Robert E. M.
Google
My wife and I just attended a performance by the Vienna Ensemble in the basement of Mozarthaus. First, the venue offers great acoustics. Small, but not confining, the room produces a feeling of deep peace. The walls are whitewashed old bricks, partly covered by large acoustic tiles in shades of grey. The lighting, as varied as the shapes of the room, itself is worth the modest admission price.
But this review is about the music. The best of the four 70-minute classical-music sets that we have heard this week. The others were great but this one, alone, has earned a review. The youthful energy of the pianist, violinist and cellist drove the performance. Their sound was clean, proficient, but also strangely joyous, as they shared the pleasure that this music obviously brought them. The shy, unrehearsed intros by the cellist prepared the audience perfectly for each piece.
The violinist and cellist performed a piece that the cellist described as very difficult-composed by Haydn but modified by someone in the 1900s. The couple executed the piece flawlessly, but, early, their faces hardened for a moment, I assume from stress. In that moment, I saw their faces aged by 50 yrs-still, I hope, betraying their youthful enthusiasm. Smiling, I had to blink away tears, as I reflected on the magic of the trio's entire performance, which transcended time itself.