Under gloomy, rainy skies, I set off this afternoon for the opening of the fall concert series in Ashburnham, MA. It would take a lot more than rain to dampen my spirits as I literally raced west on Rt 2 trying not to exceed the one hour drive necessary to make the 4pm concert schedule.

I feel extremely fortunate in being able to attend these distinctive performances and have been anxiously awaiting the first of the fall concert series for weeks. There's a special feeling, I believe it's called relaxation, that overcomes me when I allow myself the opportunity to be in attendance.

The Historical Piano Concerts, sponsored by Pat and Michael Frederick is now in its 22nd season. My applause is directed to both of them along with the talents of the guest musicians they introduce in each concert.

An afternoon of French music featured an outstanding performance by Qi Liu who played works by Debussy (Estampes) & Ravel (Miroirs) during the first half of her performance on the Erard piano (Paris) circa 1877.





Her personality matched how beautiful she is!!
From where I was sitting, I was only able to catch glimpses of her hands commanding the keyboard. The beautiful flowing sound she brought forth from the Erard was captivating.


After intermission Shan Jiang, (violinist) joined Qi Liu, (pianist) with further works by Debussy and Franck. (Violin Sonata in g minor, Debussy & Violin Sonata in A, Franck)



Special thanks to you both for allowing everyone in the audiance a chance to enjoy your musical accomplishments. A truly remarkable experience.

Oh and there is one other person who attends every concert (for the past 11 yrs) and deserves special recognition; the recording engineer, Christopher Greenleaf. A compact disc of each performance is made and (I believe) can be ordered through the Frederick's website.

Terry:

Thanks for posting the photos and telling us about this. It sounds (pun intended) like it was a wonderful time.



Jeanne W