Klarinet Archive - Posting 000087.txt from 2002/07

From: w7wright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: [kl] You know it's true talent when......
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2002 06:47:51 -0400

Tonight they played a Beethoven wind + piano quintet.

Just as the 2nd movement ended, someone's cell phone went off. The
phone's ringer was set to a classical theme, perhaps it was the
Mendelssohn theme that is stored on many cell phones. But the theme
began exactly on the down beat of the preceding movement. I'm sure
that Beethoven didn't have those particular notes in mind when he wrote
his quintet, but nevertheless the notes sort of 'fitted'.

As if the five musicians (Fred Ormond on clarinet) were a single
organism, they waited for the cell phone to finish its theme, and then,
still on the beat, they began the 3rd movement as though the cell phone
had been part of the composition. You could tell from their grins and
their crinkled eyes that they were fighting not to ruin the effect by
laughing.

Then it was Marilyn Horne's turn to sing some of Schubert's songs.
(What a pleasure to hear an opera singer who is in love with music, not
with herself !!!)

....but before she began, the pianist made a firm statement to the
audience that everyone should check their cell phones and pagers.

Just as Marilyn Horne filled her lungs:

<Ringy Dingy!> <Ringy Dingy!> <Ringy Dingy!>

The remainder of the concert was a Schubert rondo for five strings and
Fritz Kreisler for violin + piano. The violinist's dancing movements
and tossing hair were whipped cream on top of a musical sundae.

Cheers, <ring ring> Oh No! Not Again!
Bill

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