Musica Mattina

On April 2nd and 3rd I played two cello and piano recitals with pianist Sarah Hagen.  Both on Vancouver Island; one at the Sid Williams Theatre in Courtenay and the other in the beautiful Port Theatre in Nanaimo.  Our program consisted of the Debussy Sonata, Benjamin Britten’s Solo Cello Suite No. 1, Op. 72 and Beethoven’s 5th sonata in D major from Op. 102.  In Courtenay the audience sat with me in silence for a good 3 minutes at the end of Britten’s Suite; a beautifully reverent moment at the end of an epic opus by Benjamin.  After our Beethoven Sonata the audience chimed in for a chorus of Happy Birthday for Sarah!  We then gave back with our rendition of Rachmaninov’s famous “Vocalise”.  Our performance in Nanaimo the following day was enhanced by the beautiful setting and acoustics the theatre provided.  The glass walls, gorgeous 9 foot Steinway and incredibly attentive and engaged audience made for a wonderful experience!  Thank you for having us Bruce!