Marco's blog An [almost] daily rant 

Monday, October 20, 2003


For my birthday, after an excellent dinner at Fork, my inamorata and I arrived at the Philadelphia Orchestra just as the house lights dimmed. First, a showy orchestral piece Richard Strauss' Don Juan, and then an incredibly showy cellist, Steven Isserlis, who played the Elgar Cello Concerto, which I had never heard before. He played like a violinist, not just the speed of his finger work, and the ease with which he hit high notes, but he also frequently raised his bow with a flourish. For his encore, played a rapid pizzicato plucking with the neck hand as well. Then my inamorata noticed that he had anonymously joined the orchestra for the "Enigma" Variations, also by Elgar, but the principal cellist got to perform the solo as the variations rotated around the orchestra members. And Sunday night, I got treated to cake and ice cream, and amiable madness. Good preparation? I hope not.

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