Mendelssohn on Mull 2023

We were pleased to welcome children from the Primary School who were willing to sit on the floor as all chairs were already taken.

We welcomed the eminent American violinist Alexi Kenney to sit in for an indisposed Alex Redington, and he led two performances of Schönberg’s VerklärteNacht. We heard from three duos, including a work for two violas by the contemporary English composer GeorgeBenjamin.  We heard the first Janáčekquartet (the second was programmed in 2022) and we concluded our week with theMendelssohn Octet, long a favourite here, naturally enough, but its first outing during the Doric’s stewardship.

One particular performance stands out vividly in my memory. As I looked around the room through teary eyes, I noticed expressions of wonder and amazement on the faces of the audience members, spanning from the very young to the elderly. I had a powerful realisation that the love and energy that musicians pour into a space can be profoundly transformational.

Connie Pharoah, viola

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