With due precautions, live music soars
The slow and serene melody played by violinist Jay Cosmos Lee wafted out to the audience members who were seated in their lawn chairs and dispersed about on the dry grass of the field. The accompaniment, performed with tender care by pianist Marc Ryser, was a series of simple broken chords. Except for the cooling breezes and lazy sway of the tall trees, time seemed to stand still during the 10 minutes of consoling music by Arvo Part.
This was live music in front of a live audience in rural Washington County on the evening of Tuesday, July 7. The program for combinations of violin, viola and piano was presented by Music from Salem and its director, Lila Brown, the violist who founded the summer series in 1986.
Normally, Music from Salem would be presenting about half a dozen chamber music programs at Hubbard Hall in Cambridge. When the COVID-19 pandemic made that impossible, Brown come up with the notion of some simple outdoor concerts on the 260-acre farm that’s been in her family for generations. There are seven more programs scheduled through mid-august. Admission is free, though contributions are welcome.
“We’re learning to adapt and be flexible,” Brown told the crowd of about 30 adults that night. One audience member exclaimed, “It’s like a mini-spac,” as he and his wife were setting up their chairs. Though the setting was less than ideal for listening, when community, nature and music can come together in the midst of such a troubled world, it seems churlish to complain.
The stage for the event was the open first floor of a vintage barn. That’s where Brown and
Lee were when the music called only for strings. When the piano was needed, all three players were positioned indoors, in the studio above the garage. Muffled sounds, a kind of ghost music, reached the audience through a few small casement windows that were opened. There’s also a large trap door to the upstairs studio, which is how the piano got up there years ago. But the trap door and one of the windows were stuck and unable to be opened for this first outing. Brown tells me the door and the window are now cooperating and the sound has noticeably improved.
For the piece by Arvo Part (“Spiegel im Spiegel”), the mechanics of the duet are simple enough for it to work with the violinist positioned downstairs and the piano upstairs. Despite the logistical challenges, it was a generous program with music by Brahms, Bartok, Martinu, d’indy and Clarke. Brown’s goal is to present 45 minutes of lighter and “tasty” music. The specific works for each concert won’t be announced until the event.
“We’re just trying to think how we can still do live music and keep it really easy for the musicians and safe for everyone,” says Brown. “We have an outdoor toilet if people need, but hopefully they won’t. And we’re offering a few drive-in places. So if people have to be especially careful, there’s room on the edge of the lawn for three or four cars.”
Safety was a priority as Brown put together the rooster of artists. The Music from Salem model has been to have a different group of musicians from the U.S. and Europe in residence every week at the farm for a