monoceros blogsThis evening, Peiming got us "rush" tickets (tickets bought an hour and a half before the concert, and at half price) to Hilary Hahn's performance at Ann Arbor's newly renovated Hill Auditorium.
For the first half, we were seated on the mezzanine level. The sound was good and my only wish was that I could watch Hilary's facial expressions as she produced such silvery notes of Bach. Well, I got my wish. Jake and Lim Jia (tuba and trumpet player respectively) told Peiming and me that there were vacant seats right before the stage, just three rows from the front! We rushed down and made ourselves comfortable during the intermission. Well, I really got to see Hilary up close, but the sound was a lot more raw. Then again, it was interesting to be right there, watching the violin player, seeing the gold tip of her bow flash and catch the light.
A grave, matured girl with intellectual and senstive playing. Her body swayed with each phrase and when she stopped for the pianist to extend the line, she lifted her heel as if to echo the rise of each swelling phrase. It really was wonderful to see her and listen to that music.
She played a lovely encore, Bach's Siciliano, and dedicated it to her pet mouse which died three days before.
Later, the bunch of us went down to talk with her and beg for autographs. I asked her accompanist, a lovely Chinese-American girl (very good, according to Peiming, and she would know), to sign my program too. I gave my condolences to Hilary about her mouse. She must have been tired, the poor girl. But she was lovely and composed and spoke with everyone.
I'm not sure she'd want to return to Ann Arbor to play again though. Every time the music stopped, the whole auditorium was filled with unmuffled coughs and other terrible noises. At first, she'd wait until everything died down before beginning the next movement, but after quite a bit of such rudeness, she didn't bother to wait, so the rest of us would miss the first few notes that were drowned in the cacophony of "ahems." Very rude audience.
Oh well, just another day in the life of a concert violinist.
Posted by Monoceros at February 13, 2004 12:12 AMi love hilary hahn! i've seen her twice in Singapore already, and she struck me as a very lovely person. at one of the concerts, she announced rather shyly, that she would be signing autographs at the end of her performance (she was slotted in the first half). she was still there at the end of the concert, patiently speaking to each person who was in the queue. :)
have to say singapore audiences have that muffled coughs problem as well...
Posted by: a l at February 26, 2004 3:16 AMIsn't she lovely? She has a website, and a sort of occasionally-updated journal. Go see it at http://www.hilaryhahn.com/
I expected better of an American audience since so many are big on performances, particularly classical ones, but they were very badly behaved this time.
a l, we've got quite similar music tastes! I even used to go to the same cd store as you! =)
Posted by: Van Heng at February 26, 2004 10:15 AMit's a wicked site! gosh i wish i had such talent.... i am one year older without much accomplishments...no proper income nor a permanent base... sob.
Posted by: tiggie at February 26, 2004 1:13 PMooh.... she plays lots of BACH!!! brilliant!!!
i love BACH...among others. :C)
teehee. :)
i bought hilary hahn's bach album from that cd store about a month ago. she takes her concertos at a very very brisk pace. :)
Posted by: a l at February 26, 2004 7:57 PM