Free Classical Music Concerts Are Loads Of Fun

Providing, of course, you get to the Great Hall in time and get a good seat. I almost did not, because half an hour is barely enough time. I will pay more attention in the future.

The concert was the Miro Quartet playing Beethoven's String Quartet No.4 in C minor, and then Charles Ives String Quartet No.1 "Revival Service". Then Mr. Pesic joined them in the Dvorak Piano Quintet in A minor.

Never have I heard chamber music of this caliber. And seldom have I heard pianists of this quality. Remember Alon Goldstein playing the Beethoven Piano Concerti in May, Mum and Dad? Mr. Pesic is that good. He makes the piano sing out above the strings in glorious peals of sound.

The Beethoven quartet was fierce and brutal. The first movment (in sonata-allegro form, of course! This is Classical Beethoven) was formed with gypsy/Hungarian motives but very Beethovenish. Sort of like a Moonlight Sonata for strings.

The Ives quartet was also fun, dissonant, modern, but really familiar - it incorporated elements of hymns like "Crown Him With Many Crowns" and "Be Thou My Vision". Pretty cool.

But the Dvorak quintet brought the house down. This was unspeakably amazing. Even though the Steinway was old and beat up, it sounded fabulous working with the Miro Quartet. The rhythms and pulsing melodies through the four-movment work were simply astounding. Mom might not believe it, but I sat as still as a German in the Great Hall listening to that concert. I didn't move until the movement was over.

All the concerts are free for the St. John's community, but people from Santa Fe showed up too - mostly old people. That is how it is these days - you have the Classical Cult, but apart from these strange teenagers obsessed with Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert, it's old people.

I love free concerts!