We had Joshua Roman as our principal cello1139 here in Seattle near the start of his career. He was fabulous, and I was sad when he moved on. Our current principal cello, Efe Baltacigil, is every bit as fabulous in a different way, and then there's the associate principal cello, Nathan Chan, who has energy and exuberance to burn. None of these words conveys anything about their musicianship. What am I trying to say about the cello section of the Seattle Symphony? There was nothing wrong with it before, but it wasn't the heart of what I listened to, ten or fifteen years ago, and now it is, and that change began with Joshua Roman's youthful energy.
Last week, Jerry, Suzle, Glenn, and I heard the Brahms sextets. I'm fond of watching the way chamber musicians communicate with each other, with nods and shoulder shrugs. All six musicians were fine, fine, fine, but Nathan Chan was especially fine in the first sextet, and his eyebrows could be a conductor all by themselves.
I didn't know the sextets before; I'm not a Brahms enthusiast. Well, except for the Hungarian dances as piano duets, and the alto rhapsody, and the German requiem, and now these sextets...and now I have to conclude that I like Brahms just fine, except for the symphonies and the academic overture.
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Date: 2025-02-15 05:54 am (UTC)Last week, Jerry, Suzle, Glenn, and I heard the Brahms sextets. I'm fond of watching the way chamber musicians communicate with each other, with nods and shoulder shrugs. All six musicians were fine, fine, fine, but Nathan Chan was especially fine in the first sextet, and his eyebrows could be a conductor all by themselves.
I didn't know the sextets before; I'm not a Brahms enthusiast. Well, except for the Hungarian dances as piano duets, and the alto rhapsody, and the German requiem, and now these sextets...and now I have to conclude that I like Brahms just fine, except for the symphonies and the academic overture.