A Great Cello Day 11/29/09

November 29, 2009

I had a wonderful day yesterday, writing an article for Japanese Newspaper, practicing piano, doing chores around our house, seeing a good movie, and working out at the gym. But the evening was the best part. On the way to play for a cello recital in Long Beach, my ears caught a familiar name on KUSC, Desmond Hoebig, a fantastic cellist, a friend of ours from Houston time. He was a principle cellist in Houston Symphony back then. The recording they played on the radio was from May 2008 and it was Dvorak Cello Concerto with Cleveland Orchestra where he was a principle cellist. It is not easy to describe how great his playing was! His tone, nuance, rubato, phrasing, and vibrate was just right! Of course, his technique is refined. I remember he has long beautiful fingers, and I was imagining the picture of him, listening the radio. 43 miles drive to Long Beach from my house was so quick, listening his cello. His comments after the concerto were wonderful . Bravo, Desmond!

And I arrived at Daniel Recital Hall at California State University-Long Beach to play with a talented young cellist, Daniel Smith, for his recital. I was pretty much still excited after the radio show. We did the touch-up rehearsal in the hall, and waited for the perfromance. I played with him last year, and this time he had “Prayer” by Bloch, and Barber Sonata with me, and his solo was Britten Suite No.1. Barber is one of my favorite cello-piano pieces. The recital went very well. Last time was already very good, but he got so much better since. When I was playing with him in the first half I was busy, but in the second half, I sat down in the audience and listened Britten Solo Cello Suite. It was so powerful and passionate, and he had a great focus in the music. This recital was a fund raising event and I was imagining many of the audience were not classic concert regulars. But every single person in the audience was still and captured by his great music making. Bravo, Daniel!