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Cologne, Amsterdam, Munich, Vienna – big halls, big repertoire, big expectations. Now that the news of the quartet going different directions is out in the open, I can feel a different kind of vibe from the audience, a mix of nostalgia, scrutiny, and tremendous support. Standing ovations before intermission kind of thing, and long hugs at the after-parties. Lots of questions – from presenters, audience, and in my email box. It’s hard to dance around these pointed questions, but the truth of the immediate music-making is clear. Four musicians at their prime, fully committed to the moment, even as off-stage, our minds and lives race with the myriad possibilities of the future.
Exhausted from tour, I was looking forward to seeing my family and hosting a birthday party. When I walked in, Jason was in the backyard, burying clues for a treasure hunt with a miniature yellow shovel. He called into the house with final instructions just as people began to arrive for the party. I put down my backpack and violin, and was stuffing the gift bags as I noticed my phone screen lighting up – how had 17 messages appeared in the last 20 minutes?
As I greeted the gaggle of little girls, I scrolled through the messages. The Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra was in a pickle. Their principal violist was in the hospital for emergency surgery, and my dear friends, power couple cellist/conductor Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt and violinist Indira Koch needed a hand. Starting first thing the next morning. Of course I said yes – we musicians stick together! I said count on me – if you can’t find anyone. After many more updates, by the girls’ bedtime it was clear that I was going to be pulling double-duty this week – learning and daily rehearsing the next round of repertoire for Artemis, then running across town to prepare for the Metamorphosen concert in the Gendarmenmarkt Konzerthaus this week before heading out to Latvia and Brussels for the next quartet engagements.
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Source: Slipped Disc
