Watching Lakatos, Hearing the Divine: A YouTube Encounter

In anticipation of Roby Lakatos’ appearance at the Modlin Center on January 31, I decide to track down his videos on YouTube. I’m delighted to discover that the site offers plenty clips of the violin virtuoso who has earned the respect (and inspired the awe) of critics and audiences throughout the world.

I pick a clip at random and click. A young Japanese man, sporting a blond pixie reminiscent of Annie Lennox, provides the introductory commentary to a television broadcast of Lakatos and his group. The fact that I can’t understand what the commentator is saying and am unable to read the words (also in Japanese) that appear on screen isn’t important. The commentator’s enthusiasm—infectious, convincing—transcends the language barrier. I feel confident that the performance I’m about to witness is going to be well worth the cyber-visit.

The curtains are drawn to reveal a darkened stage. The first impassioned strains of Two Guitars (Dve Gitari) leap like flames from Lakatos’ violin. Frenzied yet precise. Ecstatic yet exquisite. But wait. This is the music of Gypsies, whose nomadic lives are filled with both joy and pathos. Almost immediately, the pathos reveals itself. Lakatos makes a seamless segue into a lyrical, plaintive melody and begins to pluck the strings of his violin as if it were a mandolin. The yearning is almost palpable. Another melodic mood change and the listener is swept up in a vigorous csardas. And so it goes. At performance’s end, Lakatos and his violin—together with the expert instrumentalists who accompany them—have masterfully evoked such a wide-ranging gamut of emotions that the mind boggles at an accomplishment achieved within a mere six minutes.

I move on to another clip from the same broadcast—Lakatos playing the Hungarian Dance No. 5.



Once again, I’m mesmerized. Although the Brahms has become standard concert fare, Lakatos reinvigorates the work with his characteristic intelligence and intensity. His interpretation is marked by such a keen sensibility that I’m startled out of my familiarity with the piece and begin to feel as if I’m hearing it for the first time. The man exemplifies pure genius.

With his Dali-esque waxed moustache, ingenuous smile and boxer’s physique, Lakatos cuts an endearing figure as he strolls across the stage. The rapport he shares with his fellow musicians is glowingly evident. Critics have remarked on his charisma. I regard charisma as a quality that its possessor deliberately cultivates with an eye to eliciting the approbative description “charismatic.” Roby Lakatos, on the other hand, radiates pure joy. He is one virtuoso who obviously has fun making music.

Happy New Year!

As the holiday season winds down, the Modlin Center is preparing for a very busy and exciting second half of the season. I will look forward to seeing you at one of our many upcoming events.

I thought you would be interested in seeing this photo from the world premiere of Krzysztof Penderecki's String Quartet No. 3 in Warzaw last month. Pictured are the Shanghai Quartet, for whom the piece was written, and Maestro Penderecki. The Maestro will join the quartet for the Virginia premiere of this piece on Sunday, February 22, 2009. I hope to see you there.

Here's wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

kp

February Premiere of New String Quartet by Penderecki

Of the many things we do at Modlin, the activity of which I am most proud is our commitment to the commissioning of new work. As a university presenter, I feel that we have an moral obligation to be certain that new work is created, developed and performed. It is the most important work we do to further the performing arts forms.

One of the most exciting projects Modlin has ever undertaken in is the commission of a new string quartet by Krzysztof Penderecki. The quartet, written for our former ensemble in residence the Shanghai Quartet, is co-commissioned by the Modlin Center for the Arts and Montclair State University in New Jersey. The piece had it's world premiere in Maestro Penderecki's native country of Poland and will have its Virginia premiere Sunday, February 22, 2009 at the Modlin Center.

In anticipation of this remarkable performance, I thought you'd enjoy reading an email Nick Tzavaras, the quartet's cellist sent to me after the work premiered in Warsaw earlier this month.

"Dear Kathy,

Last week we premiered the Penderecki Quartet in Warsaw. It is an outstanding piece and was extremely well received. Both the public and the press seemed to think this work will become a major part of the quartet literature and perhaps be considered one of his greatest chamber works.

The piece is about 15 minutes long and is in one movement with defined sections within it. Starting with an almost grave intro, it heads directly to a driven Vivace in G Minor which surfaces through the entire piece. Soon a beautiful Waltz surfaces, followed by a poignant
notturno, then back to the Vivace pattern which Penderecki wanted faster, faster." By the end we could barely play all the notes in the new furious tempo. At the end a spectacular gypsy melody surfaces, one that hasn't been heard in his writing as of yet. We asked Penderecki about it and he told us that it is a melody that his father used to play on his violin, perhaps a Romanian melody he thought. At the climax all of these themes surface and collide in a 

powerful moment that is quite remarkable. The end, like most of his works these days, is soft, almost walking away into the distance, with harmonics echoing the gypsy melody at the very end.

We think Penderecki wrote a masterpiece and, though we got it in its complete form just days before our first performance, we are extremely happy with the work. I think audiences here will truly appreciate it. Penderecki did ask quite a lot about the american premieres, and I think he is looking forward to the next set of performances. The director of Schott (his music publisher) was also at the premiere and was ecstatic with the work.

Thanks again Kathy for making this commission a reality. I think the work will be a major part of the chamber music literature for centuries to come and we thank the Modlin Center and the University of Richmond for making this project possible.

Cheers,

Nick"

You can really hear the excitement in Nick's voice and I hope you are planning to join me and the Shanghai Quartet for this history-making performance.

Happy holidays,

kp

Culture Stock! Your Online Stocking-Stuffer Source

The Modlin Center's online shop Culture Stock! offers stocking stuffers and small gifts that please the eye while sparing the wallet. Stop by our cyberboutique to pick up a few goodies for friends and family.

Feel free to make a purchase or simply window shop. We offer magnets, bumper stickers, mugs, t-shirts and more. Culture Stock! was designed with you, the Modlin Center fan, in mind.

If you don't find what you're looking for, leave a suggestion and we'll do our best to accommodate you. We can't promise that the item will be ready for the holidays—but please remember that Culture Stock! is open all year long. The Modlin Center is committed to making your holiday and gift shopping experience as convenient and trouble-free as possible!

Unique and Hassle-free: The Gift of Live Entertainment

During December, a trip to the local mall for that "special something" often turns out to be a wearying exercise in futility. Does your father really need another silk tie? Will you ever see your brother again when he's holed up 24/7, playing the latest video games he added to his collection this holiday season? The Modlin Center can eliminate your shopping angst by restoring the enjoyment in gift-giving—for both you and the recipient. Simply wrap the present of live entertainment in a box! Purchase a ticket to one (or more) of our fabulous upcoming events and you're assured of a custom-sized gift guaranteed to please.

Is your father a musical theatre aficionado whose favorites include Sunday in the Park with George and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum? He'll no doubt welcome the opportunity to see and hear their creator, the legendary Stephen Sondheim, in person with a ticket to "An Evening with Stephen Sondheim" hosted by New York Times columnist Frank Rich. The Modlin Center presents the event at Richmond's Landmark Theater on February 2, 2009 at 7:30 pm.

Treat your brother to the real-time experience of light, color, movement and sound with Cirque Éloize: Nebbia. Appearing at the Modlin Center in late January, Cirque Éloize provides magic, spectacle and excitement in full measure. And isn't a breath of fresh air exactly what your brother needs?

Spare yourself the hassle of mall parking and the headache of battling holiday crowds. Visit our Web site to sample a dazzling array of performances and events that include MOMIX and Garrison Keillor. When you give the gift of live entertainment, you give an experience that lingers long and lovingly in the memory. It's just the ticket!

Rockapella: Singing and Swinging and Making Your Holidays Bright

Rockapella—whose members have earned a well-deserved reputation as the undisputed kings of a capella music—launches a month of festive celebration in high style and with more than a touch of class when they perform "A Rockapella Holiday." The group, a Modlin favorite, will appear at Camp Concert Hall on December 5 in two evening performances (7:30 and 9:30 pm).

The ensemble has jazzed up, doo-wopped and modernized the a cappella genre so successfully that their revamp of the art form has become a signature style all its own. Give your spirits a well-deserved boost with traditional favorites that include "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas," as well as the Rockapella original "Snowstar."

Rockapella always attracts a sold-out Modlin crowd, and tickets to the 7:30 pm show are almost gone. Be sure to purchase your tickets in advance by calling the Box Office at (804) 289-8980 or visiting the Modlin Center on the Web.