Watching genius at work (or play) is mind blowing.
The past couple of nights we were treated to something fantastic. Many of our family members were invited to our nephew's Trumpet recital. We had no idea the treat we had in store. We are used to hearing concerts by Dr. Randy Lee, trumpeter extraordinaire. He has been talking about his genius friend Dr. Mauricio Arias-Guerra (piano) from Bogota, Columbia, but until we attended the recitals on Monday and Tuesday nights we didn't really understand exactly what he was talking about.
The past couple of nights we were treated to something fantastic. Many of our family members were invited to our nephew's Trumpet recital. We had no idea the treat we had in store. We are used to hearing concerts by Dr. Randy Lee, trumpeter extraordinaire. He has been talking about his genius friend Dr. Mauricio Arias-Guerra (piano) from Bogota, Columbia, but until we attended the recitals on Monday and Tuesday nights we didn't really understand exactly what he was talking about.
Randy often goes on musical tours to perform all over the world. These two recitals were the first part of a tour for Randy, Mauricio, and their other Columbian friend Dr. Juan Carlos Lopez (piano). Mauricio is a fabulous pianist and composer. Monday night's concert was mostly music by Mauricio. Tuesday night's concert included piano duo music from other Latin American composers plus a Piano/Trumpet Concerto by Mauricio.
I sat in the middle of the audience so I could focus on Randy and all of his trumpets, but now I wish I had sat to the side so I could have watched all of the fireworks happening at the piano! Don't get me wrong. I love to watch Randy play his five different trumpets. (It is amusing to try to guess which one he'll pick up next or which of his six mutes he will use.) However, Mauricio put on a quite different spectacle during each night. (He played on three different pianos. I guess the one 9-ft. Steinway just didn't fit every piece!)
The music was fantastic. I expected Latin American rhythms -- and got them -- yet I didn't expect bits of Bach, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Shostakovich, and many other Classical composer influences. These pianists weren't Doctors of Music for nothing! They really knew their stuff!
I sat in the middle of the audience so I could focus on Randy and all of his trumpets, but now I wish I had sat to the side so I could have watched all of the fireworks happening at the piano! Don't get me wrong. I love to watch Randy play his five different trumpets. (It is amusing to try to guess which one he'll pick up next or which of his six mutes he will use.) However, Mauricio put on a quite different spectacle during each night. (He played on three different pianos. I guess the one 9-ft. Steinway just didn't fit every piece!)
The music was fantastic. I expected Latin American rhythms -- and got them -- yet I didn't expect bits of Bach, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Shostakovich, and many other Classical composer influences. These pianists weren't Doctors of Music for nothing! They really knew their stuff!
For me, though, the most enjoyable part of each evening was hearing Dr. Mauricio take a short theme and freely improvise a showstopper. The first night he asked for an idea from the audience. Someone called out, "Do the theme from the Flintstones." Then we experienced magic.
He took the first few notes and rhythms from that little tune and played it in so many different styles. He started out in a bombastic minor tonality with the melody in the bass. He gravitated through Bach two-part invention, Latin rhumba, pyrotechnics all over the keyboard a la Franz Liszt, some 20th Century tone row, some flourishes that were purely Dr. Mauricio, and ended finally in Major. It was humorous and delightful!
Then, on Tuesday night he improvised again. This time someone in the audience suggested he use the Shaker tune, "Simple Gifts." Again, Dr. Mauricio took that tune and turned it over and inside out to delight us with his unique style of invention and improvisation. Amazing!!!!!
Who knew a guy from South America would even know an American folk hymn and a theme from a 1960s American Cartoon show? My mind was blown!
(Oh, yeah, Randy wasn't so bad, either!)
He took the first few notes and rhythms from that little tune and played it in so many different styles. He started out in a bombastic minor tonality with the melody in the bass. He gravitated through Bach two-part invention, Latin rhumba, pyrotechnics all over the keyboard a la Franz Liszt, some 20th Century tone row, some flourishes that were purely Dr. Mauricio, and ended finally in Major. It was humorous and delightful!
Then, on Tuesday night he improvised again. This time someone in the audience suggested he use the Shaker tune, "Simple Gifts." Again, Dr. Mauricio took that tune and turned it over and inside out to delight us with his unique style of invention and improvisation. Amazing!!!!!
Who knew a guy from South America would even know an American folk hymn and a theme from a 1960s American Cartoon show? My mind was blown!
(Oh, yeah, Randy wasn't so bad, either!)
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