Who are these guys? Cutting to the chase, I am blown away by the work effort, commitment, talent and skill they bring to the table. I’m afraid we lay people have no idea…

And…

News Flash! 

The ensemble’s first violinist, Anne Marie Wnek, was chosen to perform the Glazunov Violin Concerto at the Saturday, June 15 2:00 pm “Concerto Readings” with the Festival Orchestra held in the Celeste Theatre in the Cornerstone Arts Center (825 N. Cascade Ave). This is a “Fiddler on the Rise” so do check out this free offering. 

And…

For those attending the Donor Dinner on Saturday, Wnek will be a part of the quintet performing the Vaughan Williams Piano Quintet.

REVISIT THIS BLOG TO FIND OUT WHEN YOU CAN HEAR THE FRANCK QUINTET

This writer says it would be/will be a breathtaking experience to hear them Franck-it out. 

Last night’s session with Appel at the conn proved how far they have and that  their coach is expecting them to achieve truly rarefied artistic air.

“Start at the Beginning,” called out Appel and an amazing thing happened. They made it to the end… of the first movement.. Now, it’s earned a name: César Franck's Piano Quintet in F minor I. Molto moderato quasi lento – Allegro.

The fellows had an alone session the day before and seek to find extra time to work whenever time permits. So… they seemed sure of themselves. 

The hardest worker in the room was Appel. He listened with great intensity, seemingly hearing every positive action and misstep the ensemble produced. I kept expecting the “hook” would appear to pull them off the “stage,” but they played on.

To my ears, the balance of the five instruments was impressive; they were collectively doing a good job of storytelling. There were some fine dramatic moments, a few intonation slips and an occasional ragged transition, but, in this short time, the organism was alive.

Now it was time to pick it apart. True to form, Appel continued his mission of to turn the fellows self-sufficient in this remarkable process of perfecting performance.

With four strings coming from one instrumental universe and the piano from another, there were naturally balance and musical issues to contend with. The team got to work,

Pianist Anthony Wu was incredibly receptive to the  ideas and requests of the string players. (Ultimately, a member of the piano faculty will join in a coaching session to help fine tune the relationship between strings and keyboard). 

The collective comments resulted in some really great keyboard approaches. Chen and violist Nina Weber stepped up showing their passion and fascination with this artistic process.

All this freedom that had been stoked by Appel can be considered in another paradigm. Let’s call him the therapist for a group therapy session. Good news. Good therapy.

Oftentimes, the ensemble did not need their coach telling when and where to restart the music. They now know what must be done. Happy family. 

Appel to cellist Ethan Blake: “Tell me about Nina and pretend she’s not here now.”

Like a good therapist, Appel ultimately delivered some tough realities for his “patients” to consider: 90% of your energy goes towards everyone else in a chamber ensemble; the opening of the quintet needs to feel like you’re collectively carrying a heavy load up an incline. Violists and cellists have to play ahead of everyone else because of the nature of their instruments if they want to sound solidly with the ensemble.

Appel’s ultimate thought about this intense and challenging process? “It’s not supposed to be easy or then everyone could do it.”

I was left with an extra dose of motivation to do my work better but, really, I could never match the relentless work effort these folks are up to. It isn’t natural, but thank our lucky stars they’re willing to go through it… for our benefit.

No session scheduled for today, June 7. Ah, a day off.

Not so fast, our Franck Quintet had free time in the morning and they all agreed to get together and keep working. Madness… of the finest variety.