Period Piece

After a pleasant afternoon with a friend, viewing the Keith Haring exhibition at the deYoung Museum, I took myself to the Conservatory of Music, to hear some Beethoven cello sonatas (from Opus 5 and Opus 102) on period instruments. The performance was surprising, interesting, very passionate, energetic --- there were a few moments when I feared that the cellist would fall off his chair! He and the pianist were thoroughly engaged; this was no dry academic exercise in historical reconstruction, but a very expressive and intelligent performance. The cello dated from 1710, the fortepiano from a hundred years later. The cellist admitted that the bow was from the mid-19th century, but averred that its innovations had already been introduced by Beethoven's time. The scores, however, were very 21st century: small digital screens operated by a pedal, by the cellist, and by touch, by the pianist. All in all, a very involving and exciting event, that I felt privileged to hear and see. The encore (after a standing ovation) was a set of variations by Beethoven on themes from Mozart's 'Magic Flute.' A good time was had by all.