What a week

I have had a great week.

Monday, I went and saw Gentlemen Prefer Blondes at the HBO Bryant Park Summer Movie Festival.

Tuesday, I had a masterclass with the Shanghai Quartet followed by their concert. Their concert was breathtaking, especially Schubert's Death and the Maiden. The beginning of the second movement was where the real magic began. Their

understanding of the "Lachrymae-esque," choral was sensational. The colors they were able to achieve blew me away. At the end, does Death win over the Maiden? I have heard both sides of the story. Personally, I think Death has one last trick up his sleeves. The Tarantella was pristine! Crazy good, and they used such little bow on the shoe-shine stroke. So good.

Wednesday, I was able to sit in and observe the pit of Book of Mormon. I met Entcho, a crazy-awesome violin player. We talked about instrument makers, quirky pictures in Musician magazine (for 802 members), his improvisations of the score because the string can never b

e heard in pieces like (Haf Ta) Man Up and Spooky Mormon Hell Dream. It was really great to see all the professional musicians in action--how perfectly they played every single note, how one person is talented enough to play 10 different instruments from flutes, recorders, oboes to two types of saxes and more flutes, how jokes are played and the environment is fun. Anyway, I learned a great deal about perseverance and never giving up. All it takes is one good contact to change everything.

Thursday, I performed during Fresh Ground Pepper's Lay Miz which was a hodge podge of different acts interpreting the musical Les Miserables. To start off, it was on Bastille Day. Anyway, I opened the show with a solo viola arrangement I made from the nine minute material called "Prologue." I really enjoyed the arrangement I made, and it made the audience laugh. That was awesome. I have heard chuckles during my playing, but laughter is one I have never heard when playing a solo. A great change, most definitely. There were some amazing numbers. I thoroughly enjoyed this guy play Stars in a "douche-bag" arrangement on the guitar. He had a great voice. Also, the dance troupe that interpreted Bring Him Home... I was blown away by that number! It was creepy and sacrilegious while being very religious at the same time. It was beautiful. At the end, to bookend the show, I played an arrangement for violin solo I made of "Turning/Beggars at the Feast/Wedding." I loved how I made "Turning" into false-harmonics. Such a great, spooky touch. The whole event was a great success.

Friday, my quartet finally performed Brahms! I have enjoyed studying with Marion Feldman the Brahms A minor String Quartet. What a great, complicated work. I have really enjoyed getting to know the notes, the dynamics, the syncopations and the idiosyncrasies of Brahms. He is much like Bach. Also, both are EXTREMELY difficult. I feel like I played well, which is all I can ask for.

Saturday, I did a short recording session for Joe Moser. It was a short little piece, but I am happy to get back into recording.