Plan b on Park Road in West Hartford was the bait I needed to persuade The Reet to accompany me to The Ahn Trio concert tonight at the Asylum Hill Congregational Church. It's predictably crowded on a Friday afternoon, but time is on our side, yes it is. We people-watch as we wait our turn, occasionally gazing up at the news of Hillary being our next Henry Kissinger. Finally summoned, we squeeze into a table by the back of the bar, ordering up a burger to split; two burgers, however delicious (and they ARE delicious), are too much for us. We don't want to be off our game for the Ahns!
Born in Seoul, South Korea, and educated at Juilliard in New York City, the Ahn Trio - sisters Maria, Lucia, and Angella - is redefining the art and architecture of chamber music. "A dominant musical gene has obviously left its imprint on the sisters Ahn." - The Los Angeles Times.We arrive at Asylum Hill way too early, immediately spotting the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, an impressive structure designed by Roman Catholic architect Patrick C. Keely of Brooklyn in 1865. We park, walk around to the front. Two lines, we're informed. To the left for those bearing tickets, to the right for those not. We're not. We settle into the back of the still-sparse right line, performing our duty to inform arriving concertgoers of their line choice. At 7:30 (the concert is scheduled for eight), the left door opens and everyone files in. A man appears, laughing, and tells us we are invited in the left door too. Apparently, these were old rules no longer in effect!
Not to worry, we are early enough to plunk down our two twenties at the admission table, obtain our programs and snap up aisle seats in the front of the church. A grand piano is center stage, positioned just deep enough to allow two chairs, two music stands, one microphone in front. Excellent seats, Reet. Literally, they have cushions! The church quickly fills in behind us as we wait, fidget, read our programs. I note that one of the pieces to be performed,
Yu Riung, was composed by jazz guitarist Pat Metheny for the sisters.
A gentleman identifying himself as the minister of music (understatedly, not in the sense of
Godfather of Soul) appears to commence the concert, relating that he was the MC at an Ahn Trio concert ten years ago in Florida. After some obligatory announcements, the visually stunning Ahn sisters enter from the right and parade onto the stage: elder twins Maria (cello), Lucia (piano) and younger sister Angella (violin). Once settled in, violinist Angella becomes the spokessister for the trio, thanking us, prefacing each piece with some personal history, charmingly hawking Ahn Trio cds ("You really don't have to...but you should!").
(ed. note: rudely interrupted by my heart over the weekend, but back in the saddle)
The performance is wonderful, from the four-movement
Divertissement for Violin, Cello and Piano by Russian composer
Nikolai Kapustin (not to be confused with
Vladimir Putin, who rears his head and comes into Alaskan airspace) through Metheny's
Yu Riung (about Seoul drivers called "dae-ri un-jun-sa" who have the unpleasant task of picking up people late at night who have been drinking too much and taking them home) and Richard Rogers'
My Funny Valentine. The sisters interact constantly with eye contact or the slightest of nods, an occasional inside-joke smirk. The entire performance is a joy, finishing with two David Balakrishnan pieces,
Tremors and
Skylife, the latter "a slow burning, heavy-metal kind of number....if this were the 60's, the comparison would be to Led Zeppelin."
Bravo! And after the concert we, as instructed, snap up a signed copy of
Groovebox (which starts out with the Doors'
Riders on the Storm) before heading out I84 west. Great start to the weekend. If I only knew!
The program:
Divertissement for Violin, Cello and Piano (Moscow, 2005) Nikolai Kapustin
Dies Irie Kenji Bunch
Song on the Land Ronn Yedidia
Mr. Twitty's Chair Katrina Wreede
Intermission
Yu Ryung Pat Metheny
My Funny Valentine Richard Rogers
Tremors David Balakrishnan
Skylife David Balakrishnan
