There’s a moment during the languidly weeping cello/violin interplay of Astor Piazolla’s pleading, wonderful, sad and magnificent Oblivion where the world melts away; the Ahn Trio, the First Baptist Church, the crowd no longer matter because we are somehow in the music. More accurate, perhaps, to say that it – and we – are somehow part of everything and nothing.
And of course it’s only possible to acknowledge the transformative power of these times once they fade away – or, possibly, once we return to our bodies. It’s impossible not to be fundamentally altered, spellbound, even if only for a second, by the music.
All of which is a verbose way to say that the Ahn Trio is comprised of three sisters of such outstanding and atom-intimate feel for the story of the music that even their unbelievable technique is reduced to a supporting act in their script. Of course, the challenging modernity of something like Bunch’s Backstep requires a left-field approach and makes demands of the listener that more conventional chamber music might not, but that’s half the fun – for the trio, and for the audience. The interplay between the sisters enables them to imbue the material with a personality that’s a collaborative effort between the Trio, the composer – and the moment.
They love Cayman
It helps that cellist Maria, her twin sister, pianist Lucia and soaring violinist Angella happen to also be easily engaging; creating these bubbles of wonderment through the sonics and then speaking honestly and charmingly to the audience about how much they love Cayman. The feeling, it’s fair to say, is more than mutual. This is the very expression of the Cayman Arts Festival – bringing great artists to Cayman, sure, but bringing Cayman to them, too.
Because ultimately, were this musical force more po-faced, more serious, more classically classical then there wouldn’t be the joy inherent in utilising what appears to be conductor’s batons in lieu of cello bows, or threading a telephone directory underneath the piano strings to make it resemble a banjo. These, too, are sublime moments because they reveal a playfulness that ever was the key to true artistry – whether that’s played on a Stratocaster or a Stradivarius. It’s impossible not to frolic on that vibe as part of an appreciative audience, and so the energy cycles.
The group has played to tens of thousands, for Obama and the South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak (the Ahns are Korean via New York). But music of this quality delivered with this technique and soul can make nonsense of such titles.
A cat may look at a king, said Alice. And both can be moved by music, which follows its own rules.
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