Cultural Experience #5

Stephanie and I began our self-betterment exercises by attending cultural events a few years ago. I've mentioned this series of events before, (the last being the unfortunate ballet) but last night -- Thursday, February 28th -- we continued the series with a classical piano concert at Ball State, and added a very special person to our number.

Now, many of you may be turned off instantly when you hear the words "classical" and "piano" together with "concert". Do not judge too quickly.

The group we witnessed was actually introduced to me by my mother over the summer (kudos to Care Bear). She'd ripped out a short blurb on their new album that appeared in American Profile. I looked them up on YouTube, naturally, being a member of the Millennial Generation, and found some pretty phenomenal footage of the group The 5 Browns.


Flight of the Bumble Bee by Rimsky-Korsakov

I have tried several times in the past twenty-four hours to gather my thoughts into words and then into sentences to explain the draw that classical piano music has on my soul. I have always loved piano music; it seems like it's been a part of my life since I can remember--Thursday afternoons at Mrs. Wickline's farmhouse, listening to my siblings play, wondering when it would be my turn.

Like any art done well, piano music can fore go words and speak directly to the deepest, even hidden parts of the soul. These amazingly talented siblings -- The 5 Browns -- have the gift of this technical, yet exhilarating language. I never knew fingers and hands could move so quickly and accurately over these black and white keys. I have never witnessed the spiritually uplifting, all-encompassing nature of the pieces that they played. My heart actually quickened and rested with each rise and fall in the music. In spirit, I danced the tarantella when the brothers (Gregory and Ryan) created that dance from notes on a page (which, incidentally, they'd memorized years prior). I could see the moonlit scenes painted before my eyes as the three sisters played at one piano the most breath-taking rendition of Debussy's Clair de Lune. Their arms were entangled it seemed, over and under, woven like a beautiful tapestry of notes, of music, pouring forth from this single Steinway. And their final piece, Firebird by Stravinsky (see below)...I couldn't breathe. I couldn't rip my eyes away from the view of the piano before us, the reflection of hands and flashing fingers in the shiny blackness of the instrument itself, the one at which someone played during every song, even the solos (well chosen seats, Kyle). I could count the number of times I blinked during that seemingly interminable song on one hand. So enrapturcated was I by their performance, though mostly by the music created, that it left me wide-eyed and speechless for minutes.

The best description I have come up with as I've contemplated all day how to explain the experience is this: They have brought LIFE to a genre of music that some of my contemporaries would believe is dead.

As they prefaced their songs with tales of the history, the composers, and sometimes the lyrics of the pieces, their individual personalities and their great senses of humor shined through. Gregory had the best outfit of the night -- red corduroy pants, white button-down with the sleeves rolled up, and black vest, with black retro Converse hi-tops. Outstanding.

I will let you judge for yourself with a few glimpses included here of a couple of our favorite performances from last night. Enjoy them. Be blown away. It is a gift, and that five should come from the same family, truly unbelievable.


Firebird by Stravinsky