{"id":1072,"date":"2020-02-28T08:08:42","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T08:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/?p=1072"},"modified":"2020-02-28T08:17:20","modified_gmt":"2020-02-28T08:17:20","slug":"concierto-souvenir-romantico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/2020\/02\/28\/concierto-souvenir-romantico\/","title":{"rendered":"CONCIERTO \u00b4SOUVENIR ROM\u00c1NTICO\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MAKING NEW FRIENDS\nTHROUGH MUSIC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nreview<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to ignore the first minute of any phone calls from Maigret Marguerita as she is usually so excited we can\u00b4t follow a word she is saying, but after a while the story unfolded. She had seen a poster in Tias about a concert of piano and violin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\ndid what we always have to do with MM, and interrogated her with our \u00b4five bums\nat the bar\u00b4 kind of questions to clarify the information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who<\/strong> is playing we\nwondered. \u00b4Not sure, they were funny names. I don\u00b4t think they are Spanish.\u00b4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So,\nwhat<\/strong> sort of music did it say it\nwould be? \u00b4Piano and violin.\u00b4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When<\/strong> is it on, then?\n\u00b4Saturday 15th<\/sup> February.\u00b4 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\nhad to explain, then, that it would be impossible for us to get to as we, and\nshe and Iain, already had that date in our diary to see the eagerly anticipated\nMurray McLachlan and family giving a classical recital at the Camel House in\nMacher. Still, I soldiered on with my debriefing of MM and asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where<\/strong> is it on at?\n\u00b4In that building with a name we can\u00b4t pronounce and that we\u00b4ve never been able\nto find in Tias.\u00b4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why<\/strong> don\u00b4t you let\nDee (my wife) try and make some phone enquiries and see what she can find out?\n\u00b4That\u00b4s why I\u00b4ve phoned you !\u00b4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So\nI put Dee on the line to see whether she could extrapolate any further minutia\nthat might prove useful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\ncouple of hours later she was talking to somebody in a ticket reservation place\nwho seemed delighted to accept a reservation of four free tickets for Concierto\nSouvenir Romantica on Saturday 15th<\/sup> February at 8.00 pm in Salon\nIndieras in Tias. This would feature Iya Zhmaeva on violin and Natalijo\nNikolayeva at the piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nwould be tight but do-able as Murray\u00b4s recital was scheduled for 4.00 p.m. and\nlikely to finish at circa 6.oo pm leaving us enough time to drive to Tias and\nsee if we could grab a quick meal in The Kitchen, a new-ish English owned\nrestaurant on the main drag, and walk across town to where we would hope to\nfind the venue. (No, of course my wife hadn\u00b4t asked for directions on the phone,\ndon\u00b4t be so silly!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\njoy of our friendship with Margaret and Iain, though, is that they are as\nprepared as we are to follow sidetracks and detours all across the arts on a\nwing and a prayer, eating and drinking on the hoof as we do so, and being\ngrateful for whatever we stumble across. We had all really enjoyed the Murray\nMcLachlan family gala, previously reviewed on these pages, and now Dee and\nMargaret were tucking into bangers and mash that might not have been tapas but\nlooked terrific and Iain was feasting on a heck of a sized hamburger. I, being\nsomewhat more refined and cosmopolitan was devouring a duck pizza that was far\nmore delicious than it might sound; it all went down nicely with a couple of\nbeers and glasses of wine (between us) in a cosy atmosphere with friendly\nmanagement and staff. Suddenly though it was ten to eight and we had to dash so\nwe slapped the money on the table, grabbed our coats, shouted cheers and\nstepped out into the street. (No, of course we didn\u00b4t ask the English speaking\nstaff for directions, stop being so silly).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b4It\u00b4s\nover there, somewhere,\u00b4 pointed out our former Royal Navy Officer friend, as if\nhe had a tall ship and a star to steer her by. Over there seemed to be a long\nway behind some buildings that there didn\u00b4t seem to a way round. The little\nhand was on eight and the big hand on twelve as we arrived at the building we\nsuddenly all recognised, although we had never known it contained a concert\nroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ncharming and friendly counter staff pressed our tickets into our hands and\nshowed us into the small auditorium that was about two thirds full, suggesting\nan audience of about 120 and there were four seats still free in the middle of\nthe front row. They would do nicely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Iya Zhmaeva (left) & Natalija Niklayeva<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The\nmusicians stepped out as we sat down, and for the next hour or so we were taken\nto another world by two musicians who were enjoying the concert as much as we\nwere in the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing the violin, Iya Zhmaeva stood slightly to the fore, dressed in black trousers and top, and at the piano was Natalija Nikolayeva, resplendent in a bottle green evening gown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their\nfirst offering was from Beethoven\u2019s Sonata for violin and piano Opus 24 and it\nwas immediately apparent in the allegro how much they loved the pieces they\nwere playing. Iya swooping with the violin over \ncheerful, even jaunty piano motifs as they echoed each other\u00b4s\ninstruments. The adagio molto expressive with its familiar piano motif was full\nof call and response, and at times the violin was beautifully lonesome even as\nit shared its stories with the piano. There was perfect synchronisation between\nthe two instruments throughout the Scherzo and in the Rondo. piano and violin\nfrequently exchanged lead instrument roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nwas a warmth in the playing and in the pervasive atmosphere in the hall that\nsuggested to us that these two musici8nsa were somehow among friends, and the\ninstrumentalists were certainly relaxed enough to show their appreciation of\nthe music, , with Natalija in particular often smiling with delight at the\nnotes on her music sheets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nSouvenir d\u00b4un lieu cher, Opus 24 was delightful, with the violin leading the\nway in the skippy Melodia. A galloping piano took over in front in the Scherzo\nbefore the pace slowed and brought the section to an end with an almost audible\nsigh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nMeditacion drew a fuller sound from the violin and showcased some tumbling\npiano work from Natalia through varied melodies down to the angst of the\nclosing bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All\nthis was played out in front of a massive and colourful painting that seemed to\nbe a backdrop of Lanzarote culture, iuncluding camels, sea, sun, sand,\nmountains and artisans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four\npreludes from Opus 34 by Schostakovich gave us an exquisitely aching violin and\ndeep rumbling piano, before moving to the higher tempo of the allegretto, which\nincluded some effective pizzicato, flicked rather than plucked, on the violin\nbefore the piano and violin seemed to play almost in combat rather than\nconcord, with violin closing the piece in almost celebratory and victorious\nstyle. The Andantino had the violin lead us all in a stately dance, into which\nstepped a thunderous piano before it all then settled gain into dainty steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The closing piece was accredited in a listing I didn\u00b4t recognise, as being Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes by M. Weinberg. I had somehow never noted this composer of an output that included twenty two symphonies as well as more than forty film scores. There are fifteen compact discs of his work on the British record label Olympia and on line search engines reveal that his music is thought to have been influenced by Schostakovich and reveals Moldovian and Jewish ethnic influences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once\nagain, though, the shock of the new (to me) was wonderful and will cost me a\nfew quid on amazon or i tunes or some such as I try to find some recordings.\nTonight a lengthy piano introduction, expertly played, was interrupted by a\nswift, rhapsodic riff on the violin which, however, soon succumbed to\noverpowering and recurring piano refrains. The violin recovered, though, with a\nplucked pizzicato this time, that led to another flight of rhapsody which\nclosed the recital and immediately gave way to loud, prolonged applause and\ncries of bravo and more from the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ntwo female musicians seemed almost overwhelmed by this response but recovered\nwell enough to go through a little silent-comedy routine as they searched\nthrough scores and music sheets for an appropriate encore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
sheets for the polka<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

They served us a polka that in its joyful sounds seemed to echo their seemingly giddy delight in how well the concert had been received. We, too, were giddy with delight. Our second concert of the day had been as amazing as had been the first. This afternoon we had witnessed maestros at play at The camel House as Murray Mclachlan and his family gave us piano passages to die for, and tonight we had heard two players in a \u00b4secret\u00b4 little hall in Tias share with us their love of the music they were playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nmusicians in Tias, as well as the staff members and the audience created a\nwonderful atmosphere and we managed to grab a quick word with the violinist,\nthat led to a lovely little exchange of e mails, that all google-translated\ninto a fascinating interview, reproduced here below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHO is Iya\nZhmaeva, and how did she come to be in a musical partnership with a lady from\nCrimea, playing classical music on Lanzarote?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b4I’m\nRussian. I studied in Moscow at the University Of Gnessin, I did the \u00b4superior\nand then the postgraduate as a solo violinist with the same professor. During\nmy studies I always worked in some orchestra and at the end of my studies I got\na contract to play Celtic music in Lanzarote. Since 2003 I am in Lanzarote. \u00b4Five\nyears ago I met Natalija, when she came to my concert and was introduced to me.\nWe are both Russian and we liked the idea of playing together the next time she\nwas on Lanzarote. (She comes every year to Lanzarote. Natalija loves Lanzarote\n!)\u00b4 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT do you find\nso appealing about the combination of violin and piano and what do you and\nNatalija each bring to your partnership that makes it work so well?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is plenty of repertoire for violin and piano, from violin works as a soloist with the accompanying piano, to chamber music, as well as sonatas for violin and piano. Since we’re both Russian we love to play Russian music, which around here is actually played very, very little. We both studied using the Russian school method so it is easier for us to understand each other when interpreting the works.\u00b4\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHEN you play\ntogether as you did last night, are you constantly exploring what you can do\nwith the music you are playing, or do you remain faithful to the score.?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b4Yes.\nWe are totally faithful to the score as we have a lot of respect for the\ncomposer. In classical music, that’s the first thing. Now there may be\ndifferent versions and editions, but we always try if it is possible to search\nfor the original text.\u00b4 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHERE  has\nyour love of music taken you? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b4We\nhave now played together a few times and have included Russian composers in\nconcerts in Lanzarote, in Berlin, in Dresden, and in Frankfurt on the Oder. I\nalso played in various places with the Celtic music, including in South Korea.\nIn a \u00b4spiritual sense?\u00b4 Music reassures me, yes! Even when I’m nervous before a\nconcert, I take the violin and start to play review the works of the concert\nand I find myself gradually calming down.\u00b4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Natalija speaks with fans
after the recital<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

WHY, then, were you so obviously delighted to have performed in that hall last night? In what way was a small town theatre so special?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b4It\nwas the first time we played in that room and we loved it!  The first thing is the acoustics; the\nacoustics are very good. The violin sound seemed so soft when we played. It was\nvery nice to play there. It is a very cosy room I find, I hope we do more\nperformances there.\u00b4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nhere at all across the arts<\/em> hope that\nIya will give us advance notice of any further concerts she and Natalija perform\nhere on Lanzarote. If so, we will be sure to make sure we let all our readers\nknow about these two ladies who take so much joy in each other\u00b4s company and so\nmuch pleasure in sharing their country\u00b4s music with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So,\nafter taking months, nay years, to find out about this venue we turned up to\nsee our first gig there and immediately new friends. Iya and I have linked up\nof facebook to try to ensure we can keep our Sidetracks And Detours readers\nupdated on forthcoming performances. By strange coincidence we will be back at\nthe venue on March 7th<\/sup> to see a musical quartet going by the name of\nMaximum Ensemble. Tickets are still available from Salon Indieras on Calle La\nLuchada, (or by phoning 639 993 202) for only 15 euroes, so why not pop in and\nhave a listen too?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Maximum Ensemble<\/strong> appear on 7th March at the same venue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MAKING NEW FRIENDS THROUGH MUSIC A review. We tend to ignore the first minute of any phone calls from Maigret Marguerita as she is usually so excited we can\u00b4t follow a word she is saying, but after a while the story unfolded. She had seen a poster in Tias about a concert of piano and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","category-performing-arts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aata.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}