Playing music with a good friend of mine

A week ago, I had a pleasant ensemble practise with the violinist lady whom I had had many opportunities of ensemble with for the past 2 decades. I have mentioned of her in this blog in the past. She was only a music university student when I asked her to play some piano trio together with one of my old friends since med school days. She was a beautiful and a bit shy girl. It still remains a question to be answered why she said OK to my proposal for an ensemble at that time. With such unskillful and middle aged guy. Anyway, I have had a lot of fun with ensembles with her for such a long time. During this period of time, she has graduated the music university and has found a chance to go to Germany for further study in music. Coming back home some 10 years ago, She kindly played a variety of ensembles together with me again. It was a high light for my music life that we had practised the Nr2 piano trio in C Dur by BrahmS. It took us a year to complete all 4 movements. She has got married after that and was blessed with a couple of daughters in 2 year span. This photo was taken at a concert where we played a part of that trio. Almost ten years ago. The right person is the violinist.

It was the 1st time for me to see both daughters. Lovely ones. While we practised the ensemble, her husband had taken care of the elder one while her mother, coming from a city nearby, caring for the new baby. I was thankful to both of them a lot. We have played a couple of Canons from the Art of the Fugue by Bach. The famous piece, which is thought to be Bach's very last cmposition, unrolls a variety of techniques of Fugue. Each fugue sounds one of the best musics ever composed in the history. I have enjoyed this fugue arranged for a violin and a cello. It was thrilling to go through those canons. I could not help feeling that this genre of composition, fugue, is not only a music category but also an expression more profound and more basic to our lives than any other categories. I have enjoyed it very much. The other piece we practised was the Nr1 piano trio in D moll by Mendlessohn. Only 1st movement. My niece wanted to play it with us at a concert in September. I have already played it with this violinist at a few concerts in the past. It was to remember of the music with her. Not much stress or problems to go through it as if we talked on the good old days with her. 

We have had a pleasant lunch together with her husband and mother after the session. We have talked on family members, gardening, farming and raising kids etc. What a wonderful time she has prepared for me. I could not be more thankful to her.

When I put the cello in the hard case, I have the tripod for recording machine fallen on the back board of the cello. I got paled. It looked like hollowing out a hole! It turned out to be just compression on the board and nothing was core out then later by an instrument technician. That story follows in the next post.

Anyway, playing music with such a good friend like her is an origin of pleasure in life, I was convinced again.