playlist proclaims "D'Aquin, Bach, Händel, Corelli, Esterházy Pál, Schubert, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Reger, Hiller, C. Franck és Dvorak mûvei" so I think it should be good. I hope there are still seats left!

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December 18, 2004 at 4:51 PM

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