Reflections on Another Sky

I was recently invited to a performance by the Swiss String Quartet, Galatea. A couple of violins, a viola and a cello.

An evening in the middle of the week, which definitely soothed my nerves. It was ideally the kind of music performace that would capture my attention. Not a large hall, nothing electronic either. Very much unlike the way we perform. So many sound-checks, so much time getting all the technical details right.

But for Galatea, all they carried with themselves were their instruments. No microphones, no wires. And from the silence in the room rose the music. I had this strange feeling that the music did not rise from the strings, or the wood or even the arched bows. It came from a place in a time gone by.

It felt like the unlocking of an old cupboard, unlocking it's musty smells, it's secrets. The concert lifted the veil of time from our eyes. I especially liked the five movements of Beethoven's quartet (op. 134 in A minor) which they played in the latter half.

But what was interesting was the fact that they ended with one of Tagore's more melancholy compositions.

All in all, an evening to remember.

(Above is the building they played in)