A Stunning Concert

As the crowd finally stops talking, she comes out on stage. She's wearing a light red, sequened dress coat with a silver irridescent gown behind. She is always dressed to kill. She places a small hankercheif in just inside the piano and adjusts for the beginning of her recital.

This is Dubravka Tomsic, a Slovenian pianist that is still a "recent" return to the American recital scene. She was gone for 30 years performing in Europe and returned in 1989. And my guess is that she's in her late 60's or early 70's.

The opening piece is "Adagio in B Minor, K, 540" by Mozart. This is a solemn piece, played beautifully and utterly timelessly. From the first note, she commands the recital hall. The beauty in the lines of the Adagio are moving and illustrate the artistry she possesses.

The second set of works are four Sonatas by Scarlatti. Each Sonata is a short character piece that she plays with incredible clarity and virtuosity. Scarlatti's Sonata's are great students pieces, but in the hand of a master pianist, they take on a new character. Lines flow into lines, as the pianist moves from octave to octave.

Next, is the "Sonata No. 3 in A Minor, Op 28" by Prokofiev. For those of you unfamiliar with classical music, Prokofiev is a contemporary composer. His music isn't always perfectly tonal, but he writes with a passion that transcends our Western need for resolution at every turn. This Sonata is written on a theme based on E-C-H-E, a last name of a girl Prokofiev was observing one day. This is something that many composers have done in the past, like using Bach's name to compose a simple theme. We can get into what the letter "h" represents later...

The passion written into Prokofiev's simple theme comes alive from note one. Amazingly enough, we're not even through with the first half!

Srebotnjak's "Macedonian Dances" are next. Interestingly enough, these pieces were composed by Tomsic's husband. The five short movements pass quickly but you can imagine folk dancers appearing on stage just off in the background.

Intermission - a time for the audience to take their breath. I wonder what happens behind stage as she prepares for the second half. I think back to my college senior recital...I sat back stage and took deep breaths, imagining the music flowing in the next half. And, I prayed...a lot.

A large round of applause annouces the next segment in our adventure through music. Now, it's time for Brahms. Four Intermezzo's from his "Klavierstucke." These movements are small windows into Brahms very being. You feel this as she plays them. At times, you wish you could escape his troubling thoughts, and at other times, you relax - enveloped by warm melodies. The final Rhapsody is vivacious and lively.

Finally we come to the last work on her program - the Beethoven. I love Beethoven. This is the "Appassionata Sonata" truely known as "Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57." This work is a full culmination of what makes Dubravka Tomsic a fantastic pianist. Imagine a melodic line frantically climbing up the keyboard that ends in the most beautiful, soft, melody. This is Beethoven being played at its best. I love how the second movement moves from a frantic repeated note, to an Andante melodic line. Time flys as you listen, then all of the sudden, a chromatic dissonant arpeggio announces the start of the 3rd movement. Here, Beethoven tells the pianist "Allegro, ma non troppo," which is to say, "Fast, but not too much." Up and down she flys across the keys lifting beautiful lines and passionate statements from the high register to the deep low register. And to top it off, Beethoven finishes in true style as the piece drives faster and faster to 3 huge final chords.

Ever seen the audience leap to their feet? I did...and I did. Mrs. Tomsic is truely a class act. She commands such presence on the stage without being overly showy and overly dramatic. She allows the music to speak the passion and fire that must be welling up inside of her.

The classical music scene in Kansas City is vibrant!

It's going to take me a while to fall asleep tonight.

Truely - thank you.

Having a cause...

Do you remember the days of high school, and having a cause? I remember those days. At our 10 year class reunion, one of my classmates remarked that his mom told him once, "If you come home with one more cause..." This was near to an unfortunate incident when he and I ended up in ISS over an inablility to keep our mouths shut. It was, however, a cause that put us there.

In my first post, I mentioned that we attended a series of 4 one-act plays at a local high school recently. The second play, "Stark Drama" is a commentary on our prison system. The author, Michael V. McGee wanted us to think about the amount of time someone on death row spends sitting in jail awaiting their final day. Now, this play is full of your typical stereotypes like the inept guard, the touchy-feely pastor who quotez useless Bible verses, the hysterical mother, crooked politicians, power-hungry lawyers, etc... What caught my eye was the way the student director signed her synopsis. Her name, a small drawn heart, and the quote "I think, therefore I am."

That quote comes from Rene Descartes, a French philosopher, mathematician, scientist, and writer from the late 1500's and early 1600's. I realize that in my first post, I took his statement out of context by finishing it as though it were an incomplete sentence. He simply meant, that because he thought, he existed.

So the student director made her point - her drama provoked thought. Thought about high school kids always having a cause. But what happens when high school ends? Where do the causes go? Do I still have a cause now?

Yes. In high school and college we need those causes to get our critical thinking juices flowing. Then, we need to educate our selves so we can effectivly stand for those causes when the time comes. I was thinking personally about the cause for Christ. Would I take the same stance I did that day in the library and stand for my freedom to declare my beliefs? Would I ever be that bold?

The answer is that I must be. I didn't turn in my cause or my boldness when I thanked someone for my diploma - it meant that I have the means to really discover what I stand for. So, I'm glad we went to the night of one-acts and had the chance to be provoked to thought.

I think, therefore I have the chance to do something about it. Sorry Rene.

Trying this thing out...

Thought is an incredible thing, isn't it. I've been thinking about what things make us think. Not that I want to get deeply psychological - but just what is it that provokes thought. The other day we went to a series of one-act plays put on at Blue Springs South (more on those at another time). At the end of one of the synopsis' was this "I think therefore I am." I am what??

I am...intrigued and excited.

Remember - you can't take everything too seriously - this is scherzo.