nate-amazed

"He makes the rain to fall on both the just and unjust..."

to be sure i have no idea into which category any of the following musicians and composer fall, but i for one am glad for God's equal love and provision for all men. and today's inauguration put that thought squarely in my mind as i watched and listened to cellist Yo Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, clarinetist Anthony McGill, and pianist Gabriella Montero play "Air and Simple Gifts", arranged by John Williams.

i am not familiar with the works of John Williams beyond the numerous soundtrack works he's done, so perhaps he's already got volumes of similar works to this one finished specifically for the events of the day. if so, i must dig deeper into his catalog. i know him as someone who has mastered the orchestra...well, the orchestra and that infamous "da dah...da dah" line from Jaws. it's quite another thing to master a work for four individual instruments. i am not surprised at his ability to do this...i've just not heard it before. and no string quartet. no piano, guitar, bass, drums. violin, cello, clarinet, and piano. i also don't recall that grouping in a four piece before. it was an amazing combination, with a stunning sound specifically from Anthony McGill and his clarinet.

i'm well aware of the talents of Itzhak Perlman. my mother and father listened to classical music often in our home as i was growing up, and Itzhak Perlman was always one of the featured artists. in my teens i was unaware of how he was the perfect combination of technique and feel. i just thought he was really good. now, with many more years of being a musician under my belt, i know how rare the combination of both in one artist actually is. he was perfect today...with no frets...in sub-freezing temps...on a hollow wood stringed instrument.

Yo Yo Ma is every bit his equal, and showed it today. same issues of temp and instrument, and yet he flawlessly matched the violin note for note. not just matched, but blended. there were moments that seemed list one mind was playing the two instruments...as well it should have. still, in a world where "feat: ____" is added after the title of many songs, and getting full recognition is so important, these men choose to be equal, and excel together and for each other. granted, they can't get much more recognition than they currently have, but lots of other stars have done their best to outshine those with whom they share a stage.

Anthony McGill...we hardly knew you. but that's gonna change. my brother played clarinet growing up. i heard Benny Goodman, Acker Bilk, Jimmy Dorsey, Peewee Russell, Pete Fountain, and Bud Freeman growing up. clarinet was for jazz. i mean, it was present in the orchestras, too, but i never heard clarinet as a prominent classical solo instrument. maybe the lone exception was Tchaikovsky's Peter and the Wolf. but back to Anthony. i never heard a clarinet sound like Anthony made that one sound today. rest assured i'll be looking for more work by him.

Gabriella Montero was more in a support role today, backing this beautiful piece. i'm sure she's quite gifted, as well. i'll look for her, too.

it was a moving day today. the power of the written and spoken word held us captivated for much of it. and while Aretha Franklin should have her own piece written for her work on My Country 'Tis of Thee, i was once again struck by the strength of notes on paper, played by fingers destined for greatness. it does, in fact, drive home a point about Barack Obama and leadership. his faith is dismantled and debated by tens of thousands who doubt a man can bring about good without the words they would hear from the preacher of their choice. but just like the rain, and musical talents, leadership falls on the just and unjust. and if he will lead "justly", then at worst he counters the "just" who lead badly.

(sorry for the brief exit from the artistic bent of this blog) :-)