More musical pleasures...

Heard another musical great late last Sunday afternoon:

Murray Peraiha, the fabulous pianist, played a fairly conservative recital, i.e. two Bach Partitas (no 1 in b major, BWV 825; and no 4 in d major, BWV 828), alternating with two Beethoven Sonatas (no 12 op 26, a flat major; and no 15 op 28 in d major, "Pastorale").

Conservative or no, I thoroughly enjoyed the Bach pieces, which I both know well. Having Bach and Beethoven in alternation was a bit much, however, and I felt myself drifting off into musings completely unrelated to the music, especially during the Beethoven pieces.

But Peraiha is an extremely accomplished musician and the whole thing was absolutely breathtaking. He received a standing ovation at the end, which is rare in Berne, and which prompted him to play an encore (Jeux d'enfants or Jeu d'enfant - he did not specify the composer, but it was a bravura piece that had nothing simple or child-like about it.) Again, he had almost the entire audience literally jump out of their seats for a standing ovation and enthusiastic applause. Well deserved!

I love watching almost any pianist perform -- having played the piano very badly for several years as a young girl probably helps me appreciate all the more just how amazing some of these greats are, both in classical or jazz music.

Came back to work on Monday and booked seats for a couple more concerts at the same venue (the concert hall of Zentrum Paul Klee -- another absolutely must-see place for anyone visiting Berne!), one in late February, one in late April next year. Not like me at all to make such long-term plans, most uncharacteristic. I can only hope that there will be no surprises along the way...

Now that I've heard Murray Peraiha, I'd really like to hear Angela Hewitt perform live! Ah, I'll die the day I have no more desire to do something wonderful and then top that by doing something even more wonderful...