Dimitri Kabalevski

The concert by the University Chamber Orchestra last Wednesday was very nice. I enjoyed almost every moment except for one contemporary composer's work though. I think my taste for music is too conservative to understand fragmentary and asymmetrical composition of contemporary work.

However, the Orchestra nicely played Beethoven's Symphony no 2 in D op. 36. The harmony that every violin and cello tuned to was beautiful but it also presented duly tension that string music should convey. The drummer was excellent! As if heard from far away behind the harmony of all string instruments, the sounds of drums pushed, chased and excited the violins to move forward. Every drum-beat caught but re-adjusted every breath of the audience.

What amazed me most was Dimitri Kabalevski's Cello Concerto No. 1!! It was such a melancholic charm! My preference for cello did not bias my judgment, I hope. The young cellist, an undergraduate in the univ., is only 21 years old. His baby face still wore an innocent and shy expression. However, in his performance, he showed his mature skill and sophisticated sensibility to present this rather emotionally dense work. Most of the time, he played with his eyes closed as if in a trance. Occasionally with his eyes open, the dark eyeballs, in contrast with his rather pale face, expressed a deep emotion that echoed his body moment and flowed along with the melody. Barlow, this young and talented cellist, is a rising star.

I am expecting my CD of Kabalevski's Cello Concerto to arrive, cannot wait to listen to it in winter evenings.