Three days of party: Day Two (Asher's Senior Recital)

   It was wonderful to have my parents fly in from Idaho for the grad party on Wednessday. Ephraim rode in the backseat with my mom as we drove to Stoughton from the airport.  She fed him snacks all the way.  By the time we reached home, they were best buds.

After focusing on the older kids at the grad party the night before, grandma and grandpa went with the younger kids to the zoo.  There was an amazing new polar bear exhibit with a very playful bear.  The bear would do dives and swim backtroke right in front of us. Ephraim was impressed.

  Sylvia was still thinking she was rock-climber-of-the-universe from all the rock climbing she had done at an indoor gymn this winter.  She immedieately gravitated to a big boulder in the zoo and tried to climb it.  My dad was really helpful in trying to get her some support.. but alas, it was not to be.  Maybe next year.

   After the zoo and a nap, it was time for Party Number Two:  Asher's Senior Recital.  This was not just a small local affair, but was in a very classy auditorium in Madison, with some of the best musicians in the area sharing the stage with him and in the audience.  My mom and Noel helped set up refreshments and get the programs ready in advance.  It was an amazing concert. Asher started by playing the full Forsyth Viola Concerto (almost 30 min long), entirely memorized!  Mattias had spent most of the spring working to learn the accompaniment, and they sounded great together.

   Asher played a rousing trio by Gabrielli with a couple of professional violin players (Diane and Rebecca Mackie) who are good friends of ours, and his first string teachers.

     Then came my favorite part of the program, getting to see Asher's quartet  perform.   All year long, he has gone into Madison twice a week to practice with these other high school musicians (Maynie Bradley, David Cao, and Antonia Rolfing). The quartet members also play in the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra together.  
      This quartet consited of the orhcestra's two principle violin players, the top cello player, and Asher (the principal violist) all in one quartet!  What a great combination!   I had never heard them live, since Sean had gone to their perfomances while I stayed home with Ephraim during the year.  Finally, I got to see what all the fuss was about.  
            They were astounding!

   The quartet performed the first movement of Ravel's string quartet in F major, as well as the first movement of Mendelssohn's String Quartet in F Minor.  I had heard recordings of both pieces before, but seeing them performed live, by a quartet filled with such energy, was so fun!

 The grand finale of the recital was a duet Asher had been working up with a friend (and violinist from his quartet), Maynie Bradley. 

     Asher and Maynie performed Passacaglia, a duet for violin and viola adapted by Johan Halvorson from Handel's seventh Suite for Harpsichord.  They played it with such perfect balance and unity. It was beautiful.  At the end, the audience rose with a cheer, lound clapping, and a standing ovation.  And they kept clapping.  And clapping.  And they went off stage, and came back.. and the clapping continued... and I as a mother started worrying.  "What if they want an encore?!"  "Has he prepared anything?"   But, after a long wave of cheering and clapping, the audience died down, and I felt relieved.  "Whew!"

  There was much mingling afterwards, many hands were shaken, and many cookies consumed.  We met wonderful new friends, but mostly enjoyed the support of the old ones who came to support the boys.

   It was an amazing night.  As the recital was underway, my dad leaned over to my mom and made the comment "I feel like I snuck into some professional concert without paying!". It truly set a high bar for Asher's future recitals.  We give many thanks to all who gave of their time to get him to this place in his budding career.